On Iran war he opposed hen supported, Secretary of State Rubio channeled wrong predecessor

On Iran war he opposed hen supported, Secretary of State Rubio channeled wrong predecessor

Marco Rubio is America’s 72nd Secretary of State going back to John Jay in 1789. While serving as the President’s top foreign affairs advisor, overseeing diplomatic missions, managing international relations, promoting human rights, Job One for every Secretary of State is to champion peace, not war.

Predecessors in this prestigious post include Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and William Jennings Bryan.

What an as astonishing cast of noble Secretaries that Rubio could have chosen from to respond to Trump’s decision to blow up Iran and now possibly the world economy beginning 75 days ago. Reports indicate Rubio argued against the invasion, not on moral grounds it was a criminal war, but on practical grounds it would fail. When Trump brushed asides Rubio’s concerns and pulled the trigger, dutiful Rubio hopped off the Peace Train and grabbed a First Class seat on Trump’s War Train.

Once started, Rubio offered one of the most disingenuous, disgusting rationales for war in American history. Rubio said the US had to attack Iran first. Why? Because we knew Israel was going to attack Iran and if they did, Iran would attack their best buddy America. By attacking first, the US would suffer less casualties. Of course, Rubio omitted that all along the US and Israel planned a one, two sucker punch on Iran while in peace negotiations with them.

Rubio sadly followed up on what till then had been the worst precedent in US history of a Secretary of State abdicating his job responsibility promoting peace to support his President’s rush to criminal war. On February 5, 2003, George W. Bush’ Secretary of State Colin Powell shamelessly told the UN a blizzard of lies Iraq had WMD, intended to use them, and time was running out for the world to stop them. Forty-four days later Bush launched his war that Powell, with his enormous but fake credibility, made possible. The belief was, ‘If Colin Powell says war is necessary, then war it is.’

Alas, Rubio should have gone back 88 years earlier than Powell’s disgrace to channel instead predecessor William Jennings Bryan. On June 9, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson’s Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigned. After the British liner Lusitania was sunk May 7, Bryan sent Germany a conciliatory note requesting restraint and high level diplomacy to keep the European war from drawing in the US. Bryan was mindful Germany neither attacked nor threatened America far across its Atlantic mote. Wilson was furious and penned a much stronger note that Bryan refused to sign out of conscience, resigning instead.

Bryan’s principled plea for peace did not prevent Wilson’s disastrous declaration of war on Germany 22 months later. But had Rubio bluntly told Trump he would resign and go public with his opposition to a clearly unwinnable war, Trump might have pulled back from the catastrophe he’s unleashed.

It took two and a half years for Colin Powell to admit his perfidy in enabling America’s horrific Iran war that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and over 5,000 US and allied troops. "I, of course, regret the U.N. speech that I gave, which became the prominent presentation of our case. I never saw evidence to suggest a connection between the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States and the Saddam regime. I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and (it) will always be a blot on my record. It was painful. It's painful now."

Don’t expect Marco Rubio to ever apologize for helping bring on what will likely become the most disastrous war in America’s 250 years. Rubio has been a fervent, lifelong promoter of senseless, endless US wars and US exceptionalism. He has always demonstrated the exact opposite of what a decent, peace promoting Secretary of State should be.

Until Rubio signed off the Iran war and championed its necessity to “save American lives”, Colin Powel ranked dead last of Secretaries of State. With Rubio’s capitulation to criminal war on Iran, Powell moves up one spot to make way for the worst…Marco Rubio.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Will Trump’s failed Iran war provoke his break from Netanyahu’s ironclad grip?

Will Trump’s failed Iran war provoke his break from Netanyahu’s ironclad grip?

On Iran war day 71 its clear Trump has not only lost his war, he’s blundered the world into a looming economic catastrophe. As horrendous as that is, it wasn’t even Trump’s idea. Trump was simply following orders from his real boss, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On February 11, Netanyahu arrived at the White House with Mossad Director David Barnea. They encouraged if not demanded invasion. The Netanyahu-Barnea tag team argued Iran would collapse within a couple of days from a combination of assassinating Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei, massive bombing, Mossad-fomented civil unrest and ground incursions by Kurdish fighters.

