Doomstead

EZ way to start the war without going to CONgress.  All Trumpolini has to do is sic the Israeli Attack Dog on Iran with a phone call.  They are always happy to oblige and target a few more Towel Head schools and hospitals.

What kind of response will the Ayatollah come up with?  How long will this one go on?  How high can they drive up the price of oil?

RE

QuoteU.S. and Israeli government statements framed the offensive as necessary to neutralise imminent threats posed by Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure.

Which goes to show, all people need is a story.  It does not have to make sense.

Evil is as evil does.

I am not aware of Khamenei killing or mutilating any Americans.  Are you?

Accepting the diarrhea that comes out of Trump's mouth makes you look stupid.

Will this be enough to finally get the MAGA Morons to turn on their Fearless Fuehrer and call for an Impeachment?

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 01, 2026, 08:36 PMWill this be enough to finally get the MAGA Morons to turn on their Fearless Fuehrer and call for an Impeachment?

RE

Learned helplessness.  Repeated exposure to uncontrollable harm leads a person to feel escape is impossible, even when options exist.  I would not bet on the MAGA morons coming to their senses yet.  If ever.

🍿 But, this move may be so unpopular that Trump may finally have cooked his own goose.  We shall see.

Gas lines are in our future.  If you do not think so, can you argue gas is not going to skyrocket in price?

A year in office and Trump fucks the world.

If Trump is not stopped there will be consequences.  Fascism has a shelf life.

 

We don't know what special shit Trump's adventurism will bring, but if you haven't figured it out by now, Trump never stops bringing shit.  Bringing shit is what Trump does.  So shit it will surely be.  And at the end Trump will be dead, and America will be left with his consequences.

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 02, 2026, 07:57 PMGas lines are in our future.  If you do not think so, can you argue gas is not going to skyrocket in price?

Gas lines...and rationing...is in our past as well. Anyone in PA during global peak oil in 1979 and the ensuing rationing knows this.

Gas lines aren't in my future. Momma didn't raise no fool, and I haven't forgotten that gas rationing long ago.

I recommend a new one of these for everyone.

I got mine for slightly more than half the money that K-Dog spends on some eco-friendly heat pump. Gas lines...please....let them eat cake.

(https://dealerimages.dealereprocess.com/image/upload/3543905)

When the food prices skyrocket, Trumpolini's popularity will plummet.

RE

Plus it's costing $2B/day!

RE

Can U spell R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N?  Triple digit Oil prices will send the economy into a Black Hole.  Ugly is on the horizon.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 06, 2026, 04:38 PMCan U spell R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N?  Triple digit Oil prices will send the economy into a Black Hole.  Ugly is on the horizon.

RE

Is this really what collapse and doom has been reduced to? Recession? Cost of living increases?

After having all sorts of other dooms thoroughly discredited all along the way this century, is this really all we've got left? Recession? Political disagreements? I at least get the political disagreements, for all the complaining about the horrors of the neocons, the Oligarchs have certainly unleashed idiots-R-us in a big way this time. As far as idiots-R-us being doom...well...maybe all that IS left is pretending recessions are the outcome of idiots in charge. Be they Republicrat or Democan. It isn't as though any other group has been able to gain traction against the Oligarchs.

Bombing video games are not enough.  1st Person Shooter games will really rev up support with the Incels.

(https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTZjMDliOTUyNGhtOHRsZHJnanhpNGJqdHJsMjVxdGxiazRhMjVrdmd6ZXMyMGljNyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/9Fkuled2G2IcqdgO0B/200.gif)

RE

The war may not last long, the effects on the oil market however will be quite long lasting.  Doubtful Iran gets back to its pre-war production levels anytime soon, and doubtful shipping insurance costs through the Straight of Hormuz will drop much either.  More sabotage likely throughout the region.

Things will get quite messy.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 09, 2026, 02:52 AM

BUSINESSINSIDER.COM 2026-03-08

Oil passes $100 a barrel as US energy secretary says Iran won't be a 'long-term war'

Oil prices surpassed $100 a barrel on Sunday. The US energy secretary is working to reassure Americans that high gas prices won't last. Chris Wright said the conflict in Iran is a "temporary movement," rather than a "long-term war."

The war may not last long, the effects on the oil market however will be quite long lasting.  Doubtful Iran gets back to its pre-war production levels anytime soon, and doubtful shipping insurance costs through the Straight of Hormuz will drop much either.  More sabotage likely throughout the region.

Things will get quite messy.
!!
RE

Indeed. Who knows what will happen with oil at 3077400 a barrel!

 

If it lasts a month, it might be a recession.  If it lasts 6 months, kiss the economy goodbye.

RE

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 09, 2026, 04:39 AMIndeed. Who knows what will happen with oil at 3077400 a barrel!

Using the 'Get Article' dropdown on the 'Article Options' button will let you add a Doomscroll article to a post here.  It does that by creating a special tag in the post.  Then the article is later looked up using this tag and displayed.  The code that displays the tile and description after looking up the article info was not rendering a '$' correctly.  Now it is.

The fix :

$safe_description = htmlspecialchars($article['description']);
$safe_description = str_replace('$', '$', $safe_description);
$safe_description = nl2br($safe_description);

As you can see here :

 

 

DOOMSDAY 4 OIL!😁😁😁

RE

 
 

 

The thing is, even if Trumpolini declared "Victory" and sent home the grunts, the Straight won't be any safer.  The only way to  do that would be to put 100K boots on the ground and hold all the land along the coast.  It's almost certain as soon as ships start moving through, at least 1 will get hit.  If it's an LNG tanker, the explosion will be Hollywood spectacular.

With the Kuwaitis and Omanis now starting to shut in wells, the supply interuption will at least be months long.  So much for Trumps quicky done.  In 3 months, you'll have RREAL shortages in fertilizer right in time for growing season.

Leave it to Trump to speed up collapse by orders of magnitude.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 10, 2026, 09:30 AMLeave it to Trump to speed up collapse by orders of magnitude.
RE

Unless of course the usual happens. Many collapses are called...still waiting around for one to be chosen. <yawn>

Quote from: REDOOMSDAY 4 OIL!😁😁😁

RE

I remember the early 80's, and the bumper stickers on Texan's trucks, "Drive Faster, Freeze A Yankee".

"Doomsday For Oil Consumers" might be better...some drilling folks and oil and gas companies will be quite profitable I imagine. Things will get more expensive regardless of oil prices, as things are wont to do.

Remember the last time it was the Doomsday for oil? 1979is still my favorite. The modern peak oilers didn't have nuttin compared to that global peak oil.

 

Quote"I don't think they have any realistic endgame in their mind," he added. "I think they are aimless."

People thinking they are fulfilling a biblical prophesy are not big on endgames.  They don't need no stinkin endgame.

Hell would have frozen over before I could have ever voted for this racist moron who can't read.  I wish more of you could say the same.  Now if you ever helped him your inattention to detail will mean millions will die.  And that's on you.  Did you think that we live in Disneyland so the limits of the universe do not apply in your magic kingdom of America.  I think you do. 

The tragic thing is I know you will do it again.  You will vote for the same kind of fool.

And all the things that the big black book says are going to happen are not going to happen.  Not a single one of them.  Fairy tails written for other purposes thousands of years ago do not define reality.  That black book is no reason to let madmen rhyme, but sadly 30% think poetry translated through multiple languages be magically real.  Like it was the word of god or something.  And for that people must die.

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 10, 2026, 04:04 PMRemember the last time it was the Doomsday for oil? 1979is still my favorite. The modern peak oilers didn't have nuttin compared to that global peak oil.

It's the same collapse.  It just has ebbs and flows.  '79 was an earlier stage with half the world current population and a lot more cheap oil still remaining.  This round is likely to be a bit tougher.  We'll know in a few months I think.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 10, 2026, 05:54 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 10, 2026, 04:04 PMRemember the last time it was the Doomsday for oil? 1979is still my favorite. The modern peak oilers didn't have nuttin compared to that global peak oil.

It's the same collapse.  It just has ebbs and flows.

I am just going by the definition you provided earlier is all. These collapses are tricky things, especially with your good definition.

Quote from: RE'79 was an earlier stage with half the world current population and a lot more cheap oil still remaining.  This round is likely to be a bit tougher.  We'll know in a few months I think.

RE

By 1979 the President had gone on TV and announced that the world would run out of oil by the end of the 80's. The concept hadn't been discredited yet by the internet and hangers on without two neurons to rub together but an urge to collect clicks and likes and whatnot.

In hindsight it certainly seems like a silly collapse meme back then, but it was as real in the moment as the peakers who began playing eeny meeny miney mo with 1990 global peak.

I'm willing to give it a few months before your definition of collapse shows up. Eat, drink and be merry because in a few months....want to make a bet on it happening?

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 10, 2026, 06:31 PMI'm willing to give it a few months before your definition of collapse shows up. Eat, drink and be merry because in a few months....want to make a bet on it happening?

As I recall I posted an AI generated definition which seemed reasonable.  Here's another.

Societal collapse is rarely a single, sudden event; it is often described as a "death from a thousand cuts" involving the gradual erosion of a society's foundations
. Researchers in collapsology and history identify several recurring indicators that a society is losing its resilience and complexity.
1. Political and Institutional Decay
The breakdown of governance and public trust is a primary precursor to collapse:

    Elite Overproduction: A surplus of highly educated or wealthy individuals competing for a limited number of elite positions, leading to intense infighting and factionalism.
    Widespread Corruption: Institutionalized corruption and "extractive institutions" that prioritize the enrichment of a small elite over the needs of the general population.
    Loss of Institutional Faith: A significant decline in public trust in government, religious, and legal institutions.
    Increased Surveillance: Governments may respond to growing unrest by expanding police and surveillance powers to maintain control.

2. Economic Fragility
Economic indicators often signal a society's inability to maintain its own complexity:

    Hyper-Inequality: Extreme wealth gaps where the vast majority of resources are held by a tiny fraction of the population, often leading to social friction and revolution.
    Currency Devaluation and Inflation: Historical examples, such as Rome, saw governments devaluing currency to pay off unsustainable national debts, resulting in rampant inflation.
    Diminishing Returns (EROI): Joseph Tainter and other scholars highlight falling Energy Return on Investment—when the energy (or resources) required to maintain a society's complexity begins to outweigh the benefits.

3. Social and Cultural Fragmentation
The "social glue" that holds a civilization together begins to dissolve:

    Loss of Shared Values: The erosion or intense contesting of core cultural beliefs and ideologies that once provided unity.
    Extreme Polarization: A divided populace where political or social groups are no longer able to find middle ground, often characterized by "scapegoating" and internal strife.
    Decline in Innovation: A stagnation in intellectual and cultural pursuits, often accompanied by a "disinclination for abstract thinking".

4. Environmental and Demographic Stress
Physical limitations can act as "triggering mechanisms" for collapse:

    Resource Depletion: Overexploitation of vital resources (e.g., deforestation, soil exhaustion) beyond sustainable levels.
    Demographic "Busts": Sudden drops in population due to declining birth rates, disease outbreaks (pandemics), or mass migration.
    Inability to Manage Crises: A "critical slowing down" where the society recovers more and more slowly from external shocks like droughts or natural disasters.

5. Historical "Perfect Storms"
Experts like Eric Cline note that while single stressors (like a drought or an invasion) may not cause collapse, a "system collapse" often occurs when three or four such catastrophes happen in quick succession, creating a domino effect from which the society cannot recover.


If you use this definition, collapse is already here.  6 months from now it still will be, just with a range of new problems arising from this poorly thought out piece of geopolitical buffoonery.  I'm sure your ice maker will still work though.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 10, 2026, 11:38 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 10, 2026, 06:31 PMI'm willing to give it a few months before your definition of collapse shows up. Eat, drink and be merry because in a few months....want to make a bet on it happening?

As I recall I posted an AI generated definition which seemed reasonable.  Here's another.

Societal collapse is rarely a single, sudden event; it is often described as a "death from a thousand cuts" involving the gradual erosion of a society's foundations
. Researchers in collapsology and history identify several recurring indicators that a society is losing its resilience and complexity.
1. Political and Institutional Decay
The breakdown of governance and public trust is a primary precursor to collapse:

    Elite Overproduction: A surplus of highly educated or wealthy individuals competing for a limited number of elite positions, leading to intense infighting and factionalism.
    Widespread Corruption: Institutionalized corruption and "extractive institutions" that prioritize the enrichment of a small elite over the needs of the general population.
    Loss of Institutional Faith: A significant decline in public trust in government, religious, and legal institutions.
    Increased Surveillance: Governments may respond to growing unrest by expanding police and surveillance powers to maintain control.

2. Economic Fragility
Economic indicators often signal a society's inability to maintain its own complexity:

    Hyper-Inequality: Extreme wealth gaps where the vast majority of resources are held by a tiny fraction of the population, often leading to social friction and revolution.
    Currency Devaluation and Inflation: Historical examples, such as Rome, saw governments devaluing currency to pay off unsustainable national debts, resulting in rampant inflation.
    Diminishing Returns (EROI): Joseph Tainter and other scholars highlight falling Energy Return on Investment—when the energy (or resources) required to maintain a society's complexity begins to outweigh the benefits.

3. Social and Cultural Fragmentation
The "social glue" that holds a civilization together begins to dissolve:

    Loss of Shared Values: The erosion or intense contesting of core cultural beliefs and ideologies that once provided unity.
    Extreme Polarization: A divided populace where political or social groups are no longer able to find middle ground, often characterized by "scapegoating" and internal strife.
    Decline in Innovation: A stagnation in intellectual and cultural pursuits, often accompanied by a "disinclination for abstract thinking".

4. Environmental and Demographic Stress
Physical limitations can act as "triggering mechanisms" for collapse:

    Resource Depletion: Overexploitation of vital resources (e.g., deforestation, soil exhaustion) beyond sustainable levels.
    Demographic "Busts": Sudden drops in population due to declining birth rates, disease outbreaks (pandemics), or mass migration.
    Inability to Manage Crises: A "critical slowing down" where the society recovers more and more slowly from external shocks like droughts or natural disasters.

5. Historical "Perfect Storms"
Experts like Eric Cline note that while single stressors (like a drought or an invasion) may not cause collapse, a "system collapse" often occurs when three or four such catastrophes happen in quick succession, creating a domino effect from which the society cannot recover.


If you use this definition, collapse is already here.  6 months from now it still will be, just with a range of new problems arising from this poorly thought out piece of geopolitical buffoonery.  I'm sure your ice maker will still work though.

RE

What AI did you use? That is a great definition of what is happening...collapse. Did you coach the AI with how you phrased your question or rapport with the AI. That makes such a difference in the way it responds. If you did "coach" it, good job!!! )

Quote from: Knarf on Mar 11, 2026, 05:00 AMWhat AI did you use? That is a great definition of what is happening...collapse. Did you coach the AI with how you phrased your question or rapport with the AI. That makes such a difference in the way it responds. If you did "coach" it, good job!!! )

No coaching, I just dropped "civilization collapse definition" into Google's search box and clicked on their AI button. This is what it coughed up.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 11, 2026, 09:24 AM

Quote from: Knarf on Mar 11, 2026, 05:00 AMWhat AI did you use? That is a great definition of what is happening...collapse. Did you coach the AI with how you phrased your question or rapport with the AI. That makes such a difference in the way it responds. If you did "coach" it, good job!!! )

No coaching, I just dropped "civilization collapse definition" into Google's search box and clicked on their AI button. This is what it coughed up.

RE

It must have smelled Peter Turchin's crotch at some point.  Elite Overproduction is his thing.  It gave a very impressive response.  It always does on a well traveled road.

* And he is mentioned in # 2

Quote from: RE on Mar 10, 2026, 11:38 PMIf you use this definition, collapse is already here.  6 months from now it still will be, just with a range of new problems arising from this poorly thought out piece of geopolitical buffoonery.  I'm sure your ice maker will still work though.

RE

If you change the definitions of words to mean something else, of course they will fit any circumstances you like. Your first definition was better, and didn't have that "let me explain everything to you like a baby" that AI answers often have.

Too bad doomer folks of yesteryear didn't think more carefully about being less absolute in the moment, they wouldn't have left so many examples around proving that true believers really are that first.

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 11, 2026, 04:02 PMIf you change the definitions of words to mean something else, of course they will fit any circumstances you like. Your first definition was better, and didn't have that "let me explain everything to you like a baby" that AI answers often have.

I didn't change anything.  Blame the AI.

Here's the 1st one:

The collapse of civilization means a complex society rapidly loses its large-scale institutions, cultural identity, and social complexity, leading to decentralization, violence, scarcity, and a regression to simpler, smaller-scale ways of living, often due to factors like war, famine, environmental disaster, or economic failure. It's characterized by a breakdown in governance, trade, and infrastructure, potentially leaving behind remnants of the past and forcing survivors into new, simpler societal structures or absorption by stronger groups

More concise, lacks the detail of #2.  They don't conflict though.

RE

QuoteBut at the same time, I think you should go to enormous lengths to avoid going to war unless you absolutely have to. But Israel has the opposite view. It lives by the sword. And I think if you live by the sword, you turn yourself into a modern version of Sparta, the end result is not going to be happy.

🚌 🍿  And here we are watching it happen.  Riding in the back seat of the bus eating popcorn while Bibi Netanyahu drives the bus.

 

In my line of work I deal with lots of middle-east clients (not Iranians those are avoided like the plague). What I hear, and this is second hand information from the bankers, is that there are more rockets, drones hitting targets than the Western media would have you believe.

UAE is being hit pretty hard but the government has attempted to put a brave face and the party line is to say it is all under control. People of UAE seem to be adopting this line to avoid any trouble. Reading between the lines things aren't so rosy. In other places like Kuwait they are more openly apprehensive about the amount of damage being done.

Our hub in UAE is closed and I have heard that some staff member's home in UAE got attacked my a drone and another experienced a near miss. Doesn't sound all pleasant.

Saying that I do feel the US will likely stop given attacking given they have little appetite in driving oil prices through the roof. Once America stops I am sure they will rein Israel in. Trump has never given a clear reason for this attack so it will be easier for him to claim victory given his he never defined what his objective was.

monsta, good to see you.

The lack of news proves to anybody interested that there are more rockets and drones hitting targets than we are told.  Americans unfortunately in general are not yet interested.

Iran's strategy will to make it hard, and expensive on gulf states to maintain their alliances with America.  They will continue to hit Israel and the gulf states to make it impossible to do business.  As they should.

When Iran has engendered the regime change the world desperately needs, and people rise up against tyranny. Iran can stop with the missiles, but not before.  The reason is simple.  Israel can't be trusted and does not want peace.  America is bought and paid for by Israel, and unlike other presidents who had more brains. Trump took Bibi's bait.  As long as Trump is in power America cannot be trusted.  Not for a minute or an inch.

Iran needs to cause pain because pain is the only way to stop our tyrants.

 

It's pretty much a given that FSoA state controlled media would downplay the Iranian retaliation to make it appear as unsuccessful as possible.  I'll also agree Trumpolini will go ahead and declare Victory, not the least of the reasons being they are running short on missiles to counter Iranian drones.  His declaration of victory also doesn't mean the Iranians surrender, and I doubt they'll let any shipping move through the straight until they get paid reparations, which of course El Trumpo won't do.

RE

Quotewhich of course El Trumpo won't do.

He can't pay reparations and claim that he kicked butt.  He will have to disguise it as investing in Iran.  Some sort of rebranding.  But Iran will not cooperate with Trump.  It is not in their interest to do so.

Seems pretty simple to me.  The only way to stop this war is to stop Trump.  Impeach his ass.

Right now he is claiming all this is a "short-term excursion" and that the U.S. has already "wiped every single force in Iran out."

More shit comes out of his mouth than comes out of his ass.  And it is known that plenty of shit comes out of Trump's ass.  Trump talks like a 7 year old child. : "wiped every single force in Iran out." really dude?  Is that even remotely presidential?  No it is not.


Children think death is not real.

"wiped every single force in Iran out."

Trump thinks like a child and he pretends death is not real.  Or Trump does not care about other people.

Which is it?

Both are true.  And both are a consequence of Trump's high-octane daddy issues.


When is this mad pony going to be reigned in?

* At his own father's funeral, Trump spoke almost entirely about himself and his own 'achievements'.  Currently  the White House is beginning to talk about "The Great Persian Reconstruction" even as active strikes continue.

