Israel Gives Trump Marching Orders to Escalate the War. What’ll the Puppet Do?

It’s not orders per se. But it’s similar to the “intelligence” scam that started this mess. Israel’s New Intelligence Claim The Wall Street Journal reports Israel Believes Iran Moved Nuclear Centrifuges Into Pickaxe Mountain Israeli intelligence believes Iran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels deep inside a mountain last fall, Israeli and U.S. officials say, a development that would heighten concerns that Tehran could reconstitute its nuclear program. Israel passed along the intelligence findings to the U.S., saying the centrifuges were transferred to the Pickaxe Mountain site last fall after the 12-day war in June when American and Israeli strikes pummeled Iran’s three main nuclear sites. As Israel’s war aims have increasingly diverged from the U.S.’s, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to persuade President Trump to resume all-out attacks on Iran to further set back Tehran’s weapons programs and rebuilding effort. The U.S. has stepped up attacks in the past 10 days, and Trump said the U.S. was prepared to attack Pickaxe Mountain. Iran’s foreign minister and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, didn’t respond to requests for comment. The White House referred The Wall Street Journal to interviews Trump gave last week about the site. Pickaxe is “a possible target for a nice big fat shot,” Trump told conservative broadcaster Hugh Hewitt on July 13. It was the first time he has explicitly talked about Pickaxe as a target, although he has previously mentioned an Iranian underground location buried in granite. Known as Mount Kolang in Iran, Pickaxe has been under surveillance by the U.S. and Israel for years, and what little is known about Iran’s activities at the site suggests it would present challenges to any airstrikes. Located near one of Iran’s main nuclear installations, Pickaxe was commissioned as an underground replacement for an Iranian centrifuge-assembly facility that was badly damaged after a 2020 explosion, which might have been an act of sabotage. Activity has continued there steadily for the past 15 months, with truck traffic, tunnel reinforcements and a security perimeter springing up, said the Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank on nuclear and nonproliferation issues. There was also work around an older tunnel network that dates from 2007, which Iran has since sealed up. “It is plausible that Iran moved centrifuges into the tunnels” in Pickaxe, said David Albright, the institute’s president. Experts estimate that the subterranean complex reaches 300 to 450 feet deep beneath solid rock, with enough room to accommodate several nuclear-related facilities. Pickaxe wasn’t considered a priority to bomb last year during the Israel-Iran war and hasn’t been targeted in the round of fighting with the U.S. that began on Feb. 28. But officials and experts have long worried that Iran could use the tunnels to store or build nuclear equipment and to set up a small enrichment facility for producing fissile material. An Israeli military official familiar with the targeting effort expressed concern that the recent war’s airstrikes hadn’t sufficiently targeted nuclear-weapons-related work, saying that there was more work to be done, including at Pickaxe Mountain. Is the Claim Plausible? Yes, it is plausible. But why are we here? We are here because Israel persuaded Trump to start this stupid war on phony “intelligence” that Iran would easily fall and there would be a mass uprising to topple the regime. As a direct result, Israel and the US coordinated in a military attack that killed moderate Iranian leaders who were in fact willing to negotiate on nuclear weapons. Going back further, Obama negotiated a deal that Trump’s own top general and Secretary of Defense said Iran was honoring. What If Iran Just Honored Obama’s Nuclear Deal? Please consider What If Iran Just Honored Obama’s Nuclear Deal? Would We Be at War? Trump’s First Term Flashback - Trump’s US State Department: Iran honoring the terms. - Trump’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Iran honoring the terms. - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Iran honoring the terms. - Arms Control Association: Iran honoring the terms. - All US European allies: Iran honoring the terms. - Every other signee of the accord: Iran honoring the terms. - Trump’s top general Gen. Joseph Dunford: Iran honoring the terms. - Trump’s Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis: Iran was complying with the terms of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal During his first term, President Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, stated that Iran was complying with the terms of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA), despite President Trump’s strong opposition to it. Key Details on Mattis’ Statement and Context: - Testimony (October 2017): Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mattis said, “I believe that [Iran] fundamentally [are] in compliance with its nuclear deal”. - Contradicting Trump: Mattis, a career hawk, advised that staying in the deal was in the U.S. national security interest, putting him at odds with President Trump’s public criticism of the agreement as an “embarrassment”. Iran only began stepping back from JCPOA limits (e.g., higher uranium enrichment levels, reduced IAEA access) after Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions—not before. Mattis Contradicts Trump NYT Dateline October 3, 2017: Mattis Contradicts Trump on Iran Deal Ahead of Crucial Deadline Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine, asked whether the defense secretary thought holding onto the nuclear pact is in the interest of the national security of the United States. Mr. Mattis, a retired Marine general, paused before replying: “Yes, senator, I do.” General Dunford testified at the same hearing alongside Mr. Mattis, and while he did not take a position on the Iran deal, his description about whether Tehran is violating the accord was at odds with the administration’s talking points. He said Iran “is not in