| Kensington Review |
18 June 2024 |
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Cogito Ergo Non Serviam |
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Latest Commentary: Trump Demands "Unconditional Surrender" from Iran -- The missile and drone war going on between Israel and Iran took an omninous turn yesterday when President Trump posted on his personal social media platform "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER." He also announced "we" had air superiority over the skies of Iran. For a nation that has not fired a shot in the skirmish, that is rather a lot to absorb. The White House says he is considering many options, and among those is the use of US personnel, planes and bombs directly against Iran. The president has maneuvered himself into a position where whatever he does will probably have a negative effect. He is in a lose-lose situation. [18 June] Israel, Iran Exchange Missile Fire -- Israel and Iran are in a bizarre aerial war, trading missile barrages and hoping for the best when they launch them. Each is incrediblyh useful to the other. Rather than focus on the fact that their economies are in need of help, that their kids need better education, job opportunities and some kind of future, they get to distract with the bogeyman down the block. Now that their cold war has heated up again, there is a sense that this is going to go on for a while because of the internal politics of each. If this were merely a matter of geopolitical power politics, an accommodation is possible. The beauty of the current situation for each regime is that the other does not want an accommodation any more than they do. [16 June] Assassinations, Parades and Protests -- Yesterday was a contrast in political activity. On the right, there was a poorly attended military parade allegedly for the semiquincentennal of the US Army (which it was not) and political assassinations of lawmakers in Minnesota. On the left, there were about 2,000 protests nationwide against MAGA Fascism, and no one got hurt. This is what the Chinese mean when cursing one with "may you live in interesting times." The truth is that the good life, broadly defined, does not make for exciting intersting news. Interesting times usually involve violence, destruction and lost opportunies. Things in the US are very interesting these days. [15 June] RFK, Jr., Fires CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee -- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He has just undermined all the health and services for humans in the nation. He fired every single member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices despite a promise in this confirmation hearings to leave this kind of thing alone. He claims that this move will restore public trust in vaccinations. It will do just the opposite, but he likes that because he is opposed to national vaccination against lethal diseases. He has said no one should take medical advice from him, and this is why. [11 June] Trump Sends Natoinal Guard, Marines to LA -- Friday, ICE tried rounding up day laborers in a Home Depot parking lot in LA. It did not go well, trying to arrest people without probable cause. The local community staged a protest, and ICE had to back down. The LA Police Department said it had everything handled. Mr. Trump decided he needed to make matters worse, so he federalized the California National Guard. He has deployed 4,000 of them to the streets of the city, and he ordered 700 Marines to back them up. It is a needless escalation that is profoundly dangerous. [10 June] © Copyright 2025 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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22 Years Online Volume XXIII, Number 96
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