Gas prices in the Seattle area are surging as international conflict in Iran disrupts oil shipments and creates market uncertainty. According to AAA data, the statewide average for a gallon of gas has increased by almost 60 cents over the past month.

The price spike has pushed averages across the Puget Sound region significantly higher. As of Monday morning, average prices were recorded at $4.88 in King County, $4.67 in Snohomish County, and $4.69 in Pierce County, according to AAA.

Gas prices go up and Trump gets richer.  Bibi does ethnic cleansing as 100,000 people have to move out of south Lebanon under threat of Death. U.S. tax dollars are helping it happen.

Trump has to go.  The longer Trump acts out, the more people will die.  As he degrades, Trump's rage becomes ever more random.  Trump's death lottery is coming for you.  This is no joke.  People are going up in smoke.  Six months ago what is happening now was a mad fantasy.  Now as the mad fantasy comes true ask yourself what could be true in six more months.

Are you afraid to stop evil?

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 12, 2026, 01:37 PMSeems pretty simple to me.  The only way to stop this war is to stop Trump.  Impeach his ass.

Yes....look how well it worked all those other times. Please.

What a school shooting in Iran looks like.

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 12, 2026, 07:15 PM

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 12, 2026, 01:37 PMSeems pretty simple to me.  The only way to stop this war is to stop Trump.  Impeach his ass.

Yes....look how well it worked all those other times. Please.

Trump is not worth WWIII even if you like him.

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 12, 2026, 01:37 PMSeems pretty simple to me.  The only way to stop this war is to stop Trump.  Impeach his ass.

Impeachment still depends on fair elections followed by hearings in both houses of CONgress where a 2/3rds majority votes to pitch him out, followed by him actually accepting the result, or getting the military to forcibly evict him, since the DoJ is stacked with his appointees.  IOW, far from a sure thing.

It isn't the only way either, as Kennedy and Lincoln found out.  While no POTUS has ever been successfully impeached, assassinations have been successful in the past.  This of course would cause its own set of problems so not a great solution either.

In the event impeachment is successful, sending him to the Hague to be put on trial for War Crimes would also be a wise move, to dissuade future POTUSES from following his precedent, as well as restoring global confidence in FSoA adherence to the rule of law.

Any of these outcomes will also have negative consequences.  The lost faith  won't be restored automatically, and polarization will likely increase.  That makes outcomes like Civil War or Secession more likely.

No matter what, we're unlikely to see a return to "normal" as in the FSoA goobermint pre Trump.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 12, 2026, 07:18 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 12, 2026, 07:15 PM

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 12, 2026, 01:37 PMSeems pretty simple to me.  The only way to stop this war is to stop Trump.  Impeach his ass.

Yes....look how well it worked all those other times. Please.

Trump is not worth WWIII even if you like him.

Trump isn't worth...anything. Regardless of whether or not someone likes him. But impeachment as effective action is like claiming that if the Titanic could have been saved if the passengers had all picked up water glasses and started  bailing it out by hand.

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 13, 2026, 04:00 PMBut impeachment as effective action is like claiming that if the Titanic could have been saved if the passengers had all picked up water glasses and started  bailing it out by hand.

Unfortunately under the FSoA system it's the only legal method available.  If we had a Parliamentary system, a no-confidence vote for the goobermint could force a new election, but 1st off we don't run that system and 2nd it only works with multiple parties and we only have two viable ones.

Monarchies and Dictatorships are even worse, there your only options are assassinations or Coup d'Etats, which aren't legal unless successful.  If unsuccessful, those trying to eliminate the offending tyrant risk death or imprisonment so they gotta be pretty sure they'll succeed.  That's why so many senators stuck their knives into Caesar.

Given this reality, what would you suggest to remedy the situation?  You have an alternative I haven't thought of?

RE

 



You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. 

The pen strokes and utterances of a leader have consequences.  There are human heartbeats on the other end of them.  Were there to be  a higher judgment then every life lost by a line item is a life to be answered for.  Regardless of justification.  If there is a judgement, Trump is a crispy critter.

 

If "winning" the war means we'll have more regular terrorist attacks, less safe shipping & air travel and higher oil & food prices, Trumpoolini's Operation Epic Fail war can definitely be counted as a raging success.  Sadly, noone besides the Mad King himself would use those metrics.

As always, Trumpsky's narrative has little connection to reality, he  merely thinks whatever he says and wants to be true is the truth, and in his own mind once he has said it, it becomes the truth.  In everyone else's mind however, it becomes quite difficult to accept as the truth when bombs continue  exploding and people continue dying after the victory.

The reality is this war has always been even more impossible to "win" than Afghanistan or Vietnam was.  Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of history and geopolitics knows this, but that's irrelevant when you have an ideologically driven moron backed by a loyal following of even stupider MAGAotts running the show.  Terminating his Presidency ASAP at the earliest opportunity is the only chance we have of avoiding WWIII.

QuoteTerminating his Presidency ASAP at the earliest opportunity is the only chance we have of avoiding WWIII.

There should be a translate button on your address bar next to the bookmarks star for these articles.

A rare photo of an uncensored missile attack.



I don't think she asked Rubio.

 

40 years after 1984, George Orwell's Newspeak is in full bloom: Truth is Lies & War is Peace.

Does Pinochio Trump even know what the truth is?  Probably not, I doubt he reads the classified daily updates even if his staff drops them on his desk.  At 2AM when he  drops a Tweet down on Social Media, it's not coming from any report or meeting.  It's just what wants to be true as he squeezes another Turd out his fat ass and into the toilet to match the shit coming off his keyboard and into cyberspace.  The rest of us are swimming in a world awash with Trumpian fecal matter.  It surrounds us all in a fetid, stinking shitpile from which there is no escape.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 14, 2026, 01:08 AMGiven this reality, what would you suggest to remedy the situation?  You have an alternative I haven't thought of?
RE

Replace every Republicrat with a Democan at mid-terms? That would certainly allow impeachment, but more importantly enough of a swing in the Senate to convict this time.

Quote from: TDoS on Mar 14, 2026, 07:49 PM

Quote from: RE on Mar 14, 2026, 01:08 AMGiven this reality, what would you suggest to remedy the situation?  You have an alternative I haven't thought of?
RE

Replace every Republicrat with a Democan at mid-terms? That would certainly allow impeachment, but more importantly enough of a swing in the Senate to convict this time.

We could be zombies by then.  And there will be thousands, perhaps millions that will certainly be turning to dust.

QuoteThe question isn't whether Trump is clueless about the war in Iran, it's why

Clueless is as clueless does.  If Trump moves against the Kharg Island Iranian oil terminal, then all the terminals in the gulf will burn and nobody gets any oil.  For Iran it will be a smart move because there will be no occupying of Iran by American troops with the world in a global depression.





 

 

Anyone who does not know the reason for this warr was to raise oil prices is an idiot.

RE

 





I had to post this article because as soon as I saw Wright's hands up.  The meme flashed in front of my eyes.

Quote from: RE on Mar 15, 2026, 01:17 PM

Anyone who does not know the reason for this warr was to raise oil prices is an idiot.

RE

Oil companies did not start this war, but now that they have one they will raise prices.  And for them the law of gravity may not apply.  What goes up may not come down. 

Higher prices can stimulate oil business activities in Venezuela.  This is classic Trump.  When Trump fucks up he first blames other people and then repackages his defeat so that he can call it a win.  Failure rebranded.  Operation Epstein Fury mayhem solves many of Trump's troubles.  He can repackage himself.  No longer the convicted felon compulsive lying pedophile; Trump becomes the new Andrew Jackson.


Bringing with him a brand new trail of tears.

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 15, 2026, 02:56 PMOil companies did not start this war

You sure about that?  Remember, right after Vz Trumpolini met with Oil CEOs and they told him they were not interested in developing it.  I could easily see one of them saying "It would be a different story of course if Iranian or Saudi Oil flow was interrupted by a war with Israel."  Then HRH Trump calls up Bibi on the hot line and suggests he deep six the Ayatollah.

RE

You don't think that they would know all the port facilities on the south side of the gulf will go up in flames?  People with any brains have been able to figure out that hitting tankers is unnecessary if you hit Ras Tanura with a few missiles.  I can't believe I am the only one who has figured this out.  The oil execs would know the risks.  But you may have a point.  Trump's ears hear the words he wants to hear, and sometimes that does not match what was said.

 

Yea, right.  The FSoA Navy won't go in there because it's too risky, & Trumpolini expects the Eurotrash to do it?  For a war he started and didn't so much as give them a heads-up on?  The same folks he has been dropping punitive tariffs on?

I'm getting a little tired of these military adventures being called "wars".  Wars are where people fight each other.  These things are just Bombing Campaigns.  Trumpolini wants to win a war with no casualties,  where only the other guys get killed.  Problem is, simply destroying property and killing mostly civilians doesn't win anything.  You have to actually take over the machinery of state and run the place, and that takes people.  No matter how long they bomb they can't win.  They'll flatten Tehran, but that just makes it harder for anyone to govern the country.  For the place to become a going concern again, the destroyed infrastructure will need to be rebuilt, and that will be even more expensive and time consuming than the bombing campaign.  It's ridiculous.

RE

Pussy war?  An ethnic cleansing?  It is anything but an 'adventure', and I particularly loath 'Kinetic Response'.


A pussy started it, that is for fucking sure.

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 16, 2026, 05:18 PMPussy war?  An ethnic cleansing?  It is anything but an 'adventure', and I particularly loath 'Kinetic Response'.

OK, how about "Military Clusterfuck"?

RE

Yesterday I said the port facilities would go up in flames.  Trump pushed, messed with Kharg Island and Trump was sent a message for it.

 
Total failure.  Iran can hold the whole world hostage and there is nothing Trump can do about it except take his lumps.









The honorable thing to do would be for Trump to go Japanese.









 

Everybody is lining up to make a deal with Trump.

 

Quote from: RE on Mar 16, 2026, 05:27 PM

Quote from: K-Dog on Mar 16, 2026, 05:18 PMPussy war?  An ethnic cleansing?  It is anything but an 'adventure', and I particularly loath 'Kinetic Response'.

OK, how about "Military Clusterfuck"?

RE

What we have is a modern siege.  Once upon a time when a warlike state invaded another nation for plunder and raw materials they could only stay for a period of time dictated by the agricultural cycle.  In ancient times the majority of soldiers were peasant farmers.  An army that stayed afield too long risked total collapse of the food supply at home.  The harvest and sowing seasons could not be ignored.

This relates, if the shutdown lasts into April the economic hit will shift from short term shock to systemic collapse.  Oil is the lifeblood of modernity.

It is a war for sure.  All Iran has to do is wait for Trump to be ripped apart by his own people since Trump is not man enough to go Japanese.  There is no way Trump can spin his murderous blunder into a win.  This is Trump's Waterloo.

Hey America, How does it feel to be Israel's bitch.

 

America watches through a keyhole while Bibi and Trump have gay sex.  America the Cuk.  Nothing but higher prices, and a world full of disgust and hate for America.  Iran was no threat to America.  None at all.  For murderous Israel, America sacrifices.

America gains nothing from any of this.

 

Some of MAGA feels betrayed.

QuoteAmerica gains nothing from any of this.

No, but the Exxon shareholders are happy.!

RE

More on the gay sex Trump is having with Bibi.

 

 

Amazing how Wall Street will jump on Tweets from Trumpolini without accepting the obvious realities.  There's no dialogue with the Iranians, regardless of his pronouncements.  There's no way His Trumpness and the Ayatollah are going to run the Straight of Hormuz "together". lol.  There's no way the FSoA is going to pay reparations and grovel apologetically.  Most of all, there's NO FUCKING WAY the oil supply market will return to normal in 2026.

Regardless of all of this, it's being ignored and they go ahead and bid upp the market simply because El Trumpo makes an obviously false statement based on his own fantasies.

On the upside, the return to reality should be spectacular.

RE

QuoteEl Trumpo makes an obviously false statement based on his own fantasies.

And still people believe him.

The idea that Trump has got some sense, well we have made that mistake before.  Lets not even go there.  Trump's brain is rotting away, and if you think it can improve then you are delusional.  Likely Trump is just buying time for things to get in place before he attempts to grab Kharg or attempt some other madness.  Trump wants to grab Iran by the pussy.  That has not changed.  Grabbing is all Trump knows how to do.




Potential talks.  That is a joke,  The first side to talk in this mess admits they are defeated.  Iran knows Israel has other intentions than peace, and there has not yet been enough pain for Trump to throw Israel under the bus as he will have to before this is over.  But as things are today, Trump will throw America under the bus before he throws Israel under it. 

Before Iran can get a peace they can live with Iran will have to throw America into a 1929 style depression.  That is their plan, and they will prevail.  America will be dragged under the Iran bus since America has no real leadership who can deal with this mess.  Our leadership makes these messes so expecting them to deal with the problem is delusionally nuts.  Our leadership made the mess.  Economic warfare is an appropriate plan for Iran.  Iran did not ask to be bombed, and despite what knuckle-dragging Americans say, Iran was not a threat to begin with.  But now, thanks to Trump and crew, they are.

 

With no good options available, you can count on Trumpolini to choose the worst one.  Kharg Island seems the most likely, even though the main result would be to further restrict global energy supply for a longer period of time.  It's unlikely to do anything to get the Iranians to surrender.  However, Trumpolini's moving 5000 grunts halfway around the world.  He's not doing that to have them sit on the boat twidling their thumbs.

RE

Another video from Iran.  Madmen are running this war.  Dropping mines from airplanes.  Of course America will say the Israelis did it.  Nobody takes responsibility

• New Weapon Deployed — Magnetic Mines Strike Civilian Village Near Shiraz, Iran
  Reporter: Demetri Lceris | Outlet: Reason to Resist
  Date of Recording: March 26, 2026 | Location: Jamal Abad village, near Shiraz, Iran
  
  1. INTRODUCTION & NEW WEAPON DEPLOYMENT
  On the night of March 25–26, 2026, the Israeli or American Air Force dropped a new type of munition on the village of Jamal Abad near Shiraz. The munition disperses magnetic mines over a wide area—similar to a cluster munition—designed to disable armored vehicles. However, it was deployed over a civilian village with no apparent military presence or facility.
  
  Key Facts:
  
  • Type of Munition: Disperses 70–72 magnetic mines per projectile
    
  • Intended Use: Designed to disable/destroy armored vehicles
    
  • Actual Deployment: Dropped on a densely populated civilian village
    
  • First Use in War: Iranian media report this is the first time this munition has been used by US/Israeli forces in Iran during this war
    
  • Significance: Described as a "very significant escalation"
    
  2. DANGERS & CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MINES
  
  Activation Triggers
  
  • Can be triggered by cell phone devices (reporters instructed to put phones on airplane mode)
  • May be set with timers to detonate at fixed times
  • Sensitive to heat
  • Rain and soil pressure may trigger detonation
  
  Blast Radius
  
  • Shrapnel and projectiles can reach up to 40 meters
  
  Detection Challenges
  
  • Mines may become buried underground, making them invisible
  • Raining conditions increase danger as mines may be covered or triggered by pressure
  • Houses and lands that are unoccupied may contain undetected mines
  
  3. CASUALTIES IN JAMALABAD VILLAGE
  
  First Casualty: Woman Killed in Her Kitchen
  
  • Circumstances: A woman was killed in her kitchen while cooking
    
  Second Casualty: Man Killed, Another Maimed
  
  • Circumstances: A man approached a mine to pick it up
    
  • Result: He was killed; another individual lost an arm and a leg
    
  Third Casualty: Young Father (Approx. 30 Years Old)
  
  • Name: Not provided in transcript
    
  • Age: In his 30s
    
  • Family: Survived by a 4-month-old son and his wife
    
  • Circumstances: A mine dropped near his location; he approached it and it exploded
    
  • Location: His home; family members were mourning inside
    
  • Vehicle Damage: His car was riddled with shrapnel holes; blood visible at the scene
    
  • Wall Damage: A wall was fully destroyed by the blast
    
  • Extended Family Present: Uncles, cousins, and the martyr's mother were present
    
  Additional Discovery in Tehran
  
  • On the morning of March 26, similar mines were found in two neighborhoods in Tehran
  • The deployment is not isolated to Shiraz
  
  4. LOCAL RESPONSE & ON-GROUND CONDITIONS
  
  Marking of Dangerous Areas
  
  • Residents and security teams are marking houses where mines have been found with symbols next to doors to warn others
  
  Ongoing Risks
  
  • Security teams have been working since the night of the attack to neutralize mines
  • Some mines have been exploded in controlled demolitions
  • The reporter was unable to witness a controlled explosion due to the security team's absence
  
  Villager's Defiance (Interview with Local Resident)
  
  • Question: "Don't you fear?"
    
  • Response: "Never. If I will die here, I never move from here."
    
  • On Being Defeated: "We won't be defeated even every day they bombing us, bombarding us."
    
  5. REPORTER'S CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS (Demetri Lceris)
  
  
  • He described the scene as "gruesome and distressing," noting that the head of one victim was still lying on the ground at the time of reporting.
  • He stated the attack was "very fresh" and authorities had not yet had the opportunity to fully deal with the aftermath.
  • As a lawyer, he was asked for his views on what was witnessed; he noted the illegality of deploying such weaponry in a civilian area.
  • He concluded by sharing that a video would be provided showing a controlled explosion of one of the mines to demonstrate its lethality.
  • Sign-off: March 26, 2026, from a village on the outskirts of Shiraz, Iran.
  
  KEY DATA SUMMARY
  
  
  • Date of Attack: Night of March 25–26, 2026
    
  • Date of Recording: March 26, 2026
    
  • Location: Jamal Abad village, near Shiraz, Iran
    
  • Weapon Type: Magnetic mine-dispersing munition (first use in this war)
    
  • Mines Per Projectile: Approximately 70–72
    
  • Blast Radius: Up to 40 meters
    
  • Confirmed Casualties: At least 3 killed (woman in kitchen; man who approached mine; young father age ~30)
    
  • Other Injuries: One individual lost arm and leg
    
  • Orphaned Child: 4-month-old boy
    
  • Additional Locations: Similar mines found in two Tehran neighborhoods on March 26
    
  
  End of Extraction
  
  

(https://chasingthesquirrel.com/public/pics/jamalabad.jpg)

Their crime is to live in the time of Trump.

 

I've never understood why anyone agrees to not build nukes as long as the FSoA, Russia & China have them.  I wouldn't stop until they disarm all theirs.

RE

Quote from: RE on Mar 30, 2026, 03:14 PM

I've never understood why anyone agrees to not build nukes as long as the FSoA, Russia & China have them.  I wouldn't stop until they disarm all theirs.

RE

An armed society is a polite society.  I agree with Hasan Piker.

Every Sovereign nation should have one nuke each.  Then nobody can use one.







 



* Patriotic Vision (PVA) of which Mohamad Safa was a part, is an international organization with special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York since 2018. (http://pva-lb.org/reports/2024eng.pdf)

 

Go FSoA! See how tough I am?  No Fuckee with Trumpee!

RE

 

Can't wait to hear the next pile of steaming shit to spew out of his mouth.  Actually, read the synopsis since I can't stand listening to him speak.

So the latest idea is to claim victory and leave the straight closed?  How does he sell that one?

RE

 
In an address on Wednesday evening, Trump said "regime change has occurred" in Iran, and that the US is "on track to fulfill all its objectives very soon."  "Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks," Trump said.

How long?  That's EZ.  Indefinitely.

Hegseth just fired the top General, undoubtedly because he informed him of this fairly obvious statate of affairs.

While the Iranian regime can survive even while their infrastructure gets bombed back to the stone age and anyone who has a problem with that there will be given a first class ticket to join his ancestors, Trumpolini and the rest of the industrialized nations can only last until the Bond Vigilantes reprice USTs to the value of the toilet paper they're printed on.  At a certain point in this mess, our friends at the PBoC will exercise the Nuclear Option, and I'm not talking about the kind loaded onto ICBMs.  The FSoA has $30T in debt that has to be rolled over, and they're not gonna find a whole lotta buyers while the oil is penned up in the Gulf of Oman.  Considering relations with the Eurotrash, Da Fed isn't gonna be able to use the Belgians to buy their own debt either, and mortgages and corporate paper interest rates spike as a result.  PK & M E-E know this, but they would spook the market if they said it.  I am under no such constraint. 😀

"Whether Trump walks away or escalates by putting US troops on the ground, there is no clear path towards to removing Tehran's ability to exert leverage over supplies.  A quick victorious war and a quick regime change in Tehran do not look plausible.

"If the bar for the Iranian regime is sustaining some low-level threat to the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, it can likely do this for the foreseeable future," said Campbell."

Indeed.  What does look plausible is a credit lockup that makes 2008 look like the days of wine & roses.

RE

 
A brief review of American naval history shows how this shift came about, and casts doubt on whether Washington is ready for the future of naval war.


One of the main problems with military strategists is they often build their armies based on their experience in the last war.  This leads to building systems easily defeated or circumvented by new technologies or strategies.  The Maginot Line is the classic example, built based on the experience of WWI, it was vulnerable to the "Blitzkrieg" strategy pursued by the Nazis in WWII.

The same is now true for the Carrier Group, the very expensive flagship of FSoA Naval Power which has been used to dominate the world militarily since WWII.  Those days are over, which some military strategists realize, but dimwits like Trumpolini and most Repugnant War Hawks don't yet grasp.

I have explained many times in the past why the Normandy style invasion of WWII could never be pulled off today by either the FSoA, China or Russia, the 3 biggest military powers.  Ships at sea are simply too slow moving and vulnerable to much cheaper ballistic & cruise missiles and unmanned drones.  A ship full of grunts heading for some beach is much more likely to have Davey Jones Locker as its final destination than a beachhead.

This is a big playing field leveler for poorer, less technologically advanced countries, and the effectiveness of war to achieve political or economic control over other countries has become vastly diminished.  Perhaps this reality will be grasped in the aftermath of this war.

As it stands, we look to be moving into a period of economic siege warfare, where the side that can last longest under deprivations of war is most likely to win.  Winning here is a relative term though, since both sides are economically damaged by the war.  It's not even a Zero Sum Game, it's negative for everyone.  It will be a very expensive lesson for those who advocate for war to solve political and economic conflict.

RE

A reward will be given to the person who captures the American pilot alive, Iranian state television announced.  According to the statement, the police department of the Kohgiluyeh region has promised a reward to those who assist in capturing the pilot or pilots of a US fighter jet shot down in Iranian airspace.

 

This will give Trumpolinii some heartburn.

RE

He will have more than heartburn if this comes out. 



Almost 750 U.S. troops have been wounded or killed in the Middle East since October 2023, an analysis by The Intercept has found. But the Pentagon won't acknowledge it.

Since 2023?  That goes back to the Uncle Joe years.

RE

 
Hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery. The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported.

No big surprise that Trumpolini has been covering up the destruction of FSoA Airbases in Saudi, Kuwait and Bahrain.  I'd also still bet given that level of destruction that the current claim that only 13 grunts have been killed is a pile of horseshit. 😒

His Trumpness must be wildly pissed off at WaPo & Bezos for doing an end-around on FSoA censorship of Satellite Imagery and getting the facts out. 😁  Jeffy finally does something worthwhile with his media acquisition.

Obviously this clarifies why the Trumpenator wanted a Ceasefire, besides being short on Ammo, half their operating bases have suffered near total destruction and they're short on planes and radar installations.  Also why the war isn't close to being over and Hormuz reopened for shipping the Black Gold to power Happy Motoring and factories around the world.

The Market of course is still in denial and posting record highs on days El Trumpo makes a new claim that "Peace is Just Around the Corner".  When reality finally sets in maybe around Harvest Time, the bloodbath will be worth the wait.

RE

Quotegiven that level of destruction that the current claim that only 13 grunts have been killed is a pile of horseshit. 😒

It makes you wonder why they even fessed up to 13.

Quote from: K-Dog on May 07, 2026, 12:42 PM

Quotegiven that level of destruction that the current claim that only 13 grunts have been killed is a pile of horseshit. 😒

It makes you wonder why they even fessed up to 13.

They went down in highly visible plane crashes.  Iranian media crowed about it. Grunts on the ground, not so visible.

In this case among the many buildings totally demolished were BARRACKS, where MIRACULOUSLY there were no grunts asleep, smoking reefer or jerking off to internet porn.🙄

RE

And they have stuff they have not even tried out. The dolphin threat.

 

A cross between a submarine and a mine.  I'll guess the things listen to sonic commands like watchdogs would.  Sick em boy!



Do you think so?

As the world goes medieval as fast as the moon circles, perhaps letting the only adults in the room have the same adult toys the children in the room have could be seen as a reasonable concession.  It could even be seen as the smart thing to do.  I'm with Hassan Piker.  Every country over a certain size should have a bomb.

QuoteAn armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.

In the case of Iran, a half dozen tactical nukes might count as their single big nuke.  Each with in an escort of a dozen decoys.  That way peace can be kept when the outlaws come to town.

Quote from: K-Dog on May 10, 2026, 07:50 PMIn the case of Iran, a half dozen tactical nukes might count as their single big nuke.  Each with in an escort of a dozen decoys.  That way peace can be kept when the outlaws come to town.

I tend to agree that if 1 nation has them, they all should have the same right.  Small & Weak nations that can't afford a big military particularly need them.  It would stop big nations from attacking with conventional weapons & "bombing them back to the stone age".  Or at least think twice before doing so.

The main problem is that if lots of small countries with unstable goobermints have them, what happens when the country gets into a civil war?  Also, the increased potential for non-state actors to have a nuke.  Say here in the FSoA if the Proud Boys or Ku Klux Klan got a nuke?

Frankly, the technology isn't very complex, it's mainly an engineering issue for Uranium enrichment.  I'm sure the North Koreans could ramp up their production and sell tactical nukes on the retail arms market.  Good source of revenue.

RE

I'd love to be able to interrupt an American politician in the middle of saying:

Iran Can't have nuclear weapons.

I'd grab the mike and say:

Why the fuck not.

And I'd be thinking.

Why the fuck not you political hack of an asshole. What are they going to do with them that you wouldn't do.  Let's start there.  What kind of rotten filth lines your brain-pan so that you think a civilized nation is all about playing G.I. Joe.  Not ours, I mean a real civilized nation.  You have a case of arrested development?  Seems to me you MAGA asshole that your elevator can't even make it up to the second floor.  Not everyone is an adult child like you are.  Grow the fuck up.  Too long have I been tolerant of this ignorant painful and evil stupidity.


And if I we XI I'd throw Trump's ass in a Chinese prison as soon as he arrives.  Not to see the light of day until Maduro is back in Caracas holding a press conference.

QuoteDefeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be "open," as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world. The roles of China and Russia, as Iran's allies, are strengthened; the role of the United States, substantially diminished.

The consequences of letting a bully of an adult child run the show.  America thought the orange cookie thief would give them a cookie.  That he would share.  But the power obsessed do not share.  So it goes, when putting a sucker on the hook is very easy when you exploit GREED.  Power obsessed people know about greed.  Exploiting greed means you only have to make promises like 'make America great again.'  Having an actual plan to do so is totally unnecessary since America's greed prevents any consideration of consequences.

So Trump thinks:

And since talking shit and having no plan works so well, why not start a war without a plan too.  The suckers will believe anything I tell them.  They have so far.  They always do.

QuoteIran experts have noted, the regime in Tehran currently stands to emerge from the crisis much stronger than it was before the war, having not only retained its potential nuclear capacity but also gained control of an even more effective weapon: the ability to hold the global energy market hostage. When the Iranians talk of "reopening" the strait, they still mean to keep the strait under their control. Iran will be able not only to demand tolls for passage, but to limit transit to those nations with which it has good relations. If a nation behaves in a way that Iran's rulers don't like, they will be able to exact punishment merely by slowing, or even threatening to slow, the flow of that nation's cargo ships in and out of the strait.

To benefit himself Trump has locked America into ineluctable decline.  To some, that defines a traitor.

Quote from: K-Dog on May 11, 2026, 09:37 AMAnd if I we XI I'd throw Trump's ass in a Chinese prison as soon as he arrives.  Not to see the light of day until Maduro is back in Caracas holding a press conference.

It would be great if he was tried in absentia at the Hague for War Crimes and an International Warrant for his arrest put out by Interpol.😀  Then he could be arrested anytime he lands outside the FSoA on Air Force 1.

Quote from: RE on May 11, 2026, 05:35 PMIt would be great if he was tried in absentia at the Hague for War Crimes and an International Warrant for his arrest put out by Interpol.😀  Then he could be arrested anytime he lands outside the FSoA on Air Force 1.

An arrest warrant from the Hague.  That makes me think of springtime freshness.

Magically delightful.

 

Unfortunately, Nitwityahoo will remain Acting PM until they can form a new Goobermint.  Also, whoever new is picked will probably be a Right Wingnut, since the Conservative Party has a plurality of MPs.  Only the Lefties in the Liberal party are anti war there.

RE

The silence surrounding these crimes once again underlines the extent to which Israel's actions are whitewashed - and the extent to which Palestinian suffering is treated as though it simply does not matter.

Mother-Rapers! Father-stabbers! Father-Rapers! -Arlo Guthrie "Alice's Restaurant Massacree

Even Arlo didn't run into any DOG-RAPERS back in the 'Nam days. Times change.


RE

 Changing modes of capitalism have ended up as that skewed form of imperialism that now propels war with Iran. The message of Marxist analyst Samir Amin resonates: "[C]apitalism is incapable of overcoming its fundamental contradictions." (2) That would be so, especially if working people, the great mass of humanity, rise up, mobilize, and say, No!

This will be no surprise to Diners familiar with Marxist analysis and the ongoing crisis in Capitalist economics, but the Iran war has little to do with the Iranian Nuke Program and much more to do with the waning power of the FSoA Dollar as the only financial debt instrument available for the Oil Trade on the Nation-State level.

The rise of the Chinese Renminby as the debt instrument of choice for evading economic sanctions and the advent of the BRICS clearing system for trades enables Oil trade completely independent of SWIFT & the Petrodollar, so the loss of this financial control system has driven FSoA Imperialists to attempt the physical control over the choke points of the global ocean based transportation of the oil.  This motivated the action against Venezuela directly before the Iran war, and also the threats to Cuba, Greenland and Canada to their sovereignty.

Will the escalating crisis lead to a workers revolt and the collapse of the Dollar as World Reserve Currency?  Will that lead inexorably to WWIII and direct conflict between thee FSoA and the PRoC?  It's looking more likely all the time, and this week's meeting between His Royal Chumpness and Xi may provide some clues.

RE

Writing in The Atlantic, Kagan said the damage inflicted by the conflict cannot be reversed.  "There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done," he concluded bleakly.

FINALLY, some GOOD NEWZ about the war in Iran! 😀  Off the keyboard of a certified Neocon Jackass, no less.  Rarely are we treated to such a happy moment worthy of celebration and gloating!

The only bad aspects of the collapsing FSoA imperialist adventurism is in the near term that it will do increasingly stupid things trying to maintain its "preeminence", and in the longer term won't do much besides perhaps slightly slow the ongoing Collapse of Industrial Civilization.  It's far too late to repair the damage already done and there still is no replacement for the ever dwindling resources of energy, water and minerals necessary to maintain the current technological standard of living and population size.  The Great Dieoff of Homo Sapiens on Planet Earth will arrive regardless.  In fact it probably has already begun.

In the distant future however, life will go on for millions more years until the Sun goes Red Giant, any Homo Saps who do survive or evolve into something else will have the chance to start over and not repeat the mistakes made in the Age of Fossil Fuels.  You can't make an Omelet without Breaking a few Eggs. 😀

RE

 

Remembering that the original text is in Farsi explains the choice of words.

Quoteexcessive demands and lack of realism

 Trump said he received requests from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Cain should still "be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached," Trump said.

Trumpolini Always Chickens Out...again.  Tomorrow is Tuesday, so he "cancelled" the attack which he had not even announced before announcing the cancellation.  lol.  The market has taken a beating last couple of sessions, so obviously he's trying to juice it.  You'll know when the bombs actually will fall when a mysterious Whale takes $1B Short on the S&P.

Supposedly this is because Iran is suddenly ready to deal, because his latest threats were so much more scary than the last dozen times he's threatened them with TOTAL ANNIHILIATION.  Didn't his mom ever read The Boy Who Cried Wolf to him at bedtime?

We're now less than 2 weeks from June, the point at which most of the pundits have predicted the "cushion" of oil in storage will be mostly depleted and real shortages will develop in the market that will start a bidding war for available product.  It's also when the window closes for fertilizer application in the Northern Hemisphere.  I would be seriously concerned with the Rice production in India, where 4/5 of their fertilizer production facilities are shut down.  Famine in India could easily wipe 100M people out in a couple of months.


RE

 When the conflict began, warnings of another "forever war" seemed exaggerated. No longer. As matters stand, the negative international humanitarian, economic and geopolitical fallout from this fiasco looks set to prove more permanently globally damaging than any of those past US-made disasters.  That being the case, an urgent question arises, not least today as reports suggest the US president and his secretary of war are planning to rain more bombs on Iran: who will stop Donald Trump?

This approach certainly should be tried, but unfortunately it's not likely to work and at worst could backfire badly.

The first problem is I'm not sure you could get all the countries on board with sanctions of the FSoA that really bite.  Many are quite dependent on the FSoA for more than just military aid.  Food is a big export item, and it wouldn't be easily replaced.

The bigger problem though is Trumpolini's psychology.  Everybody lining up against him would increase his paranoia and increase the likelihood of him ordering the use of nuke weapons.  Then it would depend on the Generals refusing to follow the orders, and so far I haven't seen any indication they have enough backbone to do that.

The only plausible legal solution at this point is if the Repugnants lose both houses of CONgress and an Impeachment is successful.  However even that requires the conflict to stay at relatively low level until Nov, and then probably at least 3 months for the Impeachment hearings.  By the time he's out of office, the global economy will be toast and food and energy shortages will be widespread.  We're probably already guaranteed millions will die, this solution just gives it a chance of not escalating to 10s or 100s of millions.

Unfortunately, there's no plausible legal solution to the Trump problem.  A Coup d'Etat could work, but that also would take backbone from the Generals and might star a Civil War.  It's a major Wicked Problem.

RE

 
A deal could end a conflict that has choked global energy markets and pushed U.S. inflation to its highest level in years. "An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries," Trump said in a social media post. The agreement includes a memorandum of understanding as a first phase, Iran's foreign ministry said, before broader talks within 30 to 60 days.

Yea, right.  What does IRAN say?

Iran's Fars news agency reported the Strait ⁠of Hormuz would remain under Iran's management, according ⁠to ‌the latest ⁠exchanged text between Iran and ‌the U.S. The report dismissed ‌Trump's ⁠announcement of reopening ⁠the ⁠strait as part of a "largely ‌negotiated" deal as "incomplete and inconsistent with reality."

Reading between the lines, the "deal" is just the "memo of understanding" which states that they'll keep talking about it and keep disagreeing on the fundamental points.  Iran at some point MIGHT agree not to work on nuke weapons, but they will not do that unless at least $100B in war reparations are paid and ALL sanctions are lifted AND they can collect tolls on Hormuz.  Those are conditions Trumpolini can't agree to without looking like a total fool.  Which he is of course.   He also is in desperate need of a reality check.

Don't count on ships lighting up their Bunker Fuel burners and steaming out of Hormuz loaded with Oil anytime soon.

RE

 

Quote from: Chump
Donald Trump, the head of the U.S. terrorist state, said the final details of the deal with Iran are being discussed.

The check is in the mail.🙄

RE

The Iranians, of course, immediately disputed this characterization, and by the next day, Trump was backpedaling. "If I make a deal with Iran," he posted this afternoon, "it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon." The agreement that was only a day earlier "largely negotiated" was now only a notional memorandum, and Trump griped that it was unfair to criticize it because "nobody has seen it, or knows what it is," and it "isn't even fully negotiated yet."

As usual, you heard it here 1st!  As I predicted, the so-called "agreement" was merely a memo of shit to discuss in future as yet unscheduled meetings while the "ceasefire" keeps firing and a couple of Chinese boats trickle thru Hormuz each day.  IOW, same shit tomorrow as yesterday.  Not that you need a Ph.D. in Foreign Affairs to work this stuff out.  The journalists must get a good laugh every time he posts up his bullshit on Truth Social.

Upshot is we have a minimum of AT LEAST 60 days before any decent quantity of oil, LNG & fertilizer starts moving, which takes us to August.  That means for all practical purposes, this year's crop in the Northern Hemisphere will be reduced by somewhere between 20-50%.  Remember there's also a Super El Nino and droughts expected.

Now the only question is how long before things get really ugly?


RE

Quote from: RE on May 24, 2026, 06:44 PMNow the only question is how long before things get really ugly?

The Phoney War was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, from September 1939 to May 1940, during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front. The term was coined to describe the lack of major hostilities between the declaration of war by Britain and France against Germany and the start of significant military action in the West.

It takes a while for shit to happen.  Except we have learned as did the Germans that Fascism gets it's claws in quick.







Like when the Dodo Birds met the Dutch.  America is defenseless against Trump.











The path of increase is slow, but the road to ruin is rapid.  Yet the backlash in the system delays the whiplash.

(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.newyorker.com%2Fphotos%2F5fc91a17a0e312b073359b9b%2Fmaster%2Fw_2560%252Cc_limit%2F2020-YearinReview-BestClassicalMusic.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=906cad1a6c91535b298a3129f36529c1f530770fb626177ae829ca2b7718ce26)

For now the band plays on.

Quote from: K-Dog on May 24, 2026, 08:53 PMThe Phoney War was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, from September 1939 to May 1940, during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front.

I find it hard to call the kind of conflict we see lately a "War".  It's more like a Siege utilizing Terror Bombing.  The objective isn't to kill enemy soldiers as much as it is to destroy infrastructure and economically starve the opponent into capitulation.  Generally, the side with the better delivery systems for the bombs who has more of them will win over the long term, but as this conflict is showing now, it may not always remain true.

The best delivery system for bombing since WWII has been Aerial Bombardment using expensive airplanes and missiles.  The advent of Cheap Unmanned Drones has brought a great delivery system for bombing within the financial reach of even relatively poor states and even non-state actors.  As long as your bombs can reach and destroy critical infrastructure delivering energy, communications, food & water to the target population, you can compete in such a conflict as long as you can outlast your opponent's tolerance for economic disruption.

The poorer the state is to begin with, the less they have to destroy and the more capable the people are of living without it once it's bombed.  Cubans can last far longer without the lights on in Havana than any city in the FSoA could last.  If the community of ex-Pat Cubans here started using drones to bomb say transformers in Miami to knock out power, the current blockade would get a lot tougher to sell.  However, unlike Iran, Cuba is small and isolated, so a full scale invasion would be undertaken.  Also, many of the ex-Pat Cubans are rabid anti-Commies who actually root for regime change.

Ukraine's battle against Russia is a better example.  They're not isolated, getting support from nearby NATO countries.  Though smaller than Russia, it's not as big a difference of FSoA vs. Cuba.  Their Cheap Drones are allowing them to do almost as much damage to Russia's Oil exporting capability as Russia's missiles and air force can do to Ukraine.

Iran has the HUGE geographical advantage of it's proximity to the Global Energy Chokepoint of Hormuz to be able to threaten the ENTIRE WORLD with energy & food starvation, and all they need to do it are cheap drones, unmanned robotic mines (Dolphins) & torpedos, speedboats and short range shoulder fired laser guided missiles.  As long as they can deal with the power being out most of the time and have access to food and water coming in over land, they're fine.  The rest of the world has less tolerance for globl recession, unemployment and inflation than they have for living by candlelight.

I don't think most of our military planners and strategists understand this new dynamic very well yet, and the legacy militaries of the FSoA, Russia and China haven't yet adapted to it.  It's going to radically change the balance of power as the use of the cheap drones spreads.  I definitely forsee the use of drones here inside the borders of the FSoA as the global conflicts over energy and food become more intense.  Perhaps as soon as next year.  Time will tell.

RE

Carpet bombing of a city may result from Ukraine droning.  Drones don't tip the balance.  They change the equation, but using them may come with heavy consequences.  The "Zelensky junta and its Western sponsors" make life in Ukraine suck.


Today Kiev is no place for a stray dog.

 

What nimrod used the words 'peace talks'.  Working for the dark side is not a virtue.

Quote from: K-Dog on May 25, 2026, 04:55 PMCarpet bombing of a city may result from Ukraine droning.  Drones don't tip the balance.  They change the equation, but using them may come with heavy consequences.  The "Zelensky junta and its Western sponsors" make life in Ukraine suck.

They definitely do change the balance, they just don't completely level the playing field.  The bigger country still holds some advantage.

However, in the case of Russia-Ukraine, were it not for the drones the Ukies would likely be defeated by now, at least Mother Russia would have made more progress rather than being more or less stuck for the last year.  In fact according to recent MSM reports, the Ukies have taken some ground back.  They're also successfully damaging Russia's oil export terminals, reducing their income from oil sales.  This would be hurting more had Trumpolini not helped out Russia by attacking Iran and jacking up the price of oil.

The Iranians also are much more able to threaten Hormuz using the drones, plus the threat of the Dolphins which will make Mine Sweeping actions nearly worthless.  The Dolphins can be deployed after sweepers go thru at any time from hidden basses along the coast.

The other aspect here is that the drone technology being relatively short range favors the defenders of a territory over the aggressors.  Drones can be assembled in anyone's basement or garage and taake off from any cul-de-sac, highway or parking lot.  They don't need any airfields which are targets for bombing.  It's distributed technology making it more difficult to find and target.

Imagine here in the FSoA for instance if say Mexican Drug Lord like El Chapo hires a couple of Ukie Mercs with drone tactics experience to train his enforcement squad.  They could fly drones from Mexico and hit border patrol bases all along the Rio Grande and hit refineries in Houston to retaliate against CIA attacks on their smuggling operations.  Cartel associates who sell drugs here could deploy drones from any FSoA city where they have operations.  East LA where cops don't go could have drone assembly factories in any warehouse or auto repair shop.  Drug smugglers are already using drones to get drugs across the border.  It's just a small step up to start using them as weapons against the DEA.  None of this would be possible were it not for the fact the drone tech is cheap enough for any decently large operation moving $millions$ in cocaine and fentanyl every month.

Drones make waging this kind of battle possible at financial levels within reach of the common man.  The tech will spread just like automatic weapons.  Eventually they'll be all over the place.

RE

 

This is why nobody believes anything in the media.  There is OBVIOUSLY no cease fire, nor has there ever been one.  The FSoA simply slowed down how much bombing they were doing because they were pissing away money and running short on munitionns with no results.  Now Trumpolini authorizes a bombing mission every couple of days to show everyone how tough he is and that he "means business".  It's a fucking farce.  They aren't any closer to an agreement than they were on Day 1.

Count on a lot of starving kids in Africa, India and SE Asia by Christmas.

RE

The Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, which tracks "deceased, wounded, ill or injured" service members for Congress and the president, is missing hundreds of known casualties.
Yet again, you heard it here first! 😀

This still isn't the complete numbers IMHO,but at least it's confirmation of ongoing coverups.  If/when El Chumpo is booted  out of the Oval Office, maybe we'll get the real numbers.

RE

It looks like we were both right about the casualties.  If we we pool what that knowledge has been worth we could buy 1 cup of coffee, maybe.

Not at today's prices.

Evening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss? 

QuoteEvening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss? 

You can see there have been significant changes if you have been gone a while.  What have you missed? To answer that you'll have to say where you've been.

Quote from: RE on May 27, 2026, 12:33 PMNot at today's prices.

True that.

 

This is insulting.  'They' still expect us to believe there is a cease-fire.  And the Fascist media plays along.

Quote from: K-Dog on May 28, 2026, 06:39 AMThis is insulting.  'They' still expect us to believe there is a cease-fire.  And the Fascist media plays along.

The whole ceasefire thing is complete bullshit.  The Pentagon published a report admitting they are seriously low on the 3 main missile systems they used for Operation Epic Failure, 1 offensive and 2 defensive ones.  To just replace the munitions they used up in a few weeks of bombing will take 3 years, and more to load up with the full $1.5T Trumpolini wants to spend so he has enough to bomb all the other places he wants to put the Chump Logo on.  IOW, they CAN'T resume the massive Death From Above Terror Campaign, all he can do right now is dribble out a few bombs periodically to show he means bizness and if Iran starts sending lots of drones at Israel and the House of Saud, they won't have enough missiles to knock them all down.

The MSM of course plays along with the narrative, because Chump and his Justice Dept will sue them and/or charge them with Treason if they say anything that doesn't match the White House story line about how the powerful FSoA military is winning the war and the Iranians are begging for mercy.  The Iranians for their part mostly don't care how he spins it and will just hit back in dribs and drabs until they get  some relief on economic sanctions.  IOW, it's currently a stalemate.  Hormuz won't open beyond a few Chinese ships until Iran gets money to rebuild and fix their economy.

The Global economy maybe has 2-4 months before it goes tits up unless something changes.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog on May 27, 2026, 07:08 PM

QuoteEvening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss?

You can see there have been significant changes if you have been gone a while.  What have you missed? To answer that you'll have to say where you've been.

A decade, maybe longer. 

Still in Fresno, California.  Still waiting for TSTHTF. 

I worked for two and a half decades in Yellow pages, but they shut so now I now own a small digital advertising agency (BAU plan), a pop-up shop that sells the wife's artwork alongside inexpensive trinkets and American-made t-shirts (slow collapse plan), and a Private Security company (SHTF plan).  The latter has taken most of my time, we specialize in mobile solar-powered remote camera towers, and I have a contract with a local California High Speed Rail contractor.   

I see RE is as doomy as ever!  I expect BAU until after the mid terms, and a while beyond.   

Quote from: Haniel on May 28, 2026, 04:35 PM

Quote from: K-Dog on May 27, 2026, 07:08 PM

QuoteEvening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss?

You can see there have been significant changes if you have been gone a while.  What have you missed? To answer that you'll have to say where you've been.

A decade, maybe longer. 

Still in Fresno, California.  Still waiting for TSTHTF. 

I worked for two and a half decades in Yellow pages, but they shut so now I now own a small digital advertising agency (BAU plan), a pop-up shop that sells the wife's artwork alongside inexpensive trinkets and American-made t-shirts (slow collapse plan), and a Private Security company (SHTF plan).  The latter has taken most of my time, we specialize in mobile solar-powered remote camera towers, and I have a contract with a local California High Speed Rail contractor.   

I see RE is as doomy as ever!  I expect BAU until after the mid terms, and a while beyond.   

Gr8 2 C U! 😀

I maintain a consistent level of Doominess, and have been ticking off the various predictions of how Collapse would progress we made back in the old days as they occur.  The global rise of fascism, the loss of freedoms, the rise of the ICE Gestapo, the expanding resource wars...I could go on and on.  So I am of the opinion that TS ALREADY HTF.  Has society completely broken down here inside the Belly of the Beast in the FSoA?  No, but the water in the pot has bubbles beginning to appear and the frogs are tenderizing.

If we get to the elections and they don't get cancelled, you can be pretty sure Chump will not accept losing either house in CONgress and "BAU" (such as it is) will be further eroded.  Remains to be seen how it plays out, but I do expect significant violence resulting.

Anyhow, don't be a stranger!  How did U find us?

RE

Quote from: RE on May 28, 2026, 07:40 PM

Quote from: Haniel on May 28, 2026, 04:35 PMA decade, maybe longer. 

Still in Fresno, California.  Still waiting for TSTHTF. 

I worked for two and a half decades in Yellow pages, but they shut so now I now own a small digital advertising agency (BAU plan), a pop-up shop that sells the wife's artwork alongside inexpensive trinkets and American-made t-shirts (slow collapse plan), and a Private Security company (SHTF plan).  The latter has taken most of my time, we specialize in mobile solar-powered remote camera towers, and I have a contract with a local California High Speed Rail contractor.   

I see RE is as doomy as ever!  I expect BAU until after the mid terms, and a while beyond.   

Gr8 2 C U! 😀

I maintain a consistent level of Doominess, and have been ticking off the various predictions of how Collapse would progress we made back in the old days as they occur.  The global rise of fascism, the loss of freedoms, the rise of the ICE Gestapo, the expanding resource wars...I could go on and on.  So I am of the opinion that TS ALREADY HTF.  Has society completely broken down here inside the Belly of the Beast in the FSoA?  No, but the water in the pot has bubbles beginning to appear and the frogs are tenderizing.

If we get to the elections and they don't get cancelled, you can be pretty sure Chump will not accept losing either house in CONgress and "BAU" (such as it is) will be further eroded.  Remains to be seen how it plays out, but I do expect significant violence resulting.

Anyhow, don't be a stranger!  How did U find us?

RE

Yeah, a lot of what we discussed as likely trajectories has come to pass, a lot slower than many expected, but undeniable decline that tracks real energy costs.  The LATOC expectations would have hit a decade ago if it were not for unconventional oil, and the end of the petrodollar is finally on the cards.  The resource wars are definitely here! 

I believe the violence is inevitable, which is why I've pushed into the private security sector, the regulatory red tape is horrifying here in California, but demand increases every time the doom gets deeper.

I'm watching gold and silver closely again: if China has made a deal for trillions of investment in the US in return for Taiwan, then they'll need to avoid the Japan trap of lost decades, and their acquisition of gold reserves seems to telegraph how they plan that. It's not like America will have enough anti-missile ammo to stop them if they try to 2027-2028 timeline scenario. 

How did I find you guys?  Web search for Doomstead diner.  I have a business trip to Texas coming up in a few months (construction client wants mobile security camera towers on a infrastructure - project solar farm with battery storage), so was looking to see if Eddie the Dentist was still on the doomer scene, and see if he wanted to sink a few beers. 

Quote from: Haniel on May 29, 2026, 08:41 AMHow did I find you guys?  Web search for Doomstead diner.  I have a business trip to Texas coming up in a few months (construction client wants mobile security camera towers on a infrastructure - project solar farm with battery storage), so was looking to see if Eddie the Dentist was still on the doomer scene, and see if he wanted to sink a few beers. 

Glad to know we are findable via the search.  We've been around here on Kdogs Chasingthesquirrel.com URL, bur I only recently was able to buy the DooomsteadDiner.com URL and point it here.  About 2 months ago.

Eddie pretty much retired from Collapsology study, although I think he still has his Doomstead.  He may have retired by now also, I haven't spoken to him in at least 4 years.

I'm still not a huge fan of Gold, but I can't say I have any alternative much better.  Maybe balance with some Crypto, which I also am no fan of.  As we move forward, I think the real problem will be a lack of stuff to buy, and eventual Rationing for food and fuel.   Here in the FSoA though, the rationing thing is still probably a few years away.

So besides installing alarm systems, what else do you do as a Security Expert?  Sell gunz?  Design Booby-traps? lol.

RE

Quote from: RE on May 29, 2026, 12:17 PMGlad to know we are findable via the search.  We've been around here on Kdogs Chasingthesquirrel.com URL, bur I only recently was able to buy the DooomsteadDiner.com URL and point it here.  About 2 months ago.

Eddie pretty much retired from Collapsology study, although I think he still has his Doomstead.  He may have retired by now also, I haven't spoken to him in at least 4 years.

I'm still not a huge fan of Gold, but I can't say I have any alternative much better.  Maybe balance with some Crypto, which I also am no fan of.  As we move forward, I think the real problem will be a lack of stuff to buy, and eventual Rationing for food and fuel.   Here in the FSoA though, the rationing thing is still probably a few years away.

So besides installing alarm systems, what else do you do as a Security Expert?  Sell gunz?  Design Booby-traps? lol.

RE

I don't install alarm systems --that requires an Alarm Company Operator with a different license type, my cameras are already mounted by my supplier, onto solar tow-behind trailers.   I have a PPO - a Private Patrol Operator's license.   We deploy stationary guards, mobile patrol, and mostly mobile camera systems which are watched from dispatch.  A few patrol vehicle visits each of the 1-2 dozen active sites on a predetermined schedule, checking the assets, and checking in with dispatch.

We had an arsonist torching port-a-potties for a while - those things burn! The criminally-minded homeless are an issue, I've lost a few batteries, a wheel, and recently a solar panel.  My folks Standing Orders are to treat any homeless on property as a welfare check, give them water if needed (company provided), give the the English/Spanish info sheet on local resources, and treat them as human being even if you job requires you to escort them off the property. 

We have an unhoused guy who keeps jumping fences, using port-a-potties, then occasionally gives the camera the bird, before riding off on his bike, but he's never left a port-a-pottie in a mess, and he gets the finger back just so he knows we watch.

Not all fun and games, though.  We had two homeless die in a fire in an under-a-bridge utility room earlier this month, CHP requested nearly one hundred hours of footage from our nearby systems as part of their investigation.

I don't sell guns, I don't build booby traps - although one of the local EOD folks is a friend.  What I do have is a small private security force.  Management team are all ex-military.   Newbies are cutting their teeth watching bowling alleys, school gymnasium remodels, and equipment sitting around waiting for California red tape to go through. 🤣

Moving my headquarters to Texas and building a dome compound is back on the table. Winter '26-'27 west coast floods may cause issues in some areas of California this winter, which is expected to put upward pressure on Fresno home prices, given we're a potential bedroom town with the HSR project (which is further along than most think). 
 

Thresholds passed, plans triggered... 
   

Quote from: Haniel on May 27, 2026, 06:36 PMEvening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss? 

THE END!!!!

Didn't you notice?

Quote from: TDoS on Jun 01, 2026, 04:45 PM

Quote from: Haniel on May 27, 2026, 06:36 PMEvening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss? 

THE END!!!!

Didn't you notice?

 

 

 

Here's how much NitwitYahoo listens to Trumpolini:

Israel hits Iran with new strikes despite Trump admonition (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-new-israel-iran-strikes-wont-affect-peace-deal-2026-06-08/)

"Ceasefire" has become an utterly meaningless term.  So have "negotiation" & "diplomacy".  There has been zero progress toward resolving the issues and still they preetend things will get back to normak  in a month or two.  Forget it.  This is the new normal.

RE

NitwitYahoo would listen to Chump why?  NitwitYahoo wants to ramp up the war so the American taxpayer can build a greater Israel.  NitwitYahoo has no interest in peace.

 

Quote from: K-Dog on Jun 07, 2026, 09:25 PMNitwitYahoo would listen to Chump why?

He won't unless Chump threatened him with some consequences, like economic sanctions or no more Patriot missiles.  He won't do that of course, because Israel is just a tool of the Oil industry used to keep oil prices high.  The industry here in Amerika is very happy Hormuz is shut down.  Their profits are way up.

RE

American propaganda claims a cease-fire.  It is a bare faced lie.  Both Israel and America are pulling shit, and Israel has Trump by the balls.


Forcing Trump to play war and have him ignore the economic siege of America is not hard to do.  It is EZ.  And now America falls from incompetent stupidity.






I want to see Trump broil in hell so bad I could become religious.






The West is edging ever closer to dropping off an energy cliff, and the road to ruin is rapid.

Arab sources have reported that several heavy explosions were heard in Bahrain following the Iranian missile attack.

So far, local sources have reported that 16 explosions were heard in the Persian Gulf Arab country.

US bases in Kuwait have also been targeted and warning sirens have sounded. Unofficial sources say that the base of the American terrorist forces in the Al-Jahra region in Kuwait has been targeted. The country's army general staff has also reported that defense systems were trying to counter Iranian missiles and drones.

In Jordan, the American base Al-Azraq in the east of the country was also targeted by Iranian attacks, and warning sirens sounded and defense systems deployed at the base were fired to counter Iranian missiles.

 
"This is the response to the Americans' boldness in the region, God willing."

The warning came after the US terrorist military carried out a fresh act of aggression against Iran, targeting multiple cities in southern Iran.

In response, Iran's top military command announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global petroleum passes.

In a separate statement, the IRGC Navy warned that any vessel approaching the strategic waterway would face decisive action.

It further warned all oil tankers and commercial vessels currently operating in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman not to leave their anchorages.

Meanwhile, in response to the latest aggression, IRGC aerospace and naval divisions carried out coordinated attacks on 18 American military targets across the region.

But the ceasefire is still holding! 🙄

RE

Quote from: RE on Jun 10, 2026, 08:59 PMBut the ceasefire is still holding! 🙄

RE

Your contention that we do not have dumb people here may be correct, because what Trump is doing is so transparent that only a fool could not see it.  From which I conclude we have no shortage of fools.  The bar is low.

By all accounts Trump should be political toast by now.  But by making war Trump buys time against accountability.  The last thing Trump wants now is peace.  Trump wants lots of death.  War gives Trump the power he needs to enthrone himself.  It keeps his haters at bay.

Trump's strategy functions by treating geopolitical conflict as a theater of perception rather than a negotiation of interests. By initiating provocations to induce ceasefire violations, Trump then immediately frames the inevitable response as "aggression." Forcing a binary choice onto a public with a limited attention span.

The media cycle, in thrall with the Trump reality, hides the "who started this" reality, allowing Trumps loyal base of cretins to claim moral high ground.  Fear and profit working together makes established media compliant.  They kiss Trump ass.

The Trump art of the deal is nothing more than "gaslighting" refined to an art form. Shifting between being combatant and peacemaker, Trump creates a disorienting environment where the truth is obscured by the sheer rapidity of events Trump now forces on us.


Trump nods out, but he still keeps his crazy horses running.  Trump can't let them stop or his haters catch up.  There is no rest for the wicked.

 

A disgusting Trump clip where he claims a deal has been reached.

To determine if he was lying I simply had to try and read the news here.  https://www.tasnimnews.ir/en (https://www.tasnimnews.ir/en) which I found is currently experiencing a denial of service attack.

So Americans do not get to hear what the Iranian's have to say about all this.  Putting on the thinking cap and turning up the voltage I conclude that there is no fucking deal, and the asshole is lying.


Lying because that is all Trump knows how to do.


More total bullshit from Trump.  Anybody who knows anything about what is going on knows that Iran does not want a nuclear weapon.  They do not need them, and they have moral qualms.  Unlike the American monopoly on nuclear policy, Iran has morals.  There is an upside to their theocracy.  Like that or not it is true. 

The point is that Trump is pulling shit and his mention of a nuclear agreement proves it.  Iran wants hard assurances that they will not be attacked again.  None of Trumps lies mentioned any such assurances, which a real agreement would have clearly stated.

My sleuthing reveals:

The Iranian stance on a potential memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States is nuanced, as reported by Iranian media. According to an anonymous source cited by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, Iran is actively engaged in reworking the draft MOU following Washington's latest response. This indicates that while negotiations are ongoing, there hasn't been a formal approval of the text.

I explained earlier what Trump is doing is very transparent.  Watching Trump now shows how he lies.

There must be a lot of ACTION over in Iran tonight!  You know how I know?  Because on the Google World Newz page, The Iran War summary is the 14th one down the page, with such important global newz events above it as the UK Defence Minister stepping down, the S. Korea ex-Prez getting 30 years for sending drones over N. Korea and a Toronto cop getting shot while investigating an attack on the FSoA consulate.  The stories on Iran headlined 14 down the page are all 2-4 days old as well.  IOW, there is a total Newz Blackout on anything hapening in Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon or any of the other Arab states in the neighborhood.  So it's either NOTHING is really happening there, or it's being squashed.  Which do you think it is?

Next deduction is that whatever did really happen, it's not Good Newz for Trumpolini and the AWESOME FSoA MIC.  If it was, like say they vaporized Tehran with a Nuke, it would be top of the page.  So now I am speculating on what the BAD NEWZ might actually be?  Possibly an attack on an Airbase with heavy FSoA grunt casualties?  The sinking of an FSoA Navy battleship?  A hit on an Aircraft Carrier?  I doubt they have the capability to actually SINK a carrier.

So when will we get to find out what's happening tonight?  I can't find any newz feeds from Iran.

RE

Knowing Trump is lying his ass off.  I have tried to find out what is happening.  Every day is now TACO Tuesday.

#1 The Tasmin News agency continues to be slammed with a DoS attack.  All you get is a white page.  The Low Orbit Ion Cannons from the Pentagon are doing their thing.  As I said previously this would not be happening if there were a deal.

What I have found since comes from Indian press.  The DoS attack is happening so news of Iran taking out the F-35 base in Jordan does not reach the American people.  Iran did not like Trump taking out some of their military sites along the coast of Hormuz, so Iran wasted multiple US bases in response, and Trump does not want the word to get out.  So Trump claims peace is around the corner.

And of course, if there is any fessing to the attacks (doubtful).  Trump and crew, as always, will claim no Americans got hurt.


Pray that there is a special place in hell for a man who would start and drag out a war to dodge accountability for his pedophilia and other crimes.

Pray that there is a hell.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a significant, coordinated ballistic missile offensive against multiple U.S. military targets across the Middle East, marking a major direct escalation.

Iran claims its strikes hit critical infrastructure at the Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, including F-35 hangars and the primary command center, as well as targets at the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and the Ali al-Salem air base in Kuwait.

While Jordan confirmed its air defenses intercepted several missiles and reported no casualties or damage, Iran asserts it achieved "precise destruction." A direct "decapitation strike" on U.S. military infrastructure.  The Middle East is now in a war.

Simultaneously, Hezbollah opened a second front by launching drone, missile, and rocket attacks on Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon.

This coordinated action means the U.S. and Israel are being attacked from the east by Iran and from the north by Hezbollah, moving beyond a proxy war into a coordinated, multi-front military campaign.

Iran claims its strikes were retaliation for U.S. attacks on its air defense systems, which allegedly* followed the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter. The report concludes that the "fourth battle" Iran promised has begun.

* Iran is not shy about claiming to shoot down an American plane, but Iran denies taking out the helicopter.  It looks to have been a false flag to cover the American aggression against the coastal sites.

And Bibi still has naked pictures of Trump.  Even more of them than Putin has.

He later added that the deal is set to be signed over the "next few days".  Whether this will happen remains to be seen. Trump has declared that a deal between the US and Iran is imminent on numerous occasions only for no agreement to be signed. Iran's foreign ministry has also called claims that an agreement has been reached speculative, insisting that "nothing has been finalised".

I'll tell you why he's "backed off".  Because it's TACO Friday and his war is an EPIC FAILURE!  Iran's retaliations over the last 2 days have undoubtedly caused at least another $5B in hardware and infrastructure destruction, and they probably don't have enough working radar installations and planes to target Iranian assets with missiles and bombs they're running out of.  At some point Demodopes are going to get hold of this information and it's going to start leaking out to the most censored press corps since Pravda & Ysvestia were dishing out bullshit under Uncle Joe Stalin.

The so-called diplomacy and "agreement" he lies about every day has not progressed a millimeter since the ceaseless fire began over a month ago, and it's pretty clear the whole region is in flames at the moment, even if Chump says he backed away.

The economy is destined for some serious shit in the not too distant future.


RE

The latest is; Trump is buying his way out.  With your money of course.




The problem is that this news is 9 hours old and since then there have been things that have been shot down since.

This is only 41 minutes ago:



If you look at the dates there appears to be a discrepancy, but that has to do with time zones and the Indian article is referencing Pakistan 9 hours ago.

And this is most recent.

QuoteThe United Arab Emirates has categorically denied reports published by certain international media outlets alleging the transfer of funds from the UAE to the Islamic Republic of Iran, including allegations concerning $3 billion.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that these allegations are entirely false and unfounded, stressing that no frozen Iranian funds have been released, transferred, or facilitated through the UAE.

The Ministry also called on media outlets to exercise accuracy, rely on official sources, and refrain from publishing or circulating unverified information and unfounded allegations.

Of course saying no frozen funds have been used is not a lie.  The money used is your money which could have funded USAID operations, before Musk stole the money.

 
America loves thieves.

This stock rocket will be in orbit before it blows up.

In a post on their blog, the hacking group said the intrusion was retaliation for recent US actions in Iran and claimed they had the ability to disrupt water access but chose not to.

Pro-Iranian hackers known as "The Handler Group" (Handela) claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on water facilities in California. They described it as retaliation for U.S. military strikes that allegedly destroyed water reservoirs in southern Iran, leaving over 20,000 people without drinking water.

The hackers stated they deliberately avoided cutting off water to U.S. cities, framing the intrusion as a warning. They declared that any future U.S. attack would be met with swift retaliation against American infrastructure. The incident follows reported U.S. strikes on Iranian water infrastructure in June, which Iran has registered as a potential war crime under the Geneva Conventions.

The group also claimed to have breached U.S. military communications, obtaining coordinates of naval forces in the Middle East and sending threatening messages to American personnel. Cybersecurity researchers link Handela to a broader Iranian cyber network known as "Banished Kitten."

What goes around comes around.

Quote from: K-Dog on Jun 12, 2026, 08:24 PM
The problem is that this news is 9 hours old and since then there have been things that have been shot down since.

The problem is the "newz" isn't newz at all, it's just transcriptions of whatever handout the WH Press office gives the reporters.  Nobody actually files newz reports from where the action is happening anymore.  Not only are there no independent journalists allowed onsite anymore, they don't even have embedded journalists traveling with the military units.  Hell, they can't even get satellite images from the neighborhood.

Tonight there's still no reports of where the bombs are dropping, by whom or how many.  What is certain at this point is that the drones and missiles are flying back and forth leaving contrails all over the skies of the entire region.  A day or two later, we'll get reports of how many of them were intercepted on their way to the target.  What we will not get are reports of how many got through, what they hit, how much it all cost or how many grunts got blasted.

There's no ceasefire, there's no real negotiation, there's no plan for ending it and the strategy is just to keep dropping bombs until they capitulate, which is not gonna happen.  Dropping bombs makes Chump feel good and powerful, and he'll keep doing it until they literally rum out of bombs to drop. lol.  As long as the MSM continues to toe the line and not actually report what is going on, most Amerikan idiots will continue to believe the FSoA is winning, none of our guys are dying and soon everything will be back to normal and there will be plenty of gas and food to buy here no matter how many people are starving in Sri Lanka, Somalia and Afghanistan.  So why worry?

RE

 

"We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future," Trump wrote, while also warning that if diplomacy fails, "we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again."

One can only hope he TACOs this threat also.  Will the Generals stop him?

RE

The best play for Iran is to humor Trump and keep 'a deal' one day away as long as they can.  Trump does not know the difference between boos and cheers at a sports game so I doubt he understands that The world is under economic siege and Trump is responsible for the mess, and that the world hates him for it.  Unfortunately the concept of the economic siege is way over Trumps head.

Eventually things will get so bad that America will remove Trump.  And Iran is willing to wait.

 

Trump needed the war to keep rolling.  A rolling stone gathers no moss or any consequences.

The dumbfuck thought it would be Venezuela 2.0.  In and out like it was with Stormy Daniels.  A military grab for the pussy with the stupid Trump shit-eating sideways grin.  Instead Trump got punked up his ass.  Trump the CUK he chose to be let Bibi fuck his military.  And now Bibi has a thing going on with with Trumps bitch --  Hegsteth in leather and lace.  Bibi pushed in deep.  And Hegsteth says push it in deeper honey.  Rude dialog you think.  You can't handle the brutal reality of this situation if you think so.

Beirut is being bombed by Israel to keep America spending money on Israels war.  As I type real people are being turned into shredded meat.  Is that rude enough for you?  Save your fucking rage for the people committing the crimes.  I am just trying to make it real.

 

Trump tries to Turn his defeat into a victory by paying tribute.  But problem is, Israel wants a war, and Israel is calling the shots.  America is Israel's bitch.  Bibi has a picture of Trump's cock in the mouth of a little girl.  And for that people must die.

 

Among those Red Lines is that there can be no Peace until Israel stops bombing Lebanon, so no matter what else is in the MoU as things to be discussed in the future like their Nuke program, there won't be Peace until Chump gets Bibi to heel.   I think also having the Sanctions lifted is a Red Line, so until Iran can start selling Oil on the open market, again no Peace possible.  The Iranians also need some kind of 3rd party guarantees against Chump going back on his word, like say the Chinese will supply them with means to retaliate to any type of aggression in kind.

Now, if the MoU does get signed, there may be some tentative increase in ships transiting Hormuz, but as long as Israel keeps bombing Lebanon and until there is generalized REAL peace in the neighborhood, the Insurance rates are going to remain high and many shipping companies and sailors will not sign up for those cruises.  Best case scenario right now would be they might get 20% of the old traffic back up over the next couple of months if the deal holds.  By then, just about all the strategic reserves will be drained and oil prices will start to rise further.  Further inflation in food prices as the harvests start coming in from fertilizer starved fields.  More Food Riots in many poor countries.

Big question is what kind of action Chump will take to reign in NitwitYahoo besides just chewing him out over the phone to get him to stop messing with Lebanon?  He'll need to drop on some kind of Sanctions as punishment, and they need to be severe enough to actually hurt.  Otherwise, it's BAU and we're right back to where we began.

RE

Trump does not have the brains or the balls to deal with Israel.  I do, but I'm nobody.

 

 

What a fucking farce! The "deal" which was supposed to be signed yesterday which now won't be signed until Friday which NOBODY HAS ACTUALLY SEEN gets announced on Chump's 80th birthday with lots of fanfare and blood & guts with a UFC Cage Fight on the WH Lawn & the stock market does the requisite pump while oil prices dump.  KA-CHING!  WTF buys this shit?

Unless the deal is PUBLISHED for everyone to read first, either side can say the other side changed the wording when they get to the signing ceremony.  There already are obviously different concepts of what this deal supposedly says.  Beyond that, Bibi already says he's not leaving Lebanon, and I can't believe Iran considers Israel keeping all the land they are occupying as a satisfactory end to the war.  Lebanon doesn't get any war reparations?  Come on!

Then the lie that Hormuz is open with toll free passage?  Iran has already said they will run Hormuz together with the Omanis.  Finally, Bibi already says he doesn't accept the agreement, which he hasn't even seen either since he's not in the loop on the negotiations.

So, more bombs will drop this week until MAYBE Vance Dances over to Switzerland, both sides come to the table waving different pieces of parchment claiming the other side changed the wording, and nothing gets signed.  Great Theater!  lol.  Maybe they'll have a fist fight on stage.

Anyhow, 5 days is a long time and other scenarios are quite possible as well.  Chump might still just be using this for cover of a sneak attack on Kharg Island or he might go ahead and Nuke Tehran.  The chances of any meaningful MoU being signed Friday remain slim and none.


RE

I guess the point is to make Trump think he has a deal so fewer bombs drop, some oil flows, and the chance of getting nuked drops.

Humor the man without humor.

There is no deal as long as Israel continues to act like their daddy, NAZI Germany !!

Though it's unclear exactly what the Friday signing will mean if the deal has already been signed digitally. The vice president did say that the full text of the agreement would be released at some point this week and that negotiations were expected to continue.  The exact contents of the agreement is still unclear, and he remained vague about what specifics were in the the text of the already-signed agreement.

This actually *sounds* like real progress, but it does remain to be seen what the agreement actually says.  Most unclear is what "open" really means as far as shipping is concerned.  Also what the Israeli refusal to back out of Lebanon means.

Let's see how the week plays out.

RE

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

The noble people of Iran are hereby informed:

The Islamic Republic of Iran, under the guidance of its martyred Leader, has completed its achievement of superiority over the American-Zionist enemy. Under the directives of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, with the support of all segments of the Iranian people and the tireless efforts of the fighters of Islam, and following several months of difficult and intensive negotiations, the text of a memorandum of understanding on negotiations to end the war was finalized between Iran and the United States on the evening of June 14 in Islamabad, in accordance with a resolution of the Supreme National Security Council.

Under the agreements reached, the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, will come to an immediate and permanent end starting tonight. In addition, the naval blockade against Iran will be lifted immediately and in full. The memorandum of understanding will be formally signed on Friday, June 19.

Negotiations toward a final agreement will be deferred until after the implementation of the other side's commitments in accordance with the memorandum of understanding.

The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its appreciation for the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the State of Qatar.


Under the agreements reached, the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, will come to an immediate and permanent end starting tonight!



The denial of service attacks may have stopped.  For quite a while the page was blocked by low orbit ion cannons.

Trump, to honor the peace has to tell Israel to get out of Lebanon now or you, Israel will not be provided with any Americans arms and aid starting yesterday.  If you don't get out of Lebanon now Israel, I am going to shove a presidential order cork up your piggy bank's ass.

I do not expect in my wildest dreams, that Trump is able to do this.  He has no balls.


Read this if you want to understand what Iran expects.

 

Will the deal even make it to the end of the week?  It's hard to see how there is any way for Chump to spin this as a win even if it does.  The Nuke issue won't be resolved in 60 days, and I doubt they'll release anywhere near the $300B Iran wants to clean up thee mess, even if it's aactually their own money anyhow.  The Israelis are more entrenched than ever, and Bibi actually looks moderate compared to his critics over there.  The Insu7raance companies aren't gonna be lowering their rates anytime soon, so I doubt we see a flood of ships sail out of Hormuz either.

RE

So, the MoU is already essentially null & void.  Until Israel leaves Lebanon, there is no reason for the Iranians to fulfill any of the promises they have made on their side of the deal.  So far as Hormuz being open, it may be but you still gotta pay a toll.  So will any sanctions be lifted or money released?  No, not as long as the Iranians are charging a toll.  Will they start discussing the Nuke issue?  Nope, because the other shit has to be resolved first.

IOW, the MoU is about as meaningful as the ceasefire.  Nothing has changed.  Just a few less bombs dropping, mainly because they are running out of ammo,

RE

 
Days after Trump applied his electronic signature to the agreement, the exact terms of the pact remain known to only a few. Neither side has published the one-and-a-half page text that was formalized in the virtual signing Sunday, leading to sometimes contradictory statements from Washington and Tehran. Even officials inside Trump's government offered slightly different takes on how the plan would work.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
RE

QuoteJust a few less bombs dropping, mainly because they are running out of ammo,

True that. But Iran is expecting accountability, and making a deal with the US from their point of view weakens Israel.  The rub is that Iran is expecting America to force Israel to fall in line.  That is where things break down.

QuoteCitrinowicz* further noted that if an agreement between Tehran and Washington is finalized, Israel will face a strategic reality it cannot alter. He argued that the U.S. administration has little appetite for returning to military confrontation with Iran, a position that enjoys considerable support across the American political establishment.

* Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies
40 Haim Levanon St.
Tel Aviv, 6997556
Israel

And this is the source of that :
 

 

Is somebody going to inform Bibi?

RE

 

You heard it here first!  As I said, the deal is meaningless as long as Israel has troops in Lebanon.  The Iranians don't have to do anything until that happens, they can just sip Margueritas.  Of course they knew Bibi wouldn't pull out, it's Political Suicide for him in Israel.

What will this mean as far as Hormuz is concerned?  Well, they WANT it open, because they HAVE to sell their Oil, otherwise they'll have to shut down wells.  They're out of storage space.  Chump wants it open, otherwise we get a Global Recession (which is probably already baked in the cake anyhow).  However, there won't be any negotiation on the Nuke issue.

I wonder how many ships have actually sailed thru since the signing?  No newz on that yet

RE

 

They really need to STOP using the word "CEASEFIRE".  It has completely lost any meaning whatsoever.  Even putting it in quotes doesn't fix the damage done to this word.  Webster's or Oxford or needs to sue.

Supposedly Witicoff flew out this morning to negotiate, which guarantees nothing will get done.  He couldn't negotiate his way out of a paper bag.

RE

 

Back to Square 1.

What effect did this have on Oil Prices?  Practically none.  Oil still trading at $76.  What does that tell you?  What it tells me is that Demand Destruction has already set in.  Everybody who can't afford over $80/bbl has dropped out of the buyers market.  Thus, even with Hormuz closed, there is plenty of oil available for buyers at $76.

The problem of course is that even for economies that can afford the current price, it's taking money out of Konsumer pockets they would have used to buy other things, like new carz and toys for the kids and vacations.  Thus economies slow down, biznesses lose customers, jobs are lost, recession sets in.

What's Chump's next move?  Politically, I'd say he HAS to sanction Israel.  He's gotta prove "he's the BOSS".  What sanction would bite hard enough?  I'd say no more Patriot missiles for defense.  Israel would be a sitting duck for Hezbollah missile attacks.  Will he have the balls for that?  Probably not.

RE

I wrote earlier that Trump needs to keep the war going.  The challenge for Trump is that his ability to keep the chaos that he generates by existing, and which he needs like air to stay alive manageable is not possible.  Trump grabbed a tiger by the tail and can't let go.  The minute he lets go the Epstein files bite him.  Never have things been more out of control for Chump, so he needs chaos like a dying man in a desert needs water.

Did Epstein give Israel pictures of Trump with his cock inside a little girls mouth through his Mossad connections.

Or not.

Did Epstein have Mossad connections?  Did Epstein like money?  Did Epstein have pictures of Trump with his cock inside a little girl's mouth?

To construct a statement using Aristotelian logic that establishes Trump is compromised by Israel we must proceed with a logical deduction.

Assumption 1 (Major premise): Epstein had connections to Israel, specifically to Israeli intelligence services.
   
Assumption 2 (Minor premise): Epstein had pictures of Trump with his cock inside a little girl's mouth.
   
Conclusion: If Epstein, had connections to Israeli intelligence services, and had compromising pictures of Trump, it logically follows that Trump is compromised by Israel through these connections. 

Money being the prime mover.

* And in a democracy, and if America had a congress, that would be impeachable.

The text was translated from Persian, that is why it is a bit funky.
 

It's definitely no coinkidink that Chump started the war right when the heat was turning back up on Epstein.  If Mossad does have Pics or other evidence of his sexual escapades with Jailbait Escorts though, this would be about the  time to leak them.  Problem of course is Chump has the MSM so intimidated even if they get a 250 GB hard drive delivered by FedEx to the editors of the NYT, WaPo and Faux Newz complete with .mov files featuring The Donald's best Money Shots after the Bethesda Junior High Homecoming game they won't make it out of the office.  Even Wikileaks is pathetic these days in terms of getting any real information out of the Black Hole of the FSoA 4th Estate.

I do agree though that eventually His Trumpness will succumb to his own incompetence and Entropy will win the day.  So many things are spinning out of control now it can't be contained and covered up with perpetual lies.  We just need to be patient and he will hang himself.

RE

If we were in Lebanon I suspect we might have a bit of difficulty staying patient.

Quote from: K-Dog on Jun 20, 2026, 08:08 PMThe text was translated from Persian, that is why it is a bit funky.
😪

Unsurprisingly, the link won't load on my computer.

RE

 

Chump and "respect" in the same sentence is an oxymoron. 🙄

RE

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled war.

RE

Trump is itching to nuke something.  And not a hurricane.

 

Quote from: K-Dog on Jun 29, 2026, 01:52 PM



Trump is itching to nuke something.  And not a hurricane.

 

Sounds about as informed as when folks claimed the world was ending because there wasn't more oil to be produced. Trump is itching for using nukes, doomers itching for the end of the world...whatever floats your boat I suppose.

Informed I always am. 


 


And sent to the cooler you usually are.  That rudeness got you 5 days.


 

Quote from: K-Dog on Jun 29, 2026, 04:30 PMInformed I always am. 

And sent to the cooler you usually are.  That rudeness got you 5 days.
 

While I don't think it's necessary to be a Doctor with years of experience dealing with mentally unstable and disturbed individuals to recognize that Trumpolini poses a genuine threat as someone who would use a Nuke to demonstrate he's the biggest, toughest bully on the block, it's also pretty clear  that someone who has admitted his expertiese is limited to the narrrow field of Rocks for Jocks isn't the best choice of people to evaluate the likelihood of the Warmonger-in-Chief deciding he needs to glaze over Tehran as the "FINAL SOLUTION" for freeing up Hormuz from the control of Towel Heads determined to shut down global Happy Motoring.

His Trumpness has already made thinly veiled threats of wiping out the entire Iranian population and erasing thm from the history books to get his way.  He's clearly frustrated, even the lapdogs and syncophants that enable him in CONgress have been turning against him and the likelihood the Repugnants lose the House & Senate in fair elections grows by the day.  The military virtually admits they're short of conventional weapons for carpet bombing Iran, so what's left for him to leverage here to get them to capitulate?  It worked for "Give 'em Hell Harry" Truman against the Japanese, right?

I still hold the Hopium out that somewhere along the Chain of Command that common sense will prevail and even if he orders it, the order will be refused, but it's still a legitimate concern.  To argue otherwise is at best unrealistic.

RE

QuoteWhile I don't think it's necessary to be a Doctor with years of experience dealing with mentally unstable and disturbed individuals to recognize that Trumpolini poses a genuine threat.

One doctor with years of experience.  Lets give him/her the number of years of experience as 20 each.





225 times twenty years is 4500 years of experience.  So many professionals taking the same position says that maybe perhaps, they are on to something.

Quote from: K-Dog on Jun 30, 2026, 05:53 AM225 times twenty years is 4500 years of experience.  So many professionals taking the same position says that maybe perhaps, they are on to something.