material breach” of the agreement and that it had “delayed the development of a nuclear capability by Iran.” That is all on the congressional record. IAEA Says Iran Abiding by Nuclear Deal April 19, 2019: IAEA Says Iran Abiding by Nuclear Deal “Iran is implementing its nuclear commitments,” said Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agency has had access to “all the sites and locations in Iran which it needed to visit.” Obama’s Nuclear Accord Agreement - Iran will give up about 14,000 of its 20,000 centrifuges - Iran will give up all but its most rudimentary, outdated centrifuges: its first-generation IR-1s, knockoffs of 1970s European models, are all it gets to keep. It will not be allowed to build or develop newer models. - Iran will give up 97 percent of its enriched uranium; it will hold on to only 300 kilograms of its 10,000-kilogram stockpile in its current form. - Iran will destroy or export the core of its plutonium plant at Arak, and replace it with a new core that cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium. It will ship out all spent nuclear fuel. - Inspectors will have access to all parts of Iran’s nuclear supply chain, including its uranium mines and the mills where it processes uranium ore. Inspectors will also not just monitor but be required to pre-approve all sales to Iran of nuclear-related equipment. This provision also applies to something called ‘dual-use’ materials, which means any equipment that could be used toward a nuclear program. That’s the agreement U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, General Joseph F. Dunford, and the International Atomic Energy Agency all said Iran was honoring. Synopsis Obama fashioned an amazing peace deal with Iran that US allies, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, General Joseph F. Dunford, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Arms Control Association all said Iran was honoring. That deal was the one big achievement of Obama. Trump tore it up. I did not care for Obama then, or now. But I give credit to Obama for the JCPOA. The deal may not have been perfect, but it was workable, with inspections by the the International Atomic Energy Agency. Trump took the deal and unilaterally tore it up against the specific advice, on Congressional record by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and General Joseph F. Dunford. And now, based on “advice” from Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warmonger Senator Lindsey Graham, and against the advice of current top military experts, Trump launched this mad war. Genocide Feelings President Donald Trump’s administration explicitly stated that the military action was launched because the President had a “feeling,” based on what they described as impending threats, that Iran was preparing to strike U.S. assets in the region. Trump Has His Marching Orders Trump now has his marching orders from the same “intelligence” community who told him this war would be easy. So, what are Trump’s feelings today? we need to rule the entire globe. the usa is too small. not enough living space, to paraphrase quote a 1900s lunatic cult leader, of charlie chaplin film fame. In an interview to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hadath, Lebanon Prime Minister Salam said Iranian IRGC is directing Hezbollah in its war on Israel and that this war was imposed on Lebanon. “These were the Revolutionary Guards, who are present and, unfortunately, managing military operations in Lebanon …These people have fake passports and entered the country illegally,” How many of the October 7 terrorists who killed Israeli civilians were Hezbollah or IRGC members ? Part of the motivation is to permanently neutralize Iran so its not a future threat, or at least for the next 100 to 200 years. Besides the nuclear weapons concerns, is that it actively sponsors terrorism and even President Bill Clinton stated this before President G W Bush called them as part of the “axis of evil”. So what do you do with a country that likely has 20% of its population of Islamic maniacs and another 15% that are just your ordinary Islamic militant ? Besides that, seems like military industrial complex is using Iran as a proving ground for the +$1 trillion F-35 program. Been reading it is actively bombing Iran at night for the last 11 nights. How many F-35’s have been shot down by Iran ? Or is Iran going to eventually shoot a F-35 down with assistance from the Kremlin and/or Chicoms ? Think about the geopolitical psychology of that happening, granted its not as worse as already the many Americans who have been killed in this war, let alone the Iranian civilians killed as well. And you know this how, Counselor? Do you have any real sources to provide confirmation or is this simply speculative? It should be no surprise as well before many of Mish Talk’s Democrat followers were born, Trump consistently advocated for a hawkish, aggressive stance against Iran. During the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, he heavily criticized the U.S. government for its handling of the situation and stated that he would have sent American troops to retrieve the hostages. Later in the 1980s and early 1990s, Trump suggested the U.S. seize Iranian oil installations to recoup American losses and threatened military action against sites like Kharg Island if U.S. forces or ships were attacked. Its not as if Trump learned about the trusty Islamic Republic of Iran during his first campaign for President. Some leader taco is as these foreign country “leaders” play him like a fidle. Apparently, he isn’t bright enough to see through the bs (probably, because he is so full of it himself). Yet HE is President and YOU are not! 🤣 Trump knew, and thought he could convince them to act in good faith. These same ones are all part of that IRGC and Islamic Republic mindset led a long time ago by Ayatolah Khomeni who tried to bamboozle the Western skeptics that he was going to reform Iran into a liberal democracy that protects women’s liberties. No one wants to call a spade a spade as far as how lunatic a lot of Iran is, or enough of it, such as 20% of the Iranian population (members of Islamic Republic government and/or IRGC) who have a stranglehold of Iran. two facts the full year of war (1968) in Vietnam cost $20bil, which would be $200bil in today’s dollars The US is giving Saudi Arabia nuclear tech–remember a month or so back when SA said NO to overflights by the US on the way to Iran but the flights resumed in a day or so?