Month: April 2026

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- APRIL

Below please find some of the significant historical events that have occurred in the month of April:

April 2, 1513 – Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed at present-day St. Augustine, and claimed FL on behalf of Spain. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the continental US.

April 2, 1982 – Argentinian troops seized the Falkland Islands, a British territory just off the Argentinian coast, thus beginning the Falkland Islands War. Britain recaptured the islands on June 15.

April 3, 1860 – The Pony Express mail service commenced in St. Joseph, MO.

April 3, 1865 – Richmond. the capital of the Confederacy, surrendered.

April 3, 1948 – President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, an economic aid package that is largely credited with halting the spread of communism in post-WWII Europe.

April 3, 1995 – Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Justice of the Supreme Court.

April 4, 1949 – NATO was created.

April 4, 1968 – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.

April 6, 1896 – The first “modern” Olympics was held in Athens.

April 6, 1917 – The US entered WWI.

April 8, 563 BC – Celebrated as Bhudda’s birthday.

April 8, 1913 – The US ratified the 17th Amendment to the Constitution mandating the election of US senators by direct popular vote instead of appointment by State legislatures as had been the procedure.

April 9, 1865 – General Robert E. Lee formally surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant ending the Civil War.

April 9, 1866 – The US passed the Civil Rights Bill of 1866, which granted AAs the rights and privileges of US citizenship.

April 10, 2026 – Artemis II, a spacecraft manned by a four-person crew, completed its 10-day voyage around the moon and returned to Earth safely. 

April 10, 1942 – The Bataan Death March began.

April 10, 1945 – The Buchenwald concentration camp was liberated by US troops.

April 11, 1968 – The US adopted the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

April 12, 1861 – The Civil War commenced as Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter.

April 12, 1945 – FDR died in Warm Springs, GA of a cerebral hemorrhage.

April 12, 1961 – Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first human in space.

April 14, 1828 – Noah Webster published the first American-style dictionary.

April 14, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded by assassin John Wilkes Booth at Ford Theatre. He died the next day.

April 15, 2013 – Two bombs made from pressure cookers exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line, killing two women and an 8-year-old boy and injuring more than 260. 

April 15, 1912 – The “unsinkable” Titanic, which had struck an iceberg the previous night, sunk. Some 1,500 of the 2,224 persons on board perished.

April 17, 1961 – The so-called Bay of Pigs invasion, which was intended to precipitate the overthrow of Fidel Castro, failed disastrously.

April 18, 1775 – Paul Revere embarked on his famous “Midnight Ride” to warn the Patriots that “the British [were] coming.”

April 18, 1906 – The infamous San Francisco Earthquake and fire began.

April 18, 1942 – A squadron of airplanes led by General James Doolittle successfully bombed Tokyo, providing a much-needed morale boost to Americans by demonstrating that Japan was not invulnerable.

April 19, 1775 – Patriots fire the “shot heard ’round the world” at Lexington, MA, which marked the commencement of the Revolutionary War.

April 19, 1943 – The Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto began an armed insurrection against their Nazi captors.

April 20, 1999 – The “Columbine Massacre” occurred in Littleton, CO, leaving 13 dead and 20 more wounded.

April 21, 1836 – Texans, under the command of Sam Houston, decisively defeated a Mexican force at San Jacinto (near present-day Houston), which led to Texas’ independence from Mexico.

April 21, 1918 – Baron Manfred von Richtofen, the infamous “Red Baron” who was credited with some 80 kills, was shot down over France.

April 21, 753 BCE – According to tradition, the date on which the City of Rome was founded.

April 22, 1509 – King Henry VIII of England began his reign.

April 22, 1889 – The “Oklahoma land rush” began.

April 24, 1800 – The Library of Congress, the world’s largest library, housing some 145 million items, was established.

April 26, 1986 – The nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine, exploded, spreading a radioactive cloud extending over much of Europe.

April 26, 1994 – Apartheid in South Africa officially ended as the country held its first multiracial elections with some 18 million blacks participating. Nelson Mandela was elected President.

April 28, 1789 – Led by Fletcher Christian, the crew of the HMS Bounty mutinied against Captain William Bligh.

April 30, 1789 – George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the US.

April 30, 1948 – Palestinian Jews declared their independence from the British and established the State of Israel.

