We're frightened here [View all]

For those who may not know, I'm retired in the Philippines and live here about 10 or 11 months a year. I'm 73 years old and my Filipina wife is 71.

The Philippines gets 98% of its fuel from the Middle East. Already the price of diesel (most passenger vehicles run on diesel) has skyrocketed. The price at the pump today in Iloilo Province was 98 Philippine Pesos (PHP) per liter. That translates to $6.28 a gallon. Before Trump's war, the price was about $3.50 a gallon. Gasoline, which is used mostly for motor bikes and three-wheel vehicles, is about $5.75 a gallon. Before the war, it was about $3.25 a gallon.

That's really not the worst part. This country only has a 50-day supply of reserve. If this war goes on for two more months, we're out of fuel.

This is an agricultural society, especially outside of Manila. Fertilizer will skyrocket. I live on a family farm that produces rice. We need diesel for our machinery during planting and harvesting. I'm not worried about me. I have the means, but these poor people will suffer immensely. And that suffering is through no fault of their own, or even their elected officials.

It's the fault of one man, Donald Trump.

I write this to inform you that as bad as Trump has made it for Americans, the Asian countries, especially the poorer ones, are far worse off.

They didn't choose this asshole, but they have to suffer the consequences none the less. And I know there are parts of the world suffering even more than here. The innocent people who are in harm's way, including the US military and Iranian civilians, as well as other people in the Middle East. None of this was necessary. None of it. There was a diplomatic solution. However, for Trump, that's not as much "fun" (re: Trump said he might bomb parts of Iran 'just for the fun of it')