That couple of days has morphed into 71 days of arguably the greatest military disaster in US history. Instead of collapsing within a couple of days, Iran retaliated against the massive US, Israeli bombing onslaught with their own. Result? All 13 US bases in the neighboring Gulf States are damaged or destroyed. Gulf States infrastructure has suffered massive damage. So has Israel, suffering its worst bombing in its 78 years.

Worst of all, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz of Hormuz, choking off a fifth of world oil supply which may cause a worldwide recession, if not depression. The Netanyahu-Barnea presentation was a blizzard of lies Trump swallowed whole in spite of Intelligence assessments to the contrary.

As the world careens toward economic catastrophe, Trump is completely out of options to achieve any of this war goals. Check that. Friday he alluded to striking Iran with nuclear weapons. Trump told reporters on whether the ceasefire if off: "If there's no ceasefire you're just going to have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran."

Assuming he either doesn’t order nuclear strikes, or his military commanders disobey this directive to do so, Trump is facing the worst military defeat in America’s 250 years, all brought on by his fealty to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What motivated Trump’s caving to the Israeli Prime Minister? Was it the hundreds of millions in campaign cash showered upon Trump and his Republican Congress? Was it the ‘Epstein Button’, damaging evidence related to the Epstein pedophile enterprise that Trump dare not risk being exposed? Is Trump simply an ardent Zionist believing that any Israeli murder and mayhem to further Israeli expansion and Middle East dominance is worthy of Trump’s enabling?

While we’ll likely never know, Trump must be contemplating the enormity of the disaster he’s inflicted on the Middle East, and very soon the US and entire world. The one benefit that may result from Trump’s immoral, criminal war is he may be rethinking his special relationship with the man who brought on the greatest calamity of his life, Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump needs to truly become the peace president he campaigned to be in 2016. He can do that by quitting his senseless and lost Iran war. He needs to jettison his subservience to Netanyahu’s vision of Greater Israel. He needs to cut off all US military aid to Israel till Netanyahu or his successor end the genocide in Gaza, near genocide in Lebanon and quest to destroy its hegemonic rival Iran.

If Trump refuses to do the right thing, events on the battlefield and the world economy may push Trump aside and hopefully implement that peace initiative without him.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

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Three Chicago Tribune letters offer no insignt to Trump's failed Iran war

The Chicago Tribune broke a long silence on the most important issue facing America, indeed the world, with three letters on Trump’s failed Iran war degrading the world economy. Alas, they provided virtually no insight into the enormity of Trump’s reckless war going so badly he even hinted today he might nuke Iran. No kidding. Trump told reporters Friday on whether the ceasefire if off: “If there’s no ceasefire you’re just going to have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran.”

But today’s three letters provide nothing of value to understand the unfolding disaster engulfing the Middle East and world economy.

Bruce Hovanec (Criticism of Trump over Iran) offers support for keeping US troops in the region when the war ends by citing our keeping troops in Europe and Korea decades after those wars ended. He’s apparently unaware all US Gulf States bases have been destroyed or damaged badly enough for troops stationed there to be evacuated.

Dave Coyne (Bombing Iran into submission) accurately notes that bombing virtually never works in achieving victory and won’t in Iran. But Coyne is simply stating what is obvious to anyone following the utterly failed 39 day US bombing campaign. Coyne suggests that only nukes could achieve a US victory, “but Trump would have to be crazy to do that.” Based on Trump’s quote today, we can’t rule that out.

Dave Schuchardt (Time to end the war in Iran) argues the US should quit the war because ”If we can believe what we’ve been told, the damage to critical parts of Iran’s nuclear capabilities has accomplished our major concern.” That is utterly untrue because we cannot believe on word of the blizzard of lies coming from Trump and his self-proclaimed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The truth to any objective war observer is that Iran’s military and civilian infrastructure is intact and ready for any resumption of US bombing.

On this 70th day of Trump’s failed war to collapse the Iranian regime, the Chicago Tribune needs a refresher course on publishing accurate and insightful reader commentary.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Combatants must address root causes to end Ukraine, Iran wars

 Combatants must address root causes to end Ukraine, Iran wars

Ukraine cannot win its war with Russia, now in its 51st month. Why? Russia will never allow Ukraine to join NATO which would allow NATO nukes on Russia’s borders to weaken, isolate Russia from the European political economy. Nor will Russia give back the Donbas containing mostly Russian leaning Ukrainians being brutalized and killed for 8 years prior to the Russian invasion. 

