Posted inInternational issues

Netanyahu has prolonged Gaza war to keep himself in power

I detest Israel in the same way that much of the world detests the United States. Not because I dislike the people of Israel. Not because I dislike the nation of Israel. Because Israel is being led by a despicable leader and a far-right government that is responsible for harming many innocent human beings. By carrying out what comes close to being the genocide of Palestinians living in Gaza -- destroying their homes, indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, denial of humanitarian aid, mass killings of noncombatants -- Israel has squandered the goodwill that was directed at the country after Hamas attacked…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

Trump’s constant lying means he can’t be believed about Iran’s nuclear program

If there's one thing that can be said with certainty about Donald Trump, it's that he is a habitual shameless liar. This was annoying when he was a presidential candidate. As president, Trump's constant falsehoods are a clear and present danger to our national security. All American presidents have shaded the truth to some extent. That comes with being a politician. But in the past lying by the occupant of the White House about important issues was fairly rare. The most notable recent example was the George W. Bush administration lying about evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

Trump’s bombing of Iran likely will have unintended consequences

Currently President Trump and the rest of his administration's merry band of MAGA acolytes are puffing out their chests, all proud that seven B-2 bombers dropped 14 giant 30,000 pound "bunker buster" bombs on three underground nuclear sites in Iran. But as I said in a post about the attacks on my Church of the Churchless blog yesterday, it's likely that things aren't going to go so smoothly from now on. The best case scenario would be that the attacks were successful, Iran doesn't retaliate in a major way, Iran agrees to a peace deal with the United States and…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

I’m worried that Trump is going to order B-2 bombers to attack Iran’s nuclear sites

Usually I don't believe in magical thinking. But I'll make an exception this time. Because if expressing an anxiety means that it is less likely to occur, then I'm damn well going to say "I'm worried that Trump is going to order B-2 bombers to attack Iran's nuclear sites" -- since doing that would be a disaster. Here's why I think there's a decent chance that Trump is going to insert the United States into the conflict between Israel and Iran, which is looking increasingly like a full-on war. (1) Trump is leaving the G-7 summit in Canada a day…
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Posted inInternational issues

If criticizing Israel is antisemitic, then I’m an antisemite

Antisemitism used to mean what it actually is: hostility toward Jews, including hatred, discrimination, and prejudice. But lately in some circles the meaning of the word has expanded to something that it isn't: criticism of Israel. This is completely wrong. It conflates two separate things, the Jewish religion and the nation of Israel. There are lots of people in Israel who strongly oppose policies of the current right-wing Israeli government, which is headed up by Prime Minister Netanyahu. Many, if not most, of those people are observant Jews. So are they antisemitic, somehow being prejudiced against themselves? Of course not.…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues National politics

Here’s three “accomplishments” by Trump that make this Democrat happy

We've now endured 100 days of Trump's second term in office. Those three-plus months have been a disaster for the United States and the world. Trump has damaged economies by his insanely high and poorly thought out tariffs. Trump has failed to stop the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars. Trump has decimated vital government services through mindless budget and personnel cuts. Trump has been chastised by federal judges and the Supreme Court for failing to obey the rule of law. But the news isn't all bad. Here's three "accomplishments" (the quotation marks point to irony) by Trump that make me happy…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

Outrageous: Trump wants to give Russia everything and Ukraine nothing

Trump has to be the worst dealmaker of any president. He's utterly incapable of making deals, both in his first administration and now.  No deal to limit North Korea's nuclear threat. No deal to replace the effective Iran nuclear deal that Trump pulled out of. No deal to end the Israel-Hamas war. No deals with any of the countries he's imposed tariffs on. And no deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. All of these failures concern me. But Trump's abject failure to make any progress on ending the Russia-Ukraine war is particularly outrageous, because there's an extremely clear distinction here…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

Trump gives in on tariffs after trying to wreck U.S. and world economy

MSNBC's Chris Hayes had a nice way of describing Trump's 90-day pause on his tariffs today: it was like an arsonist setting a building on fire, then returning to the scene of his crime and telling bystanders that  it was good only two-thirds of the structure was destroyed. (Not an exact quote, but I got the basics right.) In the first four business days after Trump revealed his totally screwy "reciprocal" tariffs on almost every country, including those that have zero tariffs on United States imports, our stock market graded his tariff policy with a big F for fail by…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues National politics

Trump’s tariffs are a loser for him no matter what he does

It's laughable when someone calls Trump a great dealmaker. Actually he's a terrible dealmaker. The only reason anyone claims this is that Trump paid someone to write a book for him called "Art of the Deal."  His name is on the cover, even though he didn't write it, but that's a far cry from the reality: Trump is incapable of making deals because he isn't a strategic thinker and nobody trusts him to keep his word. Look at the evidence. In his first term as president Trump failed to make any significant deals. His main claim to fame, or in…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues National politics

My daughter is more optimistic about Trump’s tariffs than I am. Hope she’s right.