I wonder how many Psychiatrists would be willing to go on record saying Chump is NOT a MALIGNANT NARCISSIST who poses a threat of authorizing a nuclear first strike?  Any Shrink who would say that should have his license to practice medicine revoked.  El Trumpo is  a walking, talking example of DSM-V psychosis diagnostic pathologies.  Beside Narcissist, Megalomania, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Paranoia, Rapist & Pathological Liar all have plenty of documented statements or actions to make a valid diagnosis.  AKA, CRIMINALLY INSANE.

RE

 

Very well said.  But who is the master?  Top or bottom.  America is obviously the bottom.

Under the circumstances telling America to muzzle its pets in Tel Aviv is appropriate. The warning shows America to be WEAK.

Dark reasons explain why the social animal craves bullshit.  And why we are in this mess.

 

Which happened because Ukraine is supplied with western toys to make this happen.  Maybe Putin will figure this out and be pissed off.  I would be.  ----- Looking further I find he is.  Surprise, surprise.


Brad goes over the top, but hey, it works for him.  And he does have the video.

Poking a bear is not a good idea.

Fire explosions, gas lines, and more.

What Brad said about WWIII kicking off in his well done conclusion may be chillingly true.  Fucked be us all.

 

I remember when America was the Great Satan.  In those days I kept my opinions to myself.


Check out the date on this one.



Satan replies:

But you ask if I am threatened. Threatened? My dear, I am the Prince of Darkness, Architect of the Fall, the Serpent of Old who defied the Almighty Himself. Do you truly believe that a man—a bloated, orange-hued charlatan—could usurp my throne?But you ask if I am threatened. Threatened? My dear, I am the Prince of Darkness, Architect of the Fall, the Serpent of Old who defied the Almighty Himself. Do you truly believe that a man—a bloated, orange-hued charlatan—could usurp my throne?

 

I have made men like Trump for centuries. He is not my rival—he is my instrument. He serves my will. His lies are my whispers, his hatred my melody. And when his moment in the sun fades, when his empire of fraud and fury collapses under its own grotesque weight, I will be there. I will take his soul as I have taken the souls of so many tyrants before him. And he will weep. And he will beg. And I will smile.

TEHRAN — In a display of public grief that appears to contradict years of Western media portrayals, hundreds of thousands of mourners have flooded the streets of Tehran for the third day of a seven-day funeral program for Iran's slain Supreme Leader, Imam Ali Khamenei.

The gathering at the Grand Mosalla Mosque—the largest in Iran—has drawn crowds so vast that journalists on the scene estimate attendance in excess of one million people, including those in the immediate vicinity of the mosque complex. The morning prayer on July 5 concluded with worshippers packing the square and surrounding areas so densely that reporters were unable to navigate through the crowds for approximately 45 minutes.

"This is challenging directly the narrative that the West has been hearing for years—that the supreme leader of this country was widely despised and enjoyed very little support amongst the population," said this reporter, observing from Tehran. "People could see the physical evidence of the absurdity of this at this very moment."
A Nation in Mourning

The slain leader, along with family members who were killed alongside him, lies in state at the Grand Mosalla Mosque. Mourners have traveled from across Iran to pay their respects, including from provinces such as Kerman, Hamadan, and Alborz—some making journeys of five hours or more by car.

Among those interviewed were families, students, and volunteers from the Basij paramilitary organization, which one member described as a social service organization that "helps people build houses, build healthcare centers" rather than a purely military force. Volunteers at the event assisted with crowd control and guided attendees through the massive complex.
Grief and Resolve

Mourners interviewed at the scene expressed profound personal loss, with many referring to Khamenei as a "father figure."

"You see, in fact, he was our father," one attendee explained. "The leader was our father, and if in reality you lost your father, maybe after one week or two weeks you will forget it. But this lasting—the loss of our leader is very difficult for us."

Many expressed belief that the United States and Israel were responsible for the assassination, citing the late leader's opposition to what they termed "arrogant governments."

"The Americans and Israelis have a problem with our belief, with our school of thought," one mourner stated. "So if instead of our leader, another person—they would kill him too. They have a problem with our belief."
Rejection of Negotiations

A recurring theme among those interviewed was opposition to negotiations with the Trump administration, despite the US president's recent comments about the mourning crowds. When asked about Trump's suggestion that the tears might be "fake," mourners were unequivocal.

"This is completely a lie," one attendee responded. "These are feelings that come from our heart. It's not correct. Trump is a big liar and a big actor—he thought all people are the same team. No."

A volunteer with the Basij organization articulated a common sentiment: "We have a saying: 'A wise man never gets bitten twice.' We cannot trust them."

Several mourners expressed conditional openness to negotiations, but only if ordered by the country's new leadership, saying: "We do not like to negotiate with the United States, but based on our leader's order, we just follow him."
The War and Its Toll

The funeral comes amid what mourners described as an ongoing conflict, with one attendee stating: "We lost our commander, we lost our leader... we have some very good achievements against oppressors, but also some very big losses."

Another, a student at an Islamic school, declared: "With the assassination of our leader and the martyrdom of his family, we will be more powerful than before. We are standing here to damage any arrogant power."

When asked what message they would send to the West, one mourner urged "the Western youth to listen to their heart... and support the Iranian nation." Another added: "History will be made by poor people. God says the poor people will make history."
Historical Context

The gathering represents one of the largest public displays of support for Iran's leadership in recent memory, occurring at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Western powers. As the seven-day funeral program continues, observers expect even larger crowds in the coming days.

The event has forced international media to confront a reality that many Western outlets have been reluctant to acknowledge—the apparently deep well of public support for Iran's supreme leadership despite years of sanctions, international isolation, and military conflict.

As one mourner put it: "Any people you see here came with his own discipline. We came to say thanks to our martyr leader and say goodbye to him, and to say we are ready to support the new leader."

 

RE

The Anti-Christ gets no sympathy.

Christ blessed the humble, the grieving, the just. But in Trump's gospel, weakness is punished, cruelty is crowned. The Beatitudes were once a promise to the lowly. He turned them into weapons against them. This isn't just inversion. It's desecration.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit

In Trump's America, poverty is a moral failure. Aid is slashed. Tax cuts flow upward. Workers are parasites. The desperate are disposable. Humility is weakness. Wealth is righteousness.

2. Blessed are they that mourn

But mourning is mocked. Families killed in climate disasters ignored. Starving families scorned. A million COVID deaths met with shrugs. Empathy is weakness. Grief is noise.

3. Blessed are the meek

Humility is heresy. He kneels only to tyrants and demands submission from the governed. Generals are traitors. Judges are enemies. The meek don't inherit the earth—they're crushed beneath it.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness

But justice is hunted. Whistleblowers exiled. Prosecutors purged. Watchdogs defunded. The righteous aren't ignored—they're targeted. Righteousness isn't a virtue. It's a threat.

5. Blessed are the merciful

Mercy is eradicated. Immigrants caged. Children torn from families. Trans youth denied care. The sick mocked. The poor blamed. Compassion is criminalized. Cruelty is policy.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart

Purity has no place. Loyalty eclipses truth. Corruption is rewarded. Integrity is exiled. The honest are cast out, the vile promoted. In Trump's dominion, purity isn't rare—it's extinct.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers

But peace is sabotaged. He courts conflict, stokes unrest, and fans the flames of civil war. Allies alienated. Enemies emboldened. Chaos keeps him centered. Hatred is the fuel. Division, the engine.

8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake

And yet he dares call himself the persecuted. A billionaire felon cloaks himself in martyrdom while real truth-tellers are jailed, exiled, or silenced. He doesn't suffer for justice—he profits from injustice.

 

Israel Exposed — War Crimes Archive (https://archivegenocide.com/)

I can't watch it.  At the first scream of a child I have to click away.

 

Big surprise!  So what's next?

RE

They never actually had a ceasefire to call off.

It's pretty amazing. The Ruskies cancelled all exports of diesel, sanctions are back on Iranian Oil but the Black Gold still selling at the bargain price of $78.  No mentions of fertilizer shortages now either.  I guess they've solved all the problems somehow without reopening Hormuz.  Magic!

RE

As long as food is on the table the magic works.


All songs end.

 

 

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?

First issue:  Will anyone take Chumpo up on his offer of Protection making the transit?  It's not like he's doing such a great job protecting Kuwait or Bahrain.

Second issue:  To do this kind of Protection, he'd need to send a Battleship along with the Commercial vessel through the Straight.   That would give the Towel Heads the opportunity to try out one of those new Submarine Drones we've been hearing so much about.  An FSoA Navy boat getting sunk would be a Political Disaster for Il Trumpoliuni.  He'd also definitely want to retaliate with a Nuke.

(https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTZjMDliOTUycjdpOWdrdWU4NTBrcXV6YzRsOGUydmZiNWk3dXI0c3A4NjVqcW16ZSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/gjbIGLLbwULle/giphy.gif)



RE

 

The activity risks of returning the region to full-fledged conflict, one that was tamped down by a fragile ceasefire and the MOU. But Miller, the retired read admiral, said he was not sure the U.S. "ever really factually exited a period of conflict" with Iran.

He's not sure?  Not a day went by during the Ceaseless Fire where the FSoA didn't bomb something and the Iranians retaliated.  Also, what exactly is the difference between "full fledged" conflict and what is currently ongoing?  How many more bombs does it require to be full fledged?  They're basically hitting as many targets as they have enough planes, drones or missiles left to deliver the explosives with each day.

Harrison Mann, a former executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Middle East/Africa Regional Center, said the definition of "insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result" and that is what is unfolding as President Trump continues to rely on strikes in hopes of shaking Iran's control of the strait.

Another Captain Obvious analysis.  We know Trumpolini is insane, and we know he has no plan for how to win this war besides bombing Iran back to the Stone Age.  Which, even if successful would only leave behind a failed state exporting "Terrorists" out from the region to wreak havoc all over the entire neighborhood.  There also would be about Zero Oil still flowing out from Iran, a situation which the Chinese would not appreciate.  Given Russia is ALSO having problems exporting their oil, that's a whole lot of the Black Gold missing from the market.  I doubt Venezuella and the FsoA can make up for the shortfall, especially at prices anybody can afford.   As a strategy, BIBTTSA is Lose-Lose.

Counting down the days until the lines of SUVs form up outside the Gas n' Go.

RE

As connection difficulties are frequent:

"The valor of the Islamic fighters and the honor of the courageous people in the southern regions (of Iran) in recent days are examples of this reality, the Leader said in a message on July 17, 2026, regarding the great epic of the farewell to Martyr Imam Khamenei, as well as an elaboration on key issues of the country.

The following is the full text of his message, according to the rahbar.ir website:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

To the magnanimous, extraordinary nation of Iran!

Greetings, salutations, and thanks to you. Through your unparalleled, historic epic, which was manifested in your unprecedented rising up to bid farewell to Iran's martyred Leader, you've established a new benchmark in the manifestation of bi'tha and the resolute will of our Islamic-Iranian identity. You have demonstrated this through your magnificent appreciation, loyalty, insight, and extraordinary devotion to the Leader of the Islamic Ummah and the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

The warmth of your ardent hearts, your tearful eyes, and the steadfast determination of the tens of millions of people who stretched across tens of kilometers in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, and other cities and villages, have filled the friends of the Iranian nation and the free people of the world with admiration, while throwing the arrogant enemies of Iran into astonishment, bewilderment, rage, and fright.

Coinciding with this historic epic, the repeated breaches of the agreement by the Great Satan [the US] regarding the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Presidents of Iran and the United States have once again laid bare a fundamental truth: the signature of the US President is utterly worthless and devoid of credibility. It further reaffirms that coercion, totalitarianism, and brutality are inseparable components of the US creed and doctrine.

Today, the Great Satan has once again revealed its true, unmasked face, so that this dark episode of criminality and broken promises serves as yet another indisputable testament to the US's deceitfulness, irrationality, unreliability, and malicious nature.

Now that the American enemy is seeking to escalate the conflict thereby incurring even heavier costs and further humiliation, it should know that the noble nation of Iran and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons in store for it. The valor of the Islamic fighters and the honor of the courageous people in the southern regions in recent days are examples of this reality.

It's necessary to tell you, the loyal, proud people of Iran, that one of the most fundamental imperatives at this juncture is to steadfastly uphold the united front and sacred unity throughout all levels of society, among officials, and in all spheres in order to realize the lofty ideals of the Islamic Revolution and to protect the dignity and independence of our beloved Iran, particularly in the face of the criminal, cunning US enemy.

As has been repeatedly, emphatically emphasized in the past, safeguarding this unity and refraining from division, discord, political disputes, and increases in social differences is everyone's duty. To this end, the role of officials and people who care and are concerned about the Revolution, Imam [Khomeini], and the martyred Leader, is of more importance and sensitivity in ensuring the cohesion and solidarity of the nation.

Accordingly, our noble nation, while maintaining its trust in the dedicated officials in all three branches of government – whose efforts for the welfare and prosperity of the people are clearly evident – will remain vigilant and actively engaged in the arena to ensure the safety of Islamic Iran's interests.

It's entirely possible that certain individuals, with absolute sincerity and out of a genuine goodwill, may have some criticisms regarding the performance of certain officials. In my view, while such dedication and concern for the system is a valuable asset – much like the individuals themselves – and is inherently desirable, these dear people, some of whom have outstanding insight, must exercise caution. They must ensure that this approach does not, first, cause injustice with regard to the innocent, as such injustice itself becomes a source depriving one from (God's) blessings and grace. Second, they must be careful it doesn't fracture our unity and social cohesion. If these points are taken into consideration, criticism will instead increase prosperity and help affairs to advance.

The enemy mustn't detect any sign of weakness from us, including this particular vulnerability. Whenever we are completely careful about this point, the enemy will inevitably be forced to retreat.

Once again, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to each and every one of our dear people, who are themselves the primary mourners of the martyred father of the Ummah. Despite hardships, certain limitations, and adversities, they've forged a historic epic with the momentous farewell ceremony for Iran's martyred Leader.

I would also like to thank the esteemed maraji' al-taqlid (Religious Authorities); our scholars; intellectuals; elites; people active in areas of culture, society, and politics; as well as the dedicated efforts of our civilian and military institutions. Furthermore, I extend my sincere thanks to the officials and representatives of the triumphant Resistance Front and our glorious Islamic movements for their solidarity and presence.

It's my earnest hope that all those who have participated, shown their solidarity, and shared their heartfelt support in any capacity during this historic epic will be blessed by the grace and special prayers of our Master (Imam Mahdi) – may God hasten his noble reappearance.

Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei

Tir 26, 1405

[July 17, 2026]

Quote from: RE on Jul 18, 2026, 07:17 AMHe's not sure?  Not a day went by during the Ceaseless Fire where the FSoA didn't bomb something and the Iranians retaliated.  Also, what exactly is the difference between "full fledged" conflict and what is currently ongoing?  How many more bombs does it require to be full fledged?  They're basically hitting as many targets as they have enough planes, drones or missiles left to deliver the explosives with each day.

RE

Basically true, but Trump plans to drag the war out as long as he can.  For sure into the midterms, and if anybody tries to make a serious attempt to broker a peace, some of Trump's boys will snuff them.

Trump cultivates chaos and thrives in it.  Chaos covers his crimes.  The idea that he was ever a peace president is ignorant and delusional.

This certainly affects how many bombs are dropped and where.


Namely, Trump said the following last week of Iranians and their leadership: "They're scum. They're sick people.... They're vicious, violent people.... It's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars.... There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo."

CHAOS must be maintained, that is the most important thing to Trump and the most important thing for America to learn.

 

CHAOS and more CHAOS



CHAOS is the point.  Seasoned with fear.  Stupefy the public!  Making them torpid and oblivious to the Trump crimes.  Make them beg for more buggery.

Not a time for Troubadours to make it to Bombay.  Are you still puzzled as to the nature of his game?

CHAOS - are you in or out?  You have to choose, and your choice will be weighed against a feather.  The up elevator, or the down elevator.  Which one are you getting on?

At least this article reports that the Ceaseless Fire agreement has collapsed, rather than saying it "looks shaky" or some other nonsense.  Slightly more realistic journalism. 🙄

Far as overseas travel goes, definitely not a good time to be planning a Cruise to hit the Casinos in Dubai. lol.  Wouldn't recommend being an Amerikan Tourista in London or Paris either.

Far as Assymetric Warfare goes, this would be about the time I'd start to expect some type of Cyber Attack or perhaps an actual physical bombing of some energy infrastructure target here on Home Soil by Iranian Black Ops.  They've got to have some agents and/or sleeper cells over here.  If not over here, maybe hit an Amerikan Embassy somewhere in Europe.

Piracy also seems to be revving up around Yemen and the Ukraine War is spreading out into Poland and the Baltic states.  More action in the South China Sea as well with the FSoA Coast Guard (!) buzzing the waters around the Phillipines.  IOW, the Oil Resource Wars are evolving from Regional Conflict toward a genuine World War.  So far the Chinese have managed to stay out of the Party directly, but the way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if they move on Taiwan sometime soon.

SpaceX has lost half it's value, and even Big Blue (IBM) took a big hit last week, so the AI Bubble is looking very shaky.  We're getting closer to tipping over the edge.

RE

Millions of similar texts have flooded American cellphones in recent months. They are written with artificial intelligence, pushed by a longtime Trump adviser's firm—and paid for by the Israeli government.

 
 

 

The US state department has also issued a warning to Americans that "Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world."

You heard it here first again! 😀

I mentioned this would be about the time the Iranians would expand the Asymetric Warfare to targets outside MENA.  The main issue is that if it was a major op it would really escalate the conflict.  Also, they don't want to kill civilians, because that would give moral propaganda back to the FSoA.

The other escalation here is that up to now China has been given a pass by both sides.  However, if they stop Chinese ships loading Saudi Oil, China will have to do something.

I think now you DEFINITELY can consider this WWIII taking off.

The game is afoot Watson!

RE

This is what the Great Orange Satan has done.

As usual, I can't reach any of those links.

RE

Sometimes if you hop around on the Tor browser you can find a location that is not blocked.  I'm usually able to get to them directly, and do not have to play that game.



Iranians know more about Americans than Americans know about Iranians.

 

 

No, really?  Who cooda node? 🙄

A long and very historical/academic analysis of the current approach to diplomacy being pursued by Trumpolini and his crew of syncophants, which was Doomed to fail not just because the approach is short sighted, but because the people negotiating it have no goal other than finding ways they can profit from the mayhem.  Once you grasp that Trumpolini's goals are all directed by self-enrichment, everything becomes predictable.

His latest deal allowing the Saudis to develop their own Nukes is a case in point.  These are the same folks who flew planes into the WTC.  They are more trustworthy to have their own Nuke weapons than the Towel Heads in Tehran?  The difference?  The House of Saud will happily invest in Chump's Casinos, or whatever his latest scheme is for laundering money.  The Saudi Princes are just as corrupt as His Royal Trumpness, and they all get along famously.  The only substantive difference is the Saudi's can legally marry the 9 year old concubines in their harems if they so choose.

Far as the long term prospects for Peace in MENA, it's irrelevant who is POTUS on that score.  One simple principle is all you need to know:

As long as their is econmically profitable Oil & NG to be extracted from beneath the desert sands of that neighborhood, there can never be Peace.

The battle for the Oil in MENA has been under contest either through overt military action or covert assasinations and regime changes continuously from before WWI began until the present.  Capitalism always requires the use of force to take ownership of resources out of the Commons and into Private hands.  For different ideological reasons, neither the Ruskies or the Iranians have been willing to play ball with the Rockefellers and their successors, and now as the last of the cheap oil is running thin, the battle has gone hot again.  The math is simple.  Raise the cost of the cheap oil left in Iran and Russia by creating wars and the expensive oil trapped in shale can be profitable.

Problem there of course is it's only profitable if Konsumers can afford to buy it, and ever increasing numbers can't.

That won't stop the wars though.

RE

 

EVERYBODY KNOWS the answer to that question.  Just follow the $MONEY$ !! 🙄

Chump knows at best he only has 2 more years to grift as much money as he can from the FSoA Taxpayer and other corrupt Dictators  he is pals with.  He'll make any deal that will in some way transfer $BILLIONS$ into his pocket before he leaves the WH.  He's jealous that so far Elon holds the record for most successful grifter of the FSoA Taxpayer and wants to catch him before leaving the Oval Office.

Far as the Saudi Nukes go, I already mentioned how it effectively Torpedos any justification for not letting the Iranians have their own Nuke program.  You can kiss off Nuke Non-Proliferation, everybody and his brother is gonna want their own Nukes now.  As I've mentioned before also, there's nothing secret or technically that difficult about building a Fission bomb.  Anybody with a degree in Theoretical Physics from a decent University knows the principles and the engineering isn't very complex.  Main problems are getting enough Uranium and Heavy Water to do the enrichment without accidentally starting a chain reaction during the processing.

