Dear Alleged Editor & [Actual] Vietnam War Veteran,
I just learned that today (March 29th) is National Vietnam Veterans Day. According to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Facebook page: “Today, on National Vietnam War Veterans Day, we honor the strength, service, and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans and their families. Their stories are etched into the landscapes we protect, places of memory, reflection, and healing.”
I just now looked out my window, but I don’t see any stories etched in the landscape around here. Moreover, I looked it up, and unless I want to go find a Mission BBQ restaurant, where they will give me a free sandwich, or go find a military PX, where I can apparently receive a free commemorative lapel pin, nobody seems to be honoring me in any tangible, practical, or useful way.
So WTF am I supposed to do with National Vietnam War Veterans Day? You got any good ideas?
Bill Ehrhart
formerly Sergeant, U.S.M.C.
Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Dear Bill,
Roll it up and smoke it?
Seriously, we’re concerned that your comments might play into the stereotype of “the ungrateful ’Nam vet.” After what we’ve been through, that would be unfortunate. Let’s recap.
First we were lured, in your case, or coerced, in ours, into a war to defend San Diego against rice farmers on the other side of a very wide ocean. Surprise, surprise! In a grand bait-and-switch, we’d been dragooned into a much larger crusade to defend capitalism. Our mission was, of course, a bloody failure, for which, for a time, we were blamed. It is well worth noting that, paradoxically, capitalism has somehow survived. After an indecent interval, we became useful pawns in a cynical ploy to rehabilitate warfare as a tool of empire; a service for which we were rewarded with an all-you-can-eat buffet of false consciousness. As intended, that perversion of history helped create whole new generations of veterans whose political salience has rendered us quaint and practically irrelevant.
But let us not be bitter. Instead, let us “Be Better,” emulating the First Lady, whose husband created National Vietnam Veterans Day. After all, he has done us a great service, not once, but twice.
Back in the day, he spared us the burden of protecting his useless ass. Then, on March 28, 2017, he caused the words, ‘‘National Vietnam War Veterans Day, March 29,” to be inserted into Section 6(d) of Title 4, U.S. Flag Code, which begins, “The flag should be displayed on all days, especially….” A list of special days follows. Formerly there were eighteen, now there are 19.
Does that not fill your heart with gratitude?
The Editor
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Draft Barron Trump
To the Editor:
Twenty-year-old Barron Trump is the latest of a long line of cowards going back to his great-grandfather Frederick who infamously fled Bavaria in order to dodge the German military draft at that time in 1885. Upon Frederick Trump’s subsequent return in 1905, he was banished from Germany for life for cowardice.
This lunatic lineage, of course, includes Barron’s brain-damaged father the demented Mad King Donald Trump himself with his five Vietnam War Era military draft deferments. Draft dodger Donald said he can’t remember which foot he claimed to have his fake bone spurs in. What a liar! 25th Amendment time.
Pernicious Jewish supremacist “Israel Firsters” like psycho Stephen Miller (R–Santa Monica High School) and Lady Lindsey Graham (Closeted Homosexual Republican Senator–South Carolina) have cooked up a war that you don’t want and have no rational reason to fight. How does this war benefit you personally?
This is a purposefully disastrous debacle in the Persian Gulf region to deflect from public attention on “The Diddler” Donald Trump’s staggeringly sick, alleged sex crimes against numerous children detailed to a grotesque extent in the Epstein Files. Operation “Epstein Fury” must end immediately without delay or one unwanted word from our problematic, pro-pedophile “friends” in evil Israel or within “their” illegally occupied Arab Palestine.
Benjamin Netanyahu is dead, by the way. Praise Jesus! I have a question for Israel Firsters. Are you alright with the “Jewish State” of Israel being henceforth internationally known for only two things in the 21st Century: mass murder and pedophilia? What a cruel combination of attributes for God’s former “Chosen People.” Let’s be brutally honest about the horrifically homicidal nature of Jewish supremacy, shall we? Jesus was.
Jesus Christ called it “The Synagogue of Satan” for good reason, as you may recall from Revelation 3:9 and your hometown church. New Testament Jesus was never one to pull his rhetorical punches against evil and greed. Israel is an idiotic fascist popsicle stand with illegal nukes and ridiculous religious zealots whose failed philosophy of the far-Right in Tel Aviv is doomed to total defeat and retreat due to Israel’s unavoidable reliance on the unofficial, counterproductive military “alliance” with America, which will be coming to an inglorious end sooner rather than later if American voters have anything to say about it officially in the next couple of scheduled biennial national elections.
Just another reason why deranged Donald Trump the wannabe dictator is desperately attempting to cancel the midterm election this November for Congress, state, and local offices. (Trump will of course fail, like usual.) End this war, folks, then no more money for child-molesting Israeli war criminal thieves ever.
