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Author Topic:   The 2026 Iran War
LamarkNewAge
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Posts: 2751
Joined: 12-22-2015
Member Rating: 3.8


Message 91 of 103 (925791)
04-30-2026 2:38 PM


May 1 march for Democratic Socialism - in Turkey
The Democrat Socialist movement in the United States is little more than a fifth column for closet right wingers who want United States "anti-war" policies - so right wingers overseas can kill, kill, kill with ease.
But I am talking about true left wing "Democratic Socialism" activities.
The Kurds of Turkey are going to march in the city squares.
But back to our trojan horses in the United States:
Expect the falsely named "Democratic Socialists" (more like democratic fascists) to be completely silent on this march, and I have seen this show before.
Think of the Kurdish marches back around January 8 in Iran.
We never hear from the American "Democratic" "socialists" much on that one - even after thousands of civilians were slaughtered.

  
Phat
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Posts: 19054
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 3.4


Message 92 of 103 (925796)
05-01-2026 9:46 AM


Phat Predicts the script for 2026 and beyond.
double post

If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.~Anthony de Mello
God alone is God *but* God is not alone~Ellis Potter
We see Monsters where Science shows us Windmills.~Phat, remixed
For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient. Ignatius of Loyola

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 19054
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 3.4


Message 93 of 103 (925797)
05-01-2026 9:46 AM


Phat Predicts the script for 2026 and beyond.
The main effect of losing this war will be the demise of the petrodollar. Say what you will, but no Green New Deal nor Soft power diplomacy would have saved the dollar, though the value of the dollar would have arguably lasted longer. Thanks to Trump and his Tariffs coupled with an expensive war where we have bitten off far more than we can chew, the United States will no longer be the sole global superpower once the rest of the world fully loses trust in us.
Colonel MacGregors valid argument why this war will hurt the United Staes badly.
What I predict for the rest of 2026 is that by year end, gas prices will exceed $7.00 a gallon, approaching $8.00 or higher. Trump will not only lose the midterms politically but will become a huge orange lame duck under attack from an angry Congress. Our vaunted military air and sea strength, unable to defeat Iran, will cost us another ten trillion in debt eventually.
The Petrodollar Is Cracking — And Most People Have No Idea
Trump has basically destroyed this country due to his own narcissistic war on everyone who doubts him.
I hope to God that we don't end up with massive casualties to boot.

If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.~Anthony de Mello
God alone is God *but* God is not alone~Ellis Potter
We see Monsters where Science shows us Windmills.~Phat, remixed
For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient. Ignatius of Loyola

Replies to this message:
 Message 94 by LamarkNewAge, posted 05-01-2026 6:01 PM Phat has replied

  
LamarkNewAge
Member
Posts: 2751
Joined: 12-22-2015
Member Rating: 3.8


Message 94 of 103 (925798)
05-01-2026 6:01 PM
Reply to: Message 93 by Phat
05-01-2026 9:46 AM


Re: Phat Predicts the script for 2026 and beyond.
You seem to forget that every war is a politician's war.
So ground troops are going to be politically toxic - so no ground troops (thank JD Vance for that great "council"). Israel has a Goober in charge (Goober Netanyahu) - who manages to pussyfoot every war, even leaving ground troops (if Goober ever uses them to start with) stranded because the American Goober (our Goober - Trump) told him to strand them.
Israel need Naftali Bennett to replace Goober. Israel can actually have a leader that knows how to gain ground, and there would never be a capitulation to strategic ceasefires, so right wing murderers like Hezbollah can regroup. Netanyahu acts like he needs to pause to give fascist terrorists a better chance to kill Israeli soldiers.
We need soldier's wars, not politician's wars.
I would be pissed at Trump the Politician waiting so long to bomb the bridges, power plants, etc. But:
Iran has said it will destroy the water infrastructure of the Gulf nations. We can give Trump a pass if he is actually using the pause so that water jugs are being sent in the billions to people's houses during the pause.
I am not going to give our own Goober (Goober Trump) a pass as he is a genuinely shitty war leader.
You hit the nail right on the head Phat when you limited our military strength to "sea and air" power. Thanks to our Goober, there has not been any sort of ground operation (except for the brief rescue) thanks to Goober The Politician.
Our Code Pink Goober Politician has no choice to listen to the wiser Gulf Allies, but he does, unfortunately, have the choice to refuse their council.
Imagine what the Gulf Arabs must be telling the Pussy-in-Chief:
"How can we get you $50 a barrel oil if you don't rid us of this Islamic Republic monster that will choke Hormuz whenever the theocratic crazies feel like it. You can either side with the liberal pluralistic world and get rid of the crazy theocracy so we can enjoy a worldwide economic miracle, or you can allow the monsters to survive, thrive and then proceed to choke our Hormuz and the worldwide economy nearly forever."
Trump can keep on being Vance's per Goober, or he can be a Winston Churchill. I predict he will be a Code Pink Goober, because it the real him.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 93 by Phat, posted 05-01-2026 9:46 AM Phat has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 95 by Phat, posted 05-02-2026 9:24 AM LamarkNewAge has not replied
 Message 96 by Phat, posted 05-02-2026 9:24 AM LamarkNewAge has replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 19054
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 3.4