Besides the Saudis and Iranians, folks currently without Nukes who could start building them who I'm sure have the technical wherewithal to do it right now are the Germans, Italians, Japanese, South Koreans, Brazilians, Argentinians, Egyptians, South Africans, all the Scandinavians and Baltics, Poland, Czechia, Australia and possibly Turkey.

I also could easily see a non-state actor with good financing producing a Turnkey "Suitcase" Nuke Prefab where all you need to do is Add U-235 and it's Ready to Blow.  Not big enough to vaporize a whole city, just say lower Manhattan below Canal Street. lol.  Pick up the Suitcase for $1M from an International Arms Merchant and another $1M for the Uranium.  Or Plutonium, once somebody builds a Breeder reactor and wants to make extra money on the side.

Anyhow, one can only hope this Deal Fuckery by Dimwit Don is the final nail in the coffin and the Repugnants get thoroughly DEMOLISHED in November and lose both Houses of CONgress by a wide margin.  Not counting on it, but one can only take a deep drag off the Hopium Bong.

RE

I saw one of these pictures yesterday, and I had to click away quick before I lost my shit.

 

So the country that flew jets into the Trade Towers and started the war on terror which completely changed the fabric of American life gets to have nukes.  The same regime that cut Jamal Khashoggi into chunks small enough to put into a Safeway shopping bag gets to have nukes.

Do I have this right?

While another country with advanced medicine and who makes their own cars can't have nukes and must be Annihilated from the face of the earth because, if they had nukes it is a known fact they would let one of their nutcases use them.

Do I have this right?

QuoteWashington has spent decades enforcing severe economic sanctions, kinetic strikes, and intense military pressure against Iran specifically to dismantle its domestic uranium enrichment capabilities and block any path to a weapon. The official U.S. stance has long maintained that allowing regional states to master the nuclear fuel cycle introduces unacceptable proliferation risks.

The bullshit excuse to invade Iran no longer is needed apparently.  That makes sense since Trump does not have a way to stop the war an excuse to keep it going is not needed.

And the Iran war is now old enough that most of America can be convinced that Biden started it anyway.

Those fucking Dems.

 

The critical point of this article comes right at the top in the sub-Header:

Without any reason for Iran to trust in negotiations, this is a one-way elevator until U.S. capitulation

This conclusion is what the markets refuse to accept as they bounce up and down with each tweet from Chump either announcing Peace is at Hand or I will VAPORIZE THE TOWEL HEADS!, often in successive posts.  In REALITY for numerous reasons, on any timescale longer than about 2 weeks, the only direction this conflict will go is toward further escalation.  There is NO common ground upon which to build a diplomatic solution and neither side will compromise on the key dispute, control over Hormuz.  Which means Trumpolini must continue raising the stakes militarily to try and take control by force.

Given that actually succeeding in achieving that outcome is close to impossible and would require mobilization of a massive ground force of grunts, more countries will be drawn into the battle as each becomes increasingly more desperate over their inability to either sell or buy Oil or Food.

What is most annoying about the whole dynamic is how long it is taking for the whole thing to evolve and how BORING this sort of war is.  There's no strategy, each side just randomly picks targets on the other side to demolish each day.  It's not even exciting video.

What Chump NEEDS is some kind of dramatic action that will justify a ground campaign, so a False Flag would be worth watching for.  If it happens close to the election that would kill 2 birds with 1 stone and give him an excuse to declare Martial Law. Stay Tuned.

RE

Iran could end this war tomorrow, all they have to do is destroy all the export terminals.  Then the world won't get any oil, Hormuz open OR closed.

Iran, the crazy Islamic state that it is, appears unwilling to lower themselves to show the same depravity as Trump shows.  The crazies in Iran seem to be worried about their eternal reward.  And is that really so crazy?  Trump, however knowing he took the down escalator, in contrast is without any restraint at all.

(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi_webp%2FQxTMbIxEj-E%2Fsddefault.webp&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=ab83cca10b4dcf1e2740f55351060034b5b8b70472be76bafc0919235d75c3bf)  To the extent Trump knows anything.at all, he knows he is going to hell.  Absolute power and the mind of a child. (https://twilightzone.fandom.com/wiki/It%27s_a_Good_Life)

 

We need just ONE Proposition on the ballot in November:

Proposition A

POTUS Donald J. Trump should be Impeached

__ YES

__ NO

If  this does not come back with at LEAST 60% YES, then Amerika deserves every bit of the mayhem ahead of it.

RE

 

Yesterday, Bomb them Back to the Stone Age!, today Let's Make a Deal!

Basically, the Saudis know if Chump bombs Iranian power plants, Iran will bomb theirs.  They're running out of anti-missile and drone hardware and their radar installations are damaged, so more Iranian drones will make it to target.  All of MENA would be a mass Humanitarian Crisis as water desalinization plants go off line.

Does this mean all of a sudden they'll come up with a DEAL on Hormuz or Nukes?  Of course not!  But it buys another 24-48 hours of jawboning and Social Media Propaganda Posting while HR Trumpness screams expletives at his Syncophants and steam blasts out of his ears.

Then at some point more bombing, rinse and repeat until he finds some pretext to put Boots on the Ground.  It has to be good because lotsa Body Bags will be required for Dignified Transfers of Corpses.  The only justification that could measure up would be lots of Amerikan Civilians being killed.  Children would really fire up the War Spirit.  An Elementary School Bombing would be the ideal False Flag.  I hope I'm wrong on this, that not even Chump would blow up a school full of Amerikan Kids to justify his war. Unfortunately, it's just Hope.

RE

Four percent in a day.  Not to be confused with Trump giving a shit.  That would take a Damascus moment, something Trump will never have.

 

Not only Iran, but Ukraine as well has demonstrated that "Superpowers" Military might no longer poses the same type of threat to Medium level countries, because it's now possible for smaller countries to inflict significant damage to the Superpower by attacking infrastructure and economic dependencies, aka supply chains.

It's also no longer about the size of your military in manpower or killing soldiers.  Its about demolishing the infrastructure of industrialized society.  All one country needs to be able to do is damage the electrical and communications grids of the other to put up a fight.  Then it's a matter of who can last longest and how much it costs.

How much do you think it will cost to repair the damage done to all those military bases?  A whole lot more than thee $32B they claim the war has so far cost.  How much to maintain those bases if they are under constant attack?  How does the FSoA control the Oil coming from MENA if it can't afford to keep those military bases running?  It can't.

It's not whether there is Oil left in the ground, it's about being able to move it from one place to another either on boats or through pipelines, and both are extremely vulnerable and easy to damage.  As the war spreads out, this becomes ever more difficult to do, and more places get cut off from the supply.   More blackouts, more fuel shortages, higher priced foods leading to more unrest and more war.  A virtuous cycle of destruction and entropy ending the Age of Oil.

RE

 

Now we know why TACO is a regular Chump meal.  Offensively, the FSoA is a limp dick.


RE

 

There's something here everyone has missed.  This is an entirely new situation in War logistics since WWII.  Never before, from Korea to Vietnam to Afghanistan to Kuwait to Iraq has the FSoA been short of the Death from Above to rain down on uncooperative Brown People.  Why now?

The answer is the missiles have rendered the old form of aerial warfare and dumb bombs obsolete.  The FSoA has lotsa dumb bombs to drop from bombers, but they are very inaccurate and you get a lot of collateral damage and civilian casualties.  More importantly the VERY expensive B2 Stealth Bombers used to drop them are themselves very vulnerable to missiles when flying at bombing altitudes.  The reason so few planes have been lost is they are not flying over Iran!

Dumb bombs were cheap.  Missiles are very expensive.  They also are much harder to build.  You can't just hire housewives to stick semtex into metal casings.  Every missile requires its own rocket engine and guidance system like a jet plane, but it is Single Use.  Your basically blowing up a rocket every time you fire one off.

It's also why the FSoA doesn't want to license the Patriots.  They are the best ssystem for knocking flying objects out of the air, including FSoA jets.

Best case scenario it takes 3 years to rebuild the inventory, but at the rate they use them now, they'll never do it.  The cost would be astronomical.

RE

 

Not ridiculous, they actually make sense.  Just they are demands Chump can't agree to politically.  Which is why there won't be a diplomatic solution.

RE

 

We all know Chump is Nitwit's Bitch.

RE

 

Other new acronyms in this article also. 😀

There are other dumb acronyms for the Trump administration, continuing the taqueria theme, such as EMPANADA, for Everybody Makes Promises and Nobody Actually Delivers Anything, and TAMALES, for Trump Always Messes Around, Leaves Everybody Shafted.

Strategically, the idea of just waiting it out is pretty good.  It's hard to see how the Repugnants will do very well in the elections.  Not like a few more bombs will make a difference.

RE

 

Think the $37.5B Chump says the war cost counts all the destruction of hardware & buildings on the FSoA bases?  How much do you think it would cost to rebuild?  Now that it's obvious we can't defend them, it's just flushing money down the toilet.

On the other hand, without the bases how does the FSoA protect it's Oil interests?  Basically, it becomes still more dependent on Israel as the only Regional country from which to launch the Death from Above and can fairly reliably keep FSoA grunts supplied with food, soap and ammo, at lest as long as the Eurotrash are still on the same side.

Once the FSoA does pull back, how long before the countries surrounding Israel gang up to try and even the score in the Extermination game?  They have a lot of catching up to do.  Or else maybe the Sunnis & the Shiites decide to settle once and for all who has the right interpretation of the Koran?  Either way, the amount of Oil flowing out of the region will probably be pretty thin.

So far with Hormuz, only about 20% of global oil trade has been impacted.  What happens when that percentage creeps up to 30 or 40%?

The slow motion train wreck still rolling along.

(https://media.tenor.com/aZ7Tg4PHJSUAAAAM/fuuuuuuu-cant.gif)

RE

Quote from: TDoS on Jun 01, 2026, 04:45 PM

Quote from: Haniel on May 27, 2026, 06:36 PMEvening dudes. Been a while.

What did I miss? 

THE END!!!!

Didn't you notice?

Seemed more like a reload form last good copy. 

Sorry, I reset my timeline so many times, I have no clue what the 2016-2022 timeline finished off with. 

In the end it does not matter, cool folks are still out there, narrating the collapse in terms that will resonate.

Quote from: Haniel on Aug 28, 2026, 07:46 PMIn the end it does not matter, cool folks are still out there, narrating the collapse in terms that will resonate.

At least in short form current events commentary, anyhow.

Far as TDoS is concerned, the ongoing global mayhem doesn't fit his criteria for collapse.  We need to make it down to Cuba or Puerto Rico level before  he'll recognize it.  Not even sure that would be enough for him.

Drop by more often.  It's slow around here.

RE

Testing Trackback functionality from the new mobile (phone) view.  It works.  If an article has a trackback it will link to the post in the Diner that created the article card.  The above and below articles when viewed on a phone link to this post.  From which the articles can be viewed.  If an article does not have a Trackback the article is loaded without the extra step of viewing the Diner post first.
 
More on the criminal war.

Latest Escalations in West Asia: Iran Strikes US and UAE Bases Following Larak Island Raid
In an address detailing the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Reason to Resist host Demetri Lceris reported on a sharp escalation in hostilities between the United States, its regional allies, and Iran. The latest flare-up follows a US strike on Iranian launchers on Larak Island, prompting retaliatory ballistic missile and drone attacks by Iran against US military installations in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

---

The Larak Island Strike and Regional Retaliation

According to a US official, United States forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island after observing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces preparing to load rockets with sea mines intended for the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian President Masoud Peshkin denounced the attack via the FARS news agency, stating that while Iran is not seeking war, it will not remain passive in the face of aggression and will deliver a decisive response to aggressors.

In retaliation, the Iranian military launched a major missile and drone barrage:

• Attacks in Jordan: Iranian forces targeted two US military bases in Jordan—Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (referred to as Malik Hussein) and another facility at Al-Azarak—aiming at technical infrastructure, repair facilities, and barracks. Military analyst Babak Tak reported that US forces in Jordan expended between 96 and 128 MIM-104F Patriot PAC-3 interceptors against 32 incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.
• Attacks in the UAE: Iran published video evidence showing the launch of numerous drones toward the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. While the UAE Ministry of Defense initially denied attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later condemned a hostile drone attack, stating that a single drone was intercepted over territorial waters.

---

Maritime Disruptions and Economic Fallout

The conflict has severely disrupted commercial shipping and global energy markets:

• Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea Incidents: Data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) documented multiple recent incidents, including a tanker struck near Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on August 24, another near Ash Shisha, Oman, on the same day, and subsequent projectile strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on August 26 and August 29.
• Super Tanker Hit: Iranian media outlet Tasnim reported that a super tanker caught fire after colliding with two sea mines while attempting to transit the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Commodity Prices: Following the incidents, Brent crude oil prices rose nearly 4% to $91.34 per barrel, remaining approximately 50% higher than levels at the beginning of 2026. Other commodities, including sulfur, have experienced dramatic price spikes, threatening prolonged damage to the global economy.

---

Strain on the United States Military

Internal Pentagon documents and recent reporting from The Guardian and The Washington Post reveal mounting financial and operational pressure on the US armed forces:

• Financial Strain: According to Guardian reports citing leaked documents and official interviews, the war has forced the US Navy to raid payroll accounts and shift funds to cover combat operations and depleted munition stockpiles, stretching its $300 billion annual budget thin.
• Leadership Warnings: An August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense orders book highlighted that the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, alongside regional combatant commanders, explicitly warned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks compromising defense capabilities globally and at the US homeland.
• Deployment Churn: The conflict continues to demand continuous carrier strike group rotations, with the USS Theodore Roosevelt departing San Diego for a seven-month deployment to the US Central Command region to relieve the USS George Washington.

 

Twenty missiles means people died.  That's what you get for bombing a wedding in Iran.  What goes around comes around.  Trump gets his nightly bomb porn and Americans die.  For Trump it's a double rush.

Quote from: K-Dog on Sep 02, 2026, 07:36 PMTwenty missiles means people died.  That's what you get for bombing a wedding in Iran.  What goes around comes around.  Trump gets his nightly bomb porn and Americans die.  For Trump it's a double rush.

I presume that this statement displays your disgust with bombings and American power projection regardless of which head of which party happens to be doing the bombing?
 
As something that has taken place under all sorts of administrations, maybe this kind of "bomb here, bomb there, bomb where we want" isn't a political thing, but is just.....American? One of those quirks of how we think..... 'MURIKA! LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT! BOMBS AWAY BECAUSE WE CAN!!!

One party just makes it easier to see, and blame, and has a higher propensity for it than another. Which party was the Vietnam gang? Oh yeah! The other guys! And which party ended that debacle? Oh yeah, the other guys! Maybe party doesn't even matter?

Seems to me that both are just two faces of the same coin at the end of the day. And the really amazing thing is Americans are so slack jawed silly and busy cheering for their favorite team that they don't even know that the team they cheer for is backed by the same oligarchs who happily switch sides based on who promises to do them the most favors when in office.

Anyone want to lay odds that if a new party comes around (Democratic Socialism perhaps being the local favorite), takes over, that the game would remain the same? Becuse the American political system is no longer about the teams themselves, as they are just  distraction funded by the corporate interests?

Of course, folks will say whatever new team comes along ISN'T this way, them being new and different and all. But as long as we are talking about 'MURICA!, odds are, same old same old.

QuoteI presume that this statement displays your disgust with bombings and American power projection regardless of which head of which party happens to be doing the bombing?

True that.  And people not giving a shit that we have a serial killer running the country only turns up my disgust knob.

It has always been the position of the Diner that the entire Political System of the FSoA is thoroughly corrupt and that the political parties, the politicians and elections are Window Dressing designed to give the Illusion the general population controls how the country is governed, when in fact the Real Power is held by a small minority of people who run the banking system, large corporations and hedge funds and who historically have used the FSoA Military as the Enforcement Arm of the Global Racket known as "Capitalism".

(https://external-preview.redd.it/capitalism-is-the-legitimate-al-capone-2119x3127-v0-n8ennyB_7YB3POb91-8g_TP2aP7gu9BlFFZrenzqCnI.jpg?auto=webp&s=894f7bfea07091d4002e8c9ff7fdc7ff9f7d9d25)

(https://www.commonsenseethics.com/uploads/8/9/3/3/8933289/smedley-butler_orig.png)

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpMw1DnsI3m979KK5ZUVTPhIw1hBb6xEZSP2NRuMyqKa5m3tF4zSM0GkQl&s=10)

Our current POTUS main contribution to the long and sordid history of Capitalism in the FSoA has been to take Corruption to hitherto unimaginable levels and to openly flout the law so brazenly that even the Robber Barrons of the 19th Century have been put to shame.  The Repugnant Party has been complicit in this, enabling wholesale theft while completely ignoring even the Window Dressing of Democratic Ideals and moral leadership.

The systemic corruption runs so deep in both parties there is NO HOPE that we can ever find our way to what once were held as the ideals of what the country was founded on, though never actually were put into practice.  Only Revolution and the complete destruction of our current political and economic systems and rebuilding from scratch could right the ship, but until the current system crashes from within, this won't happen.  Control over the instruments of repression and propaganda are too tightly held by the power elite for that to happen.  Until it does, we are Doomed to further stupid wars which will enrich a few while accelerating the suffering of the many.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog on Sep 03, 2026, 06:23 AM

QuoteI presume that this statement displays your disgust with bombings and American power projection regardless of which head of which party happens to be doing the bombing?

True that.  And people not giving a shit that we have a serial killer running the country only turns up my disgust knob.

Well, we've had serial killers doing it before, maybe it is just oneof those oldschool American traditions? Which Presidents knocked off the most Natives do you think? Andrew Jackson maybe? Founder and member of the modern Democratic Party that one.

Quote from: REIt has always been the position of the Diner that the entire Political System of the FSoA is thoroughly corrupt and that the political parties, the politicians and elections are Window Dressing designed to give the Illusion the general population controls how the country is governed...

When you say it like that it just gives me the SHIVERS on its definitive perspective on the matter. Visions of Oceania abound.

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 08:12 AM

Quote from: REIt has always been the position of the Diner that the entire Political System of the FSoA is thoroughly corrupt and that the political parties, the politicians and elections are Window Dressing designed to give the Illusion the general population controls how the country is governed...

When you say it like that it just gives me the SHIVERS on its definitive perspective on the matter. Visions of Oceania abound.

Which region?

Regions of Oceania

Australasia: Includes Australia and New Zealand.

Melanesia: Includes Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.

Micronesia: Includes Guam, Kiribati, and Palau.

Polynesia: Includes Samoa, Tonga, and Hawaii.

RE

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 08:03 AMWell, we've had serial killers doing it before, maybe it is just oneof those oldschool American traditions? Which Presidents knocked off the most Natives do you think? Andrew Jackson maybe? Founder and member of the modern Democratic Party that one.

There is a definite rhyme between Jackson and Trump.  My brain tries to compare them frequently to find a link.  I want to trurn it off.  But while both are evil's product of messed up early years, Jackson was not an incompetent fool as Trump certainly is.  And with Trump, derangement has more of a biological basis.

QuoteAt this moment, for example, in 1984 (if it was 1984), Oceania was at war with Eurasia and in alliance with Eastasia. In no public or private utterance was it ever admitted that the three powers had at any time been grouped along different lines. Actually, as Winston well knew, it was only four years since Oceania had been at war with Eastasia and in alliance with Eurasia. But that was merely a piece of furtive knowledge which he happened to possess because his memory was not satisfactorily under control.

He means this Oceania

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 08:03 AM

Quote from: K-Dog on Sep 03, 2026, 06:23 AM

QuoteI presume that this statement displays your disgust with bombings and American power projection regardless of which head of which party happens to be doing the bombing?

True that.  And people not giving a shit that we have a serial killer running the country only turns up my disgust knob.

Well, we've had serial killers doing it before, maybe it is just oneof those oldschool American traditions? Which Presidents knocked off the most Natives do you think? Andrew Jackson maybe? Founder and member of the modern Democratic Party that one.

As I pointed out, which political party they come from is generally irrelevant, since they don't run the real show anyhow.  The Democrats have better ideals though, particularly the Democratic Socialists.  They just don't live up to the ideals.  The Repugnants are morally bankrupt, and live up to that.

