The vast majority of people in the world have never known what it is like for Iran to NOT be the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism.
If - IF - DJT has managed to put a dent in their murderous conduct, it will be more than the entire world-wide collection of politicians have managed for almost five decades.
Trump's biggest sin is that he actually gets results, and that is what just drives his (and America's) domestic enemies into blathering fits.
I love the smell of Dem heads exploding in the morning.
I think of Obama as black rather than half-breed, although technically, you're right. Any part black is black to me. Like Kamala. Part black is black with all its stereotypes, low IQ, & incompetence.
MAGA has the memory of a goldfish. Everything Trump is getting in this agreement is something he already had, then pissed away.
Trump's "results" are the loss of control over the Strait of Hormuz, the end of its sanctions regime against Iran, and an unmistakable signal to the world that the American Empire is a sinking ship.
Iran has had the technical wherewithal to build a nuclear weapon for decades now. They haven't done so, though they have stubbornly kept their options open since they don't want to get regime-changed. What they did do was agree to the JCPOA, and allowed extensive, intrusive inspections to make sure they did not and could not build a bomb, in exchange for some concessions and America taking its finger off the trigger. That worked fine and dandy until Trump pulled the plug on it, likely because (a) Netanyahu wanted it that way, and (b) to spite his predecessor in office.
The U.S. doesn't hate Iran because of how nasty and evil Iran is. They hate it because they lost control of it when the shah was overthrown, and because their Israeli ally sees Iran is a threat. That's it, that's all there is to it. All this 'death cult' nonsense is propaganda and a waste of breath.
Look, you don't have to agree with me today, but it simply won't be possible to keep up your level of delusion much longer. Facts have swerved so far away from the MAGA narrative that the castles in the air have to come down soon, no matter how much you clap your hands and believe in fairies. The Iranian government is a despotic theocracy, but the people in power there are actually much more rational and sane than the people now running the USA. And it's those irrational actors in the USA who have sold the narrative that Iran is some kind of death cult.
The IAEA called out Iran's numerous nuclear -related violations of UN sanctions in the past 12 months.
Also, unless you have access to classified intelligence information, your TLDR bloviating/opining is just like that thing everyone has (arseholes), only worse since it's based on what you're told you believe by the TDS hate porn you over-consume.
After reading this, you are proving to the world that you are a dope. If you think that Iran would build its nuclear energy program hundreds of feet underground, and illegally buy shit from the Chinese , for instance, that is used to create the product needed for a weapon, you are just one stupid fool.
I'm aware that your ilk are trying to spin it that way so you can eek out some kind of domestic political victory ( at the expense of the credibility of your own nation) but the facts say otherwise IMO . Iran's Navy : at the bottom of the sea, their air force : destroyed , the missile and drone capacity severely if not completely damaged , their nuclear program :buried and under observation . Their ability to continue fund terror proxies near non existent .
For US ? Well serious deterence has been re established ,China's ability to secure cheap petroleum products has been reduced and we've proven that the Chinese and Russian military hardware isn't up to competing with ours . So now we also have a deal with the Iranians that they will not try to control the free flow of shipping thru an international body of water and they wont try to produce nuclear weapons .
How you can spin all that as somehow a win for Iran or " not as good a deal as the JTCPOA" I have no idea other than its just pure serious cynical power politics that you are interested in as a fellow maggot commie .
Having Iran be the scapegoat for almost any terrorist plot was useful for a lot of mayhem so nobody else had to "fess up" that their own countries (our own, for instance) was really who was behind it. There are always mentally deficient actors willing to pay for their fix. Returning Iran to a productive country isn't gonna stop radicals. I'm hoping that prosperity, rational society, freedoms, what Iran enjoyed in a previous life, have a greater influence than fanaticism.
What is wrong with you, and the people like you? The USA is the main source of terrorism, destruction, intervention, domination, regime toppling, etc. etc. Take a look in the mirror my friend. There wouldn't be any degree of "terrorism" coming from Iran if Israel and the USA got the hell out of the Middle East. The West is the one at fault, always pushing for total global hegemony. Your viewpoint and ideology are not reality-based at all.
"The USA is the main source of terrorism, destruction, intervention, domination, regime toppling, etc. etc."
Citations seem to be missing.
Typical of American Marxist left-wits that view reality through the lens of what they're told they believe by the likes of recently unemployed "journalists" (Scott Pelley).
