Trying and failing to change the subject

For a while now, I've been trying to focus only on local concerns and events, still unsure what to do next to try to steer Trump & Co. in a different direction on Iran. My son, with whom I live now, prefers not to see me getting up on my soapbox to express my point of view, beyond just talking here with local neighbors and friends. He wouldn't want to see a headline like: "Elderly West Virginia resident rails against Trump Iran policy." I'm not sure I have the stamina anyway to go beyond our local circle, although I do have some ideas about how I might go about it. It would be risky in any case, as declarations critical of a sitting president would not be appreciated by him, especially when coming from an 88-year-old woman living in our small rural swing state. The whole effort might even get out-or-hand or maybe just fizzle out completely. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I still might do something more public, though my son wants me to scrap the whole idea of going viral with my concerns. He has urged me to bide my time at least until I go to my great-grandson's high school graduation in May. Maybe the Iran war will be over by then. 

My son advises me to pay more attention now to our own home and neighborhood, to our daily life out here in the West Virginia countryside: taking the dog out to a national park, visiting with local friends, deciding what to make for dinner. He prefers to keep our private life private, which is not so hard to do out here. We don't even know our nearest neighbors,  living right within walking distance, but with barking dogs always outside. "Mind your own business," my son advises. I do think the Iran war is my business! And the business of all Americans. 

However, it's OK with my son if I continue with this blog. since the readership is modest, something he'd like to see stay that way. I've already written to our representatives here and have had replies. Of course, they disagree with me. Still, I do have more agency here than back in DC, where representation was so very limited. Having two senators and a congressperson here in little West Virginia seems like a real luxury. 

Changong the suject now, as today thousands gathered in Washington, DC, my former 

home town, to celebrate National Tulip Day. I used to just walk over to that gathering.

                       

             St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, a day to wear green. 

My older daughter, now living in Florida with her own daughter and grandson, just sent 

me a photo of when I was living in DC. I do plan to see them all quite soon, at my great-grandson's high school graduation in May.

How Congress became an afterthought in the war with Iran

Republicans resist calls for Iran war hearings, creating a new standoff with Democrats

‘I’m sick of stupid’: from excoriating Noem to breaking with Trump, Thom Tillis goes for fiery final act in Congress

As he exits the scene, Tillis (Republican NC) 
now feels free to frankly express what is actually on his mind. Whew!

The Hill, Trump says Cuba wants to make a deal with the US

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Although trying not to think about it, I know our country is still attacking Iran. We didn't need to start this fight. Time now to extend an olive branch to Iran. So let's stop the war and help Iran to recover, just as we did in Vietnam, also with former enemies in Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Japan. Maybe it's not too soon to try a truce with Iran right now. Trump's pal Netanyahu is doubtless off-the-hook for the forseeable future. The Ayatolla is dead and probably his son as well, so everyone can start over with a clean slate.

Iran doesn't look quite ready to surrender yet, but a skilled politician might be able ton convince whoever is in Iran's leadership to try a temporary ceasefire. Distrust of the United States and its aims would need to be overcome, and Donald Trump is not the right guy to attempt that. Certainly Hegseth is not either. Who might be better? Secretary of 

State Marco Rubio? Vice President JD Vance? 

Iraninans are still mourning the Ayatolla, assassinated without provocation on Trump's orders, just at the urging of Benjamin Netanyahu. At least Netanyahu's trial has been postponed, though at the cost of so many lives, and resulting in world-wide condemnation of Israel and Netanyaha, not to mention of the United States and Donald Trump. 

After the US attacks, Iranians now seem more determined than ever to resist. 

Here were Iranians rallying against the USA. 

Max Boot, Washington Post

The U.S. military’s greatest weakness in Iran is one it can’t fix

Many issues can be resolved by smarter acquisitions decisions. Not so for incompetent leadership.

According to Boot: Incompenent leadership, especially at the very top, including by Trump and Hegseth, is a problem that the US cannot and will not fix. 