Isolating, weakening Russia while ignoring Russia’s security concerns represent the root causes of the war which for Russia is an existential threat to their national security.  The Biden administration knew both threats would provoke a Russian invasion but did so anyway figuring war would weaken, if not collapse Russia. 

The opposite occurred. Russia has prospered both economically and militarily while Ukraine is a failed state near collapse and totally supported by hundreds of billions in US, NATO aid. But even a trillion in aid will not prevent Ukraine’s inevitable defeat. 

Russia always preferred the West negotiate the war’s root cause, their sensible security demands both for themselves and their Russian speaking Ukrainian brethren. While the US is not averse to this now, European NATO countries continue to pour tens of billions into the lost cause to weaken, isolate Russia. Therefore, Russia is committed to resolve the root causes of the war on the battlefield.

All this could have been avoided in November 2021 if the Biden administration had the decency and common sense to negotiate Russia’s national security interests, the root cause of their invasion three months later.  

Failure to address the root causes of war also applies to the current US, Israeli war against Iran. For Israel the root cause of the war has nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program which is not developing a nuclear weapon. It is simply Israel’s lust to destroy Iran as a hegemonic rival for Middle East supremacy. The US, supplying most of the fire power, has no dog in Israel’s quest. We can only lament that Israel exerts such malicious control over the Trump administration that it willingly engaged in suicidal war to please Israel. 

Just like with Ukraine, the US attack had the opposite effect of a quick collapse of our imagined enemy. Iran prepared a robust defense that has largely destroyed US Gulf States bases, inflicted heavy damage on Israel and Gulf States oil infrastructure. Unless the root causes of Israel’s quest to destroy Iran and Iran’s determination to survive intact are addressed, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, possibly crashing the world economy. 

The war in Ukraine now in its 51st month, and war in Iran now in its 3rd month, will not be resolved till the root causes of both are addressed. Neither the US, NATO nor Israel show any desire to bring peace by addressing them.  

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL 

Trump claims his mass murder in the Caribbean saved a million American lives…real number 0

 Trump claims his mass murder in the Caribbean saved a million American lives…real number 0

President Trump sure loves committing mass murder worldwide. Gaza, Iran, Somalia, Niger, Iraq, Yemen, Venezuela are among nations he’s victimized with violent murder. Add in countries like Cuba where he’s essentially murdering innocents with life suffocating sanctions, he’s racked up tens if not over a hundred thousand deaths in 6 years exercising his presidential License To Kill.

While bombing innocents worldwide was practiced by all presidents since at least Bill Clinton, Trump is unique in ordering mass murder bombing of small boats in the Caribbean. He ghoulishly lunched Operation Southern Spear in the Caribbean last September. In the past 8 months Trump, playing Long John Silver instead of a decent world leader, has blasted 54 little boats to smithereens, sending 185 innocents to Davy Jones Locker.

His justification? ‘Oh they’re certainly running fentanyl and cocaine to the Homeland killing millions of Americans.’ Trump claims the boats were all part of 24 narco terrorist cartels but couldn’t name a single one. When a couple of Trump’s targets survived the bombing, Trump’s military polished them off with another murderous salvo. ‘Can’t let these stinkin’ narco terrorists floating around gathering up the drug packages floating nearby’ was the justification for instant execution.

Trump lies shamelessly about everything. But his Whoppers about the bombings dwarf anything Burger King could cook up. Trump claims “Drugs entering our country by sea are down 97 percent.” More absurd, Trump calculates each boat he obliterates saves 25,000 American lives. Both figures are so preposterous one must ponder where he pulls them from.

Funny, if drugs arrivals are down 97%, one might conclude that border drug seizures would be similarly down. Yet, Customs and Border Protection note that seizures at U.S. borders and along coasts have increased from 38,000 lbs. to 44,000 lbs. (16%) in the 7 months following Trump’s mass murder spree compared to the 7 months before it began. In drug crazed America, usage is up, prices are stable and supply is plentiful.

