Month: March 2017

April The Month For Many American Wars Beginning, And Now Likelihood Of War Against North Korea Soon

Ronald Leave a comment

When one examines American history, if we do not count wars against native Americans; interventions in Latin America; and the Filipino Insurrection from 1899-1902, we have had 12 wars in the nation’s historical experience.

Six of those wars began in April–The Revolutionary War, the Mexican American War, the Civil War, The Spanish American War, the First World War, and the escalation of the Vietnam War.

These events took place in 1775, 1846, 1861, 1898, 1917, and 1965.

Additionally, two wars began in March–the Second World War if one counts the Lend Lease Act of 1941 as the real beginning of naval engagement before Pearl harbor in December; and the Iraq War on March 20, 2003, the 14th anniversary of that tragic war being yesterday.

And also, two wars began in June—the War of 1812 and the Korean War in 1950.

So only two wars did not begin in the Spring months from early March to late June–the Persian Gulf War in January 1991 and the Afghanistan War in October 2001.

There is something about the Spring months, and particularly April, that seems, maybe coincidentally but maybe not, to be the time for wars to commence.

Based on recent warnings from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson while on a trip to Japan South Korea, and China, war could be coming very soon against Kim Jong Un of North Korea, maybe in April or shortly after, as concern about North Korean nuclear development being a growing threat to Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, as well as Hawaii, and also the threat to South Korea and Japan, is alarming.

Iraq War, “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, Began 14 Years Ago Today—And Now On To Likely War Against North Korea

Ronald Leave a comment

14 years ago, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Iraq War, began, leading to an eight year and nine month war, the longest war in American history except for the war in Afghanistan.

It also caused the death of close to 4,500 Americans and loss of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and the collapse of stable government, and the rise of ISIL (ISIS), leading to the horrific destruction and terrorism threat of the past three years.

It was a war based on falsehoods about “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, and undermined the reputation of President George W. Bush and his administration.

And now, there are strong hints that we are on the way to another major war against North Korea, with uncertainty whether that means nuclear war or a massive invasion.

And the effect on South Korea and Japan of the threat from North Korea is unnerving with their massive standing army, and what it means for US Troops in South Korea.

There is no debate about the dangers of North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, but the question is what can or should be done about it.

The fact that we have a very unstable President in Donald Trump, with his recklessness in dealing with other nations in diplomacy, adds to the tension and nervousness about what is likely to occur soon.

Presidential Vacations: Obama $96 Million Over 8 Years, Trump $18 Million Over Two Months, Nine Times As Much, On Way To $1 Billion If Trump Is President For 8 Years!

Ronald Leave a comment

When Barack Obama was President for eight years, Donald Trump criticized his vacations to Hawaii, and what he called the waste caused taxpayers by any other vacations he took in other locations.

Obama vacations cost $96 million over eight years.

Now in two months, Trump, with five vacations to his Palm Beach estate, has spent $18 million taxpayer dollars, so therefore, he is at a clip that, if continued, will mean that he will have spent nine times as much funding over a potential eight years, god forbid, so nearing $1 BILLION dollars of taxpayer money.

And the fact that his wife and their young son remain in Trump Tower means the Secret Service must protect THREE locations–the White House, NYC, and Palm Beach, Florida.

His trips to Palm Beach and in NYC are causing massive expenses to the local economy, and also incurring massive traffic delays.

Lantana Airport near Palm Beach has been forced to shut down, and is suffering economically when Trump visits.

Palm Beach may be required to tax its citizens further for the security costs of all these Presidential visits.

Additionally, during the two months of the transition until the inauguration, NYC spend $24 million protecting Trump Tower, and now wants the US government or Trump himself to pay up, as it is unfair that local taxpayers must pay the bill.

Trump has no concern at all at the inconveniences and costs caused by him, even though he could easily afford to share the costs out of his own pocket.

And even his adult children, when they are on business for the Trump Organization, have Secret Service details, and one trip by Eric Trump to Uruguay cost an estimated $98,000, paid by American taxpayers.