Wash. Post, Trump says U.S. struck Kharg Island, core of Iran’s oil economy

Wash. Post, U.S. intelligence says Iran’s regime is consolidating power

Despite withering airstrikes, officials predict a weakened but more hard-line government in Tehran, backed by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps security forces

The Hill

Trump on ‘taking’ Cuba: ‘I can do anything I want with it’

Military Times-- President Donald Trump acknowledged to advisors that he made up a fake injury to avoid military service, because “I wasn’t going to Vietnam,” as his former lawyer told lawmakers during testimony. 

Trump claimed a draft deferment for "bone spurs," which can be treated and usually affect older people. 

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One of my correspondents, Jose Azel, has a blog, the Azel Perspective. He says anyone receiving his blog does so because we have once met him. Indeed, he and I did meet in Florida a few years ago, so I'm not sure if others can access his blog. But here below is part of a recent post about Bhutan. I still have several friends in Bhutan. I even had visitors from Bhutan staying with me when I lived back in DC, as reported at that time on the blog. A family I know there once wanted to emigrate to this country, but not any more. The daughter of another friend is studying nursing in India because Bhutan is too small to have a nursing school. Many, if not most, Bhutanese speak English in additon to their native lanuage. 

Here is a photo from Bhutan.

 

Below is an excerpt from Jose Azel's own recent blog posting.

What is meant by the Pursuit of Happiness?

Interestingly, in developed countries such as Switzerland, or France, with higher prosperity, comfort and security, about 25 persons per 100,000 commit suicide. In developing countries, suffering from poverty and instability, the suicide rate is about one person per 100,000. It appears that the timeless advice is true: money cannot make us happy.

So, what about the pursuit of happiness? A novel approach to our collective unhappiness comes from the tiny Kingdom of Bhutan. In the 1970s, the Fourth Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, made an extraordinary statement for a head of state: “We do not believe in Gross National Product. Gross National Happiness is more important.” Bhutan then pioneered the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) which was enacted in the Kingdom’s 2008 Constitution.

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This Texas father may be deported to Mexico and his family may decide to go with him..

The American people need to jettison Trump, Hegseth, and that whole motley crew.

Donald Trump has celebrated himslf in the oval office by donning a white hat. When he is actually awake, he can be quite the clown. 

But the Iran war is no laughing matter. I do worry now that my 17-year-old great-grandson, his mother's only child, graduating from high school in May, may soon be drafted and sent to fight. 

Trump has often touted Americans' "tremendous support" for the Iran war, which is actually higher than I would have expected, as I certainly oppose it

According to a recent Washington Post poll, 42% of respondents said they do support the U.S. military campaign in Iran, while 40% stand against it. Another 17% said they are unsure.

Trump says Iranian oil facility is ‘totally demolished’ but US may continue to bomb it ‘just for fun’

Pope Leo has avoided comment. 

Pope Leo has avoided directly critizing US actions in Iran, letting other Vatican officials

express very serious humanitarian concerns in his stead. 

Add Yaho

Alex Ward, National security reporter with The Wall Street Journal, wrote on X Friday, “Went largely unnoticed but Hegseth on Iran said the U.S. would provide ‘no quarter, no mercy for our enemies’ during his press conference today. ‘No quarter’ is a violation of international humanitarian law.”

"No quarter" actually means killing an adversary even if they are wounded or have surrendered. Hegseth had previously given "no quarter" by ordering the shooting of Caribbean fishermen raising their hands in surrender, already showing himself then to be a blatant war criminal. As a practical matter, no international court or UN body is going to actually prosecute any member of the Trump administration for "war crimes." 

                 Hegseth has barred publication of unflattering photos of himself. 

You get the picture. Apparently Hegseth considers these images unflattering.Will I now be prosecuted? 

California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked Donald Trump after the president suggested the war with Iran would end whenever he personally “feels it in my bones.” He started it, so he can stop it.

[2 items here]

FCC chair threatens broadcast licenses as Trump criticizes Iran war coverage

Trump urges world to help open Strait of Hormuz; U.S. Embassy in Baghdad hit

As the war enters its third week and oil prices surge,Trump is attempting to restart shipping through a key choke point closed by Iran.

A quick reminder here that Baghdad is in Iraq, not Iran. Now the impact of the war has been spreading throughout the Middle East. Countries in the region may have more reasons to support Iran than the US and Israel, though that may not be openly expressed. 