Birthdays – 4/2/1805 – Hans Christian Anderson (Danish fairytale author); 4/5/1856 – Booker T. Washington (AA educator); 4/10/1847 – Joseph Pulitzer (publisher); 4/13/1743 – Thomas Jefferson (3rd President); 4/16/1867 – Wilbur Wright (aviator pioneer); 4/16/1889 – Charlie Chaplin (silent film comedian); 4/17/1837 – John Pierpont Morgan (financier); 4/18/1857 – Clarence Darrow (renowned attorney); 4/20/1889 – Adolph Hitler; 4/22/1870 – William Shakespeare (writer); 4/23/1791 – James Buchanan (15th US President; 4/25/1874 – Guglielmo Marconi (invented the radio); 4/27/1791 – Samuel F. B. Morse (telegraph inventor); 4/27/1822 – Ulysses S. Grant (civil war commanding general and 18th US President); 4/28/1758 – James Monroe (Founding Father and 5th US President); 4/29/1863 – William Randolph Hearst (publisher).

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THE HARD WAY OR THE EASY WAY

As always, the contents of this blog are a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion, where indicated.

As I write this blog the US is attempting to arrange round two of peace negotiations with Iran. Predictably, round one did not yield any meaningful results. As always, the Iranian negotiators were not negotiating in good faith. Obviously, they did not have the power and the authority to do so seriously. Since then, it has become apparent that the country is in turmoil. There is a power struggle between the politicians who seem willing to be realistic and reasonable and the military, which is not. There is no clearcut leader, so a meaningful, lasting deal cannot be consummated.

Despite all the fake news characterizing President Trump as a reckless, heartless, warmonger the empirical evidence clearly illustrates that he wants a peaceful resolution to this war. Iran has been thoroughly and completely defeated militarily. At the moment, it is “circling the drain” financially and economically. Its navy has been destroyed; its nuclear weaponry and nuclear “dust,” Trump’s term to describe Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and residual nuclear material currently buried under tons of debris that could be retrieved and “enriched” to make nuclear bombs have been neutralized; its leadership has been virtually wiped out; its communications systems are “shot;” its economy is destroyed; and the US’s blockade of the Hormuz Strait is preventing any ships from entering or leaving its ports. In short, Iran is completely helpless. It is at our mercy. Trump could, as he has said, bomb it back to the stone age. For them, continuing the war would be futile and suicidal.

I believe further negotiations would be a “fool’s errand.” It would provide Iran with another opportunity to lie, delay and obfuscate and turn public opinion in its favor. It’s what they have always done and what they will continue to do. They are not in any position to negotiate terms. Their choices are to (1) surrender and accept our terms unconditionally (the easy way) or (2) continue to resist and be annihilated (the hard way). At this point most countries would accept reality and opt for the easy way in order to retain some semblance of viability.

However, Iran’s leadership is dominated by fanatical religious zealots who have espoused the destruction of Israel, the US, and any other “non-believers.” We have to understand that they have no desire to negotiate a lasting peace treaty. They would rather fight to the end and die as martyrs. They have been attacking Israel, the US and others and fomenting terrorism through their proxies for 47 years. They have tried to assassinate Trump at least twice. They have no empathy for anyone, even their own citizenry who have been suffering greatly. After all, they have already slaughtered tens of thousands of them merely for the “crime” of protesting. They will fight to the last man. I applaud Trump for continually attempting to forge a lasting peaceful solution, but the time to “lower the boom” once and for all is approaching rapidly. The current situation is untenable. It is hurting Americans economically and, by extension, the GOP’s prospects for the midterm elections. In my view, Iran is akin to a cancer that must be extirpated.

Conclusion

The latest Reuters/Ipsos Poll disclosed that Trump’s approval rating has declined to 36%, which is a new low. A majority of respondents were critical of both the state of the economy and his conduct of the war. There is substantial pressure on him to negotiate a settlement even though we have not yet achieved complete and total victory and even if it would allow Iran to rise again in the future.

His critics primarily include the following groups:

  1. The “never-Trumpers” who will always oppose any action or policy of his. In this case many of them have openly stated that they would rather the US lose this war than see Trump get credit for winning it,
  2. those who hate Israel and Jews,
  3. the politicians (mostly Dems) who crave power over doing what would benefit the country,
  4. the well-meaning persons who have been gaslighted by the fake news media, and
  5. the inattentive and/or ignorant persons who neither know nor care about the lessons of history and have no appreciation of the gravity of the current situation.