Message 95 of 103 (925801)
05-02-2026 9:24 AM
Reply to: Message 94 by LamarkNewAge
05-01-2026 6:01 PM


Re: Phat Predicts the script for 2026 and beyond.
LNA writes:
We need soldier's wars, not politician's wars.
There is a marked difference between Kurdish soldiers and the wishes of the Kurdish people versus American troops and the families of American troops. Iran is like a Wolverine going up against a Couger. The Republican Guard has been brainwashed by Islamic theological scenarios and has been taught to take this fight to the end. For the Kurds, suffering is a historic reality. For the typical American soldier not even close. The Israelis know suffering also, but have been the beneficiaries of American military support. As for the Gulf States apart from Iran? They feel that since they have supported the US Dollar for so long, America owes them protection.
It is evident that Trump has been surrounded by Christian Nationalist end timers who see war as inevitable and who have been taught to support Israel. Iran was a bit bigger than either Iraq or Venezuela and without us having the guts to go toe to toe with them on the ground, it was and is evident that we will lose the long game. China may have encouraged the Persians to use the wisdom of patience and viewing war as a long game. America is used to short wars and in fact has a military that is scared of casualties. We prefer bombing and naval air power. The drones schooled us. We should have learned from Russia that a smaller power can bloody a larger power more cheaply than the larger power is able to spend. I don't know why you expect American soldiers to endure the suffering that the Kurds have grown up with.

If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.~Anthony de Mello
God alone is God *but* God is not alone~Ellis Potter
We see Monsters where Science shows us Windmills.~Phat, remixed
For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient. Ignatius of Loyola

This message is a reply to:
 Message 94 by LamarkNewAge, posted 05-01-2026 6:01 PM LamarkNewAge has not replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 19054
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 3.4


Message 96 of 103 (925802)
05-02-2026 9:24 AM
Reply to: Message 94 by LamarkNewAge
05-01-2026 6:01 PM


Re: Phat Predicts the script for 2026 and beyond.
LNA writes:
So ground troops are going to be politically toxic - so no ground troops (thank JD Vance for that great "council").
For the Republicans to have ANY chance at all in preserving power and preventing the woke bleeding hearts from getting in and trying to undo all things Trump while also indicting him while reemphasizing spending our dollars on soft power diplomacy versus war it is necessary to avoid massive casualties. The Democrats may not yet realize that the global economy is ruined due to the demise of the US Dollar. We have no financial clout to mend the burning bridges between us and our historic allies. We would do well, however, to keep supporting Israel rather than punishing them. As long as Hamas and Hezbollah exist, Iran holds the cards.
Dont let Iran trick you into seeing them as victims. If they honestly had no plans for nuclear weapons before, they most certainly will now. Trump is proving to be an antichrist. Netanyahu must go too.
I look for Trumps legacy to include turning against Israel and substituting worship of a Creator of all seen and unseen with an America that thinks itself to be the savior of the world.

