By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole –

Today, 1 March 2026, is the second Sunday in Lent and and the reading is from Genesis Chapter 12:

12Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3′ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

So it was that many of us Tamils left Sri Lanka with its standardisation blocking siblings from university, and innumerable riots and compensations only when the Sinhalese were the targets of state and racist violence. We were no longer subject to the tyranny of clergy or of Sinhalese racists. We were free!

We did well in the promised land. Monarchical power was limited (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The rule of law was firm and subject to judicial review. We helped our kith and kin whom we left behind. We benefitted from the biblical promises – political asylum, education, free travel, respectable passport, state aid, housing (Isaiah 32.18, Deuteronomy 6:  10-11 and interest-free loans for orphans, the widows, et. al

A sea change was when the charlatan, racist and thief  Donald J. Trump was able to get all the racists and crooks behind him and vote for him and surround himself with a talented support base that uses him to sustain Trump in power and make money for themselves at the same time.

We who moved to thempromised land are lost as we need to go out with passports and our children are grabbed from our bedrooms in the middle of the night by masked ICE agnets even if we are legitimately in the US.

It appears that this sea change was initiated by US Presidents seeking a diversion from the sexual and financial  imbroglio they found themselves in:

1. President Bill Clinton caught in his affairs with Monica Lewinski: President Clinton ordered military airstrikes against Iraq, known as Operation Desert Fox, in December 1998 to divert attention from the Monica Lewinsky scandal and impending impeachment. The four-day bombing campaign began on December 16, 1998, just one day before the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on his impeachment. Clinton survived the vote!

2. President George Bush (the son) had  his administration facing the Iraq Invasion (2003): The invasion of Iraq is often cited as a diversionary action, diverting resources and attention from the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Controversies: The administration was facing scrutiny over the justification for the war, with allegations of faulty intelligence regarding Iraq’s possession of WMDs. Political Distraction: By focusing on a new, high-profile military campaign, the administration sought to distract from other issues, such as the debate over the administration’s actions prior to the 9/11 attacks and questions about its management of the post-9/11 world. The decision to initiate the Iraq war was a significant, albeit controversial, event in the Bush presidency, which some believed served to mask other, more pressing issues.

3. Joe Biden’s hasty (some say botched) exit from Afghanistan and halt Houthi rebel attacks on Red Sea commercial shipping. These are depicted as diversionary tactics  to refocus from his son Hunter Biden’s antics in questionable financial, influence peddling dealings in Ukraine and Romania, leading to a scandalous pardon from father to son, It was a blot on the otherwise scandal-free Biden Presidency’s escutcheon.

4. The dethroning of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is attributed to the need for diversion as the cry for the obviously covered-up Jeffrey Epstein files became ever more strident as the bipartisan law demanded their release, a law that remains ignored.  Trump blames the need to make oil cheaper although this is denied by sources much more honest that he is, sources connected to the oil industry.

5. A new urgency for yet another diversion was when the State of the Union address was due last Tuesday and all poll numbers suggested that Trump’s approval was abysmally down. The war on Iran also is a cover-up flowing from that scandalous narrative as made obvious on Feb. 28, 2026 when the United Nations chief condemned the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Saturday and called for an immediate return to negotiations “to pull the region, and our world, back from the brink.” He told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that everything must be done to prevent further escalation. “The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”

But there is hope. More than 400 Christian leaders and scholars have denounced President Donald Trump’s administration, having urged for more resistance among the faithful to injustices by democratic Lankan origin Sri Lankan activists in America for prayers for Iran although their prayer focus needs to shift towards who are prey to Israeli and US bombs as well, not just to targets of Islamist oppression.

The UN chief condemns U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran during an emergency Security Council meeting. Guterres said the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter. He also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Russia’s ambassador condemned the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes: “We demand that the United States and Israel immediately cease their aggressive actions,” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. “We insist on the immediate resumption of political and diplomatic settlement efforts … based on international law, mutual respect and a balance of interests.”