Outside of the UFC cage fighting is Iran, finally captured and tethered to The Rack, with DJT’s hands on the levers, ready to stretch the miscreant nation at his discretion. Iran has little choice now but to tap out.
"The vast majority of people in the world have never known what it is like for Iran to NOT be the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism."
Gyrene,
Well, I certainly remember (who can forget?) that Iran brought down the towers...and that they destroyed Syria, Lebanon, and were responsible for Pearl Harbor. Those bastards even tried to destroy the USS Liberty! Goddamned A-Rabs.
You left out the part where they killed thousands of their own unarmed civilians for peacefully protesting against the mullahs, stoning women to death for being raped, public hangings, and killing around 2,000 US servicemen in Iraq with explosively formed projectiles, a deadly form of IED. Oh, and lying about enriching uranium to 60% and beyond, which has no non-military application.
Today (June 17) Trump endorsed Iran having ballistic missiles:
"I'm saying that if other countries have them, it's a little unfair for them not to have some"
He clearly doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing, nor how to squeeze a “win” out of his disastrous Iran War debacle.
Shall we shower Iran with $300 billion in “reparations” to get them to open the Straight that was, um, already open before the war, anybody? And to sign an “MOU” barely worth the paper it’s printed on?
“… the cries for impeachment will be ringing across the District of Columbia like calls to prayer in Mamdani’s Caliphate on the Hudson.”
***
Iran will simmer and then explode again. A mafia that slaughters 30,000 of its own citizens (SOP in them there parts) will not change its spots.
So. That’s that. Peace and quiet. For the time being. Possibly even until next Thursday. My money is that the missiles start flying again on June 29-30, 2026.
It will take longer than that for Iran to rebuild and get the Russian and Chinese junk radar systems that worked so well to keep US fighter jets from dropping warheads on foreheads with almost utter impunity.
The gist is Iran will go back to what it was doing because that is what they believe in.
If only they could build their own systems but that would require skills and materials that they simply do not have.
It has shown the US needs larger bombs that penetrate more than 50 feet or rock or concrete.
Dems would have been all-in on UFC at the White House if there'd been a couple of "trans-women" vs. biologic women bouts, and they'd been able to see a couple of women beat up by men, a la 2024 Paris Olympics boxing.
Name the Democrat, or any president whatsoever other than Donald Trump, who would have hosted a UFC cage match at the White House. Name one, any one. A name, I'm looking for a name.
If there's one thing MAGA can be counted on to do, it's to set up a stupid straw man so they can knock it down again and feel powerful. It's Clint Eastwood lecturing an empty chair at the Republican convention all over again.
Name any Republican, or any president whatsoever who would have hosted a drag queen event at the White House for the queens to bare their breasts on the White House lawn. Oh - there was one - Joe Biden.
Teddy Roosevelt. You know Hawaiian Pizza, they have this Internet thingy (thanks al gore!) that you can (and probably should) look this kind of stuff up on before you ask such an ignorant question.
It is rumored that JFK and FDR, both Democrats, had drunken orgies in the White House. I have no evidence of this but I have read that both men, before paralysis and death of course, enjoyed a good romp with multiple partners from time to time.
It is rumored that Donald Trump was a long-time, enthusiastic participant in Jeffrey Epstein's serial trafficking of girls and women over a period of years, perhaps decades. I have no evidence of this because Donald Trump is abusing his power to defy the law, which requires him to disclose all of the Epstein files, which has hasn't done. But I have read that both men, before the death of one and accession to power of the other, enjoyed a good rape with coerced, underage partners from time to time.
The difference here is, Donald Trump is still alive to answer for his criminal behaviour. But he just turned 80 and the clock is ticking.
I have heard such rumors. I have also heard that those on the Epstein express also enjoyed an occasional snack consisting of the remains of human children.
The Donald ain't no angel and I have never assumed he was a person who operates on a level of higher morality.
Tell that to Kevin Hicks, who has been making a spectacle of himself remonstrating with people about Trump being their moral better. Some people just have a real need to believe that people with power must deserve that power, somehow. They believe in fealty, not justice.
Old Hickory was one mean fucker. The dude had a duel with a man who dishonored he and his wife by questioning her divorce. Jackson stood before that dude during the duel and literally let his opponent shoot him in the chest. Jackson then aimed his weapon and shot and killed the man. There are many that say Jackson was a murderer after this event. Jackson spent the rest of his life with a nagging cough because of the ball that was lodged in his chest.