But with Trump stiring the Ship of State, state sponsored murder is up, prices of everything legal are escalating, and display of decency, morality and common sense is nowhere to be found.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition

Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ has morphed into ‘Epic Flop’

 Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ has morphed into ‘Epic Flop’

It’s impossible to unpack the deranged logic of Donald J. Trump. He launched his criminal war on Iran with criminal Israeli war buddy Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28. Netanyahu promised quick victory within 100 hours based on assassinating Iranian leader Ali Khomeini.

A thousand hours later, after Iran inflicted tremendous damage to all 13 US Gulf States bases, war partner Israel and the world economy, Trump essentially surrendered by implementing a ceasefire without a hint of achieving a single war objective.

But defeat is not an option for Trump so he immediately broke the ceasefire by declaring a blockade on Iran’s blockade of oil and critical world goods traversing the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated by withdrawing any negotiation to reopen the Strait. In Trump’s disintegrating brain, the path to victory is speeding up collapse of the world economy by stopping all Iranian oil shipments to friendly nations like India and China not trying to destroy it.

Problem is Trump’s blockade on Iran’s blockade will no more collapse the Iranian regime than his thousand hour bombing campaign. Dozens of Iranian ships have skirted the US blockade by hugging the Iranian coast line. US ships dare not get closer to Iran than about 150 miles or risk being rerouted to Davy Jones Locker by Iranian missiles and drones. Even if they could the US simply does not have enough ships nearby to adequately choke off sufficient Iranian tankers to achieve Iran’s collapse.

Meanwhile Israel and its American Lobby are pounding on Trump to unleash a new, more vigorous bombing campaign. That could happen any day. Iran is ready and poised to destroy the remaining Gulf States oil infrastructure they missed in the war’s first thousand hours. Then watch the world economy collapse faster than Trump can claim at 3:00 A.M. on Truth Social ‘AMERICA WINS AGAIN…SEND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE TO TRUMP C/O MAR-A-LAGO.’

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Nice going Mr. President

 Nice going Mr. President

Trump's failed, criminal Iran war just threw 17,000 Spirit Airlines employees on unemployment. That is just the beginning unless Trump surrenders to Iran's sensible terms:

1. Renounce war on behalf of Israel to destroy Iran

2. End all economic sanctions on Iran

3. Pay reparations for damage caused by thousands of US bombs that killed over 3,000 Iranians including 1,500 kids

4. Get out of the Middle East since all 13 Gulf States bases are damaged if not destroyed

Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL

Not a judicious use of our tax dollars and galloping debt

 Not a judicious use of our tax dollars and galloping debt

As our national debt soars to $40 trillion, one would surmise we’re borrowing against our future to lift up the Commons and our 340 million folks.

Nope, we’re squandering our tax dollars and borrowing into unsustainable debt to wage relentless war in the Middle East on behalf of Israel. Trump launched his criminal war on Iran 63 days ago, squandering nearly a billion bucks daily, tho Defense Secretary Hegseth lied that it’s less than half that.

That $60 billion plus has been a spectacular failure from the air and sea, with a land invasion ruled out as insanely impossible. All 13 US bases in its sycophantic Gulf States allies are either destroyed or badly damaged. The Gulf States view the US so unreliably they may tell Trump to pack up and go home…forever.

As wasteful as that is on US military, he’ also lavishing billions on his tag team partner Israel in this monstrous war that is inexorably crashing the world economy. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced Thursday that Uncle Sam gifted Israel with 6,500 tons of criminal war weapons within the preceding 24 hours. That brings the total military gear to Israel since the war began to 115,600 tons arriving on 403 planes and 10 ships. Israel got so much they’re using some of it to wage a Gaza like genocide on Southern Lebanon.

Trump is left with two options. Quit his criminal war to accept Iran’s sensible demands to renounce further war, end all senseless US sanctions, and get the hell out of Iran’s neighborhood. Option two is restart the bombing in the hope of collapsing the Iranian regime. All that will accomplish is strengthen he Iran’s resolve and resume their own bombing which will likely destroy the entire Gulf States oil production infrastructure. Say hello to $10 a gallon gas and much more for everything else.

All things considered Trump should choose option one. While that will destroy his presidency and consign him to everlasting infamy as a failed war criminal, it’s a bit better than destroying the world economy.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

King Charles still locked in 1950’s obsession to weaken, destroy Russia

 King Charles still locked in 1950’s obsession to weaken, destroy Russia

King Charles offered some wise advice to Congress and the American people Tuesday in his Congressional address. But he sure whiffed on the most important issue.

In a not too subtle reference to President Trump’s wildly expanding presidential powers and stifling efforts to check his authoritarian governance, Charles stated “The U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society has calculated that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160 Supreme Court cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances,”

In an ominous reference to Trump’s covering up the Epstein files which mention Trump over 38,000 times, Charles alluded to Britain’s courageous, forthright example which included stripping away Prince Andrew’s royal title and duties. "In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today."

But Charles, unlike the Trump administration which sensibly bailed on the lost proxy war in Ukraine we provoked, remains all in for continuing the proxy war to weaken Russia. "Today, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people. It is needed in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace… keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries,"

Charles simply mirrored the entire British government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer which endlessly funds Ukraine’s inevitable collapse that the UK helped the US provoke. Britain’s economy last year grew by an anemic 1.4%. The UK has squandered 22 billion pounds on Ukraine, not “to secure a truly just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, but to guarantee Ukraine becomes a failed state.

Unlike Starmer, the British people reject such nonsense, pinning a 70% disapproval rating on Starmer and his Russophobe advisors, including King Charles. UK drivers are paying more for petrol because their government stupidly cut their purchase of cheaper Russian oil to zero with no end in sight.

Congress gave the King a standing ovation with his ‘fight the Ukraine war to the last Ukraine soldier’ pitch. But that was political theater. President Trump and his idolatrous Republican Congress have moved on from squandering our treasure on the senseless proxy war against Russia. They’re completely obsessed with squandering a billion bucks daily to lose their criminal war on Iran and crash the world economy in the process.

Instead of lecturing Congress and American people to spend billions prolonging Ukraine’s agony, King Charles should sit down with Starmer and advise him Job One is détente with Russia to end the war in Ukraine on Russia’s sensible terms.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition

In poker game with Iran’s unified, determined, winning government, Trump is playing 52 Pick-Up

In poker game with Iran’s unified, determined, winning government, Trump is playing 52 Pick-Up 

Trump loves to bleat the US is winning his criminal war on Iran. The opposite is true. Iran is holding all the cards. The US, not Iran, implemented a ceasefire because Trump’s bombing campaign was a catastrophe. It didn’t collapse the Iranian regime within 48 hours. It didn’t cough up Iran’s enriched Uranium. It didn’t destroy Iran’s missile capacity. It didn’t force Iran to beg for negotiations.

It did however, so damage America’s 13 Gulf States bases they are largely uninhabitable. It caused the worst destruction in Israel’s 78 years. It caused the US to nearly run out of defensive missiles. It closed the Strait of Hormuz, initiating a global economic crisis that will take months to resolve if the war ended today on Iran war day 60.

Trump is so discombobulated he’s making up fairy tales about Iran’s begging for negotiations to end their impending loss. He announced his negotiating team of golfing buddy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both representing Israel’s, not America's interests, were heading to Pakistan to seal America’s victory.

One huge problem. Iran won’t negotiate while Trump is continuing the war with his senseless blockade of Iranian ports…a war crime. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reminded Trump there will be no negotiations “as long as hostile actions and operational pressures by the US persist. Recent US actions, including intensified maritime restrictions against Iran, are major impediments to trust-building and diplomacy. While messages about negotiations are conveyed, the simultaneous escalation of naval blockade and operational pressure undermines the environment needed for mutual trust.”

Trump quickly pivoted, cancelling Witkoff’s and Kushner’s planned visit to Pakistani last weekend. "I said nope, you’re not making 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. You’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”

Trump has all the cards all right. It’s just that there on the Oval Office floor after President Pezeshkian tossed them at Trump and exclaimed “52 Pick-Up.”

Walt Zlotow Glen Ellyn Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

State Dept. spills the beans…’Bibi made Trump do it’

  

State Dept. spills the beans…’Bibi made Trump do it’

Apparently, State Dept. legal advisor Reed Rubinstein didn’t get Trump’s memo to erase Israel’s major involvement in Trump’s failed war on Iran.