If this is not abuse, what is?

Donald Trump’s Deleterious Effect On Americans’ Physical Health, Mental State, And Sense Of Security

Ronald Leave a comment

Donald Trump has been President for eight weeks, and it has been more than four months since he was elected the 45th President.

In those 56 days since he was inaugurated, Trump has created more tumult and disarray than any President in American history.

In so doing, he has had a deleterious effect on the physical health, mental state, and sense of security of tens of millions of Americans.

Cardiologists have reported that more of their patients have come in with heart palpitations and worse.

High blood pressure has become more common, and mental depression has worsened dramatically.

And the sense of security has deteriorated for African Americans, Latinos, Muslims, Jews, liberals, and the news media, as white supremacy, racism, antisemitism, and nativism have been encouraged by Donald Trump, Stephen Bannon, Stephen Miller, and others on the Trump staff.

Foreign nations have become unnerved about Trump’s weird and unstable behavior, and therefore, nations which are our closest allies–Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan–and other nations as well, have become concerned about the future foreign relations with Trump, as he is a revolutionary ready to destroy the international system.

War seems more likely, particularly with North Korea and Iran, as if we need another war to enrich corporations and the defense industry, and we see Trump promoting attacks on the environment, the safety net, and even the organization of the federal executive branch.

Republican Destruction Of Obama Care Will Cause 25,000-50,000 Deaths Per Year, A True Crime Against Humanity!

Ronald 10 Comments

The Republican Party assault on Obama Care is a heartless attack on life itself, as estimates are that destruction of our health care system will cause 25,000 to 50,000 deaths per year of people who have survived and thrived precisely because they had health care insurance and coverage for the first time in their lives. This is 137 people per day, about 6 per hour, and when one looks at those numbers, it is sobering that we have such lack of concern about the unnecessary loss of life.

Millions of people, many of them children and adults with serious diseases and health conditions, have been able to wake up daily knowing they had the ability to gain health care, without having to choose between that and eating.

And the argument that the wealthy are being taxed for this, the answer is that so what, they have such tremendous advantages, and it is part of their social responsibility to contribute without anger to the well being of their fellow Americans.

The obsession with hatred of taxes is a communicable disease which has, and will continue to have, a deleterious effect on America’s future, as those who are wealthy do not need more money, but rather compassion and empathy.

Also, one cannot claim to be “religious”, no matter what faith, and claim that the goal of life is to enrich himself or herself at the expense of others, but rather follow the teachings of the prophets and be willing to support the needs of those less fortunate.

Trump Declaration Of War On The Arts, Humanities, PBS, National Public Radio, And Woodrow Wilson International Center For Scholars

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump’s budget proposal is a declaration of war on the arts, humanities and history, undermining artists, museums, and cultural organizations, although the total budget of all cultural institutions supported by federal money is minuscule, just a few hundred million of 1.1 trillion of total annual discretionary spending, about .0003 percent of the budget.

All the creative work of the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts would be wiped out, and there would also be elimination of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting which provides funding for PBS and National Public Radio, and of the Woodrow Wilson International Center For Scholars.

So all funding for cultural and educational institutions would be ended, a repudiation of the value of intellectual pursuits, and closing down agencies that have done so much good for America, opening up the eyes and minds of tens of millions of Americans who were educated by the creative work of intellectuals in all fields of the arts and humanities.

We are seeing the suppression of our institutional memory of knowledge.

This move by Trump would repudiate all the good work done in the arts and humanities by Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression via the Works Projects Administration (WPA) to keep the cultural community alive and thriving.

It also is 52 years since Lyndon B. Johnson made a major commitment to culture and the arts, through the establishment by Congress of the NEH, PBS, NEA, and the Wilson Center.

All decent people must fight this anti intellectualism full throttle!

Donald Trump, Liar In Chief, Who Cannot Be Relied Upon To Be Honest And Forthright: The Danger To America In The World Community

Ronald 42 Comments

America is in the midst of crisis, as it is clear we have elected a President, Donald Trump, who is incapable of ever telling the truth about anything!