Jackson also refused to clean the boots of a British soldier during the war of 1812 and had his face slashed by the sword of that British soldier.
Foul mouthed and crude as they came. Love him or hate him, regardless, the man was probably the toughest and meanest man the Presidency of this Country has ever seen, aside from Abraham Lincoln who is said to have laughed at the atrocities that his Generals Sherman and Grant inflicted upon the innocent women, children and farm animals in Georgia and South Carolina. LBJ was pretty foul as well but none of them as tough as Old Hickory.
Andrew Jackson was also the only President to leave office having complete obliterated and paid off the national debt.
Why do UFC fighters cover their bodies with unrecognizable and unreadable tattoos? Do they think it makes them look meaner? Tougher?
I think they all look like idiots. Yeah, they could all beat me up which is why I can say this from the safety of my own computer screen but tatted up dudes don't look scary. They look stupid. Like they are some kid in pre-school bored by the teacher's lecture so he took to drawing on himself for entertainment.
Another human behavior that doesn't make any sense to me.
Probably for the same reason sorority girls get similar tattoos today - it's the in thing.
I've actually spent a lot of time working with MMA fighters, as an official, corner, and trainer. 99% are remarkably friendly and kind. I imagine that once you've gone in the cage with someone your size who's sober, and trained - perhaps better trained than you - and completed a fight; whether you've won or lost you no longer have go around putting on a tough guy act.
No doubt they are tough people. Like I said, I'm sure they could take me down a peg or two. I just don't understand the body graffiti. These guys are incredible physical specimens and they obscure those incredible physical bodies with box car like graffiti. I'll never understand the addiction.
Women too. I see so many would be attractive women covered with tats and facial piercings. I'll never understand.
I don't care if the dudes want to scar up their skin with inks and dyes but I don't understand the women. I frequent the local gym having been a life long body builder (in decline now that I am in my 50s) and I am amazed when I see what would be a stunning female covered with disgusting tattoos. Why? And it isn't just the pretty ones. Older women are getting them now. Fat women get them. Average soccer mom type women are getting them.
Even weirder is tattoos on black people. Their skin is already very dark so the tattoos don't have any color variation and are hard to see.
Humans do weird and strange things and seek to mutilate and destroy themselves. As Spock from Star Trek said "the human species is illogical."
Not to mention the cost of the filthy things. Some people have a mortgage's worth of tats covering their bodies. More evidence that Americans still have it way too good if people can still afford to pay for something as useless as a tattoo and still afford to feed themselves and pay rent.
"We still have a very serious cold civil war to deal with here in the Homeyland, and a national mental health crisis that turns US daily life into a real time horror movie from sea to shining sea. The party of “our democracy” still works avidly to overthrow the republic, and extravagant sports entertainments will not avail to make that stop. We need perp walks and trials. . .sober business. . .a cold reckoning with our own monsters." Yep.
Mr. Kunstler is spot on which is why I have been so opposed to the USA's war adventures in so many nations abroad. While our vaunted military is out there spreading America's version of a Democracy our own nation crumbles from neglect. Get the troops home, put them to work rebuilding bridges, pipes and other infrastructure. Put them on the border. Use them to get the illegal mooches and interlopers back to their home nations. Keep the money used to pay these troops right here at home to benefit those who pay them. The good old beaten down US taxpayers!
No one had Human Cock Fighting on the South Lawn on their bingo card.....but so what!
The most consequential President of all time decided to have a birthday party with testosterone all around rather than images of him blowing out candles on a cake.
I can't help thinking of all the macho images of President Putin in the early or mid 2000s.
When Russia was collapsing in the 1990s, male life expectancy there plunged by 10 years. Russian men were killing themselves with vodka, drugs, gang violence, and straight-up suicide.
When Putin came in in 2000, one of his biggest challenges was to make Russia believe in itself again (MRGA!), to restore its testosterone level, so to speak. All those cheesy shots of a muscular barechested Putin fishing, hunting and horseback riding in Siberia, showing off his judo moves (he's been a black belt since his youth), driving a Formula 1 car, swimming in a freezing-cold river, etc., had a purpose. They were over-the-top macho for a reason.