China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said China was very concerned by “the sudden escalation of regional tensions” and supported Russia’s call for a return to diplomatic negotiations. Five council members — Bahrain, which is the Arab representative on the council, France, Russia, China and Colombia — called for the emergency meeting.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Britain and France — both veto-wielding members of the council — along with Germany’s chancellor called for a resumption of U.S.-Iranian talks on Tehran’s nuclear program. The three countries, part of the 2015 nuclear deal

Security forces have arrested tens of thousands of men, women, and even children, often without due process.

Secretary-General António Guterres told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that everything must be done to prevent further escalation. “The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”

Guterres said the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter. He also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Racism is a funny thing. We all like to think we are free of it but are rarely do, The racsts in Sri Lanka as are easily identfied. In the US many recists are sophisticated and their upbringing has helped them to comouflage that. Through a veneer of sophistication as made clear by how Trump grabs women by their private parts and boasts of it (but it comes out when his speech uninitentionally goes on air.

Donald Trump is an out-and out racist and a cad as shown by The [British] Guardian and the BBC. Throughout his business career and political campaigns, Donald Trump has made numerous statements that critics, opponents, and various advocacy groups have condemned as racist, bigoted, or xenophobic. Trump has denied these allegations, often describing himself as “the least racist person” (belied by the BBC and Guardian).

His other key Statements and Incidents criticized as racist. are

1. Immigration and “Shithole” Countries (2018): During an Oval Office meeting on immigration, Trump reportedly referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations as “shithole countries” questioning why the U.S. should accept immigrants from them rather than places like Norway.

2. “Go Back” Comments (2019): Trump tweeted that four Democratic congresswomen of color (Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib) should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came”.

3. Mexican Immigrants (2015): Launching his 2016 campaign, Trump said of Mexico: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists”.

4. Judge Gonzalo Curiel (2016): Trump argued that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel had “an absolute conflict” in presiding over the Trump University lawsuit because of his “Mexican heritage” and Trump’s plan to build a wall.

5. Charlottesville “Both Sides” (2017): Following a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Charlottesville “Both Sides” (2017): Following a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent, Trump stated there were “very fine people on both sides”.

6. COVID-19 Rhetoric (2020): Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu”.

7. “Animals” Remark (2018): When discussing immigrants crossing the border, Trump said”These aren’t people. These are animals”.

8. “White Power” Video (2020): Trump retweeted a video of a supporter chanting “white power” which was later deleted.

9. Central Park Five (1989/2019): Trump took out full-page ads advocating for the death penalty for five Black and Latino teenagers accused of rape. After they were exonerated by DNA evidence, he continued to argue as late as 2019 that they were guilty.

10. “Blood” of the Nation (2024): Trump stated that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” a comment that drew criticism for echoing eugenics, as reported by Scientific American.

11. Housing Discrimination (1970s): The U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump’s real estate company for violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to Black tenants.

12. Casino Employees (1980s/90s): Former employees alleged that when Trump visited his casinos, managers would remove Black employees from the floor.

13. Madison Square Garden Rally (2024): Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, speaking at a Trump rally, referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” and made other jokes that were widely condemned as racist.

14. Truth Social Video (2026): Trump shared a video on his Truth Social account that featured a racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. Trump later claimed he had not watched the entire video before it was posted.

15. COVID-19 Rhetoric (2020): Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu”.

16. When discussing immigrants crossing the border, Trump said, “These aren’t people. These are animals”.”White Power” Video (2020): Trump retweeted a video of a supporter chanting “white power” which was later deleted.

The war on Iran is utterly illegal. It received no prior authorisation from Congress as constitutionally required. Yet, the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, insisted the U.S. military action was lawful.

A war powers resolution to pull back intervention in Venezuela earlier this year initially got enough Republican support to advance in the Senate, but enough ultimately changed their mind and the measure failed.

Everyone knows that a resolution of the war against Iran will also fail. However evil a war, there is a streak of nationalism in American politics that will support that evil. We will have to wait or 3 more years for a new Congress. Or will be like the 52% of the vote that Gotabaya scored from the racists of Sri Lanka in 2019. Trump has almost that in Congress if one adds the Republican vote and the nationalistic Democrat vote. We cannot rest!