Peace

Over 100,000 tons of bombs have been dropped on Gaza, an area slightly smaller than the City of Detroit, Michigan, resulting in the recorded deaths of at least 60,000 Gazans and injuries to hundreds of thousands.¹

It is impossible to overstate the effects of the abominable bombing war on Gazans, their lives, their families, their health, and their communities.

What has escaped attention up until now is the undeniable environmental and health effects of the bombing of Gazans on Israelis, as well as on citizens of neighboring states, and the potential harm to U.S. military personnel in the region.

A study of explosion physics based on declassified Department of Defense data, as well as blast temperature data and consequent emissions; a review of wind patterns, together with publicly available data of health effects from 9/11, as well as data gathered from U.S. veterans of the Persian Gulf War, yield a shocking conclusion.

Michelangelo’s Pieta, the larger-than-life sculpture of the crucified Christ held tenderly in Mother Mary’s lap, has attracted visitors to Rome since it was installed in the old St. Peter’s Basilica more than 500 years ago.

Contemplation of the Pieta gifts one with the powerful presence of sacrifice and divine acceptance, life summoned from stone, transcending death. Christians approach Good Friday with two powerful remembrances: Christ’s sacrifice and redemption on The Cross, and the acceptance, love and compassion expressed through The Pieta.

Countless images emerging from Gaza, of the sudden deaths of children, by bombing, shrapnel, gunshots, and grieving parents evoke modern day Pietas, occurring with terrible frequency. Unlike Michaelangelo’s crucified Christ, the dead children are seldom intact.

They are horribly mangled and disfigured, limbless, headless, often identified by a scrap of clothing. Yet, the bereaved parents, holding what is left of their child wrapped in white shroud, look to the heavens, and, resonating with divine grace and acceptance recite “Allah Akbar,” God is Great.

In my article, “The High Price of War with Iran: $10 Gas and the Collapse of the U.S. Economy,” I reminded readers of how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been behind the push for America to destroy Iraq, Libya, Syria and now Iran. I reviewed the severe economic consequences for the U.S. if it attacks Iran. Today, I cite the human health and atmospheric effects of a U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear research facilities. The resulting nuclear fallout would bring a catastrophe unprecedented in human history.

It is crucial for any American administration to recognize that, regardless of political agendas, the views of the American public regarding the situation in Palestine and Israel are undergoing a significant shift. A critical mass of opinion is rapidly forming, and this change is becoming undeniable.

 Paradoxically, while Islamophobia continues to rise across the US, sentiments supporting Palestinians and opposing Israeli occupation are steadily increasing.

 In theory, this means that the pro-Israeli media's success in linking Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people to the so-called "war on terror" — a narrative that has demonized Islam and Muslims for many years — is faltering.

While many in Washington claim to defend Christianity and Western values, their policies have led to the systematic annihilation of some of the world's oldest Christian communities. The same politicians who posture as defenders of faith have not just turned a blind eye to the suffering of Christians in the Middle East, from Palestine’s West Bank and Gaza to Lebanon and Syria, they have chosen instead to fund their murderers.

U.S. tax dollars funneled through the CIA and USAID, have played a pivotal role in arming and enabling extremist factions whose ascendance has resulted in atrocities.

The forces of Syria's new self-proclaimed "interim president" a Salafist, Sunni Muslim who currently goes by the name Ahmed al-Shara, over this past weekend lined up civilians, both Alawites and Christians, against the wall and executed them. Their crime: Infidelity to Salafism, a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

It’s with a very heavy heart that I watch Europe imitate the militarism of the United States, moving massive resources from human and environmental needs to weapons, celebrating proposals from good liberal civic groups to steal money from Russia and dump it into more weapons, cutting deals to have the ingredients for more weapons dug out of your soil by a distant empire that routinely spits on your head, moving nuclear weapons around and across borders like toys, discarding the rule of law and a vision of a survivable future.

Donald Trump’s power has thrived on the economics, politics, and culture of war. The runaway militarism of the last quarter-century was a crucial factor in making President Trump possible, even if it goes virtually unmentioned in mainstream media and political discourse. That silence is particularly notable among Democratic leaders, who have routinely joined in bipartisan messaging to boost the warfare state that fueled the rise of Trumpism.

Trump first ran for president nearly a decade and a half after the “Global War on Terror” began in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The crusade’s allure had worn off. The national mood was markedly different than in the era when President George W. Bush insisted that “our responsibility” was to “rid the world of evil.”

The Free Press does not make a habit of posting links to articles readily available elsewhere. This is an exception. On Judge Napolitano podcast “Judging Freedom” he interviews former weapons inspector Scott Ritter. About 20 minutes in, Ritter begins to discuss the nuclear arms race with respect to Trump's comments suggesting he can negotiate a treaty in order to reduce our nuclear arsenal.

Ritter says that this is a “Paradigm shifting that we all should support”. Napolitano asks Ritter about the Military Industrial Complex expected push back on Trump's offer to reduce military spending and reduce nuclear weapon. Ritter suggests Trump will castrate the MI complex, and that he has already succeeded in removing deep state obstacles.

Ritter says, and I agree, that this is a “Dream come true”, and points out that there is a “revolution taking place”. T Scott suggests that Trump has already castrated the MI Complex, and that he will be able to put America on a path to achieve peace.

The interview is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjzocs-2PcQ

It is Presidents’ Day, and President Donald Trump has made a bold statement regarding military spending—one that no other president in modern history has made. He claims he could cut the Pentagon budget by about 50%.

President Trump has suggested a major cut in defense spending, proposing that the United States, Russia, and China each reduce their military budgets by 50%. He has also expressed a desire to begin denuclearization and arms control discussions with both Russia and China to accomplish this objective.

Military contractors poured $4,440,605 into Kamala Harris’s campaign—more than double what they contributed to Donald Trump. Yet, even with the support of establishment figures like Dick Cheney, their favored candidate fell short. The defeat of the military contractor’s candidate may have consequences for the industry.

Now, with President Trump in office and a bold initiative to cut Pentagon spending by 50%, the defense industry faces a challenge unlike any before.

By World BEYOND War, February 15, 2025

https://worldbeyondwar.org/start-a-lasting-peace-in-ukraine-now/

We are heartened to learn that the U.S. government is communicating with the Russian government, and are only sorry that such a basic step seemingly required a presidential election, when a glance at the Doomsday Clock ought to have been sufficient.