–this is the payoff The funny thing is that Saudi Arabia is AT LEAST as extreme and fundamentalist as Iran. It literally crucifies people as punishment. And yet, since they are our fanatics, we are OK with them enriching Uranium. The Iranian Regime could also continue to abuse its population, if it would stick to that alone, like SA. But it instead it has designs to build a nuclear weapon, [mis]thinking that this would provide some sort of blanket protection from attack. It won’t. The fund terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis (why do these all start with the letter “H”?) that meddle in the affairs’ of other countries and destabilize the Middle East. THIS is why the Iranian Regime is being attacked. Iran is only more benevolent as they just hang people and don’t cut off their heads in public like Saudi Arabia. I just read that Iran hanged an 18 year old Amir Hossein Hatami, who protested against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government. I agree as just rely on Pakistan which already has nuclear weapons to defend Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab states like UAE and Bahrain. The deal was Saudis funded Pakistan to have nuclear weapons. Its more about Iran than India, in that they have nuclear weapons to use against Iran if Iran used them on the Arab states. The exact same was said about North Vietnam, and yet, Saigon is now Ho-Chi-Minh city. If tactical successes is all you have to show for this far into a war that you claim you have already won, you have nothing. WMD is still my gold standard for usa government lying and our people lapping it up like unweaned whelps. hat tip generalismo colin powell. Agree, that one is hard to top. The worst part is that I don’t think anyone was ever convicted of anything to do with it, were they? Even after Bush and Cheney left office, Obama promised everyone (during the campaign) he would shut down Guantanamo “on day one” of his presidency, but it stayed open the whole 8 years he was in office. No only was no one convicted, but congress actually passed a law that requires the US president to use all means necessary, including war, to release any US citizen held by the International Criminal Court (ICC). This was the American Service-Members’ Protection Act (AKA Hague Invasion Act). Not enough evidence to prosecute the prisoners there. So I guess let some eventually go if they appear to be less radicalized, but keep in prison the most militant terrorists for the rest of their lives. If that is how they operate via some decision flowchart. I don’t think SCOTUS has ruled as far as ordering them to shut down that prison at the US naval station in Cuba. I guess if push comes to shove, they could send the terrorist prisoners to some CIA black site like in Poland or eastern Europe. That would be a tough break for the prisoners given how the eastern Europeans operate. why would an evil empire convict, past commander in chiefs, or their court lap dogs? seems far fetched in human history. only losers in warfare, face scrutiny. don’t forget to thank Ike, our hero for 1953 coup in Persia. he’s still so adored. Iran has been building up its missiles and drones (to be deployed in containers) inventory since likely the 1990s when President Clinton stated they sponsor terrorism. So we wiped out the Iranian navy and air force but Iran was prepared for this as they could easily hide their missiles and drones. Iranians in fishing boats and other non military boats can spot and report in civilian vessel traffic and that info can be used by the fire control specialists of the drones and missiles launched from the containers. Or they can rely on Chicom and Kremlin intel. But the aircraft carriers are on the move always (i.e., moving target with plenty of self defense like RIM-116, CIWS, etc) and a few hundred miles south of Straight of Hormuz. You just need a USS America or USS Boxer class vessels there to launch Marine F-35’s and attack helicopters if the Navy decides to pull its nuclear carriers out, which they may eventually do that. News reports cite F-35B’s from USS Boxer conducting night bombing missions. Ok, let’s play the “what if” game like Mish does with the Obama deal. What if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon and thousands of ballistic missiles, closed the Strait, and openly threatened neighbors, Israel, US interests, and associated infrastructure? Would the price of gas be higher or lower than now? What would the strategy be in that “what if” scenario? You mean what if Iran became just like Israel? Cue the Golda Meir accent and say if Iran dropped its arms then there would be peace, but if Israel gave up its weapons then it would be destroyed. That is why the Iranian foreign minister had a smug smirk on this face when he said well Israel has nuclear weapons so why can’t Iran. So why has not Israel used them already if there was that much concern of Israel using them after Iran attacked Israeli towns and cities ? I guess that foreign minister figures there are enough fools outside of Iran who could be bamboozled by that. Iran claims Pakistan has nuclear weapons to protect them from Israel, whereas the actual dirty secret (called the “Sunni bomb”) is that the Saudis funded Pakistan to have nuclear weapons to use against Iran if Iran wanted to nuke the Sunni – dominated nations (i.e., Arab states). Pakistani has nuclear weapons to keep even with India. Your entire hypothetical premise is fucked, either by ignorance or by intellectual dishonesty. What if North Korea or Israel obtained nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles?? Israel has them and deploy them from their submarines as part of the “Samson Option”. What if your aunt had a d*ck and could grow a beard? What if your uncle had t*ts and a va-jay-jay? What if we dealt with realities instead of hypotheticals What if you got banned for posting junk like this? What if… my auntie had balls? Well, I’d then call her “uncle”. LOL Whatever they need him to do – Epstein insurance policy In other news: that you won’t read about on this blog: About 6,600 noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote after an error in the New Jersey motor vehicle system, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday | “I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen” Once again, just as was described in Alaska, Yes, an undocumented immigrant can obtain a driver’s license in New Jersey. The “Driving Privilege Act” (A4743/S3229), signed into law in 2019 and implemented in 2021, allows New Jersey residents, regardless of their immigration status, to apply for a standard New Jersey driver’s license, provided they meet all other qualifications. Forms of accepted IDNew Jersey does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver’s license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot. These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote. Voters can present the following forms of identification: It looks like 400 of them actually voted Attestation is not a reliable method. How many who were not actually citizens attested that they were? New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a software error in the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission system resulted in roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens being registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. Sherrill said n a statement that the individuals answered “no” when asked on a keypad whether they were U.S. citizens while applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards, but were registered because of a software error. worked the polls in 4 different states over the past 50 years. glad we run our elections locally at county level. if you think today’s elections are dirty go get a few history books. start with robert caro and path to power. Wait until another scandal erupts: thousands of brown and black men arrested are listed as “white” in police reports. As far as the elections, even without the corruption I’ve lived dishonest elections in Greece: a solid system you could not cheat (mandatory voting, no mail-in voting for most, State ID + personal electoral booklet with photo, solid lists, bipartisan on-site inspectors), and yet: grandmas would vote whatever their husbands wanted, children and wives of public employees voted for the party that hired dad, others voted on the promise to be hired in the public sector, local politicians juggling borrowers and bank branches, etc. etc. And they kept doing so even when the economy tanked, to keep their positions. Still, it was much better than the egregiously tribal elections in Minnesota, the soon-to-be tribal elections in Michigan, the “no ID at all” elections in California… this country will split into 2-3 semi-independent regions (and later on, countries) and it’ll happen quite soon. The irreconcilable differences are just too severe, too important, and too many. The country (: the marriage) has been abused way more than the abusers think it can tolerate. Just like toddlers who keep throwing around a very durable toy, each time assigning a different imaginary villain personality to it, until one day it breaks. But how is this related? Yes, Mish should spend a lot less time writing about foreign policy and keep the focus on the continental US. Plenty of news to analyse and write about. Might is be as simple as that he converted? Ivanka converted. Jared Kushner quotes Trump as saying: ” … Most people think I’m Jewish anyway. Most of my friends are Jewish. I have all these awards from the synagogues. They love me in Israel.” Per Jared, Trump “was respectful of our Jewish traditions, and before he walked Ivanka down the aisle, he asked for a yarmulke to wear.” https://www.thejc.com/news/world/donald-trump-grilled-jared-kushner-about-ivankas-conversion-to-judaism-mfhgthzw A prudent ruler cannot and should not observe faith when such observance is to his disadvantage. — Machiavelli Trump is so self-mercenary and so mercurial, I cannot conceive of him converting to any religion in any actual sustained way. He makes generic references to God, that sound vaguely Judeo-Christian. TRUMP is too far invested now and cannot afford to loose Face because he will lose everything and it does not look like the Iranians are going to give him an Off-Ramp . . . so unfortunately it looks like the NEXT Stop is Troops on the Ground somewhere in IRAN. It’s not that he will lose face. It’s long gone. There is an ever decreasing percentage of the global population that thinks he’s anything but dangerous If the Islamic Republic of Japan does not yield to my righteous demands, I shall wreck the world’s economy. Thank you for your attention to this matter. “It is plausible that Iran moved centrifuges into the tunnels” Yep. The evil Mullahs ripped some Kuwaiti premie babies out of their incubators to make room for the centrifuges, which were placed right next to Saddam’s WMDs and Jimmy Hoffa’s corpse. FUCK YOU Donald Trump. He will lose face with his MAGA base . . . I think MAGA either has the prudence(!) or lacks the minerals to go full boots. I think boots on that ground are political suicide in this situation. Just the F-35B’s from the USS Boxer are causing enough damage with the night time attacks and they are on 11 straight nights of bombing. Trump did say he has more instore for Iran as far as bombing attacks, if they do not come to the negotiation table in good faith. No one wants to say you are dealing with fanatics maybe not exactly of the same mindset of the 911 suicide bombers. Maybe Trump knows that enough that he is hoping to cripple them enough that the other 80% of the country says fuck it, and they have some French Revolution style overthrow. That’s the only way you are going to seize power from the Islamic Republic leaders and their goons. And yes that likely means kill their kids (or at least castrate or neuter them) if you want that effective of a long term solution. Maybe they occupy the islands and region around the Straight of Hormuz. They can put in small teams of Marines with Navy SEALs as forward observers. If need be they can quickly bug out if it gets that hot, given they are expeditionary forces. Kfartibnut is in Lebanon and is held by Hezbollah, which uses this area to fire rockets into Israel almost daily. Beirut agreed to rein in the terror group in this area under the recent MOU between Israel and Lebanon. The Lebanese military receives Billions of dollars from the US annually. It is time for them to clear out these Iranian proxies from their midst and not allow them to use their territory to attack Israel. Almost everything in your post is false Israeli disinformation. As an example, the US government itself says it gave Lebanon $496 million in the most recent year, but you claim “Billions”. https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-foreign-aid-does-the-us-provide/countries/lebanon/ The real terrorists in Lebanon are Israel, an occupying army murdering civilians almost daily. Hezbollah was formed for the sole purpose of getting Israel out of Lebanon when it first invaded years ago. Israel, like Nazi Germany, constantly invades its neighbors and takes territory from them. So exactly why did Lebanon, with its own armed forces, need Hezbollah, widely known as an Iran-funded proxy? You are deliberately ignoring the fact that the Hezbollah are Shiite, and a minority in Lebanon. Here is the quick version, which means it leaves out a lot for simplicity. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, and occupied the Southern half of Lebanon as well as the Golan Heights in Syria. After a lot of fighting between a lot of armies (including the UN, the PLO, Syria, and a multinational force of Americans, French, UK, and Italy), Israel signed an agreement in 1983, agreeing to withdraw from Lebanon. Only they didn’t, the IDF continued to occupy Lebanon, with the brunt of their force aimed at the Islamic population (Shias are 1/3 of Lebanon). The Israelis just wouldn’t leave, and finally in 1985 the Shia population (who were the poorest, most downtrodden group in Lebanon, other than the Palestinians) decided to form their own army to get the IDF off their land. That is how Hezbollah got its start. Okay so Shias are 1/3 of Lebanon. 1/3 of Lebanon is Christian. So the remainder are Shiites (and aligned with Tehran) ? Hezbollah is Shiite and an arm of Tehran, yet (for now) it plays nice with the Christian population in Lebanon ? My downstairs neighbor is a Lebanese immigrant, Sunni but devout, and claims that Hezbollah is like a gang of thugs that’s taken over the public life in the country and destroying it. That they directly or indirectly control almost everything. He says that Lebanese are leaving the country just to be away from their corruption. He doesn’t like the Israelis, but he says that Lebanese are leaving Lebanon not because of the Israelis. I don’t have any personal experience, but you don’t have either. Personally I haven’t reached any conclusion, nor do I seek it – it’s none of my business, and I do not consider any side in a war as “honest”. But you seem to consider every theory you read here and there as “fact”. My suggestion would be not to bet the future of your country on opinions of any Middle-Easterners. Nobody became happy or wealthy by listening to them – nobody, ever in history. It’s not Hezbollah that has been destroying Christian villages in southern Lebanon. Like with every issue I don’t have personal experience with, I do a lot of reading, listen to all sides, and draw my own conclusions. I’m not saying anyone in the Middle East are angels, there is a lot of corruption everywhere. But in the US, most people have only heard the Israeli narrative, because of their tremendously successful 50+ year propaganda campaign. I’m just trying to add some perspective by giving my own (hopefully somewhat informed) views. You say what is happening there is none of your business. As a US citizen, I make it my business to understand and form my own conclusions about why my government has been complicit in genocide and is actively arming and funding various factions in the Middle East. I wish more people would do so, which is part of why I am here. You just like to hear yourself post. No one of any importance gives a crap about your opinion on anything. We all, including you, Jojo, are enjoying posting here. Quatloo posts uniformly sincere and interesting stuff. I’m reading news articles going back to at least January of this year that a lot of Shias in Lebanon want Hezbollah to stop existing. Part of that is they think Hezbollah is just Iran’s bitch. “My suggestion would be not to bet the future of your country on opinions of any Middle-Easterners. Nobody became happy or wealthy by listening to them – nobody, ever in history.” I remember as a kid when my dad was laughing very loud at the news on TV when they were reporting Ayatolah Khomeni saying around 1979 that if he was to be in charge of Iran that Iran would become a lot more liberal in regards to human rights than it was under the Shah, and that Iranian women will have even more freedoms. I guess its part of their “jihad” or “intifada” mindset to bamboozle in order to gain power and control, and achieve a comfortable enough position before they start killing the “non believers” or maybe force them under sword to convert to Islam. How many of the “decendants” of the Jews that remained in Palestine (and did not exodus during Nero’s war) converted to Islam under the sword (from 1200 AD to 1900) ? Yes I am saying when I look at a Palestinian in Gaza they represent the DNA lineage to the “Israelites or Jews” that sat around and listened to Jesus deliver his sermons. The Lebanese army is going to disarm hezbollah?is your mama also going to help, shite with this Morons…. I don’t think the Lebanese army has ever been a serious fighting force. Which is why the IDF has to stay in place until/if the Lebanese Army can prove it is up to the task of neutering Hezbollah. Note also that the IDF is working WITH the Lebanese Army and helping them where possible, like this example: That means going to war with the IRGC since Hezbollah is Iran’s bitch. So you’ll have terrorism like the October 6 terrorist attack on Israel all over Lebanon before perhaps there is some French Revolution style revolt against Iran’s proxies and the Islamic Republic. The worst aspect of all of this bombing of Iran is the depletion of missiles that are necessary for the defense of our homeland. We spent all of this money developing these missiles and weapons systems to defend our nation, not to attack an imaginary enemy on the other side of the earth. The concept of exhausting our supply on the behalf of a radical theocracy like Israel shows a massive contempt for the USA in my opinion. Who does Trump work for? The same people who gave him $250,000,000 for his 2024 campaign. They expect a return on their investment. Thank you Goyim for your service! And all report to the CEO they worship Yeah, notice who was at his inauguration. Yes Mark Zuckerberg was there in the Capitol’s Rotunda. Clinton Crime Family was there also, but somehow Michelle Obama opted out. news flash. amerikan empire has been on offensive attacking since we started up with the spanish empire in FL, TX and further west. crumbling evil empire 101. first chapter is a reality check on our history. Nobody is going to attack “our homeland”. Yeah. Where are the dreaded sleeper terror cells?? We’ve been having that threat rammed down our throats since 9/11. They have probably all assimilated and married or live with fat lonely women and are on welfare, SNAP and section 8. They have probably all infiltrated MAGA Russian bot “US patriots” figured out MAGA was the low-hanging fruit. The punchline is that Trump turned on them too! He can’t even remember who his cronies are. Woe betide those who try to jump in bed with him! Some would say that Trump and his ICE & MAGA thugs have invaded America. Jan 6th sure resembled an attempt to overthrow our government. Defend the homeland against who? Who do you have in mind that intends to attack/invade the American homeland? The moment we let our guard down, vast Canadian hordes will sweep across the Midwest like an unstoppable flood, stealing Our Sacred Freedom, setting up Tim Hortons everywhere, and apologizing constantly. You forgot precious bodily fluids. They’ve been coveting these for decades. Mexicans “The worst aspect of all of this bombing of Iran is the depletion of missiles that are necessary for the defense of our homeland.” I think the worst aspect is the death of thousands of civilians who never posed a threat to the US, including 160 girls who were attending school. Our bombs kill lots of innocent people just going about their daily lives. Iran did not start this war, the US and Israel did. I have to agree that the civilian casualties are terrible and what Israel did and is doing in Gaza and Lebanon is an abomination. Perhaps I was thinking from a fiscal perspective and not a humanitarian vantage point. Thanks for pointing that out! Appreciate your saying that. I think it is all too easy these days for people to overlook the human toll of war. Those 168 virgins were sacrificed because they were daughters of IRGC personnel at a nearby base. That’s the Empire tradition on how to “get” them. Always thinking about how to demoralize “them” instead of a straight up fight. don’t forget the “double tap” to assassinate parents and helpers. In the best tradition of Anglo-US warfare I agree with you. At the same time it should be like battles at pearl harbor moment. Or even macjine guns in ww1. . Give us a chance to modernize our forces to cheap drones. Just like in the pacific the trenches looks like war has changed again. . Careful here, because there were reports that the Europeans were essentially depleted for sending whatever ammo and equipment they had to Ukraine (which were all destroyed by Russia easily, while the smarter Chinese were not offering them anything, but selling them much more effective drones). So, one can draw parallels to your argument of weapons depletion. It’s a valid argument, but it’s also a rock in a glasshouse if you make it a political argument. Again, just pay overtime to the Raytheon’s and Lockmarts (Lockheed) to replenish the depleted stocks of missile, bombs, artillery shells, and ammo. Wake up simple farmer. WHO exactly do we have to worry about attacking us? Canada? Sheese. Its good for military industrial complex ‘bidness’. They’ll just pay overtime to Raytheon, Lockmart (or Lockheed), etc to replenish the inventory of cruise missiles, bombs, etc. Personally I anxiously await our takeover by a foreign power. Hopefully it’s Russia because I think Russian would be an easier language for me to learn, but I do like WonTon soup…so I guess I could go either way. Either– or, is better than this s—. Ask East Germans how they liked learning Russian. WonTon soup perhaps the way to go after all. Personally, I’d like to see you stripped of your citizenship and sent to that prison in El Salvador. I’m old enough to remember when we destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities back in June 2025. Just think about how awesome it will be when we destroy it this time. My guess is that this doesn’t end until we destroy it 6 million times. “nuclear capabilities” was ever always only a pretext. The goal was to use that pretext to turn Iran into a failed state. Vassal state. Who loved the Shah? USA, Israel, weapons makers. (Admittedly, for awhile, postwar, Stalin was a genuine threat, a different complication. But that faded.) Trump would not leave the place adrift in anarchy. He would install implants. Of course they would be ridiculous, and trending toward failure, and then where would we be? Anti-USA theocracy. Look at Iraq or Libya for examples. Both are pretty close to anarchy, as is Syria. Yeah Hilary “What difference does it make” Clinton and Obama can take 100% credit for Libya, and a large percentage for Syria. I see, bomb them and make sure no one leaves (i.e., no f-ing Iranian refugees to western (definitely not eastern) Europe) while the Islamic Republic “society” collapses there. Memo to Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Barbara Spectre, and Mayorkas: Don’t even think about it. I’ve heard they are only TWO WEEKS AWAY from developing a nuclear bomb!!!! Wasn’t Saddam like 45 minutes from cleaning our clocks, or was it Europe’s? And you know, Poland troops attacked that German radio station, and started this whole mess. And there was that little misunderstanding in the Tonkin Gulf. Also, “two weeks to flatten the curve” Well there are missiles launched and bombs dropped by at least the F-35B’s deployed from the USS Boxer for the last 11 nights. How many jets have been shot down over the last 11 nights ? Any F-35’s, Lockmart’s crown jewel of the +$1 trillion Pentagon welfare program. Let alone how much was demolished and destroyed since the war started ? I’m not talking the school that had the young school girls (children of the Islamic Republic senior bureaucrats, operatives and leaders?) who were collateral damage, like what the Mexican military goons will do with shooting up a compound with children of rogue cartel henchmen. And good luck getting the Mexican government (and its trusty and competent media outlets) to report on this. How do you destroy them (or at least 20% of its population that have at least almost the same mentality of the 911 terrorists) ? Only way is to entirely wipe out the 20% (and their children) or hope that the 80% on the sidelines revolt and imprison the 20%. Its a lot more of a challenge then the Denazification of Germany or the occupation of post World War II Japan. You are dealing with more of a death cult mentality. No one wants to call a spade and spade on Mish Talk, none of the blue hair Antifa types, the baby boomer Democrats, or even the pro-Iranian, pro-Chicom and pro-Kremlin lemmings. I’m still trying to puzzle out hows it is possible that China is meddling in our elections (according to Trump on primetime) without any solid proof, while Israel is not meddling with a huge AIPAC papertrail at the FEC and anti sovereign legal clauses in the proposed NDAA Rhetorical: Whats the definition of sovereignty in the US context? Sovereignty = sell out to highest bidder far as I can tell All the words are bullshit, the corruption is out of control Because one is the Epstein Class, the other are rank outsiders and parvenus. Did you get that info from the 3 Million Documents that have been released? They didn’t… Conclusion: While the claims regarding China’s access to U.S. voter data raise concerns about election security, it is crucial to differentiate between legal access to data and actual interference in the electoral process. Official assessments maintain that the integrity of the 2020 election was not compromised by foreign actions. Of course the 2020 (or the 2016) election wasn’t compromised by any foreign actor other than Israel. However, Israeli interference is deemed legitimate. They are part of The Club. Russia and China are not. Because that is the Fox News propaganda ~ as dictated by Israel. Israel isn’t the highest bidder, since the US tax payer funds them. I think America sees in Israel a mini-version of itself, of Western settlers coming in to a foreign barbarian land, taking it over while extinguishing the natives from all but small parcels of land, and creating civilization there. Meanwhile the Trump Admin just signed off on the Saudis advancing their nuclear program. To counter Iran? Israeli’s are not happy… The bigger problem for Israel is 80% plus of the 500,000,000 people living in and around the Middle East are incensed at what Israel is doing in Gaza and now south Lebanon. Israel is not the first attempt at colonizing the area in and around Jerusalem, the crusaders established colonial governments a couple of times. They all failed when external support from European nobility dried up. House of Saud gave Kushner’s fund $2BB in Trump’s first term. Payment was in exchange for US nuclear technology info. This news can hardly be surprising to the few who were aware of this deal. It was extensively mentioned and Trump’s flirting with the Saudis as well was covered in the 2019 Nuclear Report. Excerpt from p 40, the entire report is worth your time, if you want to understand ways Trump acted in his first term that went largely underreported but are alarmingly similar to what he has done this time round. “IP3 [IP3 International—a private company that assembled a consortium of U.S. companies seeking to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia] joined a bid by the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) for the contract to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia using U.S. nuclear technology. IP3 continued to leverage its connections with the Trump Administration, holding meetings at the White House and with other agencies. IP3 officials boasted of “unique access” to President Trump and senior White House officials, disparaged growing bipartisan congressional efforts to limit the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, and characterized the “Gold Standard” of prohibiting Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium for weapons as an obstacle to be ‘overcome.’” https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21014583-trump-saudi-nuclear-report-july-2019/ Israel may not like it, but this (and support in the Saudi war on Yemen) is the price to keep the Saudi tyrants on-side. Israel should be wary of tying its outcomes to Trump, as should anyone, anywhere. His chaotic intuitive self-absorbed corrupt nonlinear style can bring brief smiles or total ruin at any moment, to anyone his reach touches, which is anyone on earth. What total ruin, you ask? Just give it time, these qualities will collide with something, somewhere. If, as some finance wonks say, the future is in some sense already occurring, we are groping our way there. Go back to when the media asked Putin who he rather deal with Biden or Trump. Putin said he rather deal with Birdbrain Joe (Biden) instead of Donald Trump. New York Times March 24: “Saudi Prince is said to push Trump to continue Iran War in recent calls“. The whole thing is very complicated. The UAE is not on the same page as Qatar (the UAE said its students should avoid UK Universities because of infiltration of Islamic fanatics in the UK). So when we say “Trump supports Israelis”, that by itself becomes a vague statement. Which Israelis? And is he the first American President to do so? The meme that “he thought it would be easy” …. Did he really think so? Is that why we are here? Or did they always had a plan for cornering the world oil supply, by stealing what they can (VZ) and blowing up what they cannot (IR)? What helps the meme is that he says crazy stuff. But, if TPTB actually thought he was crazy, they would pay their employees (our “representatives”) to 25A him. But they’re not. So what should that tell you? Also worth a mention, the actual physical price for crude remained around 100-120 in USA and 105-130 in Brent, while barrels for delivery in Asia were 150-200 during that same time. He tried to hurt China. China built their SPR before the war at low prices and then used SPR during the higher prices, thwarting Trump’s plan to deal China some flesh wounds. This is also what caused priced to dip as low as high 60s on WTI “ But they’re not. So what should that tell you?” It tells me that TPTB is a figure of your conspiracy imagination. It doesn’t matter what Trump thinks. Israel has The Files and Trump dances like a puppet on a string. Millions could die and Trump and Netanyahu could not care less, as long as they personally do not suffer. “The files” is gaslighting that provides an excuse for former and current supporters to feel less outraged. I hear it from some of them. I hear them repeat what Google video (aka youtube, aka “alternative” media) tells them. It makes them feel less outrage and more helpless. Trump appears to be in cahoots with Putin and Nutandyahoo what does that tell you? all you need to know I see no evidence that Trump is in cahoots with Putin. Contrast with Netanyahu, who uses Trump as his fingerpuppet. I did not support or vote for Trump in 2016. I did not support or vote for Trump in 2020. I did not support or vote for Trump in 2024. Did I accidentally imply? I hope not. My guess is you stopped voting, more than 20 years ago. Do you visit Simplicius too? I enjoy your posts, there and here. Same cat. If he was smart, which she isn’t, he would tell Israel to go take care of their own little insecurities. Smart has nothing to do with it. According to WaPo, the US doesn’t have enough missiles to return to all-out war with Iran.Hegseth has fixated on testosterone and beards, not supply chain. Seems like he’s willing to send everyone into a ground war while he hides in his makeup studio preferably with naked 13-15 year olds to ogle They’ll die while he looks faaaabulous. Germany and Japan gambled ruinously on warrior ethos, versus logistics. Then came endless rows of Shermans and T-34s. I never believe any stories about what he have or dont have. We witnessed “threat inflation” during the cold war to justify overspending “to close the missile gap”. I expect “capability deflation” (e.g. “we are running out!”) to serve the same purpose. US military companies are not purpose-driven, other than to make a profit. They won’t preemptively build factory capacity to ramp up production for when it later proves needed because that would cost money and a lot of it. They bill cost-plus, which is why a single Patriot Pac-3 is assembled manually and can cost $5 million. Some of the munitions (dumb bombs) are widely available. Others – especially missile defense – are in short supply. That’s why we’ve had to rob Peter to pay Paul, taking back Patriot missiles and THAAD radars from “allies” around the world. This info is often alluded to in mainstream publications – although not in paragraph one (as it would be to serve a purpose) but in paragraph 14 as an inadvertent admission against interest. It’s like when Rubio admitted that Israel dragged us into this war. They occasionally – accidentally – say something true. weirdos study T levels. Petey can’t even do proper push ups and pull ups. My octogenarian mom does better than Petey Shhh, he’s not to be bothered while erecting his FIFTH new Statue in a week. A ballroom, an Arc, and God knows what tacky gold else. Kind of the Wealthy euivalent of trailer park trash that you’d hate to see at the dollar store as they buy cartfulls of shiny trinkety trash to see how gaudy they can make the trailer. The type that still grieves KMart closing. Just a Wealthy Trailer Park trash version with the at best senile brains to match. Lots of decent people live in trailer parks…shame to associate them with the White House resident. You both make good points. Yours makes me ashamed to have laughed at the first. I hazard to add a third: Didn’t they generally, overwhelmingly vote for him? Hmm…i feel ashamed adding that, because your point still stands: Dont generalize like this. There are good people there. Indeed, most of the ones who voted for trump thought the only other choice was more of the prior kind of crazy. None of them saw this coming. They can’t see through liars well enough or, even if they do — many do — they see no other better option. So, here we are. Neighbors must organize with neighbors or else we end up with the same liars, thieves, and murderers. MMchenry, CFA is just your average smug Democrat, so it should be no surprise they took that shameless jab at working class people. Epstein files. Period. His voters went from “release the Epstein files so we can lock up all Dems” to “Epstein file is a dirty trick by Dems due to TDS” faster than we thought they could. For years, we have underestimated the power of stupid. That’s what makes me squeamish sometimes about the logical possibilities of democracy. That’s why the Founders added a few twists, first in fear of a King, second and oppositely, in fear of the mob, as they called it. In between, in fear of various pernicious factions. Now the worst of all the above have found a marvelous coalition, of sorts. Brilliant. these are downright morons that mencken mentioned would elect themselves. Trump got his finger on the scales of World Cup football, and this political football as well. Trumps team lost immediately after he intervened. Sad and funny at the same time