Jake Pickering
Arcata, Calif.
Jake:
Come on, Jake—tell us how you really feel.
In our opinion, drafting Barron would literally be a huuge mistake. As noted above, his father would have been a liability in a war zone due to his unique blend of personality disorders. His last-born son would be equally unsuitable, for a different reason. Do you really want to make some poor son-of-a-bitch serve alongside a six-foot-nine-inch bullet magnet?
Also, your proposal would require resurrecting the draft. Would you trust our current crop of yahoos with that power?
We did not, in fact, “recollect” Revelation 3:9, so we looked it up. Sure enough, it’s a legit excerpt from the Bible. Here’s the King James version: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
The Editor
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Who Are the Terrorists?
To the Editor:
Let me state this clearly. I believe Bibi Netanyahu and Donald Trump are terrorists and war criminals.
They both have used extreme violence to cause fear in people, including mostly civilians, in their attempts to change the map of the Middle East regarding Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and possibly Jordan and even Yemen. It should be obvious that Netanyahu wants to acquire more land to achieve what the early Zionists sought, the creation of a “Greater Israel.”
For the convicted felon and supreme grifter, his goal is also to acquire land, Gaza for example, to build more luxury hotels and make the beaches of Gaza a new resort for the wealthy of the world.
Both have issued orders to their militaries to bomb Iran in their efforts to punish Iran for its “terrorism.” As the late Howard Zinn said, “How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?” Will Israel and America’s use of weapons of mass destruction “end terrorism?” I think not, as it seems to me that there will be “blowback” from such hostile actions.
We already know about the terrible killing of over 150 young Iranian girls in a school but let us remember that it is estimated that perhaps as many 20,000+ children in Gaza have been murdered by Israel with the assistance of Biden and Trump’s bombs and missiles.
Finally, as Professor Zinn commented, “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” Agreed, and I hope you do, too.
Will Thomas
N.H. Veterans for Peace
Auburn, N.H.
Will:
You’ll get no argument on this matter from us. Not only is Bibi guilty of conducting genocide in Gaza, he’s on trial for corruption. The war may be all that’s keeping him out of the slammer. Last December he had the gall to ask for a pardon. Our own Dear Leader may do him one better by pardoning himself.
The Editor
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Hegseth Ignorant of Scouting America
Open Letter to Secretary Hegseth:
It has been reported that the Pentagon has made a deal with Scouting America that maintains the partnership between these two organizations. While details of the deal have only been partially disclosed, I am suspicious that this deal is meant to destroy the current mission/vision of Scouting America to exclude girls entirely. Your attempt to rewrite this mission seems to be based only on your personal views and would do a great disservice to Scouting America. This organization should be congratulated for providing equal opportunities for all scouts. After a few rough years of controversy, Scouting is now welcoming boys and girls since 2019, and allowing LGBTQ youth and adult leaders to be part of Scouting.
As an Eagle Scout with a family history of scouting going back 80 years, I am proud of the transition that Scouting CEO Roger Krone has facilitated. My father was a Boy Scout in Hungary in the 1930s attending many jamborees in Europe. The Order of World Scouting started in the UK in 1911, and had a mission statement much like Scouting America which reads: “prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime and instill in them values such as responsible citizenship and self-reliance” among others. The scouting movement was not planned to be a pipeline for any country’s military, but instead attempted to foster peace among nations.
When my family came to America as refugees, my father soon joined a local boy scout troop as an assistant scoutmaster. That is why I also became involved in scouting and reached the rank of Eagle Scout in 1963. I still believe in the values of Scouting, e.g., honesty and respect.
Unfortunately, Mr. Secretary, I do not see you or President Trump modeling these values to young people today. That is why I urge Mr. Krone not to compromise the values of his organization that have made scouting such a valuable experience for boys and girls in our country.
Dr. Peter Somssich, Eagle Scout
Portsmouth, N.H.
Cc: Mr. Roger Krone,
CEO Scouting America
Peter:
Congratulations on having achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. We never made it past Cub Scout. Somehow the nebulosity of Webelos derailed us.
Nevertheless, we have retained enough respect for the organization to have been horrified when, on July 24, 2017, while addressing that year’s Jamboree, the President of the United States said, “Who the hell wants to talk about politics… in front of the Boy Scouts?” Then, because his dementia was already showing, more than eight years ago, he proceeded to talk politics in front of the Boy Scouts.
The Editor
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Trump Didn’t Do His Homework? No!
To the editor:
Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars but is better known as an eminent author on military strategy. His book On War is still a basic part of the curriculum wherever strategy courses are taught. His commentary provides a penetrating critique of Trump’s Iran War.