Deportees sent by Trump to Salvadoran prison are still stuck a year later

US judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending protections for 1,100 Somalis

               

International Women's Day, March 8, was a celebration that we apparently overlooked, so let's recognize it now, better late than never. 

• Global Sex Ratio: The overall gender ratio worldwide is about 101 males for every 100 females. The natural human sex ratio at birth is consistently biased toward males, with 
• approximately 105 to 107 boys born for every 100 girls worldwide. 
• The world's total male population has exceeded the female population at least since the 1960s, driven by higher male births. However, the majority of individual countries actually have more women than men. 
• At last count, the official US gender ratio was 100.994 males per 100 females, that is, almost 101 males for every 100 females born here. 

George F. Will

Wash. Post, America needs immigrants as much as they need liberty’s blessings

George Will is right, we really do need more immigrants. But first we need to get rid of Donald Trump as our president.

The following is an article I would  recommend:

Foreign Affairs 

The Curse of Middle-Sized Wars

In Iran, Trump Risks Falling Into a Familiar Trap

Robert D. Kaplan

Also on Iran:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Iran

Trump says US struck military targets on Iran's Kharg Island oil hub

“We’ve been working 24/7 here at the White House to make sure the American people understand how much of a tremendous success this operation has been over the past two weeks,” Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

 Leavitt also declared: “TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists and it never did.”

Videos and satellite images show Iran's drone army puncturing U.S. and allied defenses

Here is a reader comment that just came in, make of it what you will.

Iran has been building a nuclear arsenal for decades. Previous administrations have tried to secure agreements regarding its end use, favoring generation of power for civilian use. Trump scuttled whatever deal had been made or was in progress. Iran has been building an arsenal to destroy Israel. 

All that may well be true and certainly the Iran regime has no love for either the US or Israel. Still, striking Iran now, killing the Ayatollah, severely injuring or even killing his son and killing the son's entire family, as well as decimating a girls' school and ending the lives of so many young students, are not the best way to try to win Iran over into becoming a friend. 

Yet, stranger alliances have actually been forged, despite previous hostilities. For example, in just my own lifetime, Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Romania, once our own bitter enemies, have now become staunch American allies. Perhaps it is not too far fetched to envision Iran as a future US ally. So it might not be too early right now to take steps in that direction, first by stopping all attacks against Iran, especially US attacks against schools and other civilian targets, which actually are war crimes.

Is Israel any safer now after the US attack on Iran? Maybe Bibi himself feels safer, because his corruption trial is again postponed. But Israel may be in even greater danger than ever before and certainly no closer to being accepted into the community of nations.  

Vance was ‘skeptical’ voice in White House on Iran strikes

That's good to hear, as Vance may end up in the presidency if Trump should be impeached. 

Judge throws out subpoenas in Federal Reserve criminal probe

Trump had tried and failed to bully Fed Chair Jerome Powell into lowering interest rates, so he launched a phony criminal probe against him. Now Trump's case against Powell has been thrown out, as the judge found "zero evidence" against Powell. 

If you read Spanish, here's a report on political prisoners from the Center for a Free Cuba. Now Cuba has almost fallen off the world's radar screen as other international concerns have taken precedence. 

INFORME MENSUAL SOBRE PRISIONEROS POLÍTICOS EN CUBA

28 NUEVOS PRESOS POLÍTICOS EN FEBRERO: LA REPRESIÓN ES EL ÚLTIMO RECURSO DEL RÉGIMEN CONTRA EL DESEO GENERALIZADO DE LIBERTAD

Este mes en Cuba se han registrado 28 nuevos presos de conciencia, 23 hombres y 5 mujeres, y ha habido 21 bajas de la lista de prisioneros políticos, en línea con el cumplimiento de condenas tras pasar casi 5 años desde el fatídico 11J de 2021. No obstante, y como es recurrente en este régimen, una de las bajas de la lista se ha debido a la muerte por torturas y abandono médico: la del preso político Luis Miguel Oña Jiménez. El número total de presos políticos alcanza, por tanto, un nuevo récord en Cuba con 1.214.

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