If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.~Anthony de Mello
God alone is God *but* God is not alone~Ellis Potter
We see Monsters where Science shows us Windmills.~Phat, remixed
For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient. Ignatius of Loyola

This message is a reply to:
 Message 94 by LamarkNewAge, posted 05-01-2026 6:01 PM LamarkNewAge has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 97 by LamarkNewAge, posted 05-02-2026 2:31 PM Phat has seen this message but chosen not to reply

  
LamarkNewAge
Member
Posts: 2751
Joined: 12-22-2015
Member Rating: 3.8


Message 97 of 103 (925804)
05-02-2026 2:31 PM
Reply to: Message 96 by Phat
05-02-2026 9:24 AM


Re: Phat Predicts the script for 2026 and beyond.
Actually, I am wondering if the legacy will involve the Gulf nations engaging in a price war when Republicans are in office - plunging prices, but then decide they "need the revenue" to get their budgets balanced, so collusion on limiting production could come ONLY WHEN DEMOCRATS ARE IN POWER?
Green energy wrinkles the scenario, but I strongly suspect the Gulf nations will want to repay Democrats with miserable economic conditions once they come back in power.
I suspect that Trump is wondering if the cheap oil carrot - the Gulf nations are surely offering - is as good as it sounds, when it hurts United States oil production. Higher prices are what made our higher production possible - and we see the national security benefits when Hormuz suffering blockage by terrorists has not been (as) detrimental to the world economy like it would have been a decade to decade and a half ago.
The Gulf nations offer the carrot: cheaper oil.
The stick:
Trump doesn't want this war, and probably never did. He only "got into it" because it was a necessary war that required military action. The war is actually a "stick" Trump never wanted to be stuck with.
But the Gulf nations did not want to get hit by Iran's stick either. It is far more obvious to say that the Gulf nations were dragged into this war by Iran (unless one wants to be a total liar).
It is controversial to say that Iran forced Trump into this war, because anti-Israel (I am putting it kindly here) commentary can say Iran was "Israel's problem". They ignore the fact that Iran attacked ships in Hormuz back in 1986 to 1987 during the Reagan administration, for starters. They ignore the fact that Iran has been threatening (via comments from supporters) to disrupt Hormuz for a long time. But it gets worse.
The biggest problem on Hormuz is this:
Iran has set a precedent not only by attacking civilian tankers regularly in Hormuz, but by doing so and AT THE SAME TIME getting only general criticism from Europe and the rather weak protests in Europe are more than fully matched by criticism of Trump and especially Israel. I thought Iran was "Israel's problem"?
So, what then, if one admits Iran was Israel's problem? You still have the Hormuz shutdown via Iran using force against civilian tankers.
What then:
This is the scary part.
The "then" is to engage in a vicious propaganda war against Israel, and Israel was already in a genuine existential fight for survival - one that, frankly, seems like an uphill battle (especially over the long run decades into the future if not sooner). Europe has waged the most disgusting, dishonest, dangerous propaganda war against Israel that anyone has ever witnessed. I can't believe any decent person can see Europe as anything but a dangerous fascist cesspool.
But, what about the attacks BY IRAN on civilian targets in the Gulf states?
Europe responds:
Pro Iran, anti Israel, anti Trump propaganda us the response.
Essentially ignoring or whitewashing Iran's (actually quite brutal, deadly, murderous) attacks on the Gulf nations. (Propaganda)
(Europe has not issued legitimate criticism of Trump - they have lots of material there, if they choose to use it. Europe has simply been on a fascist propaganda war against the liberal, pluralistic elements of Middle Eastern society. Europeans, quite simply, are enemies of the moderates and liberals of the Middle East, and the disagreement with the "other Middle East" has not been confronted with an honest debate, but it has been met via a true display of the most visceral opposition via a trenchant war-of-words that borders on nearly 100% lies and hostility that is fully as dangerous as the militaries of the Axis powers in World War 2)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 96 by Phat, posted 05-02-2026 9:24 AM Phat has seen this message but chosen not to reply

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 19054
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 3.4


Message 98 of 103 (925805)
05-05-2026 1:11 PM


Tucker: Still Conservative but anti Trump
Tucker Carlson has had some interesting interviews recently. I watched one where he interviewed our ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. Even though Tucker professes to be Christian, he indicated that now he is NOT a Christian Nationalist and questioned Huckabee on the whole Greater Israel agenda. To Tucker, Biblical literalism is as weird as taking the Lord of The Rings or perhaps Harry Potter literally. He pressed Huckabee on what the whole Greater Israel agenda really meant. Netanyahu reportedly does NOT like Tucker Carlson! Tucker has recently distanced himself from Trump also. (From Time Magazine:
The Breakdown of Trump and Tucker Carlson's Alliance—and How It Goes Beyond the Iran War
Joined on The Tucker Carlson Show by his brother Buckley, a former speechwriter for Trump, Carlson apologized to his audience for “misleading” them.
“I mean you, and I, and everyone else who supported him, you wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him. We were implicated in this for sure,” Carlson said to his brother. “We'll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be, and I want to say I'm sorry for misleading people, it was not intentional.”
Carlson has always been a decent journalist but has seemingly moved to a more moderate stance in the past year.
Recently, in another interview, Carlson interviewed Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired United States Army Colonel and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Since the end of his military career, Wilkerson has criticized many aspects of the Iraq War, including his own preparation of Powell's presentation to the United Nations Security Council, as well as other aspects of American policy in the Middle East, as well as criticizing Israel. As of 2024, he is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. --->
Political Assassinations, the Unexpected Player in the Iran War and Israel's Latest Bombing Campaign
My Pocket A.I summarized the video transcript.
Pocket A.I. writes:
The conversation explores the geostrategic shift from maritime to land-based commerce, the internal mechanics of the American "Empire," and the historical parallels between current conflicts and past systemic collapses.
Geostrategic Pivot: Land vs. Sea
The primary thesis presented is that China is orchestrating a fundamental shift in global commerce by moving trade from the sea to land-based rail networks.
• The Silk Road Initiative: China’s rail initiatives in the Caucasus and through Iran aim to reduce shipping times from weeks to 16 hours into the heart of Europe. This transition negates the strategic importance of maritime chokepoints like the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz.
• Kinetic Sabotage: There are claims that the U.S. and Israel are actively bombing these rail lines to preserve maritime dominance. This is viewed as a desperate attempt to maintain the "maritime policing" role that underpins American global power.
• Financial Hegemony: Beyond physical infrastructure, the strategic goal is the displacement of the dollar. China aims for the renminbi to account for 60-70% of global transactions, effectively dismantling the Bretton Woods system and the U.S. ability to enforce sanctions.
The Mechanics of Empire
The discussion posits that the United States has transitioned from a republic to an empire that requires constant external threats to maintain internal cohesion.
• The "Iron Mountain" Thesis: Referencing the Report from Iron Mountain, the argument is made that an empire requires a "constant threat" to keep a diverse citizenry obedient and tax-paying.
• The Cold War Replacement: Figures like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are described as seeking a replacement for the Cold War to sustain the military-industrial complex and domestic control.
• Internal Decay: Parallels are drawn to the "Twelve Caesars" and the late Western Roman Empire, citing a descent into depravity and the use of entrenched power to eliminate perceived internal threats.
Historical Anomalies and Conflict Drivers
• The Kennedy Assassination: The conversation treats the JFK assassination not as a lone-wolf event but as a coordinated effort by dissenters within the CIA, Mafia, and Pentagon, triggered by Kennedy’s pursuit of rapprochement with the Soviet Union.
• The Lebanon Strategy: Israel’s military actions in Lebanon are characterized as a recurring strategy to demolish the country’s economic capacity, preventing it from ever competing as a regional commercial hub.
• The Iran Conflict: The current friction with Iran is framed as a "war of choice" influenced heavily by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, potentially against the advice of the broader American military establishment.
Future Vectors: AI and Systemic Collapse
• Technological Autonomy: There is profound concern regarding AI’s impact on human autonomy. The "Oppenheimer moment" for AI has passed, and the risk of a conflict between AI-led systems and biological humanity is viewed as a legitimate existential threat.
• Economic Horizon: Projections suggest that if global shipping does not normalize by mid-year, a global recession is inevitable, potentially devolving into a depression by late summer. This would likely accelerate the global pivot toward the renminbi.
• The Nuclear Risk: With the collapse of all major arms control treaties (ABM, New START), the risk of nuclear use during the demise of the current imperial structure is high, as historical precedents suggest empires rarely collapse without attempting to use every available means of preservation.
EVC critics may call my sources biased but I can say the same thing about the liberal agenda. It reeks of bias. My conclusion is that both sides have bias and one cannot actually get a true narrative without comparing both ideological positions.