People who don't know what condition Russia was in by 1999 think Putin was a vain man simply showing off. That was not what it was about at all. Putin understands -- as I think Trump does -- that a country needs to believe in itself, to see itself as virile. And humans being human, that starts with the leaders.
Russia HAS turned around since Putin came in. Male life expectancy is back up; crime and suicide and alcohol and drug abuse are down; Moscow is now one of the safest megacitities in the world; and Russia is now the fourth-largest economy in the world measured by PPP (parity purchasing power).
No wonder the Lefty-left hates Russia as much as they do Trump!
I think Putin was aiming at the young men. "Look past your poor, despairing father in drunken slumber on the beaten-down couch. Look at me! This is your future!"
MOUs are not treaties and not contracts in any sense. Nor are they intended to be. There are no clear detailed terms which parties can explicitly agree to. Just a rough outline which the parties agree indicate some of the big issues and how the parties might agree when the details are worked out.
Everyone on both sides know this. It will enable both sides to claim victory. And absent using the MOU to form the basis of talks resulting in an actual agreement, it will be fertile ground for either party to claim the other has violated... something.
This MOU is not nothing, but it is not much... especially if the public can't see the document. And take it to the bank. The details of this MOU will not be disclosed by either side.
The MOU is a surrender agreement by the United States. We haven’t won a war since 1945 which is why we voted for Trump based in large part on his promise to avoid these wasteful quagmires. The terms we know of include opening our blockade so the Chinese can more easily supply Iran with military hardware and components while getting their oil shipments restored. We will unfreeze sanctions and release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets. We will be paying billions for part of Iran’s “reconstruction” which is a nice way of saying reparations. Iran will almost certainly change tolls for shipping through the Strait and since we are ending our own blockade we have no countermeasures in place. Such a deal!
Sam Faddis has some more intelligent and informed commentary from the perspective of a former intelligence operative on his Substack: https://andmagazine.substack.com/p/the-iran-deal-we-crossed-a-bridge I don’t understand the cheerleading from some people every time Trump uses the john. He’s done a fine job of screwing up our chances in the midterms and given his track record JD will have an uphill climb in ’28. Can you imagine our future dystopia if Kamala or Gavin wins the next time? The best we can hope for is for Trump to have a coronary before ‘28 giving JD a couple of years to straighten things out.
Quite correct, this deal is a surrender by the U.S. America's 47-year campaign to punish and undo the overthrow of the shah is at an end, Iran is now free and clear and the mullahs are likely to have a nice new income stream in the Strait of Hormuz. Kunstler and any assorted nitwits spinning this as a victory are a spectacle of delusion.
The Twelvers seeking global conflagration to bring forth the 12th Imam and convert us all to Shiites have had their capabilities to make that happen set back at least two decades. If the 60% uranium dust is properly disposed of, even longer.
You might want to consider that "enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing as your useful Islamo-fascist idiocy has a very short shelf life.
This is the best because only way it could have ended without nuclear war. It's pro-Wrestling. Trump is sending a secret message with those with eyes to hear and ears to see.
You people, LoL. That's the best you can do is make a vague queer reference while continuing to talk out of your arse? BTW, your breath has a fecal order to it.
Faddis is former for quite some time now. He hasn't had access to classified intelligence information for years. But if speculation in service to American Marxism as gospel truth is your thing, he has you pegged.
Captain Picard was shown as the ultimate negotiator on the Next Generation. His secret? Make both sides walk away saying they have won. We just witnessed a today deal maker accomplish the same.
Learn from WW2, the way to stop war is to make friends. How the USA treats Iran right now will determine the future. We need to help the Iranian people realize how they have been duped by a bunch of religious nuts.
“IMO, the Supreme Leader (I choke on that description) is right in there with Hitler and Tojo. It should be part of any peace that he be done away with as well as the uranium dust. Again, IMO, the Americans are talking to people in Pakistan that do not represent the people in Tehran and are playing games with Trump’s people. The only way we will get the nuke material and the leadership out of Tehran is to take it and them out. I fear Trump does not have the cojones to get the job done.“
JohnAZ
May 24, 2026
That was three weeks ago. Now he’s a great negotiator. You were an integral part of his 4D chess game right? 😆 All according to plan?
No argument, I will say that what happened is one step closer to a solution, which is convincing Iran that it is better to get along than get blown up. I will not be convinced of the beneficence of Iran until they are contributing members of the Middle East consortium started by the Abraham Accords. Only time will tell.
