Senator Blumenthal wrong on Ukraine

 

                        

 By Reginald Johnson

       (The Connecticut Post published the following op-ed on Sept 25 which countered a number of false claims made by Senator Richard Blumenthal in an article he wrote justifying continued aid for the war in Ukraine,) 

 

   I have to take issue with a number of comments made by US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn in his recent op-ed in the Connecticut Post entitled “Zelenskyy doesn’t want or need our troops. But he deeply and desperately needs the tools to win.”

  Blumenthal justifies the United States continuing to send billions of dollars to help Ukraine in its war with Russia by making the sweeping claim that if Russia is allowed to defeat Ukraine, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will be emboldened to invade other countries and then take over Europe.

  “If Putin wins in Ukraine, he’ll roll forward against other nations --- NATO allies that we have a treaty obligation to defend with troops on the ground. Ukraine is at the tip of the spear fighting our fight for independence and freedom,” Blumenthal wrote.

  But the view that Russia is on a march of aggression is based on the idea that Russia invaded Ukraine without any provocation and if given a chance, Putin will do the same thing against other countries.

 The fact is that the United States together with its NATO allies did provoke Russia into this invasion. There were two key provocations.

 First, the United States instigated a coup in 2014 against the constitutionally-elected and pro-Russian government in Ukraine led by Viktor Yanukovych. The new regime adopted a belligerent anti-Russian attitude and demanded that all people in Ukraine, including people in the heavily ethnic Russian area in the East, speak the Ukrainian language. A rebellion erupted in the East and the government, using United States military aid, waged a bloody campaign against residents of the area known as Donbas, which is on the Russian border.

 Second, the United States reneged on its promise made to Russian leaders back in the early 1990s that NATO would not be enlarged by granting membership to Eastern European countries which had been part of the old Soviet bloc. The Russians warned that they saw expansion of NATO as a security threat, with their nation becoming encircled.

 Despite Russian objections, the West went ahead and added all the Soviet bloc nations into NATO, except for Ukraine. Russian officials and others urged that at least Ukraine should stay neutral, in order to avoid war. Nonetheless, US and Ukrainian leaders pushed the idea of adding Ukraine to NATO, further heightening tensions with Russia.

  Putin said at the time of the invasion that the expansion of NATO was the reason for Russia’s decision to invade.

Sen. Blumenthal also makes the strange comment in his article that America was helping Ukraine protect “freedom.” But the present Ukrainian government has shut down opposition newspapers, closed Russian orthodox churches and locked up political dissenters. These actions do not comport with a free society.

 Finally, Sen. Blumenthal makes the outrageous statement that Americans “should be satisfied that we’re getting our money’s worth on our Ukraine investment” because we’ve spent “less than 3 percent” of our military budget in helping Ukraine to “degrade” Russia’s military.

  Actually, the roughly 3 percent figure comes to a very substantial amount. The US has given upwards of $140 billion in aid to Ukraine, much of it being military hardware.  That money could have been better spent on funding human needs here at home --- like building affordable housing, improving health care and revitalizing underfunded local public school systems, such as the one in Bridgeport.

 Instead of continuing to support a highly destructive and deadly war in Ukraine (hundreds of thousands of people have died) Senator Blumenthal should get behind peace efforts to bring this terrible conflict to a close.

 

(Reginald Johnson is a free-lance writer in Bridgeport)

 

 

 

 

A vigil for Nagasaki and a call for peace

   By Reginald Johnson 

 

    NEW HAVEN --- More than 78 years ago this month, the United States committed one of the most heinous acts of violence in human history.

 Two atomic bombs were dropped by American planes on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, killing over 200,000 people, mostly civilians. Many people were killed instantaneously, while others died slowly over the next few weeks from severe radiation illness.

 The savage bombing was justified by American officials with the claim that it hastened the end of World War II by forcing Japan to surrender quickly and avoided an invasion of Japan, which could have cost a large number of American and Japanese casualties.

 But historians have since the countered that idea, saying that Japan was about to surrender anyway. They maintain that the real reason for the bombing was that the United States wanted to show the Soviet Union it had the bomb, thus giving America a geopolitical edge in the expected rivalry with Russia after the war.

 Memorials have been held every year since 1945 in Japan and around the world to remember the victims of the bombings. The memorials and vigils have also been occasions when people have spoken out against nuclear weapons and urged that all nations join together to ban the bomb once and for all.

 As they have done in recent years, peace activists and city officials here came together for two vigils, one for Hiroshima on New Haven Green last Sunday and the other for Nagasaki at the Amistad Statue on Wednesday.