If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.~Anthony de Mello
God alone is God *but* God is not alone~Ellis Potter
We see Monsters where Science shows us Windmills.~Phat, remixed
For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient. Ignatius of Loyola

Replies to this message:
 Message 99 by LamarkNewAge, posted 05-05-2026 2:52 PM Phat has seen this message but chosen not to reply

  
LamarkNewAge
Member
Posts: 2751
Joined: 12-22-2015
Member Rating: 3.8


Message 99 of 103 (925806)
05-05-2026 2:52 PM
Reply to: Message 98 by Phat
05-05-2026 1:11 PM


Re: Tucker: Still Conservative but anti Trump
Tucker does not tell anyone what he means by Greater Israel. Huckabee and Tucker just throw around sound bites. Huckabee can be expected to take the bait if one asks about what God told Abraham about the Euphrates. They just throw around soundbite-bait
To his credit, Tucker does understand Iran is more than just a Persian only nation. The CIA World Factbook puts the Persian population of Iran really low (around 51% to 55%). I have been told for decades, by ethnic Iranians, that the CIA website is propaganda and lies on Iranian demographics. Regardless, Ted Cruz was caught - by Tucker - as an example of a pro-war politician not knowing that Iran has more than ethic Persians.
Our politicians are stupid.
Huckabee and Cruz might be on the right "side" of the Iran war, but they are ignorant idiots.
Just like Trump is an idiot by telling us Iran is "not" violating the ceasefire, when even anti-war people can see Iran just bombed the United Arab Emirates plus attacked a NON belligerent (nation) CIVILIAN cargo ship. South Korean cargo ships get more media coverage than Iraqi Kurdistan, it seems.
BUT WHY THE FUCK DO WE NEED TO RELY ON THE MEDIA REPORTING ON CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS? TRUMP SHOULD TELL US ABOUT KURDISTAN!
Back to Tucker:
He gave Ted Cruz a chance to talk about the Kurds and Azeris of Iran. Cruz could have talked about the Kurdish provinces. Cruz could have shown some awareness of the 31 provinces of Iran. Same with Huckabee.
We know we will get nothing but far-right propaganda from Tucker (Tucker is so far "right", that he is practically in another dimension that us classical humans can't even comprehend), and he will appreciate the fact that his political opposition is full if morons.
But Tucker is not the problem. Tucker simply exploits the problems.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 98 by Phat, posted 05-05-2026 1:11 PM Phat has seen this message but chosen not to reply

  
Admin
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Posts: 13227
From: EvC Forum
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Message 100 of 103 (925809)
05-06-2026 7:20 PM


Moderator Request
General request to contributors to this thread:
Please follow the Forum Guidelines by keeping the main focus on the topic, by posting messages comprised mostly of your own words, and by keeping quotes of outside material short.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 23678
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.1


(2)
Message 101 of 103 (925816)
05-07-2026 10:24 AM


Iran reviewing US proposal as Trump pressures Tehran for agreement on deal to end war, says today's AP headline. I think we've seen almost this exact headline time and again. It's like deja vu all over again every day.
A couple days ago the Washington Post ran the article Trump keeps changing his timeline for ending the Iran war. It's behind a paywall, but WaPo often makes available a few articles for free, so it's worth clicking and giving it a try. The article details Trump's constant direction reversals, and doesn't even include the number of times Iran has issued announcements contradicting Trump's.
The article doesn't contain anything new. It's just a detailed confirmation of what has been obvious about Trump's Iran war updates for a while now, and that is actually true of most of Trump's statements on any topic: they not only don't conform to reality, they don't even conform to what he said yesterday.
For instance, at the beginning of March when he started the war Trump said it would end in four or five weeks, in other words, around the beginning of April. But when April arrived he said we'd be leaving in two or three weeks. A couple days later he said the war would end in two or three days.
Sometimes Trump contradicted himself within a single day. On the morning of Arpil 1 he said, “The war is going to be over in three days, my prediction,” but that very evening he said, “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.”.
Sometimes Trump takes a full day before contradicting himself. On April 6th he said, “The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” then the next day he said, “I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”
These are just a few examples of Trump reversing and contradicting himself. It reveals a president without a clue who started a war with implications he couldn't anticipate because he has surrounded himself with yes men (General Dan Caine,Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff) and crazy people (Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense).
Of course, the same is true across the entire Trump administration which includes a host of people who are yes men or crazy or incompetent: Kash Patel (FBI Directory), RFK (HHS Secretary), Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence), Pam Bondi (previous head of the Justice Department) and Kristi Noem (previous Homeland Security Secretary). There are more, of course, but these are the most prominent ones.
The point to take away from all this is that if you want to know what's really going on with the Iran War, the Trump Administration is a very unreliable source of information.
But even worse, the news media is reluctant to report on this aspect of the story. Most of the time they treat Trump statements on the war as news in a straightforward fashion, often backing it up with comments from others in his administration. What they too rarely do is put it in the context of what he said previously and how well it comports with what is actually known factually. Instead of just presenting Trump's words as if they were news they should instead report what his words say about him because that is the real news: the most powerful man in the world often has no idea what he is doing, and this is a very bad thing not just for us but for the whole world.
--Percy

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 23678
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 102 of 103 (925823)
05-09-2026 7:46 AM


The Impossibility of Trump Threats
Anyone who's been following the US campaign against Iran is aware of the Trump threats. Without looking up the exact words, Trump often says things like how he's going to attack Iran "extremely hard" if they don't agree to his demands, er, proposals. Often the threats are bellicose, such as turning Iran into "one big glow" or "the whole country could be gone by tomorrow night."
But we all know the limitations of air campaigns, having seen movies of Allied air campaigns against Germany, at one point for 36 consecutive nights, and some of us having lived through the bombing of Hanoi, one campaign involving over 1000 aircraft. Iran is more than 4 times larger than Germany, and more than 10 times larger than North Vietnam. The US, despite it's great air power, is incapable of transforming a country the size of Iran into a "glow", and is even incapable of using bombing to force capitulation.
Iran and $6 gasoline and cancelling green energy projects and restrictive voting and grand ballrooms and blue reflecting pools and masked agents and massive arches and abuse of basic rights and dear leader's image on money and passports is what you get when the crazy guy's in charge. Inexplicably, at least a third of the country is very pleased that he's in charge and still mad about the 2020 stolen election.
The surprise isn't that all this is happening. It's that it took this long to happen (not necessarily these specific things, but some series of terrible, horrible, very bad things). Many were probably like me. I believed Trump's downfall would come during his first administration, and it would have but for a complicit, one might almost say lapdog, Senate failing to convict him after impeachment. Twice.
--Percy

  
dwise1
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Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 103 of 103 (925832)
05-11-2026 12:17 AM
Reply to: Message 67 by Phat
03-27-2026 10:02 AM


Re: Latest From BBC, Malcolm Nance, Al Jazeera
Phat writes in Message 67:
Malcolm Nance: Day 26
Since you are also familiar with Malcolm Nance and his daily warcast with Jacob Kaarsbo and Wajeeh Lion, I thought I would share this story with you.
So a day or two ago Malcolm had just returned from Europe to Canada and, in their usual sharing of coffee cups, Malcolm said he was settled in nicely with his Nescafé 3 in 1 and a lemon curd pastry. Then he reminisced how he and the other Ukrainian combatants practically lived on Nescafé 3 in 1 in the field always having several packets of the stuff on them and how you can't get it in the USA so whenever he's in Europe he always drinks it. Wajeeh said "That's so Syrian!"
So, on a whim, I logged into amazon.com and order me some and it just arrived. I haven't tried it yet (it's 2100h here), but I looked at the box. Some of it is in English, but most of it is in Arabic. Looks like Wajeeh was right about that Syrian comment.
Like I said, I just thought you might appreciate a Malcolm Nance story.
 
Malcolm's Ukrainian war story reminded me of two others.
My father always drank his coffee black and he attributes that to being in the war, WWII as a Seabee on Saipan (his unit arrived a few months after the island was liberated and pacified). He said that anywhere you went you could find coffee, but never any cream nor sugar to put in it (I think that non-dairy creamer was invented until the early 50's and that was to get around Jewish dietary laws). So, rather then complain all the time about having to drink his coffee black, he just adopted the attitude of liking it black. And he never went back to having to doctor it. Though he also developed a disdain for adding chicory to coffee, since the coffee they got from Australia was diluted with chicory; whenever a commercial for that brand of coffee with chicory added (as a taste benefit), he always informed the TV of exactly what he thought of that.
Second story was from an Air Force veteran shortly before I reported to basic. At a remote assignment to Greenland, you could always find coffeepots with coffee or hot water, but nothing else. So he and everybody else would buy packets of hot drink mixes (his preference was hot cocoa) and additives and stuff them into the pockets of their parkas -- I wore one of those parkas in North Dakota and it's amazing how much those pockets could contain (I would jokingly call myself "Sgt Kangaroo" after Captain Kangaroo's explanation for his name, ie big pockets that he would pull stuff out of).

This message is a reply to:
 Message 67 by Phat, posted 03-27-2026 10:02 AM Phat has not replied

  
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