Responsible congresspersons push back at war criminal Netanyahu speech disgracing Congress

 Responsible congresspersons push back at war criminal Netanyahu speech disgracing Congress

Over a hundred of the 212 member Democratic caucus skipped Benjamin Netanyahu’s fiery speech before Congress Wednesday.
Netanyahu defended his genocidal ethnic cleaning of Gaza with billions in US genocide weapons. Just one of the 219 Republicans Tom Massie of Kentucky stayed away saying “The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell int’l opposition to his war. “I don’t feel like being a prop so I won’t be attending”. Another no show, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, blasted Netanyahu calling his speech “the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.”


Some of the Democrats attending refused to stand, in contrast to the endless up and down adulation of the majority, to the soon to be indicted war criminal by the International Criminal Court.
Big shout out goes to Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian Congressperson, who held up a signing proclaiming “War Criminal.”


Today, Netanyahu will meet privately with Biden and Harris to demand more death weapons to finish off those pesky Palestinians. Likely response from the genocide enablers? ‘Stop slaughtering the Palestinians….your genocide weapons are on the way’. Then it’s off to Mar a Lago where Netanyahu will genuflect before Biden’s most likely successor. Trump will use his go to soundbite on the genocide….“Finish the job”.


July 24thand 25th, two sorrowful days in the American Story.

Vance unlikely to advance peace advancing to Vice Presidency

 Vance unlikely to advance peace advancing to Vice Presidency

Newbie Senator J.D. Vance is favored to become America’s 50thVice President next January 20 if current polling holds up.

Most criticism of Vance focuses on the 39 year old’s scant experience of just 18 months in government. His memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy fame, billionaire Sugar Daddy support, and idolatry of Trump, vaulted Vance into the Senate and possibly now the Vice Presidency. Succeeding 78 year old President Trump on Inauguration Day before his second term expires is certainly possible.

But little to nothing has been raised about Vance’ mostly reckless views on foreign affairs that imperil prospects for peace during our current, perilous road to war in the Middle and Far East.

Even Vance’s opposition to our senseless proxy war against Russia destroying Ukraine is in furtherance of a bellicose foreign policy. He wants to divert the endless billions squandered on Ukraine’s lost cause to massively increase armaments to Taiwan and other Far East allies to contain China. Just like weaponizing of Ukraine in their Donbas civil war precipitated the Russian invasion, China is not likely to sit around twiddling their thumbs while America encircles them with weapons.

Vance has joined the unhinged GOP chorus threatening to take out Iran for exercising influence in the Middle East. He said we need to "Punch back hard” to put Iran in its place…subservient to US hegemony in the region. That is nuts.

Back home Vance supports GOP policy of sending in the Marines to wipe out the Mexican drug cartels. “I want to empower the president of the United States, whether that’s a Democrat or Republican, to use the power of the U.S. military to go after these drug cartels.” To paraphrase Forrest Gump, ‘Stupid is ...when Vance talks on foreign policy’.

But most disturbing of Vance’s foreign policy views is his full support for Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. President Biden’s 24,000 tons of bombs are not enough for Vance’s lust to wipe out the Palestinians there. Like his mentor Trump, Vance wants Israel to “finish the job” while criticizing Biden for “micromanaging” the ghoulish slaughter there.

It is not improbable that a Trump victory will eventually find Vance in the Oval Office before the ’28 Election. Lets’ hope that if so, the memoir of a Vance presidency is not ‘Armageddon Elegy’.

Biden should use last 6 months to end his destruction of Ukraine, Gaza

Biden should use last 6 months to end his destruction of Ukraine, Gaza

President Biden should take a page from his predecessor Lyndon Johnson. Back in 1968, LBJ withdrew from his reelection campaign because his Vietnam War policies made him vulnerable to peace candidate Sen. Gene McCarthy.

LBJ largely destroyed his Great Society legacy by pivoting from Jack Kennedy’s plan to withdraw from Vietnam. Upon succeeding JFK, Johnson went all in backing an unwinnable war. Johnson then pledged to use his last 10 months to seek a negotiated peace to end a failed war. He nearly succeeded till his peace plan was sabotaged by the Nixon Campaign. They told North Vietnam not to accept Johnson’s proposals to get a better deal from Nixon.

The gambit worked. Nixon won and kept the war going for his entire 6 year presidency, adding a million or more deaths to the senseless carnage. Nixon’s treason should not detract from applauding Johnson’s effort to the promote peace as he exited the White House.

