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To the editor:
On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a prophetic speech at Riverside Church: “Beyond Vietnam – a Time to Break the Silence.”
Could he criticize the “…violence of the oppressed in the [Northern] ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.”
King was referring to American foreign policy, especially the Vietnam War, that undermined the ideals that we claim to support. He also observed that when profit and objects become more important than people, “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”
Nearly 60 years later, the three greatest purveyors of violence in the world today are Trump’s America, Netanyahu’s Israel and Putin’s Russia. All three are nuclear-armed, govern in authoritarian ways and have a foreign policy of militarism and violence.
Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, has resulted in perhaps a million casualties and massive destruction in Ukraine. Trump repeatedly has taken Russia’s side in this deadly war.
The U.S. and Israel in the last year have bombed seven countries, at times in coordination with each other. The Feb. 28 attack on Iran by both countries was a clear violation of international law.
Iran had been negotiating with Washington on a new nuclear deal and made concessions. There was no imminent threat, no need for self-defense and no approval from the U.N. Security Council. The Trump administration never consulted with Congress before the war.
The Pentagon has asked Congress to appropriate $200 billion dollars to pay for the war. This enormous amount of money could be better used to fund many vital domestic programs.
Linda Bilmas, a Harvard expert on war financing, calculates that the Iran war will eventually cost taxpayers over a trillion dollars. The UN has warned that when food prices increase, the war could put 45 million people at risk for acute hunger.
Howard Elterman
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Valete
Perhaps you should read more to base your outlandish opinions about the State of Israel and America on facts, rather than on bashing Israel and America.
President Trump was right to say that the U.S. and our allies faced an "imminent threat" from Iran Since the June 2025 strikes on Iran's nuclear weapons enrichment and production facilities had failed to eliminate the 460 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, top Iranian security officials were debating whether to weaponize that stockpile into nuclear warheads.
By the IAEA's own calculations, Iran had enough 60% uranium to produce ten nuclear warheads with two weeks further enrichment. The international watchdog agency had also determined that Iran had a workable warhead design and had mastered production of all the complex non-nuclear components it required.
In comments to reporters on Monday morning at Palm Beach International Airport at the foot of Air Force One, the President said that recent talks between special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kusher with unnamed Iranian officials could lead to an end to the war and future hostilities, and included an Iranian offer to turn over the uranium stockpile to the United States.
Thursday, March 26 Report this
krell1349
There was no imminent threat to America from the Iranians. It was just an excuse to get into the war. What a waste of money. The money could be better spent on reducing the national debt, since the Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility. Wait, I forgot, not any more with their giveaways to the rich,
Friday, March 27 Report this
wpeakes
Illegal war indeed!
We were in the middle of negotiations (?) with Iran before we unilaterally bombed them. That is insane! Yet, to this day, President Trump has not seen fit to address the nation himself about the justification for war. Instead, he puts up posts on social media and sends his sycophants to try and translate his motives which seem to change on an hourly basis. Am I correct that another $200 billion is now needed? No way, not at all. The American people are struggling, and American soldiers and Iranian children have needlessly died. Enough is enough.
Sunday, March 29 Report this
Valete
Perhaps the world should investigate Iran’s intentions. They had 60% uranium, enough to produce ten nuclear warheads in two weeks. The international watchdog confirmed Iran’s functional warhead design and successful production of non-nuclear components. Fortunately, America and Israel avoided the mistake of Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister (1937–1940). Chamberlain’s appeasement policy aimed to prevent another war by making concessions to Hitler. Driven by fear and believing Germany had legitimate grievances, he authorized the 1938 Munich Agreement, ceding the Sudetenland to Germany. This “peace for our time” provided a temporary respite but failed, allowing Hitler to annex Czechoslovakia—“ the rest is history."
Tuesday, March 31 Report this