Trump to Sign Sanctions of Shame Bill

According to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Friday, “President Donald J. Trump read early drafts of the bill and negotiated regarding critical elements of it.”

“He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it.”
He has two options:

• do the right thing by vetoing the irresponsible/illegal legislation, handing his opponents red meat for possible impeachment and removal from office; or

• do the wrong thing by signing the measure, knowing Congress will override him – only 5 of 535 House and Senate members voted against the bill.

The second choice forecloses any chance for improved relations with Moscow. It increases chances for confrontation with Russia, Iran and/or North Korea. It does nothing to appease his opponents, wanting him ousted no matter what he does or doesn’t do.

Washington is infested with hawkish neocons, the greatest threat to world peace. Permanent war is official US policy. Enemies are invented to pursue it.

The late Seymour Melman wrote prolifically on America’s military/industrial complex.

Days before Bush/Cheney’s March 2003 naked aggression on Iraq, Melman wrote about America “In the Grip of a Permanent War Economy,” saying:

“(A)t the start of the twenty-first century, every major aspect of American life is being shaped by our Permanent War Economy.” Its horrific toll includes:

• a de-industrialized nation, the result of decades of shifting production abroad, leaving unions, US workers and communities “decimated;”

• government financing, promoting and pursuing “every kind of war industry and foreign investing by US firms;” war priorities take precedence over essential homeland needs;

• America’s “permanent war economy…has endured since the end of World War II…Since then, the US has been at war – somewhere – every year, in Korea, Nicaragua, Vietnam, the Balkans, – all this to the accompaniment of shorter military forays in Africa, Chile, Grenada, Panama,” and endless ones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Palestine, Somalia, Yemen, Central Africa, and increasingly against perceived homeland enemies;

• “How to make war” takes precedence over everything, leaving no “public space (for) improv(ing) the quality of our lives;”

• “Shortages of housing have caused a swelling of the homeless population in every major city (because) state and city governments across the country have become trained to bend to the needs of the military…;”

• The result is growing millions of poor, disadvantaged, low income, uneducated, and “disconnected (people) from society’s mainstream, restless and unhappy, frustrated, angry, and sad;”

“State Capitalism” characterizes America’s agenda – partnering with business, running a permanent war economy for greater power and wealth, ill-served by debauched leadership.

Washington’s rage for global dominance comes at the expense of a nation in decline, lost industrialization, crumbling infrastructure, and suffering millions on their own – uncared for, unwanted, ignored, and forgotten to assure steady funding for America’s wars, no matter the cost or human toll.

“Further evasion is out of order,” said Melman. “We must come to grips with America’s State Capitalism and its Permanent War Economy.” Re-industrialization is essential “to restore jobs and production competence – industry by industry.”

“Failing that, there is no hope for any constructive exit” – for the nation, its people or humanity.

Permanent war means eventual confrontation with Russia and China – the only two nations standing in the way of America achieving unchallenged global dominance.

Possible nuclear war doesn’t deter neocon chickenhawks in Washington from seeking regime change in Moscow and Beijing by whatever means it takes.

Dwight Eisenhower’s warning about a dangerous “coalition of the military and industrialists who profit by manufacturing arms and selling them to the government” went unheeded.

Reckless militarism is parasitic, unjustifiable, illegal, immoral, and eventually self-destructive.

In the short and intermediate term, it redistributes wealth disproportionately to America’s privileged class and business.

It undermines physical and human capital, increases internal vulnerability to natural disasters, is too costly to be sustained longterm, erodes civil liberties and heads America for tyranny and ruin.

All US presidents are hostage to the system. There’s no way out short of risking removal from office by impeachment or something more sinister.
Sanctions on Russia harm European interests. Brussels and Berlin have a choice – remaining subservient to Washington or declaring their independence, pursuing policies benefiting their economies.

It’s high time they broke the chains binding them, breaking ranks and going their own way. Washington can’t do a thing to stop them.

Nor will it materially change political and economic relations with America, not about to abandon a market vital to US companies.

Russia should cease believing it can have improved relations with America – never with a nation wanting pro-Western puppet rule replacing its sovereign independence.

The same goes for Iran, North Korea, China, Venezuela and other nations America doesn’t control.

Regime change is planned to assert US hegemony over their sovereign independence – the fate bipartisan extremists in Washington want imposed on all countries worldwide.

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