Fifty-eight years later, Joe Biden can also use his remaining time to end not one war, but two wars. His legacy, like Johnson’s, will forever be sullied by igniting his senseless, failed proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, and his enabling of Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Alas, there is a chasm between LBJ’s pivot to peace and Biden’s agenda for his last six months. Biden remains committed to squandering endless billions till the last Ukrainian soldier is dead to weaken Russia. Biden appears oblivious that Russia is thriving on the military, economic and diplomatic front since he stupidly provoked Russia’s pushback to NATO expansion.

Biden’s enabling of Israeli genocide in Gaza is more ghastly than his destruction of Ukraine to promote US unipolar dominance in Europe. Biden talks ceasefire, aid to starving, disease ridding millions in Gaza, while his actions do the opposite.

President Biden has six months to do the right thing in Ukraine and Gaza. Unless he has an epiphany to peace, Joe Biden will endure forever a legacy of senseless destruction of human life without an iota of redemption in his final six months.

We must all push President Biden to channel his predecessor who faced the same dilemma 56 years ago…and, to his credit, made the right decision.

Congress to world: ‘War criminals welcome here’

Congress to world: ‘War criminals welcome here’

July 24, 2024 will go into history as a Day of Infamy for the US Congress.

A bipartisan claque of congresspersons will welcome Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress and a horrified world.

Netanyahu told his government he expects the International Criminal Court may issue warrants for his arrest for the war crime of starvation even before he sullies the sacred US chambers of government.

Netanyahu’s government stands credibly accursed worldwide of breaching the UN Genocide Convention.

Netanyahu has defied for two months the order of the International Court of Justice to end his military campaign of genocidal ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

Netanyahu should be under threat of arrest for war crimes when he steps onto the tarmac in D.C. Instead he’ll be welcomed with open arms…and open pocket books, by the morally compromised congressional delegation disgracing America with Netanyahu’s presence.

But one Senator is pushing back to war criminal Netanyahu’s congressional appearance. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told Congress yesterday:

“Throughout US history many world leaders of varying political backgrounds and persuasions have been invited to address Congress. But Wednesday will be unique. It will be the first time a war criminal has been given that honor."

Senator Sanders will not attend. Neither will Vice President Harris. Hopefully many more congresspersons will follow their lead and stay away. A better expression of congressional revulsion would be if all 535 Senators and Representatives showed up and turned their backs on Netanyahu when he approaches the podium.

Even better? If the ICC warrants against Netanyahu are issued before he speaks…it sure would be cool if they would collectively make a Citizens Arrest for war crimes.

Every progressive but Biden knows...Joe must go

 

Every progressive but Biden knows...Joe must go

If Joe Biden stays in the race, he could win on Nov. 5 and increase progressive representation in Congress.

But few if any Democratic congresspersons, party leaders, workers and voters believe that will happen. Sure, many go on mainstream news to back Joe unequivocally and claim he can win. But internally, they see the current momentum signaling a Trump victory and choose to remain in denial.

The Democratic Party is spiraling out of control over the debate whether to force Biden out for a younger, more mentally healthy candidate, or hang with him and hope for a miracle Nov. 5.

Biden made a catastrophic mistake, arguably the worst reelection gambit in presidential history, by refusing to comply with his promise to be a transitional president 4 years ago.

Biden was asked in his press conference why he didn’t follow thru and groom his successor, whether VP Harris or another. His answer was disheartening. “I want to finish the job.” Biden appears clueless the opposite is true…if reelected, the job will likely finish off Biden.

That will be a personal tragedy for Joe Biden and his family. The fact they are urging him to stay in and campaign even harder is despicable. It borders on elder abuse. But the greater tragedy is that Biden’s intransigence may well return Trump to power, regain GOP control of Congress and destroy the progressive agenda for a generation.

That is why every Democratic congressperson, party leader, worker and voter must add their voice to encourage Joe Biden to withdraw from the race. He needs to spend his remaining days with his grandkids before he forgets who they are.

We need to spend our remaining days keeping the progressive agenda alive instead of lamenting its demise.

NATO at 75: obsolete but still risking nuclear war seeking dragons to slay

 

NATO at 75: obsolete but still risking nuclear war seeking dragons to slay

President Biden basked in glory hosting the NATO Summit in D.C on its 75th anniversary last week.

He boasted that America is the world’s only indispensable nation leading the strong bulwark of NATO to preserve democracy, freedom and security around the world.

The opposite is true. NATO represents the greatest threat to peace in the 21st century. Its unhinged 17 yearlong effort to bring Ukraine into NATO would allow NATO nukes on Russia’s border to keep Russia out of the European political economy.

That eventually and inevitably triggered the Russian invasion of Ukraine 29 months ago to prevent just that. Ukraine is now a failed state with a shattered economy, hundreds of thousands dead and injured, millions displaced, all due to NATO expansion seeking to isolate Russia by establishing a Ukraine beachhead on Russia’s border.

But instead of negotiating a ceasefire that will protect the security interests of both countries, NATO’ s 75th brought more determination to make the war a zero sum game of NATO wins, Russia loses. That requires flinging hundreds of billions in military and economic aid to Kyiv, including long range US missiles and F-16 fighters that could make this local war spin out of control and go nuclear.

Not satisfied with provoking Russia, NATO continued its 4 yearlong pivot to Asia, ramping up its relations with US allies there to counter China. NATO blasted China for expanding its military and other assistance to Russia to help its war in Ukraine. Apparently, what’s good for the goose NATO, is not good for the gander China.

NATO officially became obsolete December 26, 1991 when the Soviet Union officially dissolved. In response to that dissolution and allowing Germany to reunify, the US promised not to expand NATO eastward toward Russia. But in among the worst and duplicitous foreign policy mistakes in American history, the US reneged, doubling NATO from 16 at the USSR collapse, to 32 today.

The Russian Bear, in waiting 31 years to push back against US/NATO duplicity, exercised infinitely greater patience to an existential threat to its national security than Uncle Sam ever would.

And Cold Warrior Biden, who recklessly keeps the nuclear pot boiling with NATO‘s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and threatening behavior toward China, remains clueless of the danger NATO poses to peoplekind.

While we should all hope NATO never sees another birthday, let’s further hope it’s not because NATO triggered nuclear Armageddon.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL

‘Madman’ Miller deserves shot at compassionate release

 ‘Madman’ Miller deserves shot at compassionate release

In his younger days, 65 year old Randall Miller lived up to his moniker ‘Madman.’ He was a long time enforcer of the fearsome Outlaws Motorcycle Club, whose job description included murder and mayhem that landed him a life sentence in 2000. His worst documented crimes include the 1993 grisly murder of a couple in Richmond, IL during a burglary, and that of a fellow bad guy over a load of marijuana.

Miller now seeks compassionate release from prison due to his worsening health that has put him in a prison medical center for the rest of his life sentence. He’s wheelchair bound after a leg amputation and suffers from a variety of ailments that have put his ‘Un-Easy Rider’ days in the distant past. If released Miller would live with a brother in Texas.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller, turned down Miller’s request with the bizarre, made up argument that his 27 years in the joint, during which he became an invalid, “is still not enough time for the community’s hurt to be outweighed by his time in prison, his age and medical conditions or his rehabilitation.”

That is utter nonsense. Stadtmueller’s ‘hanging judge’ mentality is responsible for taxpayers spending billions to house decaying prisoners who are no longer a threat to society, and whose further incarceration will have no deterrent effect on potential lawbreakers. The community has long moved on. Even Gregg Gauger, a son of the slain couple, has dropped his opposition to Miller being released. His change was triggered upon hearing Miller finally admitted he killed Gregg’s parents and apologized to the family.

Life sentences, particularly life without parole, are nearly as much of an abomination as the death penalty. While 23 states have sensibly abolished capital punishment, only Alaska prohibits life without parole. Life is far more utilized than death. Lifers outnumber death row inmates 56,000 to 2,500. Most of the former will likely die not knowing who they even are while we taxpayers foot the bill.

Back in that federal prison medical center, Madman Miller may no longer be a madman…but he sure is mad. So should us taxpayers.

Why didn’t Assange pay restitution to military and intelligence personnel his revelations killed or damaged?

Why didn’t Assange pay restitution to military and intelligence personnel his revelations killed or damaged?

When the US released journalist Julian Assange after 12 years in asylum and prison for practicing his profession, he was not required to pay one penny of restitution required to compensate all those US military and intelligence personnel his revelations compromised.

That’s strange as damage done to US national security interests and US personnel home and abroad was the primo reason for forcing Assange into asylum and imprisonment for a dozen years while the US schemed to put him away for life.

Not only did the US not make restitution part of his plea agreement for his release, they flat out refuted the main reason for prosecuting Assange in the first place.

In a short paragraph titled ‘Restitution’ that was completely ignored by mainstream media in their coverage, the Biden Justice Department called for no restitution because no national security interest or personnel were harmed.

Since it has been kept under wraps, the Restitution paragraph is worth a gander.

 

First, the US congers up outrageous charges to destroy a journalist, and more importantly, intimidate future courageous journalists outing US war crimes. When Judgement Day arrives, the US dons its Rosanne Rosanna Danna costume and simply mutters…”Oh, never mind.”

In sports it’s ‘No harm, no foul.’ For the US national security state, it’s ‘No harm, 12 years in prison.’