It's all Kabuki Theatre. Nothing has been accomplished. As usual. The USA is going down the chute, to Hell in a hand-basket, into the great abyss, etc. just like every other corrupt empire in our history. Can't be avoided.
I don't think these people think of America the way you do. They are looking to improve their lives and live in a country that gives its people the freedoms written in our constitution.
Yet, that has NOTHING to do with what that country these people want to live in is doing to other countries. I just said that people would prefer to live in the oppressor country as conditions will be better there than they are in all the countries that said country is using as war proxies, stealing resources from, bullying financially, etc. etc.
It's safe to say any armed conflict takes some time to understand what the fallout is, no matter what side you're considering. I'm of the opinion that some of the Iranian people will be torn between those that support terrorism against the West (not good) and those who cut deals with neo-cons of the West for profits (also not good). I can't help but think many will still be holding a grudge for having their leader whacked on Day 1 of this "military police action".
It's also safe to say that if the Iranian Adventure was intended to distract from other processes of the Long Emergency kicking in and making things worse for most Americans, mission accomplished. It remains to be seen how much blame can be heaped on the various downgrades to Western Civilization's standards of living coming down the pike, but you can bet plenty of politicians will be trying to make hay one way or the other.
You are right in your last. There will be perturbations and excuses every year and every administration for the effects of The Long Emergency.
The changes are inevitable, the nature of our government is also inevitable. IMO, the stress put on our “elected” officials is going to skyrocket, the blame game will run the show down the road.
With that, think about the AI impact on DC, what a good deal. The Deep State has a new whipping boy to blame things on.
In Arizona, negotiations on the use of Colorado River water is stressing out the state government and the home building industry. Wait and see, they will look to AI to resolve the problem and find “the answer”. AI, the Great Satan.
The real deal, TLE shortages are inevitable and people are going to get hurt. AI gives another scapegoat to the government slime to blame things on.
"Classic" historians point out how decline and collapse of Empires includes many poor decisions by leaders which only make things worse. This view implies some sort of organic, natural cause for the process.
However, that explanation ignores how the wealthy and powerful have positioned themselves to retain control and maintain or even grow their wealth, thereby knowing beforehand what cycles of civilizations are all about. In other words, an alternative view to "organic" collapse - that it is planned, intentional and flexible to allow for various outcomes - makes far more sense than blaming things on a semi-fatalistic attitude of "ain't nothing we can do about it - humans being humans, ya know."
Historians avoid identifying the true root cause of collapse.
I think you are right here. I would like to add that IMO, events, such as TLE, control the agenda with the power merchants fighting for advantage, while the serfs fight to survive. AI is next.
But AI as well as the data centers it requires can only ACCELERATE the emergency. It's like a train that sees a huge boulder on the tracks up ahead -- and instead of slowing down to a stop, deliberately and inexplicably speeds up!
"AI" has numerous possibilities as a scapegoat, and will do little to nothing to help The Little Guy. It will allow the Uber-Wealthy to replace "expensive" workers with expensive hardware (in the guise of creating Utopia), up until the process of resource depletion and a return to human labor Makes Slavery Great Again.
Until then, the story of AI saving mankind from The Long Emergency will allow the Uber-Wealthy to control water, electricity and other resources. Like war, space travel, cryptos and other Great Lies - AI is a racket.
All the MOU indicates is that the US, again using it's crude mimicry of Byzantine tactics, successfully bribed Iranian 'negotiators' to buy time. Who would want to be in the shoes of the bribed Iranian 'negotiators' at this time (lest, of course, the Iranians were just letting the 'other side' think its bribes were successful)? Tricky business.......
Meanwhile, in the world of reality, the US "bombed the shit" out of anything remotely worth bombing.
With threats of more bombs and taking over Karg Island.
The threat of taking over Karg Island finally brought them to heel.
That and the fact a huge percentage of global oil was being directed to Texas.
We all know Iran will wait out Trump and start over on all their machinations to take over the region and push Shiite objectives and their flawed apostate version of Islam.
Looks like the talks have stalled and the bombing will resume shortly.
I'm old enough to remember when, about 14 weeks ago, Mr. Kunstler assured us not to worry our pretty little heads about the Iran War, because it would effectively be over within a week.