  The Nagasaki memorial saw a number of speakers, including Joelle Fishman, chairperson of the New Haven Peace Commision (which is part of the city government), Jim Pandaru, of Veterans for Peace, Paula Panzarella, reading poetry and Hank Bolden, a survivor of atomic bomb testing.

        

           

The vigil in New Haven for the victims of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan by the United States on August 9, 1945. Some 60,000 to 80,000 civilians were killed in the bombing. (Photo by Reginald Johnson)

  

    Fishman read a message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent to the peace memorial in Nagasaki. Here are some excerpts:

    “We mourn those killed, whose memory will never fade.

    “We remember the terrible destruction wrought upon the city and Hiroshima.

“We honor the unrelenting strength and resilience of the people of Nagasaki to rebuild.

“We must never again allow such devastation to occur.

“Despite the terrible lessons of 1945, humanity now confronts a new arms race.

“Nuclear weapons are being used as tools of coercion.

“Weapon systems are being upgraded, and placed at the center of national security strategies, making these devices of death faster, more accurate and stealthier.

“All this at a moment when division and mistrust are pulling countries and regions apart.

“The risk of nuclear catastrophe is now at the highest level since the Cold War.

“In the face of these threats, the global community must speak as one.

“Any use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable.

“We will not sit idly by as nuclear armed states race to create even more dangerous weapons.”

 Bolden, 86, told of his experiences as a soldier who survived the US Army’s atomic bomb testing in Nevada in the 1950s. Bolden said he and his fellow GIs were never told ahead of time that they were going to be put in a location that was within 3 miles of an atomic bomb test.

  Bolden, who is black, said the Army was trying to determine what effect the test would have on soldiers placed near an atomic detonation site.

 “I was a guinea pig. They put us in a predetermined path of what they knew was the direction of the fallout," he said.

Bolden has battled three different types of cancers in his life, which he thinks were caused by radiation fallout. He is now trying to let as many people know as possible what happened to him and emphasize that their government at times can be cruel and cynical in how they treat people when they want to achieve some kind of secret objective.

   Asked his opinion about nuclear weapons, Bolden said simply,  “Nuclear weapons should be shut down because that’s the end for all of us. Nuclear proliferation needs to be shut down because who stands to gain by that? There can be no winners.”

 Henry Lowendorf, president of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, which helped organize the vigil, said he and others are going to movie theaters showing the film "Oppenheimer" to hand out leaflets to patrons urging that they call on their congressmembers to end the nuclear arms race and push for a diplomatic settlement to end the Ukraine War.

 The movie tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who developed the atomic bomb for the United States.

  "This movie, one, raises the issue of the horror of the atomic bomb, does it in a biographical format of J. Robert Oppenheimer, but it takes that biography and explores what the atomic bomb means and what it does," Lowendorf said.

 "And we now live in an era now when that is hidden from everybody, censored and not talked about," he said. "And we're facing right now two nuclear weapons powers that are fighting a war against each other, right. And both of them have said using nuclear weapons is not off the table --- both Russia and the United States."

  He added, "and this war is a prelude to a war on China which the United States is preparing us for. So we have this perpetual war. If we don't explode ourselves with a nuclear blast, there will be another war and this is simply promoting the wealth of the military-industrial complex and the militarized society we live in and face everyday."  

   For more information on the peace council's work, email to grnhpeacecouncil@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    

By Reginald Johnson

    

   NEW HAVEN --- Vigils to honor the more than 200,000 victims of the US atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II will take place here Sunday and Wednesday.

  The first memorial, remembering the victims of the Hiroshima bombing, will be held Sunday at 8 a.m. at the flagpole on the New Haven Green. The second memorial for the victims of the Nagasaki bombing, will take place Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Amistad Statue, 161 Church Street, next to City Hall.

  Henry Lowendorf, president of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, explained why it is so important to remember the atomic bombings, some 78 years later.

  “We remember the first and only use of these city killers took place in 1945 when the US dropped one atomic bomb each on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantaneously incinerating over 200,000 men, women and children and leveling those cities,” he said.

  Lowendorf added,  “We remind ourselves how horrific these nuclear weapons are, indiscriminate and massive and leaving vast quantities of deadly radioactive fallout to spread far and wide.  We remind our audiences that nine countries possess these WOMD and that there is no such thing as a small nuclear war --- any use of one weapon in conflict would likely lead to an escalation launching all 9,000 nuclear weapons that would destroy human civilization --- first directly killing hundreds of millions, then through mass starvation killing billions.”