Usually, we say the President of the United States is the “Commander in Chief”, but a more appropriate term for Donald Trump is that he is the “Liar in Chief”, and that is not said in jest.

Trump has lied all of his life, but it is one thing to lie in business, or to lie in personal relationships including wives and cheating, but to lie when one is the leader of the “free world”, and to refuse to ever admit mistakes or shortcomings, is a disaster for the nation and the world.

This man’s constant lying will end up causing America to be in a major foreign war, or cause an economic collapse that will make World War II or the Great Depression seem to be minor in comparison.

How can any nation in NATO or in Asia ever trust Trump, when he lies and deceives so much?

How can our rivals–Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, ISIL (ISIS)–figure out what Trump really means, when he is so unpredictable?

How can any child look up to a leader who goes against the traditional George Washington quote taught to school children, that Washington could never tell a lie, when the reality about Trump is that he can never tell the truth?

Denial Of Health Care To Anyone Is A Crime Against Humanity, Particularly In Aging, Sicker America, Including Poor Children, Mental Issues And Other Diseases!

Ronald 1 Comment

What it comes down to is the following: To deny health care to anyone in America is a crime against humanity!

We are an aging society, and a sicker nation, including poor children, mentally ill people, and people having to deal with all kinds of diseases, including cancer, heart issues, and innumerable other health issues.

EVERY industrial democratic nation makes sure that all of its population has health care, which is something all human beings are entitled to, rather than, as conservatives and Republicans say, that it is a privilege, an absolute outrage.

And the fact that wealthier people pay more taxes for health care is perfectly justified as all Americans have a responsibility to society, and those who have done well owe more to society for the good fortune this nation has given them.

The wealthiest country in the world ultimately needs Medicare for All as the best system, and the constant battles over the right to health care, under Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump, is an insult that needs to end!

Republican Skeptics On Ryan Health Care Plan: John Kasich, Rand Paul, Tom Cotton, Darrell Issa, And Many Others

Ronald 8 Comments

The Republican Party has an increasing number of skeptics about the Paul Ryan alternative bill to ObamaCare, which has now been scored on its effect on the budget by the Congressional Budget Office, and it is a total disaster.

All of the following are unhappy with the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, as it is, but warn against the House sponsored plan:

Governor John Kasich of Ohio
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Congressman Darrell Issa of California
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Senator Rob Portman of Ohio
Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado
Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
Senator Susan Collins of Maine
Senator Dean Heller

But also there are the right wing extremists, the Freedom Caucus House Republicans who oppose the Ryan bill, as do the following groups:

Freedom Works
Club For Growth
Heritage Action

And the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and the American Association Of Retired Persons, and many other groups are also totally against the legislation.

So in the midst of control of both Houses and the White House, the Republican Party is in a crisis as to how to appeal to their base, as they work to deny them health care–elderly, sick, disabled, and poor.

Could Republicans Be Running Scared At Reaction Of Trump Voters To Plan To Destroy ObamaCare?

Ronald 12 Comments

The Republican Party, despite their majorities in both houses of Congress, are discovering that they have alarmed many Trump supporters–white Rust Belt voters–with their plan to destroy ObamaCare and leave millions of people uninsured.

The right wing does not care about health care, and Paul Ryan has come across as too gleeful at the thought of the destruction of the health care system.

This could be the beginning of a revolt which could upend the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, where a gain of 24 seats would make the Democrats the majority.

The Senate is more difficult for the Democrats to gain in 2018, as 25 D seats are up and only 8 R seats.

But the Senate seems much more cautious about destroying ObamaCare without considering the damage done to Trump supporters, who desperately need health care, and suddenly see the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, as something they are not willing to give up for ideological fanaticism of the GOP.

The Health Care battle has just begun, and will reverberate throughout the nation, and Donald Trump is likely to see a massive reaction against him if the Trump voters become victims.