Bombing For Peace And Dealing With Immigrants

by Will Espero

I have mixed feelings about the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities by the Trump administration.

It was good news to see and hear that Trump’s bombing of Iran has led to a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

This is a historic moment in the Middle East.

The possibility of a prolonged war in the Middle East that involved the USA was a risk many Americans wanted to avoid, however.

The last thing we wanted was to be lured into a new war. Donald Trump took a risk and came out a winner for now.

Israel has convinced the Trump administration to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Trump happily obliged. With the attack and destruction in Iran, this is a positive win for Donald Trump.

At the NATO meetings in Europe, Trump is being treated with respect and honor.

He is now in a position to change NATO and get more European funding for NATO.

For years, Trump has stated that the USA is spending too much to protect Europe.

His suggestion of increasing NATO spending for defense to 5% of GDP is seriously being discussed and is expected to be adopted.

NATO, in return, wants to see Trump focus on Russia and Ukraine.

Iran has stated it has no nuclear weapons, and it has no plans to build nuclear weapons. Netanyahu and Trump clearly disagreed and thought otherwise.

For years, many politicians had spoken about bombing Iran to deter its nuclear capabilities, so this is not a new conversation.

Trump took this opportunity to flex his muscles and support Israel’s war machine. It was the right choice for the president.

As of this writing, the effect of the bombing is not clear.

There is a question about the destructive power of the bombs and whether they were able to destroy their targets.

Many feel it is likely Iran had enough time to move some enriched uranium, sensitive materials, equipment, and weapons systems to a location away from the targets.

I don’t expect Iran will tell what it knows.

Time will tell if the Israel/Iran ceasefire will survive. Many wonder about the ability and capability of Iran’s current nuclear program.

The history of the United States and Iran is vast, deep, and questionable. A coup involving the United States placed the Shah of Iran and his son as its leaders for many years.

Supported by our country, the Pahlavi family was seen as an American puppet or ally whose controversial reign of fear terrorized and brutalized many Iranians.

After the revolution and ouster of the second Shah, extreme religious figures came into power and have been hostile towards our country ever since.

Israel’s recent attacks on Iran before Trump’s bombings had been very successful, with the destruction of military bases, weapons systems, and nuclear facilities.

Israel also targeted and killed military leaders and nuclear scientists, whom it felt were working on a nuclear weapon. Iran was even so bold as to threaten to kill Iran’s supreme leader.

Iran’s military infrastructure was seriously damaged or destroyed, and Israel had the upper hand with its air superiority and advanced weapons. With no air resistance, Iran was at the mercy of Israel.

With this in mind, I believe the United States did not need to fight Israel’s war by using its bunker-busting bombs.

Credit must be given to Israel’s Netanyahu for convincing Trump to bomb Iran.

This decision has the potential to be a monumental moment for the Trump presidency if peace is attained.

If the ceasefire can become permanent, Donald Trump could be recommended for a Nobel Peace Prize.

If he can convince Putin to end the war with Ukraine, Trump would be a shoo-in to win the Swedish-Norwegian prize.

It’s possible that Trump’s greatest achievement might be peace in the Middle East. We shall see.

As the Middle East becomes the focus for many, let’s make sure this event is used to distract the American people from the destructive policies and ideas of the Trump administration in the USA.

Trump’s domestic war against undocumented workers must stop targeting people of color as this is what we’re seeing on the nightly news.

Some of the videos on social media about undocumented migrants and deportations are disturbing, as immigrants are being rounded up and detained.

Family members are being separated. Many immigrants are living in fear. Migrants are threatened.

It is imperative that immigrants and undocumented migrants be given their due process and rights established by the Constitution if targeted by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

Immigrants play an important role in our economy (agriculture, tourism, construction, daycare, food service, landscaping, manufacturing, etc.), and efforts to return them to their mother countries must occur in our judicial courts with openness and transparency.

To do otherwise is unacceptable and indicative of an authoritarian regime acting like a lawless dictatorship.

The history of the United States is about immigration. Immigrants built this great nation and have participated in the opportunities available to all.

The freedoms we have must not be taken for granted nor pushed aside due to political control and power issues. Right must defeat wrong, and good must conquer evil.

It is imperative that we must stay alert and be attentive to the gross injustices happening in our nation.

WILL ESPERO retired from the Hawaii legislature after serving 19 years in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. He is currently a novelist, poet, and supporter of the arts. Lingering Thoughts provides a glimpse of his perspective on current events and issues.