Frank Ball, Tweed Heads
The tensions we see between the USA and Iran have been brewing since Trump unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran.
They were ratcheted up another notch when Trump threatened to blow Iranian vessels out of the water.
Iran threatened to attack US assets and US allies in the Middle East, including nuclear-armed Israel.
The consequences of a war between the US and Iran are too horrible to contemplate.
Meanwhile, the trade war between the US and China has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes war ships of both countries challenging each other in the South China Sea – both sides are pumping up the rhetoric.
The US ‘defence’ budget is in excess of $730 billion. China’s is more than $260 billion. Let’s hope things don’t get out-of-hand and develop into a shooting match.
The US spends more on defence than the next four countries combined. These are huge sums of money; while the majority of people in developing countries live on $2 per day.
We have never needed a strong peace movement more than at present.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