It’s bad enough the war is a complete failure, accomplishing none of Trump’s objectives while precipitating global economic decline. If stopped today, it would take months to fully restore the economic calamity engulfing the world. Further delay, currently conducted by Trump desperately seeking an off ramp, spells economic catastrophe.

As horrendous as Trump’s war is, it wasn’t even his idea. Trump was simply following orders from his real boss, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On February 11, Netanyahu arrived at the White House with Mossad Director David Barnea. They encouraged if not demanded invasion. The Netanyahu-Barnea tag team argued Iran would collapse within a couple of days from a combination of assassinating Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei, massive bombing, Mossad-fomented civil unrest and ground incursions by Kurdish fighters. Not surprisingly, the opposite occurred. The Iranian people rallied around their government in as existential battel to the death. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz choking off a fifth of world oil supply and inflicted massive damage on Israel and US Gulf States bases with thousands of missiles. The Netanyahu-Barnea presentation was a blizzard of lies Trump swallowed whole in spite of Intelligence assessments to the contrary.

Trump blundered into the biggest military disaster in America’s 250 years. But he refuses to tell the truth Netanyahu made him do it because he must maintain the fiction the war is necessary to protect the Homeland from an imaginary Iranian nuke fired from an imaginary Iranian ICBM. Gifting Netanyahu with a favor to obliterate his arch enemy Iran is not in the US rulebook for allowing 13 US servicepersons killed and over 400 injured in furtherance of a lost war.

Of course anyone following the war knows the sordid truth. Under pressure Trump blatantly lied: “Israel never talked me into the war with Iran. The results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I watch and read the FAKE NEWS Pundits and Polls in total disbelief. 90% of what they say are lies and made up stories, and the polls are rigged, much as the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged.”

But Rubenstein punctured that fiction with this public statement: “As the United States has explained in multiple letters to the UN Security Council, including most recently on March 10, the United States is engaged in this conflict at the request of and in the collective self-defense of its Israeli ally as well as in the exercise of the United States’ own inherent right of self-defense,”

Good grief. Trump launched a failed criminal war blowing up the world economy because he had to enable an ally rid itself of an imaginary threat. Trump forgot Diplomacy 101 which teaches Allies don’t let allies launch criminal wars, much less take the lead in that murder and mayhem.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Trump to America…’No dough for the Commons. I need it for my criminal wars’

Trump to America…’No dough for the Commons. I need it for my criminal wars’

President Trump has a bizarre way of demonstrating his claim of being the Peace President deserving the Nobel Peace Prize.

He spent his first term raining down tens of thousands of bombs on 7 countries posing not a whit of danger to the Homeland. He assassinated a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a monstrous war crime. He withdrew from Obama’s Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) which silenced Iran’s nuclear bomb potential and should have ended the isolation of Iran. Instead, it set the table for Trump's senseless, now failed war on Iran 8 years later that may crash the world economy if not ended soon. That is madness.

Trump’s obsession with murder and mayhem worldwide has collateral damage to every sensible domestic function of government. Trump has spent 10 years trying to demolish Obama’s Affordable Care Act, a relatively meager improvement to America’s failed health insurance system to the less fortunate. He hasn’t spent dollar one to fix it. He’s ignored our crumbling infrastructure. He’s invested zilch in green energy while the world overheats relentlessly.

But Trump sure has invested in war. His last term one National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) budget in 2021 was a massive $740 billion. His first in term two for 2026 crashed the trillion mark by $42 billion. But mimicking Al Jolson in ‘The Jazz Singer’, Trump proclaimed ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’ His 2027 NDAA sours to $1,500,000,000, a 44% increase. Combined with massive tax cuts for the billionaire class, Trump’s profligate military spending has goosed the national debt by $10 rillion in his first 6 years.

While silent about spending on the Commons to improve life for all Americans, Trump is ecstatic about his trillion and a half bucks for endless wars. “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care. “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”

To paraphrase first predecessor Obama, ‘Yes you can…yes you must.’