One of Clausewitz’ most repeated quotes is “War is the continuation of policy by other means.” By this, he means that war must always have a clear political goal, and military strategy must be subordinated to specific political objectives. Without a clearly defined aim, the conflict becomes focused entirely on combat operations leading to an endless war. Neither Trump nor Secretary of Defense Hegseth has been able to articulate what their war is intended to achieve. If it was to decapitate Iranian leadership and accomplish regime change, it hasn’t worked. The Ayatollahs and Revolutionary Guard seem to be deeply entrenched in Iran and continue to control the population. It is unclear how continued air strikes alone would dislodge current leadership.
Clausewitz discusses at length the concept of “friction,” which refers to unexpected factors that actual warfare generates to impede progress toward goals. It explains why the reality of war is always different from what was planned. The most brilliant plans of generals are always subject to unforeseen realities. The ability of the Iranians to shut down the Strait of Hormuz is a “friction” that was apparently discounted by the Administration’s war planners. Despite overwhelming U.S. air superiority and a series of devastating attacks, the Iranian leadership has successfully disrupted shipping through the strait causing a global economic upheaval. While customers of mid-east oil suffer shortages and rapidly rising energy prices, Iran continues to ship oil to China thereby ensuring a source of revenue to aid its war efforts.
The Iranian strategy of using their strategic leverage over Hormuz has shifted the focus of the war from a military to an economic encounter that may give Iran the long-term advantage. All military offensives eventually reach a point of diminishing returns after which they can no longer be justified (Clausewitz calls this the “culminating point”). There are signs that the U.S. offensive is reaching this point. Despite protestations to the contrary, it appears that the U.S. is running out of the sophisticated missiles that make up the air defenses for American forces and regional allies. Targets that can be struck from the air are becoming fewer and it is apparent that air strikes alone have been ineffective in eliminating Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and their supply of low-tech drones and missiles which they can easily use to attack shipping in the Strait. Meanwhile, global economic distress will build sentiment for ending the war, especially among the sixty percent of American voters who view the war negatively.
Trump faces difficult decisions regarding his imprudent war. He is faced with quickly finding an offramp which Iran has not been willing to provide or escalating the war by putting American boots on the ground to secure the Hormuz strait. This is an escalation fraught with danger. Invasion of Kharg Island, the Iranian port for shipping oil, would place American troops in a shooting gallery for Iranian drones and missiles and would undoubtedly cause significant casualties. To secure the entire Iranian coast from Hormuz would require thousands of ground troops and still not guarantee safety for shipping from easily concealed drones or pick-up trucks carrying short-range missiles. Additionally, Americans who already disapprove of the war would likely recoil at the reports of U.S. casualties that would result from an invasion.
Trump finds himself between a rock and a hard place in Iran that is entirely a result of his arrogant impetuosity. He has started a war that he does not know how to get out of. The tragedy is that his ego has caused enormous damage at a huge cost both in economic terms but, more importantly, in needless loss of American and Iranian lives. Meanwhile, lickspittle Republicans in Congress double down on Trump’s incompetence through their support of a misguided war.
Robert D. Russell, PhD.
Harrisburg, Pa.
Robert:
Let us not forget what set this calamitous sequence of events in motion: eight years ago this May 8th, El Genio Estable tore up the Iran nuclear deal.
The Editor
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War in the Middle East!
To the Editor:
On one side is a country that unwittingly elevated an unhinged tyrant into office by popular demand, who then handed the reins of power to a fringe minority of extremists, hellbent on refashioning society into a draconian dystopia governed by a cult that worships a hateful God and ostracizes all those who refuse to submit to its corrupt feudal oligarchy, arresting, and even murdering, people in the streets for exercising their fundamental rights of assembly and political expression—a country where cadres of secret police, employing ruthless tactics, roam neighborhoods, rounding up targeted minorities and dissenters, and imprisoning them without trial—a country which arms its proxies in the region with weapons of terror to indiscriminately kill innocent civilians while seeking to exterminate disfavored ethnic enclaves and their protectors—a country which boasts of the power to wipe out any who oppose it, even floating veiled threats of nuclear conflagration in the course of proselytizing a heretical, fiery apocalypse in which only its chosen survive.
And on the other side, there is Iran.
Theodore Bosen
Berlin, N.H.
Theodore:
May we take this to mean that your personal views do not necessarily align with certain Administration policies?
The Editor
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Imagine…
Dear Editor:
Imagine a nation at war doing the following to give aid and comfort to their enemy:
Removing oil sanctions, in place since 1979, thus giving your enemy, Iran, $14 billion in oil sales revenue to help them fight us? That is more than eight times the $1.7 billion of Iran’s money that Obama released in 2016, in exchange for a verifiable 15-year nuclear reductions and restrictions agreement. Funds that were Iran’s, and which the International Court was about to order we repay.
Trump stated in a 2018 tweet that he has, “Never gotten over the fact that Obama was able to send $1.7 Billion Dollars in CASH to Iran and nobody in Congress, the FBI or Justice called for an investigation!” Trump later stated that the 2016 Iran payments, referring to them as “terror money,” would find their way to terrorists. How much of the $14 billion the Trump administration has given to Iran will “find its way to terrorists?” How much of it will be used to kill American service members?
Trump has also de-sanctioned Russia, now reaping billions of dollars’ worth of oil and gas revenues, thereby aiding our enemy Iran with intelligence and weapons, as well as fighting our ally Ukraine?
Not since Reagan sold weapons, including Hawk anti-aircraft missiles, to Iran—directly contravening the U.S. government’s stated policy of not negotiating with terrorists, and violating a U.S. arms embargo against Iran—has our government given such aid and comfort to our enemies. If an American citizen or business did this, they would rightfully be prosecuted. In an interview, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) stated, “Every single day, this war makes less and less sense. We’re going to give Iran $14 billion to fund this war with the United States, we’re going to give Russia billions of dollars to fund their war with Ukraine. We’re literally putting money into the pockets of the very nations we’re fighting right now.” I wonder if this was part of the excellent planning that was considered in preparing for this war?
Rich DiPentima
Portsmouth, N.H.
Rich:
You’re making us nostalgic for the days of our youth, when the theatre of the absurd was confined to theaters.
The Editor
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Who Will Trump Blame For His Failure?
To the Editor:
President Trump has gone from bragging that he had already won the war with Iran to begging China, France, the UK, South Korea, and now NATO to send warships to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has prevented ships from safely passing through the Strait, stopping the flow of 20 percent of the world’s oil.
Why beg for help? Is our navy not equipped to do the job? If it is not, then Trump should not have started this war. If it is, then Trump wants to sacrifice the lives and ships of other countries who were not involved in this fight instead.
Trump and his incompetent Secretary of Defense thought they could drop a few bombs, kill Iran’s leadership, declare victory, and leave. They thought Iran did not have a vote. It did. It has proved it can stop traffic through the strait without a navy or air force or million-dollar weapons and the U.S. cannot stop them with a navy, air forces and million-dollar weapons.
Trump never admits he is wrong. He will try to find a scapegoat. Blaming Biden won’t work. Nor will blaming NATO or China. He may resort to blaming Israel.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth, N.H.
Walter:
You say Trump “may resort” to blaming Israel. We won’t argue that Bibi “made him do it,” but he’s certainly been shoving Trump in that direction. And Israel apparently determined the timing of the attack. Our closest ally in the Middle East is hardly innocent in this debacle.
There can be no good outcome from this self-imposed catastrophe. The best we can hope for is something from the less-worse menu.
Whatever the outcome, we can’t see Trump mustering the personal courage to criticise Israel. More likely he’ll call anything short of nuclear armageddon a “win.”
The Editor
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Donald and Bibi’s Excellent Adventure
To the Editor:
If you are waiting for the administration to address “affordability,” you may have a long wait. Prices may be higher for a long time.
The president failed to notify Congress before attacking Iran. He has not yet explained the goals of the war to our allies or the American people. After years of threatening and belittling our NATO allies, Trump is outraged by their refusal to help him deal with consequences of his Mideast adventure. He rages against their failure to clear the Strait of Hormuz for shipping traffic. He forgets that NATO is a mutual defense pact, not an agreement to wage war at the behest of one member.
These failures are a result of the president’s inability to plan for consequences of his actions and to recognize that others have agency. Trump now claims he planned for a disruption in shipping traffic and that the resulting rise in energy prices “won’t be that bad,” will be short-lived, and a “small price to pay” for the war.
Unfortunately, the rise in energy prices will continue, as energy production is curtailed by the war. It will take weeks, perhaps months, to restart production and restart refineries. Prices will continue to rise because energy prices affect the cost of almost everything,
Trump brags he “won” his war in the “first hour” and can “end” it “whenever he wants.” If so, why is he requesting $200 billion to finance an extended war?
Lorraine L. Hansen
Rollinsford, N.H.
Lorraine:
Not content to let our fantastically expensive military-industrial complex sit tight at the 800-plus bases it maintains worldwide—idling, spewing more carbon into the atmosphere than any other entity on Earth—our Executive Branch has violated the Constitution to jam up the global oil supply. There’s a time-bomb under the global economy, and Congress is twiddling its thumbs.
The Editor