   Lowendorf pointed out that Russia, the US, Britain and France are engaged in a war in both Ukraine and Russia that could descend into a nuclear war.

 “The Doomsday Clock is at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s been ever, an indication from top nuclear experts of the extreme danger we face. We point out that our US government dismisses talk of avoiding nuclear war and the war danger; and that the major corporate media support the government’s coverup. So we need to speak out and act.”

  Lowendorf said people can sign a petition calling for a ban on nuclear weapons at the CODE Pink website, at www.codepink.org

(For more information, email grnhpeacecouncil@gmail.com)

 

 

 

The state loses a fine leader

   

By Reginald Johnson

 

      Commentary

   The state of Connecticut lost one of its best leaders with the recent passing of Lowell P. Weicker.

The long-time senator and later governor was never afraid to steer an independent course and do what was right.

Weicker, who I covered as a reporter in the 1980s for Fairpress, was the last of an extinct species known as "liberal Republicans." While he was a senator, he was the first Republican to call out former President Nixon for the Watergate abuses and actively took part in the investigation of that scandal. In helping to lead the probe of Watergate, Weicker performed a major service for the country.

Lowell P. Weicker. He served three terms in the U.S. Senate and one term as Connecticut's governor. (Photo Wikimedia Commons)

Later he bucked the conservative drift of the GOP under Ronald Reagan and began to be hated by the Republican right. He even went to Cuba, met with Fidel Castro and praised the communist government. Unfortunately those words came back to haunt him, when Democratic Party senate challenger Joe Lieberman ran a red-baiting campaign, trying to undermine Weicker in pro-defense industry Connecticut. That attack, plus Weicker's lackluster re-election campaign, led to his defeat and loss of his senate seat in 1988.

Weicker jumped back into politics in 1990, winning the state's governorship on an independent slate. There again, he went against the grain and pushed for a long overdue, but highly unpopular, personal income tax. Despite vitriolic opposition, Weicker and his allies were able to push the tax through. Weicker also worked with officials in Bridgeport to help that city climb back from bankruptcy.

Lowell Weicker was not perfect. My understanding was he could be rude at times and a touch arrogant. But if you look at his record on a range of issues, he was really quite good. He left his mark and he will be missed.

Opponents prevail in self-storage battle

      

        BRIDGEPORT REPORT

     

     By Reginald Johnson 

      BRIDGEPORT ---  A determined effort by local residents to block construction of a 1,000 unit self-storage facility at the old Stop and Shop on Madison Avenue paid off Monday, with the Planning and Zoning Commission rejecting the plan put forth by developer Hugh Scott.

   The panel voted against the proposal 4-2 following a hearing at City Hall attended by more than 30 people, many of them holding up signs expressing opposition to the project.

   Critics said that the self-storage facility was not in keeping with the residential character of the area and they urged that some type of housing be built instead.

  “Put self-storage units somewhere else but not here,” said one resident. “Affordable housing is strongly encouraged.”

  Neighbors in the city’s North End have been fighting the self-storage facility idea since it was first floated earlier this year. A number of scheduled hearings on the proposal were postponed by the developer, triggering more resentment at the project.

 However, Scott ran out of continuances this month and the hearing went forward. Scott maintained that his development would revitalize the site (where the Stop and Shop has sat vacant for 11 years) and self-storage space is badly needed in the Bridgeport area.

                 

North End residents showed up at City Hall Monday to oppose the proposal for a 1,000-unit self-storage facility at the site of the old Stop and Shop on Madison Avenue. The zoning commission voted to reject the plan. (Reginald Johnson photo) 

 

   But the developer got no support for his plan from any residents and city officials also opposed the idea. Thomas Gaudett, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Joseph Ganim, who is running for reelection this year,  testified that while the city is always looking for new development, the administration was against the idea of the self-storage at the Madison Avenue location.

  “We need to do things that are compatible with the neighborhood,” he said, adding that development of housing would be more appropriate.

  Opponents also got support from local city council members, including Michelle Lyons and AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia.

  “This proposal is inconsistent with the surrounding neighborhood,” said Lyons, who strongly urged the development of senior housing, which she said is in short supply.

 Also speaking against the plan were former state representative Chris Caruso and current state representative for the North End, Marcus Brown.

 Gaudett said the city will continue to work with Scott on developing housing at the site, including bringing in state officials to discuss the idea of financial assistance.

 

Protesters slam new housing at Testo's site

     BRIDGEPORT REPORT

     By Reginald Johnson

       BRIDGEPORT --- About 30 people picketed in front of the former Testo’s restaurant on Madison Avenue Sunday demanding that Mayor Joseph Ganim get involved to stop a housing development at the site which residents claim is out of place for the area.

   Under a hot sun the group walked in front of the closed-up restaurant with signs reading  “No to 177 units!” and “Mayor Ganim, Where are You?"

  People driving by honked their horns in approval.

 “We are out here to try and get the mayor to stop this development. It’s going to affect all of us,"  said Bianca, who owns a house on Westfield just across from the former restaurant.  “It’s going to lower the property values for everybody around here and we need our values to stay the way it is,” she added.

 Bianca moved to Bridgeport from New York city three years ago to buy her house and said it was a “rude awakening” when she found out that the restaurant was going to make way for a 177-unit apartment complex.

  “We need our neighborhood to stay a neighborhood,” she said, “and not turn into a commercial area like a city like New York that is overcrowded and overpopulated. We need to have a safe space."

                               

Bianca, who lives on Westfield Avenue, protests the plan for new housing at the former Testo's restaurant. (Reginald Johnson photo)

  Other protesters echoed Bianca’s view, saying that the complex was too big and not fit for the area which is dominated by single-family homes. They complained bitterly that local residents have not been given any say-so in how the development was planned.

  “There’s been no input from the neighborhood,” said one.

                      

North End residents demonstrate against housing at Testo's.

 (Reginald Johnson photo)

  The four-story complex to be constructed by builder John Guedes appears to be a done deal, with zoning approval for the general plan given previously. There don’t seem to be any legal avenues for opponents to block the project.

  However, protesters are hoping that possibly Mayor Ganim, who has remained quiet on the controversial project, will step forward and ask for some modifications to reduce the size of the building.

  “It’s past the Council people.” said Bianca. “The Council already voted on it, so the mayor has to get involved at this point,” she said.

                                          

                                   

Protesters at Testo's. (Reginald Johnson photo)

  The former Testo’s Ristorante at 1775 Madison was a fixture in the North End for decades and also served as a political base for the Democratic Party, with the eatery hosting many fundraisers and election night parties. The restaurant was owned by Mario Testa who was the longtime head of the Democratic Town Committee and a close friend of Ganim. Testa and his relatives closed the restaurant at the end of last year and the apartment plan was announced soon afterwards.

 

Hunter Biden gets off easy

    By Reginald Johnson

          

           Commentary

    

   The slap on the wrist that Hunter Biden got yesterday for serious crimes he's committed is really an outrage.

 Biden was facing tax evasion charges and unlawfully possessing a gun, felony crimes that upon conviction would result in serious jail time. But instead the government offered the President's son a plea bargain that will likely spare him prison time.

 Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanors on the tax fraud and get placed in a cushy "diversion program" on the gun charge. No ordinary person would get this kind of a deal, believe me.

 Meanwhile, the government led by Hunter's father, President Joe Biden, is throwing the kitchen sink, the barn and the garage at former President Trump, trying to convict him of violations of the Presidential Records Act. They’ve hit him with a 37-count indictment.

 Though this is a civil law, prosecutors have twisted Trump's alleged violations into a criminal case, charging him with obstruction and even violations of the fascistic Espionage Act. That’s the law which was used to lock up dissenters during World War I and then in the 1950s to send alleged Soviet collaborators Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair.

   The government also wants the trial schedule on the Trump case speeded up. Throw him in jail NOW! Two-tiered justice? You bet.

 Two side by side headlines on the front page of the New York Times today tells you the story: The one on the left said, "Trial Judge puts Documents Case on Speedy Path." Over the story next to it was the headline: "Hunter Biden Likely to Avoid Prison in Deal." Such is the politicized state of our criminal justice system today.

  Another disturbing aspect of the Hunter Biden case --- which his lawyers are saying is now over --- is that prosecutors so far have not held the younger Biden culpable for his likely influence peddling with countries around the world. Documents recently turned over (reluctantly) by the FBI alleged that Hunter and Joe Biden took millions of dollars in bribes from businessmen in Ukraine, in return for US government favors. There were also claims that Chinese officials may have been funneling improper payments to Hunter Biden.

  The US Attorney in Delaware who has been in charge of the Hunter Biden investigation says the probe is not over, but you have to be skeptical, given the pro-Biden bias that the Department of Justice has shown to date.

 I don’t think there will be any more focus on the bribery claims by the DOJ, and it will be up to the House Oversight committee to continue pursuing the matter. Expect them to be stonewalled by the administration as they move forward.