On April 7, 1967, exactly one year before he was gunned down, Rev. Martin Luther King courageously spoke out against the Vietnam War at New York's Riverside Church, ahead of a massive antiwar rally. In ‘A Time To Break the Silence’, King decried, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

Under Donald Trump’s endless, senseless wars…America’s spiritual death is here.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Elect Sherm Lollar to Baseball Hall of Fame

 Elect Sherm Lollar to Baseball Hall of Fame

Been a White Sox fan since this 6 year old heard about their 14 game winning streak from May 15-30, 1951. This kicked off the Go-Go White Sox who went on to 17 straight first division finishes including the magical ’59 pennant winning team.

The 50’s teams were filled with exciting stars like Nellie Fox, Jungle Jim Rivera, Chico Carrasquel, Jim Busby, Luis Aparicio, Dick Donavon and Billy Pierce.

But the heart and soul of the 50’s Sox was catcher Sherm Lollar. Not flashy but rock solid handling pitchers and knocking lots of home runs in cavernous Comisky Park.

Lollar was among the best all time defensive catchers during his 18 seasons from 1946 to 1963. In 1,752 games he hit .262 with 155 dingers and 808 RBI. His .357 on base percentage topped that of Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. A seven time All Star, Lollar led AL catchers in fielding 4 times. In the full season of 1961, he made only 1 error. His .992 career catcher fielding percentage is best in MLB history. He throw out 46% of base stealers, ranking him fifth all time. Upon retirement in 1963 he ranked fifth in home runs by a catcher.

Never considered for the Hall during his early eligibility, Lollar is currently eligible to be identified as a Golden Era ballot candidate by the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Historical Overview Committee.

It took the Hall 51 years after he retired for the Hall to enshrine fabulous Go-Go White Sox Minnie Minoso into the Hall. Lollar, who died in 1977, retired 63 years ago.

Come on Major League Baseball. Punch Sherm Lollar’s ticket to the Hall of Fame.

Walt Zlotow Glen Ellyn

When is a ceasefire in a war not a ceasefire?

 When is a ceasefire in a war not a ceasefire?

In the case of Donald Trump's ceasefire in his Iran war, it is when he continues his naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran has correctly called out Trump's blockade is an act of war. They have declared that will prevent them from returning to negotiations with the US which was the goal of declaring the ceasefire. In addition to his counterproductive blockade, Trump keeps threatening to annihilate Iran if they don't negotiate a deal based on his terms.

If Trump complies with the ceasefire by withdrawing the blockade, he faces the daunting task of negotiating with an Iran holding the trump card Trump can't ignore....Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As the world spirals into economic meltdown from the loss of 20 million daily barrels of oil, Trump is faced with Iran's sensible, non-negotiable demands: end the criminal US war forthwith, guarantee it will never again attack Iran, end all economic sanctions and pay reparations for Iranian damage caused by thousands of US bombs.

Trump now faces complete defeat if he does the right thing and ends the war on Iran's terms. If he restarts the war targeting Iranian infrastructure, Iran will retaliate by targeting all Israeli and Gulf States infrastructure, possibly even all Gulf States oil production.

Trump appears on the cusp of destroying his presidency as every one of his 77 million voters are paying more for gas and soon more for everything. But unless he pivots to peace, he may be on the cusp of destroying the world economy. Trump campaigned to be a Peace President putting America First by ending senseless wars. By attacking Venezuela, blowing up little civilian boats in the Caribbean, bombing Somalia over 60 times, and attacking Iran, Trump has put America; indeed, the whole world last.
    
Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL 

10 takeaways from Trump’s senseless Iran war

 10 takeaways from Trump’s senseless Iran war

1. First time a foreign power, Israel, goaded America into launching a criminal war

2. Trump’s capitulation to Israel’s war demands is destroying his presidency and will likely hand over Congress to Democrats in November

3. Air power alone has not and will not achieve victory over Iran


4. Ignoring Iran’s ability to close Strait of Hormuz gave strategic advantage to Iran to force stalemate, if not achieve outright Iranian victory

5. US has greatly degraded world economy and may spiral it into recession, possibly even depression if it doesn’t end war soon

6. All US Gulf States bases have been damaged or destroyed and may never be rebuilt due to loss of US security credibility to Gulf States

7. Israel has largely destroyed its support among young Americans disgusted with its endless manipulation of US to support both its Gaza Genocide under Biden and war to destroy Iran under Trump


8. If desperate Trump resumes bombing to destroy Iranian infrastructure, Iran will retaliate destroying Israeli and Gulf States infrastructure, possibly all Middle East oil production

9. A peaceful settlement on Iran’s sensible terms is the only path to Middle East peace

10. As long as the war continues, Israeli use of nuclear weapons remains a possibility

Will Netanyahu demolish second consecutive US administration in ’28?

