Birds of war

To the Editor:

This letter is for the birds. It comes with an apology to those partial to our fine feathered friends for disparaging references. Any such anthropomorphic stereotypical designations apply to humans, not birds.

That being said, I want to know what birdbrain is in charge of our foreign policy. We should be enjoying a peace dividend from the so-called end to our forever war on terror. Instead, our politicians and the businesspeople who own them are trying to pluck these savings to feather their own nests. The hawks have been put in charge of the henhouse, and they are recycling the old bogeymen to scare us into letting them abscond with our tax dollars. China and Russia have no military designs on America. Russia is mobilizing in response to U.s.-supported (inspired?) aggression in Ukraine. China's Belt and Road is intended to accomplish what Franklin Roosevelt wanted to do after WWII, which was to end colonialism and support the former colonies as independent sovereign nations to develop strong economies and become robust trading partners for America and the world. His death ended that prospect. Vietnam was the first catastrophe, and the beat goes on.

The real threat from China and Russia is not military, but political and economic. The turkeys that run our economy can't compete with China, so they have to disrupt their successful efforts through military action. We Americans are allowing them to play chicken with our welfare and very survival. Recent studies have concluded the U.S. cannot defeat either China or Russia in conventional war. The only way to win: go nuclear. That would lay an egg, and our goose would be cooked.

Phil Nichols

Sonora