Luckily, Trump is impervious to criticism and polls. He has consistently pursued the course of action that he believes is right, not one that is politically expedient. It’s what he is doing now. It’s fine to give a negotiated lasting peace a chance, but not for too much longer. I hope that Trump retains the fortitude to persevere and finish the job. To use a sports analogy, we’re at the one-yard line. Punch it in!

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A PEACE AGREEMENT WITH IRAN IS IMMINENT, OR IS IT?

As always, the contents of this blog constitute a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion, where indicated.

As I have written in previous blogs militarily, it was a complete mismatch, comparable to an NFL team taking on a high school team. In a matter of weeks, we have defeated Iran militarily completely and decisively. We have bombed them relentlessly (including destroying its nuclear capability, its nuclear enrichment sites, its factories, its communication systems, and its economy, among other targets), killed the Ayatollah and the top two or three tiers of Iran’s leadership, destroyed its Navy, taken out virtually all of its missiles, rockets and other weaponry, opened up the Hormuz Strait, blockaded the Strait to choke off any ships trying to enter or leave Iranian ports, and cut off its primary means of revenue – oil. Like I said, a total and decisive military victory. Kudos to President Trump, Secretary of War Hegseth, and the entire military hierarchy from the Joint Chiefs down to the enlisted men and women.

It was well-known that Iran was close to attaining nuclear capability. Its negotiators even bragged about it at one of the sessions. Everyone knew that the rest of the world could not allow that to happen. Something had to be done and soon.

Iran’s military was no match for the US. All that was required was a US president with the b**ls to do what needed to be done. Unlike predecessors Obama and Biden, President Trump was that man. He understood that history tells us appeasement never works in the long run. The other side views it as weakness and always seeks to take advantage. Aggressors will always keep pressing until they meet resistance. He was wise to Iran’s negotiating tactics and would not be deceived.

However, I believe all that was the easy part. Now comes the hard part, to forge an agreement that will last, that Iran will honor, and that future US presidents will have the fortitude to enforce if it doesn’t. In summary, we won the war; now we have to win the peace. More about this later.

As I have said multiple times anyone who has been paying attention to the news and is analyzing it objectively, rationally and coherently was cognizant that (1) Iran was close to developing nuclear capability, (2) was lying about it, (3) would likely use it once it had it, (4) could never be allowed to possess it, and (5) it was incumbent on the US to prevent it by force, if necessary.

And yet, the Dems and their allies in the media fought Trump at every turn. This was incredulous under the circumstances, but not surprising. As I have blogged many times, they have consistently opposed and denigrated every Trump policy and action. They have persisted even though it consistently placed them on the wrong side of various “80-20” issues. But this was different. We’re used to TDS. Normally, we laugh it off, but this situation presented an existential threat not only to the US, but potentially to the entire world as a whole. This situation had the potential to impact not only us, but also future generations. Obviously, they didn’t care. Obviously, they wanted Trump to fail even if it damaged our national security.

For example:

  1. At first, they insisted the war was illegal. The Constitution states that only Congress can declare war. True, but there have been a plethora of precedents in which the president has commenced hostilities going all the way back to Thomas Jefferson and the wars against the Barbary Pirates beginning in 1801.
  2. At the beginning Trump was labeled a “warmonger,” a “fascist,” and a “violator of human rights.” Later, when he agreed to a cease fire he was labeled “soft.”
  3. As I said, many of his critics were openly rooting for Iran just so Trump would fail and give them a political issue in advance of the 2026 midterm elections. For instance, NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a hardline progressive and avowed Trump-hater actually admitted that “although he doesn’t like [the] Iranian regime,” he is rooting for it because he “doesn’t want to see Trump or Bibi Netanyahu getting credit for what would be a historic win for global peace.”
  4. Reportage of the war was radically different depending upon which media outlet was reporting the news.

Conclusion

As I write this it appears that Iran is agreeing to all of the US’s peace terms. That’s great, but as I said above, given its history of lies and obfuscations a word of caution is needed. Negotiations are still ongoing. We cannot assume anything. We don’t even know for sure that we are negotiating with the persons who actually have the authority to make a deal. Iran could be stalling while it rebuilds and re-arms.

Moreover, even after a deal has been signed there will no assurances that Iran will abide by it. It will require continuous monitoring, probably indefinitely. Iran fears and respects Trump, but it is playing the “long game.” It knows Trump will be gone shortly. Its hope is that eventually we will elect another president who will be weak, lax or inattentive and will re-engage in appeasement. I hope not, but I fear it will happen.

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JACKIE ROBINSON DAY

Number 42. Does that have any special meaning for you, or is it just another number? Baseball fans, civil rights advocates, and students of history will recognize it as the uniform number worn by Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers. It should be noted that that uniform number has two other major significances:

1. It is the only number to have been retired by every major league baseball team (in 1997); and
2. as has been customary since 2004, every year on April 15 on what is known as “Jackie Robinson Day,” every player wears that number on his uniform in tribute to Jackie Robinson in recognition of the anniversary of his debut in the major leagues in 1947.  On that historic date Jackie became the first African American to play in the major leagues since the 1880s. Any team not playing a game on April 15 will celebrate on the 16th. In addition, regardless of their team colors all teams’ # 42 jerseys will be in “Dodger Blue” and will feature a commemorative patch.

In order to put this story in its proper perspective one must realize the racial situation in 1947. Life was radically different, a reality that few of us who live in the PC era can appreciate.  Much has changed in the intervening 79 years.

For example:

1. Segregation was the law of the land. “Jim Crow” was alive and well.
The “Brown” Supreme Court decision integrating public schools would not come until 1954.
2. Even though many AAs had distinguished themselves during WWII the armed forces would not be integrated until 1948.
3. A disproportionate percentage of MLB players were from the South and espoused all the values, attitudes and experiences of the region regarding AAs.  Most of them had never played ball with an AA.  Many had rarely even associated with one as peers.
4. The prevailing attitude among players, sportswriters, and fans was that AAs were not good enough and did not have the “temperament” to succeed in MLB.

Very few of us lived through that era, and consequently, we cannot imagine the circumstances Jackie had to overcome.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia.  His parents chose his middle name in honor of President Teddy Roosevelt, who had recently died.  He was the youngest of five children.  One of his older brothers, Mack, would later earn some notoriety by winning the silver medal in the 100-meter dash in the 1936 Olympics, (the Games held in Berlin at which Jesse Owens embarrassed Adolph Hitler and the Nazis by winning four gold medals).

Jackie’s parents were sharecroppers and barely scraping by, so in 1920 they moved to Pasadena, California seeking a better life.  In high school and college Jackie excelled in five sports – baseball, basketball, football, track and tennis.  Basically, he was an all-around athlete who excelled in any sport he tried.  At UCLA he became the school’s first athlete to “letter” in four sports (all of the above except tennis).  One of his teammates on the 1939 UCLA football team was the future actor, Woody Strode, who would carve out a respectable career in movies as a “heavy.”  Ironically, statistically, at least, baseball was his worst sport of the four.

In 1941 Jackie left UCLA just shy of graduating to play semi-pro football, but in early 1942 he was drafted and stationed at Fort Riley in Texas.  He applied for admission to OCS. Initially, his application was rejected as few blacks were accepted at the time, but following a personal appeal from Joe Louis, the reigning heavyweight boxing champ, he was accepted.

Jackie’s tenure in the army was marred by one unfortunate incident in which his fiery temperament got him in trouble.  While riding on an Army bus one day the driver told him to move to the back.  Jackie refused.  As a result, he was nearly court-martialed for insubordination and other “trumped up” offenses.  A conviction would have changed the course of his life and, possibly, the country’s as well, but he was acquitted.

In 1945 Jackie signed to play for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. Unbeknownst to him, Branch Rickey, President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was looking for a Negro to break the major leagues’ “color barrier,” which had been in place since the 1880s.  He had compiled a list of the best players in the Negro leagues and was evaluating them for suitability.  There were many players better than Jackie, notably Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, but due to age, temperament and other factors, they were all eliminated in favor of Jackie.

Rickey knew the first AA player would have to “turn the other cheek” to a great deal of verbal, physical and emotional abuse.  Otherwise, it might be many more years before the next one got a chance.  When he told Jackie this, Jackie was shocked and replied: “Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?” Rickey’s famous reply was that he was seeking a Negro “with guts enough not to fight back.”

To make a long story short, Rickey signed Jackie.  He played for the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers AAA minor league affiliate in the International League, in 1946.  He “tore up” the league, winning the MVP award.  The next year he made his debut in the major leagues.

To me, his debut was one of the most significant events not only in baseball history, but also in the country’s history.  There was tremendous resistance not only from other Dodgers, but from players on other teams as well.

Again, it is very hard for us to appreciate the level of abuse to which Jackie was subjected. Breaking into the major leagues is hard enough, physically. The added mental and emotional pressures Jackie and other AAs had to overcome was mind-boggling. Jackie had to endure a tremendous amount of prejudice and abuse both on and off the field (name calling, spiking, “beanings,” separate lodgings and restaurants on the road, etc.).  Eventually, other AAs would join him in the majors. They had to overcome many of the same obstacles.  Some were unable to survive, but many more did.

Luckily, Dodger management was behind Jackie 100%.  When some Dodgers players threatened to quit, strike or demand a trade, the team’s manager, Leo Durocher, a fiery, no-nonsense person himself, nipped the rebellion in the bud.  He declared: “I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a f****** zebra.  I’m the manager of this team, and I say he plays.”  Players on other teams also threatened to strike, but MLB Commissioner “Happy” Chandler quelled that rebellion quickly as well.

Rickey chose well with Jackie.  In baseball parlance, he “knocked it out of the park.”  Attendance soared and not just in Brooklyn but in every other city as well. Black people came in droves to see their hero, Jackie Robinson, play.  In those days, attendance was the primary source of ball clubs’ revenue, so Jackie made money for everyone.

Not only did Jackie “take” all the abuse without incident, he also starred on the field and became an integral part of one of the most storied teams in baseball history, the “Boys of Summer.”  In a ten-year period from 1947-1956 that team dominated the National League. It won six pennants, lost another in a playoff and lost another by one game.

Among Jackie’s many MLB accomplishments:

1. Rookie of the year in 1947 (the first one).
2. National League MVP in 1949.
3. Appeared in six World Series.
4. World champion in 1955.
5. First ballot hall of famer in 1962.
6. Member of the MLB All-Century team.

Jackie was an extremely versatile ballplayer. Although he came up as a second baseman, he also played first, third and the outfield.  Many times, he was among the league leaders in fielding at his position.  He was one of the best “clutch” players I have ever observed.  He could beat you with the bat, the glove or on the bases.  I have never seen a better baserunner or a tougher competitor.  When on base, he would drive the opposing pitcher crazy with his antics.  He was always a threat to steal a base.  I saw him steal home in the 1955 World Series.  When caught in a rundown he often escaped, which, generally, was a rarity.  His aggressive style of play was unique for the 1940s and 1950s.

As an example of his extremely competitive nature, one story will suffice.  In the decisive third game of the 1951 playoff with the NY Giants, when the Giants’ Bobby Thompson hit the pennant-winning homerun (dubbed: “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”) all the Dodgers left the field immediately with their heads down in defeat.  All except for Jackie.  He watched and made sure that Thompson touched all the bases on his home run trot.  He would not accept defeat until Thompson had completed his circuit.

Jackie retired from baseball after the 1956 season worn down by age and diabetes, but he did not retire from life.  For example, he became very active in the civil rights movement; he became the first black to serve as vp of a major corporation (Chock Full O’Nuts); he went into broadcasting; and he acted in a movie of his own life story.

Conclusion

Ultimately, however, his fierce competitiveness could not overcome ill health.  Jackie died on October 24, 1972 at the relatively young age of 53 from complications of heart disease and diabetes.  I’m sure that all the stress he had to endure on the playing field also contributed to his early demise.

Jackie’s legacy, however, lives on.  There are countless statues, schools, parks and roads named in his honor.  Moreover, every time a black or other minority takes the field in the major leagues, the NFL or the NBA, he owes a debt to the pioneer who made it all possible.

Jackie’s story is recounted in the 2013 movie 42 starring Chadwick Boseman as Jackie, Nicole Beharie as Rachel, and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. I have seen it many times, and I recommend it. One can usually find it on tv at this time of the year.

So, today, while watching your favorite team in action take a moment to appreciate the special achievement of one Jack Roosevelt Robinson.

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THE IRANIAN “ROPE-A-DOPE”

As always, the contents of this blog are a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion, where indicated.

Well, that didn’t take long. The US/Israel-Iran cease fire agreement was over before it began. Many of us knew from the beginning that it never had a chance. Iran is claiming Israel broke it by continuing to attack Lebanon. The US and Israel claim the war in Lebanon was never part of the cease fire agreement. Iran is claiming that the US is not complying with its 10-Point Terms (which were ludicrous on their face). The US is claiming that Iran has not complied with any of its demands most immediately by failing to open the Hormuz Strait to all ships free of charge.

The peace negotiations between representatives of the US and Iran have commenced. In my view they will be a waste of time. Regardless, they will not result in a permanent peace. Based on its negotiating history Iran has no intention of complying with any of our terms. Its negotiators have been saying one thing privately to our negotiators and the opposite publicly. Its military is not fully standing down. We are not even 100% certain who is in charge of the country. Is it the politicians? Is it the military? Is it the religious fanatics? Are we even negotiating with the right persons?

As always, its objective will be to stall, obfuscate, and lie to draw out the negotiations indefinitely. This strategy, aka “The Iranian Rope-A-Dope,” has worked time and again with prior Administrations, and the Iranians hope it will again. More on this later.

Iran cannot beat us militarily. It has already lost decisively. However, having lost the war, its plan is to win in the arena of public opinion as it has done before. It is counting on the US and the world tiring of the war and become willing to make a deal that will enable it to live to fight another day. In that event, it plans to rebuild its war machine, re-enrich its uranium, and continue to terrorize the world, and abuse its own people.

Consider;

  1. There are many factions both in the US and around the world that have criticized the necessity and legality of the war and President Trump’s strategic decisions from the beginning. Lately they have grown more vociferous. Incredibly, some of them have been openly rooting for Iran to win.
  2. These naysayers include most of the Dems in Congress and their supporters in the media in the US as well as many of our “allies.” These “allies” are the same cowards who would not provide troops nor even allow us to refuel our airplanes in their countries.
  3. The rapidly approaching midterm elections will put additional pressure on Trump to make a deal lest the GOP risk losing its majorities in Congress.

Many observers, including me, were not happy with the cease fire. In our view we were so close to achieving all of our goals and finishing Iran off for good that we should have pressed on and finished the job. For example, Fox military analyst General Jack Keane denoted that we were “perhaps ten days to two weeks away from wiping out Iran’s remaining ballistic missile launchers, underground storage sites, military production facilities, and nondefense industries.” Basically, we let Iran off the hook. It still retains sufficient power and influence in the ME to cause problems. At this point it is likely that we will have to fight another war with it and continue to deal with the terrorist activities of it and its proxies.

As I write this, Iran has retained control of the Strait of Hormuz. In contravention of the laws of the sea, it is not allowing free unfettered passage to any and all ships. It has been selecting which ships will be allowed to pass through, and it is threatening to assess tariffs. This has been and will continue to wreak havoc with gas prices and therefore the economies of all countries. President Trump has to resolve this asap or else despite all of his accomplishments the GOP will likely be slaughtered at the polls in November.

In my opinion, at this point the key to a satisfactory result is Kharg Island. It is merely a tiny island of little consequence, EXCEPT FOR ITS LOCATION, which is smack dab in the middle of the aforementioned Strait of Hormuz. Remember some 20% of the world’s oil passes through it, and it accounts for 90% of Iran’s oil exports. I am reminded of that old expression that the value of real estate is based on “location, location, location.” KI is supremely important, and in my view if Iran continues to hinder traffic thru the Strait the US should take control of it and the Strait either by blockade or invasion.

Conclusion

The current peace negotiations in Pakistan are a waste of time. I understand that Trump wants to give peace a chance. I understand that he would prefer a peaceful resolution to the horrors of more war. However, as I said above, I have seen this movie before. I didn’t like it the other times I saw it, and I like it less this time. I know how it ends. You know it; Trump knows it; everyone who does not have their head up their a*s knows it.

Regardless of whatever terms may be agreed upon in Pakistan, history tells us the Iranian leaders will never abide by them. Iran will never fully disarm voluntarily. It will continue to foment terrorism in the ME, the US and the rest of the world. It will continue its 47-year campaign to destroy any and all “nonbelievers.” It will continue to blackmail the rest of the world by disrupting the world’s oil supply, or just by threatening to do so. It will try to rebuild their enriched uranium stockpile. They will never deviate from their goal of nuclear capability. If left alone, eventually, whether next year or in ten years, they will succeed. Eventually, we will have to fight them again, perhaps, in a larger, more devastating war. As I said in an earlier blog history generally repeats itself. For example, we didn’t finish off Germany in WWI, which sowed the seeds for the rise of Hitler. Throughout the 1930’s the European powers continually appeased Hitler, which led to a larger and more devastating WWII.

My advice to Trump is ignore your critics. You will never be able to satisfy them anyway. You know it. I know it. We all know it. Do the right thing, not the politically expedient thing. Don’t fall for the Iranian “rope-a-dope” as your predecessors have. Let’s not forget that as winners we get to dictate the terms.

Metaphorically, we are stalled on the one-yard line. Punch it in. FINISH THE WAR!

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AN “EASTER MIRACLE.” DOWNED PILOT RESCUED.

As always, the content of this blog is a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion where indicated.

Truly, it was an “Easter Miracle.” After two harrowing days the US rescued an airman who had been shot down deep in Iranian territory. As has been widely reported the rescue was a joint effort on the part of the CIA and several branches of the military. It was an extremely perilous and complicated undertaking, and it could only have been achieved due to the US’s overwhelming air superiority.

Below please find a brief summary of the rescue operation:

  1. Last Thursday night the Iranian media jubilantly crowed that it had shot down a US F-15E jet on a bombing run over Iran. Both the pilot and the weapons officer managed to eject as the jet went down.
  2. The pilot was rescued quickly. The weapons officer could not be located.
  3. It was a desperate situation. The Iranians were hunting him as well as the Americans. The government was offering a reward of $60,000, which was very tempting as it is more than ten times the income of the average Iranian household. If captured he would represent a huge coup for Iran militarily, intelligence-wise, and politically. President Trump and his administration would have been vilified by his critics, his political opponents, and in the media, which had already been criticizing the war. It could have impacted negatively his entire administration and the 2016 midterm elections. We just HAD to find him first.
  4. Although injured and lacking food and water the pilot managed to evade capture for some 48 hours. He was able to climb a 7,000-foot mountain and find a hiding space in a crevice. According to Dr. Joe Siegel although a human can survive for days without food, water is critically necessary. How the pilot managed to survive is remarkable.
  5. After finding a safe hiding spot he activated his emergency beacon that all pilots carry, which enabled the US to get a “fix” on his location.
  6. Meanwhile, the CIA commenced a “deception” campaign aimed at misleading Iranian forces, which were also hunting extensively for the downed officer, as to his location even implying that he had been already rescued.
  7. The US immediately launched an extensive rescue operation employing the CIA, various branches of the military including dozens of various types of aircraft, such as helicopters, drones, warthogs and jets, and personnel from all branches of the military. Fortuitously, we had a detailed rescue plan for this type of situation. It was a real team effort against difficult odds.
  8. We found him ahead of the Iranians, and by Friday afternoon he was safe and sound and being treated for his medical issues.

In separate but related developments:

  1. The president warned Iran that its bridges and power plants could be devastated Tuesday unless it reopens the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has rejected his ultimatums over the strait in the past. It has been employing the “Iranian rope-a-dope” tactic for which it has been known. Delay, delay, delay. We’ll see what happens, but Iran would be well-advised to take Trump’s warning seriously. His past actions indicate that he says what he means and means what he says.
  2. The permanent resident statuses of slain Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s niece and grandniece, who were living the high life in Los Angeles, were terminated. They were arrested and are facing deportation back to Iran. Hasta La Vista!

Conclusion

It is important for everyone to recognize the incredible achievement of the foregoing rescue operation. Firstly, in anticipation of this type of situation we had a viable rescue plan already in place and people who were well-trained to implement it. Secondly, the operation was carried out deeply inside Iran in a remote area. Finally, and most significantly, we succeeded in rescuing the officer. As Trump pronounced on Sunday, “This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” “WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!” Contrast that with President Biden who left thousands of loyal Afghanis behind to face a certain death when we fled the country.

Like I said, a true “EASTER MIRACLE.” (I can’t imagine the Biden Administration pulling this off.) Someday this operation could very well be made into a movie.

And what of all the Trump critics, haters and naysayers. As I write this, I have not heard one peep from them denigrating this operation (even though many of them would have been pleased to see it fail). That said, they have not been entirely at a loss for words. They continue to mischaracterize the strategic importance of this war either out of ignorance or TDS. I believe that, incredibly, many of them are secretly hoping we lose it because it will damage Trump regardless of the ramifications for America and the world as a whole. Can you imagine that?! Moreover, many of them have been criticizing his “threatening” and “escalating” comments regarding the Hormuz Strait and “inappropriate” language toward the Iranians, for example using the “F” word and the “B” word.”

As I have said more than once this war is necessary. Iran CANNOT be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. End of story.

To all the critics I say your children and grandchildren will thank you.

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