Will Netanyahu demolish second consecutive US administration in ’28?

In the ’24 election Kamala Harris got a lot of votes, 75,017,613. But astonishingly, she got 6,268,841 less votes than when she ran with victorious Joe Biden in 2020, a massive 7.7% drop. Some of those missing voters selected third party. Some voted for Donald Trump. Many simply stayed home.

While there were several reasons, the one most cited was Biden and Harris’ complete support and enabling of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had near total control over the Biden administration, causing revulsion in peace advocates and many sensible 2020 Biden voters horrified their presidential choice would engage in such an abomination.

Harris made a mistake not breaking with Biden on genocide. By a more than three-to-one margin, Biden 2020 voters who did not vote for Harris, say they would more likely have voted for Harris if she pledged to break from President Biden's policy toward Gaza by promising to withhold additional weapons to Israel.

There was precedent for Harris doing so. In 1968 Democratic nominee Vice President Hubert Humphrey was losing badly to Richard Nixon due to massive defections from anti-Vietnam War Democrats. Humphrey, like Harris was a good soldier VP supporting his boss’s self-destructive war policies. A month before the election, Humphrey pivoted to peace in a prime time address. It closed the double digit gap but was too little too late. Had he broken from LBJ from the get go…likely no Nixon and no 5 year prolonged bloodbath under Nixon.

A little over a year into Trump’s second term, Netanyahu is at it again, sabotaging a US administration from winning in ’28. At his February 11 meeting with Trump, Netanyahu implored Trump to launch his now failed war on Iran by guaranteeing him victory in a couple of days after Israel assassinated Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

Not only has the war failed to achieve every stated goal, it has thrown the world into economic chaos. Now every one of Trump’s 77,302,580 voters are paying over $4 a gallon to fill their gas guzzlers and soon will be paying higher prices for just about everything.

And Just like Vice President Harris who self-destructed in ’24 by staying loyal to her genocide enabling president, JD Vance is self-destructing staying loyal to his senseless, war mongering president, all due to the interference in American foreign policy of Benjamin Netanyahu.

As loyal as he is, Vance knew the war was a terrible idea. He told Trump so but once Trump decided to follow Netanyahu down the rabbit hole of lost war, Vance followed right behind. Apparently, Vance has learned nothing from Harris’ fealty to Benjamin Netanyahu in '24.

Much can happen before the next election. But history tells that as Vice President of a lame duck President, Vance in a near certainty to be anointed Trump’s successor at the GOP Convention in 2 years.

Another near certainty? Unless Vance breaks with Trump and comes out strongly against the lost war in Iran upending the world economy, Benjamin Netanyahu will sabotage his second consecutive US administration in the ’28 election.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Iran aside, don’t ignore Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean, Venezuela and Somalia

Iran aside, don’t ignore Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean, Venezuela and Somalia

As Trump was cooling his massive, murderous bombing of Iran, he was ramping up his murderous bombing of small civilian boats in the Caribbean. In the last 5 days he obliterated 5 little boats Trump imagined were operated by narco terrorists. Since these dastardly attacks began last October, Trump has wiped out 53 little boats, killing 178. Those are war crimes.

On January 3 Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president Nicholas Maduro, murdering 83 in the process. More war crimes.

Most heinous but most ignored by the media is Trump’s endles war crimes in Somalia. Last year His African Command bombed pitifully poor, remote Somalia 124 times, likely killing thousands of imagined bad guys. Just last week Trump bombed Somalia 4 times in 2 days, raising the 2026 total to 52 attacks. He’s on track for a record year of war crimes in Somalia.

Why aren’t the media and the American people focused on Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean, Venezuela and Somalia? Could be simply that these Trump war crimes have not raised a gallon of gas north of 4 bucks and threaten a global recession that will also engulf the Homeland. To put it more bluntly, ‘Hey Mr. Trump, as long as your war crimes don’t affect me personally, have at it.’

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL