News & Articles

Gaza—Ukraine—Empire

These two seemingly very different conflicts have one common goal and one clear lesson. Both are being pursued by Biden/Blinken with the same ultimate goal – maximization of U.S. power by means of weakening/destruction of global challengers. The lesson is not about the wars themselves but about the US.

The notion that the U.S. supports Israel’s Gaza war may strike naïve observers as contraindicated given Biden/Blinken’s constant handwringing over the massive number of Palestinian deaths and the alleged U.S. longing for a Palestinian state. What could possibly be gained by U.S. support for the obviously sociopathic Netanyahu? As the months grind on and the number of dead Palestinians grows, the answer is becoming clearer. The more Israel gets away with its brazen actions under U.S. cover, the more aggressive it becomes and thus the more useful it is as an extension of U.S. power.

The primary focus now is Iran. But wait, didn’t Iran start it with its drone attack on Israel? Ah, but no; Iran and its allies have been the objects of Israeli attacks and sabotage for many, many years. But when Iran finally responds, Iran is the bad guy. Israel employs the same strategy with the Palestinians: abuse and suppress them until someone fights back and them blame them collectively and lower the hammer. Biden/Blinken and Netanyahu could care less about what goes on inside Iran. It’s all about maximization U.S.-Israel power.

So what about Ukraine? Didn’t Putin start it? Rather, as in the cases of Iran and Palestine, it’s the steady continuous thumping by the U.S./NATO all along the Russian perimeter for decades – Bosnia, Serbia, Libya, Afghanistan and most recently the U.S.-engineered regime change in Ukraine – that has brought about the expected reaction which Biden/Blinken have engineered and taken full advantage of for the sake of US power and the profit of the weapons industry.

No doubt that Putin’s reaction to the Biden/Blinken plan has been fierce. Russia means to demonstrate that they must be reckoned with. A negotiated settlement can still be reached just as it could have been 10 years ago. But as with Israel, the drawing out of the war, however it ends, means an expansion of US power among Western Europeans and NATO at the expense of Ukrainian and Russian lives.

Thanks to the latest “bipartisan” $95 billion weapons bill, US goals have been reached and no lessons learned.
Robert Kosuth
Duluth, Minnesota

Not seeing the forest for its trees

We’ve all heard plenty of positive things from people who have had gender transitioning surgery, but how many patients are later dissatisfied with that surgery and might even request detransitioning for themselves? Here’s a good website to consult:
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-treatment-regret-detransition-371e927ec6e7a24cd9c77b5371c6ba2b
Before deciding to have Transition surgery Children are especially given plenty of time
“The idea is to give youngsters time to mature enough mentally and emotionally to make informed decisions about whether to pursue permanent treatment.” Although California temporarily tried to grant adolescents the power to decide for themselves, that law has since been rightfully struck down by both conservative and liberal parents.

“Sex hormones, estrogen or testosterone” are part of the transformation.
“However, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health,” said evidence of those later detranstioning is (scant), yet patients should be told about that possibility during psychological counseling.”
“Dutch research from several years ago found no evidence of regret in transgender adults who had comprehensive psychological evaluations in childhood before undergoing puberty blockers and hormone treatment. “
And, “Dr. Oscar Manrique, a plastic surgeon at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has operated on hundreds of transgender people, most of them adults. He said he’s (never) had a patient return to seek detranstioning surgery.”
What about the World Medical Association?
“The AMA delivered a letter, (PDF) to the National Governors Association urging its members to oppose legislative dictates that inappropriately limit the range of options physicians and families may consider when making decisions for gender-diverse pediatric patients:”
“AND:”
In April 2021, the AMA delivered a letter (PDF) to the National Governors Association urging its members to oppose legislative dictates that inappropriately limit the range of options physicians and families may consider when making decisions for gender-diverse pediatric patients. The letter cited evidence demonstrating that forgoing gender-affirming care can have tragic consequences for transgender individuals who face increased risk of anxiety, stress, substance use, disorder, and suicide. The majority of transgender and diverse-gender patients report improved mental health and lower rates of suicide after receipt of gender-affirming care.”

Yet, isn’t it tragic that today’s radical right wing always panders to claims that God made Transsexuals, so that, (MAGA pharisees), Could rescue them with a (God’s Will Repair Job)?--even though they believe transsexuals were made by God in the first place? And, Christians claim they must do the Lord’s work by correcting the mistakes made by God himself? So could MAGA people please tell us why God has made Transsexuals the way they are, without claiming that, “the “Devil” was responsible?

Inclusion simply represents attempts to make children aware of the ways that other children are like them, emotionally and physically. Yet Trumpers insist that Transgender and Gay teachers are supposedly trying to make all our kids gay? Thus, self-righteous Trumpers will use every fear and lie that they can to persuade others that (their sin) makes Transsexuals feel sad, depressed and even suicidal! Yet the real cause of their distress, is that way they have been told repeatedly that they are sick, sinful, and just plain evil, for having different sexual orientations than The rest of us? We can only hope that Trump’s MAGA minions will eventually come down off their conspiracy mountains and experience compassion, for everyone who has ever been shunned, bullied, or punished simply because they believe in facts—without being unable to see the forest because of its trees!
Peter W. Johnson
Superior, Wisconsin