Coercion

A sunny start to the day, but it didn't last. Clouds took over the sky mid morning. My head was fairly clear when I woke up and the meds didn't affect me quite as badly as they usually do. I went to the Eucharist at  St Catherine's on my own as Clare opted for the Welsh language service this afternoon, after a morning spent preparing a garden bench for re-varnishing.

Trump has issued an ultimatum to Iran, threatening to destroy its power generation infrastructure unless it stops attacking ships in the Straight of Hormuz. Iran has shown that it has long range ballistic missiles and threatens to use more of them in attacking not only cities in the Gulf States but America and Israel's allies in Europe, widening the scope of the conflict. Trump is a leader who attempts to control relationships with individuals and nations by coercion. It doesn't work when others have power and confidence to push back but it creates a tense situation that could easily spin out of control. American propaganda machine videos promote support for the conflict as if it was a video game. It's what's to be expected from a former game show host, with a messiah complex, convinced might is right. General Sir Richard Barrons, former NATO commander and military defence expert, is openly critical of Trump, saying he cannot be trusted to handle this conflict without making things worse. Leaders of European nations are saying openly they don't want  to be drawn into Trump's war. 

Israel joined America's attack on Iran and took initiatives without consulting Trump. Israel's attack on Lebanon, looks like it will turn into invasion with the aim of eliminating Iranian backed Hezbollah, but it's leading to retaliatory missile strikes on Israel from Iran and its allies. On top of killing over a thousand Lebanese and displacing a million, Israeli occupation of Lebanon could provoke unintended reactions and sow unmanageable chaos. How is this going to be brought to an end? 

After lunch and a snooze, I worked on an Easter Week Reflection and recorded it, then walked in Llandaff Fields, somewhat quieter than yesterday, as the weather was dull and cold. I edited the audio after supper, and watched an episode of 'Patience' to finish the day.