My daughter is the vice-president for sales of a designer eyewear company whose products are made in a European Union country. So she's got a vested interest in how Trump's tariffs turn out, since the European Union has been slammed with a 20% tariff on exports to the United States. There's no difference politically between my daughter and me. We're both avid progressives who couldn't stand Trump before his rollout of an incredibly misguided attempt to undo international trade through so-called "reciprocal" tariffs that actually aren't that at all -- since Trump's deeply flawed simplistic formula used to come up…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues National politics

Not a surprise: Trump’s tariffs are based on lies

Given Trump's notorious disregard for the truth, it isn't surprising that yesterday when he revealed his so-called "reciprocal tariffs" on goods imported to the United States from other countries, massive lies were used to support his massive and economically destructive tariffs -- which amount to a gigantic tax increase on the American people.  Trump used the charts below to illustrate his tariff plan. The column just to the right of a country's name is titled "Tariffs Charged to the U.S.A. Including Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers." That's a total lie, as I'll describe below. That column has nothing to do…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

Trump is trashing Ukraine and sucking up to Putin. Disgusting and dangerous.

Just when I thought Trump couldn't act like more of an authoritarian jerk than he already is, he surprises me by doing something so outrageous even his most avid Republican acolytes are criticizing Trump. A New York Times story, "Zelensky and Trump Trade Blows as Feud Escalates Over Peace Talks," starts this way: The simmering feud between President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and President Trump escalated on Wednesday when Mr. Trump mocked his counterpart in a post filled with falsehoods, calling him a “dictator without elections.” His comments came hours after Mr. Zelensky said the American leader had been “caught…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues National politics

A USAID worker I know died helping others. Trump is trashing his memory.

Mark Mitchell worked for the USAID -- the United States Agency for International Development. He joined the monthly Salon discussion group that my wife and I are members of prior to his USAID job. Once Mark became part of USAID, his overseas postings prevented him from attending our meetings except when he returned to Salem for a visit. But he'd keep in touch with us via email, and always had fascinating stories to tell of his USAID work when we'd see him periodically. Then one day a close friend of his told us that Mark had died when the bus…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

Trump’s new tariffs are a big tax increase on ordinary Americans

Another day, another crazy decision by Trump. The newest contribution to the steadily growing list of illegal, improper, or inadvisable moves by the Trump administration is tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China. Before I describe how dumb this is, let's get one simple fact straight, something that Trump either doesn't understand or lies about. Tariffs imposed by the United States are paid by the American companies importing the goods, not by the exporting nation or companies doing the exporting.  Since those American companies either have to pay for the full cost of the tariffs themselves, or pass…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues

South Korea’s brief stint of martial law is a warning of what Trump might do

South Korea, like the United States, is a democracy. But that didn't stop President Yoon Suk Yeol from declaring martial law today, reversing his order a few hours later following massive outrage and demonstrations from South Korea's citizens and a unanimous vote from parliament rescinding the order. But for a while, troops tried to prevent members of parliament from entering their building, since Yoon's order declared political gatherings unlawful. For a while, things were really ugly in South Korea. Yoon's martial law announcement sounded like a dream come true for Donald Trump. If the decree had been put into effect,…
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Posted inInternational issues

Netanyahu is Israel’s Trump, caring only about himself, not the hostages

I feel sorry for the majority of people in Israel who want their country to do everything possible to save the lives of the remaining hostages kept captive by Hamas, but have to deal with a leader, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who only cares about staying in power, not what's best for Israelis.  If that sounds just like Donald Trump, no big surprise. Trump and Netanyahu are close with each other, sharing a bond of unbridled egotism, self-centeredness, and a desire to remain in power in order to forestall legal proceedings accusing them of criminality. Recently six hostages were killed by…
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Posted inInternational issues National politics

Netanyahu lied shamelessly in his address to Congress today

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's hugely unpopular prime minister, is that country's Donald Trump in this regard: Netanyahu lies shamelessly, seeks to cling to power to avoid being held to account for crimes he's committed, and avoids taking responsibility for his failures. Today Netanyahu used an address to Congress, which was boycotted by a large proportion of Democrats in the House and Senate, to continue spreading falsehoods about how Israel has been conducting the war against Hamas under his failed leadership.  I watched most of the speech, then couldn't stand all the B.S. that was flowing freely from Netanyahu's mouth, and fast-forwarded…
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Posted inInternational issues

Salem City Council approves even-handed resolution on crisis in Gaza

Way to go, Salem City Council. You did the right thing in your meeting last night, passing a resolution on a 5-4 vote that calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, along with calls for no more U.S. offensive aid to Israel until a ceasefire occurs, unrestricted humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, the release of all hostages and detainees, a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis live in peace, and condemnation of antisemitism, anti-Palestinian anti-Arab bigotry, and Islamophobia. The full resolution can be read here. I've also copied it in below. I wish the resolution had…
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Posted inCity Council International issues

Salem City Council to consider Gaza ceasefire resolution. Hope it passes.

Next Tuesday, May 28, the Salem City Council will consider adoption of a resolution drafted by the city's Human Rights Commission regarding the Israel-Hamas war. It calls for: An immediate and permanent ceasefire, an end to the hostilities, the free flow of humanitarian aid and the release of all civilian hostages. Hard to see how any member of the City Council could object to that, though I bet some will (Mayor-elect Julie Hoy, for one). The only viable argument against the resolution that I can come up with is that Israel should be able to continue going after Hamas fighters…
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Posted inInternational issues

Two well-researched stories show how badly Israel is treating Palestinians

I've said it before, I'm saying it again, and I'll keep on saying it because it is absolutely true: Israel has been treating Palestinians in its occupied territory extremely badly, allowing Jewish right-wing zealots and the military to murder Palestinians, take their property, and deny them equal treatment under the law. So while some of the pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses have gone too far in criticizing Israel, on the whole they've been doing a great service by drawing attention to the infuriating policies of the Netanyahu government, which have gotten more extreme in recent years, yet are a continuation…
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