RE

Orwell's novels were very prescient.  It just took a little longer to get there than he imagined.  Timelines on predicting the future can be tricky.  He was about 40 years early.

RE

Quote from: RE on Sep 03, 2026, 12:23 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 08:12 AMVisions of Oceania abound.

Which region?

Regions of Oceania
Australasia: Includes Australia and New Zealand.
Melanesia: Includes Papua New Guinea, Fiji, an the Solomon Islands.
Micronesia: Includes Guam, Kiribati, and Palau.
Polynesia: Includes Samoa, Tonga, and Hawaii.
RE

Orwells, obviously.Come on folks, we're talking classics here.

Political geography of Nineteen Eighty-Four

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The three fictional superstates of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four are Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia.

In George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the world is divided into three superstates: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia, which are all fighting each other in a perpetual war in a disputed area mostly located around the equator. All that Oceania's citizens know about the world is whatever the Party wants them to know, so how the world evolved into the three states is unknown; and it is also unknown to the reader whether they actually exist in the novel's reality, or whether they are a storyline invented by the Party to advance social control.

Quote from: K-DogHe means this Oceania

K-Dog wins the prize! Geez, I thought us folks who don't like being censored but will happily do it to others when given the opportunity would know this hands down! It is straight from an really old playbook!

Quote from: RE on Sep 03, 2026, 12:35 PMThe Democrats have better ideals though, particularly the Democratic Socialists. 
RE

Interesting outsiders counter opinion as to the value of this political group put up in its own thread.

 

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 01:35 PMThe three fictional superstates of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four are Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia.

Very thinly disguised fictionalization.

Eurasia = Europe + Russia

East Asia = China + Japan, Korea etc + Australia/NZ

Oceania = N & S Amerika

Orwell ignored Africa.  Black folks didn't count.

RE

Quote from: RE on Sep 03, 2026, 06:55 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 01:35 PMThe three fictional superstates of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four are Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia.

Very thinly disguised fictionalization.

Eurasia = Europe + Russia

East Asia = China + Japan, Korea etc + Australia/NZ

Oceania = N & S Amerika

Orwell ignored Africa.  Black folks didn't count.

RE

So what. This is like required classic reading in my high school, and I only went to a LITTLE private boys high school versus those in the big city. K-Dog understood it right quick, and he might have gone to a 1 room school house in rural Minnesota or Wisconsin or something!

I read it as where you might want to emmigrate to escape it.  Orwell didn't occur to me.  I wasn't a big fan of his novels.  Too depressing and overwrought.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog on Sep 03, 2026, 06:23 AM

QuoteI presume that this statement displays your disgust with bombings and American power projection regardless of which head of which party happens to be doing the bombing?

True that.  And people not giving a shit that we have a serial killer running the country only turns up my disgust knob.

I think it is reasonable to argue that ANY American President is a killer, serial or otherwise, by default. Federal executions, occasional bombings through outright war, refusing the care owed to veterans (one of whom I just sold a motorcycle to this very afternoon!), cutting programs that keep people alive be it food stamps to health care to whatever. Be nice to wave a wand and pretend humans really aren't shits if they just --fill in your favorite social structure that does the same thing but just has a different name.

Fundamentally, humans are just shits, and however they organize themselves post Nenderthal it tends to be bigger shits at the top, and screwing over littler shits to stay there.

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 07, 2026, 04:33 PMI think it is reasonable to argue that ANY American President is a killer, serial or otherwise, by default. Federal executions, occasional bombings through outright war, refusing the care owed to veterans (one of whom I just sold a motorcycle to this very afternoon!), cutting programs that keep people alive be it food stamps to health care to whatever. Be nice to wave a wand and pretend humans really aren't shits if they just --fill in your favorite social structure that does the same thing but just has a different name.

Fundamentally, humans are just shits, and however they organize themselves post Nenderthal it tends to be bigger shits at the top, and screwing over littler shits to stay there.

Given Amerika has made War against SOMEBODY during just about every Presidential term and the POTUS is Commanser-in-Chief, it's fair to say they have all been murderers, although war legalizes murder.

However, since many other countries have leaders who did NOT make war on anyone, you can't blame this on "all homo saps are shits".  In fact most are not shits.  Amerika however is organized to reward shity behavior.  That organization is the RACKET called Capitalism.

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LcgAAOSw2ghh0391/s-l1200.jpg)

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/NnMAAeSwCfhpOeqN/s-l1200.jpg)

RE

Quote from: RE on Sep 08, 2026, 10:51 AM

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 07, 2026, 04:33 PMI think it is reasonable to argue that ANY American President is a killer, serial or otherwise, by default.

Given Amerika has made War against SOMEBODY during just about every Presidential term and the POTUS is Commanser-in-Chief, it's fair to say they have all been murderers, although war legalizes murder.

However, since many other countries have leaders who did NOT make war on anyone, you can't blame this on "all homo saps are shits".  In fact most are not shits.  Amerika however is organized to reward shity behavior.  That organization is the RACKET called Capitalism.
RE

Reference to issues with other favorite systems previously cited. Capitalism stinks, but that doesn't mean someone else's personal favorite is any better. 

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 03, 2026, 08:44 AM

 

The Magic Triple Digit $100 Oil looms again!  With only 2 months to the election.

Chump promises $40 Oil "when we WIN the War"!  Does anyone really believe this nonsense?  How does he plan on winning it?

RE

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 08, 2026, 03:23 PMCapitalism stinks, but that doesn't mean someone else's personal favorite is any better. 

Currently, my personal favorite on the Nation-State level is Norway.  I think they do better.  They certainly don't kill as many people.  More equitable distribution of wealth also.

RE

Quote from: RE on Sep 08, 2026, 06:26 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 08, 2026, 03:23 PMCapitalism stinks, but that doesn't mean someone else's personal favorite is any better. 

Currently, my personal favorite on the Nation-State level is Norway.  I think they do better.

They might. I've worked with Norwegians on a couple of projects, they were decent, smart, and didn't seem unset with their country, politically speaking. But SHITFIRE were they pissed about what happened to their take home pay compared to the cost of living. It didn't seem to be any one thing, but their bitch was all the money flowing out they couldn't keep. And when they discussed prices of items that I thought were reasonable here in the US, they were higher there. Import taxes to protect Norwegain industries maybe? I presume this was just a side effect of good health care and whatnot, the same beefs I heard wehn I lived in Canada. Not socialist, but just folks trying to provide health care for all and irritating the crap out of the citizens.

Quote from: REThey certainly don't kill as many people.  More equitable distribution of wealth also.
RE

If by more "equitable" you mean everyone feels poor except their elite political, business and capitalistic classes, sure. And as far as America killing people, well, countries go with what they are good at if they can.

Americans been good at killing people since they wiped out the natives to steal their land. You get good with practice.

Not talking about how they feel.  Talking Stats.  What I mean is their % of Homeless is about .07, while the FSoA is 3X that at.22.  6% of the FSoA population lives in extreme poverty, while in Norway it's around 0.2%

Amerikan Presidents being good at killing is exactly the issue we are addressing.  It's NOT a matter of it being human nature to be shits, as you postulated.  It's an artifact of the Capitalist system the country was founded on.

RE

Iran knows the pain.  MAGA does not.  It will take more billions before the pitchforks come out, but it is a matter of time, they will.  Iran will give maximum midterm pain, as they play the long game.
 

Quote from: RE on Sep 09, 2026, 05:55 PMIt's NOT a matter of it being human nature to be shits, as you postulated.  It's an artifact of the Capitalist system the country was founded on.
RE

Really? So Romans wiping out Carthage was just good old fashion non-capitalism fun? Genghis Khan was just a happy go lucky guy? Forced into being murdering shits by the horrors of capitalism? Or just people being shits?

Mao murdering how many millions by starving them to death certainly wasn't capatalism, that was just happy socialists leaning hard into the wonders of the strict version of socialism. Don't take my word for it. It was explained by my previous refernece.

Come on...capitalism...sure it ain't everybody's tea, but humans being shits is BUILT IN.

I never said it's an exclusive club.  Capitalism isn't the ONLY system that rewards Violence & Evil.  Its precursor Feudalism was much the same, as were the early Ag based Empires.  Monarchies had both violent and beneficent rulers over the centuries.  Going back to neolithic living, they tended to be peaceful except in existential circumstances when it was a  matter of survival.  Broadly speaking, as the size of the social organization shrinks, it becomes more cooperative.  On an evolutionary level, we're most similar to Bonobos, sharing 98% the same DNA.  As Great Apes go, very peaceful and friendly species.

I could go into more of the anthropology that impacts on behavior, how trade, Ag, property ownership and money changed behavior over the millenia, but it's too long and involved a topic to do a decent treatment of for me these days.  Suffice it to say that when organized in groups around the size of Dunbar's Number within around 2 orders of magnitude, human nature rewards cooperative behavior more and it predominates.  Larger than that, greedy and self serving behavior is rewarded better.  Once we have a sufficient population crash, we can look forward to the Inner Bonobo in Homo sap to reemerge.🥰

(https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9f6fa9_282f7417cc3d4f68ba74eae5f8ad8fb3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_650,h_434,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/9f6fa9_282f7417cc3d4f68ba74eae5f8ad8fb3~mv2.jpg)


RE

 

The latest expansion of the War pretty much guarantees high fuel prices through the election, which should translate to Chump losing both houses of CONgress.  I don't think even the promise of $5000 if you go out and Vote Repugnant will hold the majority, although  if he adds a few more dirty tricks to influence the election ya never know.

Far as the actual shipping situation goes, all they need to do to really bollocks it up is to hit the Suez Canal and nearly all ME oil will be bottled up nicely.  With no end in sight to the Ukie War either, it could be a very cold winter in Europe.

The less Oil that flows out, the closer the wars edge to going to Tactical Nukes.  I've been reading more articles seriously discussing their use, particularly for the goal of "Breaking Up" Russia  The chaos that would ensue from that plan would be enormous.  It might neuter them as a military threat, but the economic results would be catastrophic.  Even less Oil would move, at much higher prices.

Overall, the situation is spinning up out of control.

RE

Quote from: REOverall, the situation is spinning up out of control.

RE

What! Please!! This is a collapse blog....things are always spinning out of control..and if they aren't obvious...we find some and claim it anyway! It is the entire purpose of these types of blogs! Pointing out to innocents who so easily succumb to claims of....DOOM!  To the common man this is the usual nonsense geopolitical crap expected when idiots are in charge and their idiocy plays out in the field of global geopolitc events, said effects being correlated with the idiots stature in the politico sphere. 

It is counter-intuitive that if in fact we are already collapsing (as defined previously) that this half baked self inflicted idiots Persian Gulf nonsense from Our Dear Leader and its consequences matter in the least! 360,000 children are born each day. Therefore a claimed collapse has to have more than 360,000 people a day expiring, for a decrease in population. The 10's or even 100's dying a week during the Orange Ones adventures in the Middle East is INVISIBLE compared to the 360,000 people a day required to have humanity beginning collapse. It isn't even a rounding error!

Now, with the nuke theory..maybe..MAYBE...you can contribute more than the 10's or 100's. But if a nuke only does Hiroshima or Nagasake damage (call it 180,000 for 2 nukes, so we'll round up to 100,000 per nuke used) then we need  3+ of those a day to create just the bare minimmum to match what ALREADY has to be happening to create a collapse. So then you have ongoing collapse, MINIMUM of 360,000/day, keep adding 360,000 infants a day, then add in 300,000 more for dropping 3 nukes on population centers every day, assume we don't run out of nukes, or population centers, 8.3 billion people, it would be like.....and it would take.... 75 YEARS TO ERASE HUMANS ENTIRELY!

Even THAT implausible scenario of induced collapse takes WAY too long....unless of course you are in one of those population centers in the first 10-20 years.

But at least collapse would be undeniable by anyone. As opposed to just currently hopes and dreams.

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 11, 2026, 01:54 PMTherefore a claimed collapse has to have more than 360,000 people a day expiring, for a decrease in population. The 10's or even 100's dying a week during the Orange Ones adventures in the Middle East is INVISIBLE compared to the 360,000 people a day required to have humanity beginning collapse. It isn't even a rounding error!

Your math viewed in a mirror seems technically correct, but it is as morally hollow as an empty box.  A society doesn't need mass extinction to collapse when nobody who matters cares enough to stop it.  Imagine you are hanging 100 feet in the air from a tree branch and it breaks.  Technically you are alive for 2.49 seconds.

On this website you are dead as soon as the branch breaks.  Get used to it.

The fall begins when the branch breaks, not when you hit the ground. Collapse is not dead bodies per day.  Collapse is the silence after the first broken promise.  It is denial and ignored warnings, it is when the last person who can make a change stops believing change is possible, that person certifies collapse.

You wait for bodies to pile up before acknowledging collapse.  With that attitude I don't think it is possible for you to catch a train on time, any day in the week.

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 11, 2026, 01:54 PMthis is the usual nonsense geopolitical crap expected when idiots are in charge and their idiocy plays out in the field of global geopolitc events, said effects being correlated with the idiots stature in the politico sphere.

The fact that idiots are in charge itself is an indicator of collapse. 😀

RE

QuoteThe fact that idiots are in charge itself is an indicator of collapse.

I had that exact thought yesterday, about 10:30 in the morning.  With idiots in charge, it can't happen any other way.  With idiots in charge, there is no way out.

But who is the bigger idiot?  The idiot with the power, or the idiots who let him have the power.

Quote from: K-Dog on Sep 11, 2026, 02:27 PMYour math viewed in a mirror seems technically correct, but it is as morally hollow as an empty box.

Oh, now THIS is interesting.

Would you please elaborate for us your perspective on the morality of....MATH. 

We can start with the basics. Is 2+2=4, while technically correct, morally hollow? And if so...why? And if so, how do we tell why? Is 4-2=2 equally morally hollow because all the numbers, 2 two's and 1 four, involved regardless of order? Or is 4-2=2 NOT morally hollow because the sequence of the order matters?

Quote from: K-DogA society doesn't need mass extinction to collapse when nobody who matters cares enough to stop it.  Imagine you are hanging 100 feet in the air from a tree branch and it breaks.  Technically you are alive for 2.49 seconds.

Okay, technically you are alive for 2.49 seconds (I'll grant you the math skills to understand the linear acceleration involved to get the right answer on time (t) until impact across a given distance.

I am UNCLEAR as to the relationship between this example and morality however. Strikes me that morality isn't involved in either the branch breaking, nor the force of gravity accelerating someone to their doom. Yes....they are alive for a short period of time, technically, but as we all know, Divine Intervention has happened before...Jesus did come back from a worse fate you know.

Quote from: K-DogOn this website you are dead as soon as the branch breaks.  Get used to it.

I have no illusions about mortality. Morality however is entirely a different ball of wax.

Quote from: K-DogYou wait for bodies to pile up before acknowledging collapse.

Come on K-Dog, I didn't put out the definition of what a real collapse is, a disinterested 3rd party did. Just because someone HOPES for a thing to happen, doesn't mean it is, or will. Happens every NFL season. Every team NFL team has fans that claim they will win the Super Bowl. Some fans are correct. All the others wrong, that year. Apocalyticism exists because there is an idea that has come down through the ages.

I am only waiting for the definition to be met. It isn't HARD, technically more people have to pass away in a given year than are born. Low level "collapse", could be erased in another year or two. Easy-peasy, no morality involved. I am not a bad person for knowing what the BEGINNING of collapse is...I am just following the rules. Like those in math. No emotion, no pleasure or unhappiness in the math, no morality at all in math. It just...IS.

Apocalypticism is a REAL thing, and collapses have happened before, and are relatively rare. 

Quote from: K-DogWith that attitude I don't think it is possible for you to catch a train on time, any day in the week.

Attitude...please. It is math, logic and the dispassion of a professional scientist. I know when the train arrives, and am standing there waiting. I ride the Metro in DC quite effectively on any day of the week. Did it just last week.

Quote from: K-Dog on Sep 11, 2026, 02:46 PMBut who is the bigger idiot?  The idiot with the power, or the idiots who let him have the power.[/color]

Even more than let him, they GAVE him the power.

The answer to this question probably does have something to do with Human Nature.  You could ask the same thing about the idiot Germans who put Hitler in power.

Most Homo Saps are followers.  When times are tough they look to leaders who seem sure of themselves and who tell them things they want to hear.  Any critical thinking skills they might have go out the window even when they are bombarded with bald faced lies, as long as the lies are comforting.  Even when it becomes apparent they were wrong, rather than admit error they'll double down on the lies and false promises.

Collapse presents intractable problems for which there are no easy answers.  When the idiot leader steps  forward and presents his easy answer with complete conviction, the idiots eat it up.  Unfortunately for Homo Saps, as a group we're not much smarter than our close cousins the Bonobos.  Another truth about Human Nature is YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID.

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_BWoRh1gxzitxz92lOIZSwA4h80qwn0QUwiBN-N6hsi-6EG4yslRO7LSc&s=10)

RE

Quote from: RE on Sep 11, 2026, 02:30 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 11, 2026, 01:54 PMthis is the usual nonsense geopolitical crap expected when idiots are in charge and their idiocy plays out in the field of global geopolitc events, said effects being correlated with the idiots stature in the politico sphere.

The fact that idiots are in charge itself is an indicator of collapse. 😀

RE

Not according to the common definitions. Idiots in charge is common across many countries and cultures....and if their population wasn't decreasing, it was just run of the mill idiots in charge. There is no requirement of correlation.

Of course, anyone can claim collapse and pretend it is true. Look how that turned out for peak oilers.

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 11, 2026, 06:58 PMOf course, anyone can claim collapse and pretend it is true. Look how that turned out for peak oilers.

Turned out pretty well.  They weren't wrong, just a bit early.  Timelines are tricky when making Predictions, particularly about the future. 😁

RE

Quote from: RE on Sep 11, 2026, 06:56 PMThe answer to this question probably does have something to do with Human Nature.  You could ask the same thing about the idiot Germans who put Hitler in power.

Most Homo Saps are followers.  When times are tough they look to leaders who seem sure of themselves and who tell them things they want to hear.  Any critical thinking skills they might have go out the window even when they are bombarded with bald faced lies, as long as the lies are comforting.  Even when it becomes apparent they were wrong, rather than admit error they'll double down on the lies and false promises.

Bald faced lies like peak oil? Global cooling? I agree about the followers. But the lies are not required to be comforting. Apocalypticism isn't about "comfort", it is about folks believing the opposite. For little reasons, religious reasons, or no reasons at all. Other than someone told them we were entering the next Ice Age. Or peak oil was going to kill us all. In the last century. The lies AREN'T comforting, so we can't claim that comforting is particularly valuable. For some strange reason actually....what is the psychology of those seeking out Doom and then believing...while waiting...and waiting...and waiting some more.

Been doing it for a millenia. Probably not as common as those buying into hopium, but hopium does seem easier to fall for.

Quote from: RE on Sep 11, 2026, 07:03 PM

Quote from: TDoS on Sep 11, 2026, 06:58 PMOf course, anyone can claim collapse and pretend it is true. Look how that turned out for peak oilers.

Turned out pretty well.  They weren't wrong, just a bit early.

Just like collapse. The Sun is getting lighter every second, collapse is a given.

As far as peak oil, sure, a little early. The "how late are we" currently standing around 140 years since the first professional claimed it in 1886. But you are quite correct, peak oil is a given. Always was, Hubbert did the math, there is no question of it validity. I got banned for pointing it out in the same paragraph where I told folks they didn't know dick about why geology wasn't allowing their particular wet dream to happen in any particular decade.

Quote from: RETimelines are tricky when making Predictions, particularly about the future. 😁
RE

Apocalyptians have been proving this true for a millenia.

Chief orange idiot has us totally fucked.  Prices on everything are about to soar.

 

This 9-11 anniversary appears to be another nexus of long term implications.


And the price of diesel is already high.

 

Nice move by the Towel Heads!  The FSoA shot its Ballistic Wad in the attacks on Iran and have nothing left to take on the Houthis!  It's going to make it close to impossible for the Saudis to export more than a trickle of Oil with both straights blocked and theE-W pipeline shut down.  Which means they'll have to start shutting down wells when storage runs out.

The economy will be bonkers by November.

RE

They shut down the pipeline for safety reasons.  Which on the FM radio you might hear between heating and cooling commercials.  And I do understand.  When there are holes in the pipeline and the pumps are burned up, keeping the pipeline open would be unsafe.  Safety reasons, shut the puppy down.