America’s 250th year makes claim for being most bloodthirsty ever

By Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition

We in the peace community are not following the hoopla celebrating America’s 250th birthday on Saturday. The endless coverage on mainstream media glorifying America’s birth promising democratic self-rule by the people for the rest of the world to emulate rings hollow 250 years on.

Our 250th celebration on Saturday will likely feature the most July 4th fireworks ever across the world’s first great democracy. But year 250 has brought fireworks fired in senseless anger nearly worldwide, killing untold thousands. Along with cruel economic sanctions that kill silently in over 30 countries, America’s Semi quincentennial is more deserving of mourning than glorification.

America has nary a single enemy threatening the Homeland. Yet our trillion dollar war budget (no longer defense) is spent in destruction of nations and peoples in Europe, Middle East, Africa, eastern Pacific, South America, Central America, even just 90 miles off the US coast.

One place we’re killing innocents without bombs is Cuba. Our cruel economic blockade is in its 65th year degrading life for the pitifully poor, helpless Cuban people. But it’s been ramped up on steroids this year with an oil blockade that makes getting to a hospital for life saving care a daunting endeavor. All the Cuban people need to do for relief is overthrow America’s hated Cuban government to add another notch on the US regime change belt.

In the Caribbean, America’s criminal war fighters are blowing up little unarmed boats on the pretext that doing so saves American drug addicts from getting the cocaine America insists these little boats are bringing in to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans. Over 35 boats obliterated along with over 100 hapless crew members so far, some as far away from America as the eastern Pacific.

In South America the US has spent the entire 21st century trying to overthrow the hated Venezuelan socialist government with economic sanctions that have killed tens of thousands. But frustrated by failure in our Semi quincentennial year, America turned to bombs and troops, killing over a hundred Venezuelans in snatching Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife to face trial on trumped up drug charges. Instead of the Maduros languishing in federal jail for 6 months now, the criminals in Washington who attacked and killed to snatch him should be languishing in The Hague awaiting their trial for war crimes.

Does even one in a thousand Americans tasked with self-governance under the Declaration have a clue where African country Somalia is much less that America has bombed imagined bad guys there over 50 times in the past year killing hundreds of innocents? America’s senseless killing spree in Africa includes Nigeria as well.

Then there are the Big 3 of America’s senseless warfare: Russia, Gaza, Iran.

Between 2014 and 2022 the US worked relentlessly with NATO to provoke a Russian war with Ukraine. The goal was to weaken, isolate Russia from the European political economy, solidifying US dominance in Europe. In the four and a half years since Russia took the bait, Ukraine became a failed state on the brink of collapse. Yet the US has spent the last year refusing to force a settlement to save the remainder of the now degraded Ukraine rump state. We’re cheering on the NATO supported Ukraine missile attacks inside Russia and thrilled to sell Europe billions in US weapons to goose the US weapons industry. All this accomplishes is further destroy Ukraine and degrade the European economies.

In the Middle East the US supported and enabled Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza continues, albeit at a slower but inexorable pace. Just this week Israeli security cabinet member Eli Cohen, vowed that Israel will control 100% of Gaza as the IDF continues capturing more Palestinian land in violation of the US-backed ceasefire deal. Over one thousand Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire became effective nearly 9 months ago. Yet the US weapons pipeline and moral support continue unimpeded in our Semi quincentennial year.

Nothing in America’s 250 years matches the utter folly of the February 28 attack on Iran. The criminal war launched at the urging of Israel to rid them of a regional hegemonic rival was supposed to succeed within a couple of days. It failed spectacularly. Iran, having been suckered punched with an attack a year before by the US that also failed, was ready this time. After 39 days it was the US that essentially surrendered, begging for negotiations to exit a lost cause that will largely signal an Iranian victory. But the damage to US Gulf States bases is so massive that the Gulf States will likely never trust America again for their defense. US prestige and credibility may be irreparably damaged worldwide as an unintended consequence.

And on America’s 250 birthday, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed for the 127th day with no realistic end in sight. Possibly causing worldwide recession, if not depression, may be the most sorrowful legacy of America’s 250th year.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL