I forced myself to watch FOX news.  They don't like the gas prices but the audience was assured that what Trump was doing was for the benefit of America's grandchildren.

The substance of this article is far beyond what a FOX viewer can comprehend.  And I have to conclude after forcing myself to watch, their ignorance is evil.

Being defense secretary must not pay so good

* As of October 2024, the Secretary of Defense's annual salary clocked in at $246,400 – a massive payout for most Americans, but pennies compared to what Hegseth has become used to seeing in his pocket.














Being professional and competent is not what the ship of fools wants.

The great orange satan totally rearranged the internal politics of Iran the minute the first cuk bomb fell.  So the following article is out of date regarding the current reality.  But what went on exactly.

I'd not be posting this if Trump's claim of 45,000 protesters killed had any credibility.

Trump's exaggeration is so flagrant that all western claims of what happened must be discounted.  Dirty tricks were going on.  Stories made to order.  It seems the protests were professionally organized, and not an organic reaction of the Iranian people.




Multiple deaths is not the same as 45,000.  By any stretch.


And the United States did the same thing to kick off the War in Ukraine.  Same revolution, different color.





If it had been 45,000 we would have seen them from space.

Dimitri is in Crete.  He reveals his personal feelings about the mess we are in.

• EXCLUSIVE: Dimmitri Lceras on Iran War Reporting, Western Media Blackout, Souda Bay Base, and the Coming Economic Collapse
  Reporter: Dimmitri Lceras (self-reporting) | Outlet: Reason to Resist (YouTube channel)
  Date of Recording: April 3, 2026 | Location: Kanya (Chania), Crete, Greece
  
  1. INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT
  Reporter Dimmitri Lceras has just arrived in Kanya, Crete after an 11-day reporting trip inside Iran. He traveled from Bandar Abbas (Strait of Hormuz) to Tehran by 22-hour train, then by bus to the Turkish border (12 hours), then a taxi to Van, Turkey. He describes the journey as grueling, averaging about 3 hours of sleep per night. He states the war against Iran is "the most consequential war of our lifetime."
  
  Key Facts:
  
  • Reporter: Dimmitri Lceras, former Canadian securities class actions lawyer (2006-2016), former Green Party of Canada leadership candidate (2020), now independent journalist for "Reason to Resist"
    
  • Location of this report: Kanya (Chania), Crete, Greece (near Souda Bay US naval base)
    
  • Reporting period in Iran: 11 days prior to April 3, 2026
    
  • Travel route: Bandar Abbas (Iran) → Tehran (22-hour train) → Turkish border (12-hour bus) → Van, Turkey (1-hour taxi) → Athens → Kanya, Crete
    
  • Purpose in Crete: Investigate US naval base at Souda Bay, which he calls a "critically important" role in the war on Iran
    
  2. REPORT FROM IRAN: PUBLIC SENTIMENT AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
  Lceras reports that he spoke with approximately 200 Iranians during his 11 days. He claims he personally heard no criticism of the Iranian government from those he interacted with, only "unmitigated contempt" for the US and Israel and derision towards Reza Pahlavi (son of the former Shah). He acknowledges this may not be statistically representative but reports what he saw.
  
  Key Observations in Iran
  
  • Iranians expressed "universal" hostility to negotiating with the US government
  • One young woman in a Tehran mall criticized the government for imposing religious views but adamantly opposed US/Israeli attacks
  • Reporter witnessed 15-20 demonstrations across various Iranian cities supporting the government and condemning the US/Israel
  • Iranians approached him on streets, trains, and in restaurants after recognizing him from Iranian national television
  • A 64-year-old man who fought in the Iran-Iraq war told Lceras he is ready to take up arms again to resist invasion
  • Iranians repeatedly asked him to "tell the people in the West that we are prepared to die for our country"
  
  Hospital Visit to Bombing Victim
  
  • Visited a 3-year-old girl in an Isfahan hospital whose entire family was killed in a US-Israeli bombing raid
  • The girl was on a ventilator, face scarred, unconscious and unaware of her family's death
  • Lceras broke down in tears; an Iranian journalist filmed him
  • The video was broadcast on Iranian national television
  • Iranian-Canadians contacted him saying his tears caused them to shed tears
  • Following this, Iranian media constantly requested interviews; Lceras lost count of how many he gave
  
  3. MILITARY SITUATION ASSESSMENT AND SIGNS OF WESTERN DEFEAT
  Lceras claims multiple indicators suggest the US and Israel are facing defeat in the war against Iran.
  
  Reported Military Developments
  
  • A US war plane was reportedly shot down over Iran; pilots ejected; US sent helicopters and refueling aircraft for recovery efforts
  • Israeli military told Israeli media they do not think it is possible to disarm Hezbollah, leaving it to the Lebanese government (which Lceras calls a "pipe dream")
  • Lceras states Hezbollah "appears now to be stronger than it has been at any time during the genocide in Gaza"
  • An Israeli soldier (face masked) reportedly told Israeli media the Israeli military is "on the verge of collapse"
  • Time magazine reported that Trump advisers presented polling showing US voters becoming "even more opposed and by a wide margin" to the war, urging Trump to find a way out
  • Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was reportedly "taken aback" by the expansive Iranian response and did not think Iran would attack other US bases in the Persian Gulf or seriously threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz
  
  4. STRATEGIC ANALYSIS: THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE
  Lceras argues there is no military solution to closing the Strait of Hormuz. He predicts the war will end only with humiliating US concessions, but only after the US economy is "screaming in pain."
  
  Strait of Hormuz Analysis
  
  • Iran does not need to cut off the strait completely; drastically reducing traffic is sufficient to tank the global economy
    
  • Iran can achieve this by blowing up a ship "now and then" using drones, missiles, mines, or fast boats with anti-ship missiles
    
  • Oil tankers and LNG tankers are "sitting ducks" — huge, slow-moving, highly combustible
    
  • Occasional attacks would put fear into the global insurance and shipping industries
    
  • Conclusion: "There's no military solution to that conundrum"
    
  Iranian Demands for Ending the War
  
  • Reparations: Iran is entitled to reparations under international law because the US attack was a "criminal war of aggression"; the bill grows daily as pharmaceutical institutions, medical institutions, bridges, and power structures are destroyed
    
  • Removal of US bases from Persian Gulf: Lceras argues bases have proven "completely indefensible" and US Arab vassals may evict them regardless
    
  • Ironclad guarantees: That neither Israel nor the US will attack Iran again; Lceras calls this difficult due to destroyed US/Israeli credibility
    
  Economic Prediction
  
  • Trump is "congenally incapable" of making the required concessions
    
  • The only way Trump will concede is if the US economy is "screaming in pain" and Americans pour into the streets in Vietnam War-scale protests
    
  • Prediction: Between now and summer 2026, the global economic situation will become "considerably worse than the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009"
    
  • Alternative: Republicans could be eviscerated in the midterms, but by then the global economy "will lie in smoking ruins"
    
  5. CRITIQUE OF CANADIAN CORPORATE MEDIA
  Lceras expresses outrage that no Canadian corporate media outlet contacted him for interviews during his time in Iran, despite his previous prominence as the "most quoted practicing lawyer in Canada" from 2006-2016.
  
  Background and Alleged Blacklisting
  
  • From 2006-2016, Lceras prosecuted securities class actions against major Canadian companies including Research in Motion (Blackberry)
  • He was "almost certainly the most quoted practicing lawyer in Canada in the corporate media by a wide margin"
  • In 2016, as a member of the Green Party shadow cabinet, he brought a resolution supporting BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) against Israel
  • The Green Party became the first Canadian party with parliamentary seats to adopt such a resolution, over the objections of leaders Elizabeth May
  • From that moment, he says he became "a leper" to Canadian corporate media
  
  Media Silence During Iran Trip
  
  • A colleague sent a press release to 230 Canadian reporters; no response
  • A former Canadian civil servant (respected by corporate media) emailed six to seven leading CBC personalities urging them to interview Lceras; no response
  • Lceras offered to report for free, only wanting broader communication of what he was seeing
  • "Not a single Canadian media outlet from the corporate world contacted me"
  • By contrast, he has been interviewed by a major Japanese media outlet (1.5 hours), a major Indian media outlet, Greek television, and multiple Arab and Muslim world media outlets
  • His video evidence of a war crime was published by the New York Times and the Washington Post
  • He calls the Canadian corporate media a "disgusting, putrid cabal of prostitutes" and says he is "embarrassed to be a Canadian"
  
  6. COMMENTS ON CANADIAN POLITICS AND NDP LEADER AVI LEWIS
  Lceras addresses the recent election of Avi Lewis as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Canada.
  
  Lceras's Position
  
  • Lceras allowed his Green Party membership to lapse months ago due to its support for "the war machine" and Elizabeth May's "constant compromises"
  • He joined the NDP to vote for Avi Lewis, whom he knows personally
  • He calls Lewis "the best hope we have in Canadian politics"
  • However, he states the "acid test" will be whether Lewis comes out strongly and unequivocally against NATO, NATO proxy wars (including Ukraine), the military-industrial complex, and the war on Iran
  • Lceras argues one cannot oppose what is happening in Palestine without opposing all of these
  • Warning: If Lewis "sells out" like every NDP leader in Lceras's lifetime, Lceras will call him out on it
  • Message to Lewis: "Be true to your principles and stand against the war machine"
  
  7. PLANNED INVESTIGATIVE WORK IN CRETE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lceras explains his original plan and why it changed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Souda Bay Naval Base Investigation
  
  • He believes the US naval base at Souda Bay (few kilometers from his location) plays a "critically important role" in the war on Iran
  • He accuses Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of rendering Greece complicit in the war and all Israeli wars in the region
  • He states Mitsotakis has "the blood of Palestinian children on his hands" and should be tried for war crimes at The Hague and for treason in Greece
  • Original plan: Get as close as possible to the base and document activities
  • A contact (an anti-imperialist "legend" who was reportedly tortured by the Papadopoulos dictatorship in the 1960s, installed by the CIA) warned him he would likely be arrested for espionage, especially given his recent return from Iran
  • Lceras decided not to risk arrest on "bogus charges"
  • New plan: Interview local people involved in the struggle against the US military presence on the island and report what he learns from them
  
  8. FINAL REPORTING SCHEDULE
  
  • One more report from Iran to be published: severe damage to historical cultural sites in Tehran (expected April 4, 2026)
  • After that, full attention to US military activities in the Eastern Mediterranean
  
  KEY DATA SUMMARY
  
  
  • Date of Recording: April 3, 2026
    
  • Location: Kanya (Chania), Crete, Greece
    
  • Reporter: Dimmitri Lceras (independent journalist, Reason to Resist)
    
  • Reporting period in Iran: 11 days prior to April 3, 2026
    
  • Iranians reportedly interacted with: Approximately 200
    
  • Demonstrations witnessed in Iran: 15-20
    
  • Travel time (Bandar Abbas to Tehran): 22 hours by train
    
  • Travel time (Tehran to Turkish border): Approximately 12 hours by bus
    
  • Sleep average during trip: Approximately 3 hours per night
    
  • Age of bombing victim visited: 3 years old (Isfahan hospital)
    
  • Age of Iran-Iraq war veteran interviewed: 64 years old
    
  • Canadian reporters contacted via press release: 230
    
  • Canadian corporate media responses: Zero
    
  • International media that interviewed or quoted Lceras: Major Japanese outlet, major Indian outlet, New York Times, Washington Post, Greek television, multiple Arab and Muslim world outlets
    
  • Lceras's prior career (2006-2016): Securities class actions lawyer, described as "most quoted practicing lawyer in Canada" during that period
    
  • Greek Prime Minister named: Kyriakos Mitsotakis
    
  • US base location in Crete: Souda Bay (few kilometers from Kanya)
    
  • New NDP leader of Canada: Avi Lewis (documentary filmmaker, spouse of Naomi Klein)
    
  • Lceras's prediction: Economic crisis worse than 2008-2009 financial crisis, expected by summer 2026
    
  
  End of Extraction
  

Lots of verbiage to say Armenia will do what is best for Armenia.

Regarding former U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks on ending the war, Araqchi stated that Iran has not responded to Washington's fifteen-point proposal.

40 per cent in a single year!  To sponsor genocide.  And America bends over and takes it.  I scream 'naked' into a void.  It must be a void because the King continues to get his delusional way.

Quote from: K-Dog on Apr 03, 2026, 08:23 PM40 per cent in a single year!  To sponsor genocide.  And America bends over and takes it.  I scream 'naked' into a void.  It must be a void because the King continues to get his delusional way.

I think it's unlikely he gets a 40% increase.  20% maybe though.  Either way, he's impeached in 6 mo unless the elections are rigged.

RE

If Iran is watching the domestic and international response to a single downed fighter jet, they might figure out that American deaths are needed to win this war.  Iran will quickly realize that killing Americans is the way to cook Trump's goose.  That is a hard realization for the people of Iran, who put out a reward that the American pilot be captured ALIVE.  Killing is an insult to their dignity.





Trump talked about delayed courage.  For everyone's benefit I hope he gets some.  To avert American deaths.  It would be the honorable thing to do.

The energy market is not just about quotes and indices. It is a system on which everyday life directly depends. And if a disruption occurs anywhere, its consequences inevitably manifest themselves in the cost of transportation, food, and medicine.

How to show the world you are TACO in one easy lesson.  The world watches his threats, and then they watch Trump play golf.




Then they laugh.  And cry.

Quote from: K-Dog on Apr 04, 2026, 11:15 AMThat is a hard realization for the people of Iran, who put out a reward that the American pilot be captured ALIVE.  Killing is an insult to their dignity.

Dignity issue aside, dead the pilot has no value in the political game.  Alive he has much more utility as a bargaining chip and for media attention.  Videos of said pilot would stir up the emotions of the Amerikan audience.  He might even be induced to make statements of remorse questioning why he was sent on the mission.  The grunts aren't all in favor of the folks running this show.  They have renamed the Hegseth's DoW the Department of War Crimes. 😁  Who knows, the Pilot might even be a Democrat! lol.

RE