I’m only starting to read this, but the deal is not the peace deal. It’s a deal to have a cease fire for 60 days, while they negotiate a deal. The only change is that the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to open, along with the cease fire. Please watch TousiTV on YT to understand really what’s going on.
But “the Straight of Hormuz being open” isn’t a change, either. It was open before Bibi talked Trump into starting this war. So, after four months, we’re back to where we started.
The repressive Islamic regime is also still firmly in power. Democracy-craving Iranian citizens did NOT have a feasible opportunity to rise up and overthrow the regime. Thousands of them got slaughtered. Oh well.
We might make some good progress on getting Iran to cough up its weapon-grade nuclear material in 60 or more likely 360 days. But that remains unclear and unsettled. It will take a long time to get back to anything as carefully thought through and negotiated and internationally monitored as the agreement that existed before Trump tore it up in 2017 in a fit of pique.
Meanwhile Bibi continues to run amok destroying the lives of countless civilians caught in the middle in Gaza and Syria and Lebanon, your tax dollars at work. What could possibly go wrong?
But we’ve got cage fights on the lawn of the White House, like some Las Vegas extravaganza designed by Bevis and Butthead, so it’s all good. Wayne Newton at 9:00 with complementary chips for the ladies. Clusterfuck Nation, indeed.
Trump has been talking about the Iran situation for forty years. To indicate that Netanyahu is the driver of this situation, despite the number of Americans killed by IRGC terrorists, only shows that you’re not paying attention….or maybe paying too much attention to Tucker Carlson.
One has to actually engage in debate to win or lose. Don you clearly have nothing but blue sky talking points and whining to spew here. I don't think I have ever seen you post anything but straight Democrat nonsense and talking points.
I was talking to Gonzo as well. When I posted, I didn’t even see your post. This thing with the lines indicating who is responding to what is nothing short of confusing.
"So, after four months, we’re back to where we started."
Did you miss the part where a suicidal death cult trying to get nukes was set back by decades, or do you "think" enriching uranium to 60% and beyond has a non-military application?
Read the paragraph again. I was referring to the Straight of Hormuz being open to tanker traffic.
Yes, our roughly $100 billion fire and brimstone blitz on Iran clearly set back their military capabilities substantially. (God, one would hope so, for that kind of money! That’s more than the Trump family has amassed since he was reelected!)
Which seems like a good thing. But Iran still has their enriched uranium that they wouldn’t have if Trump hadn’t torn up the treaty and inspections that were in place in 2017. He’s trying to get back to where we started.
That is just another opinion. We have no clue what Iran will do, what Hezbollah will do, what Israel will do, what the Gulf states will do, what Europe or China will do, but we do know what Trump will do if Iran reneges on what it is signing up for.
He'll revert to endless, unfulfilled threats. "Don't make me count to three. You're not gonna like what happens. One, two, two and an eighth, two and a quarter, two and three eighths...."
Israel is not attacking Lebanon. They are trying to get rid of Hezbollah, an Iranian terrorist proxy operating on their border and an infestation the Lebanese people would be happy to see expelled from their country.
You must be pretending to be so thick as no human with an average IQ would post such nonsense in good faith.
Hosting FIFA has brought people from all around the world to our nation and are being received warmly. This has done more for our position in the eyes of the world than anything else, as they see our mostly clean cities(Red States), friendly people and our wonderful resources on full display. They are spreading the word that they have been lied to about BIG BAD AMERICA. We are a welcoming nation, to those who will respect our laws and mores. Trump has done this with his strong policies and desire to MAGA. This good will resonate like a pebble thrown into a pond, rippling throughout the world. Lefties, get over it. PS, I was never a fan of UFC but for some reason, a lot of people are and I am glad they had a good time at the Party. Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
Eh, what people from around the world are largely discovering about the USA as they attend the World Cup there is how much America loves to build stadiums tens of miles from urban centers, next to freeways, surrounded by gargantuan parking lots:
Then why are you here? Doesn't Canuckistan have enough insane woke socialist wet dreams of its own for you to improve? They even have a program that sounds just right for those infected with your same suicidal empathy...
Totally fair - 40,000 killed - if true - is a blip on the road to freedom for a country of 90 million. Trump gets the fact that some people don't want our world, which is actually fine, just don't mess with ours.
Imagine living somewhere that you have no access to weaponry, where the police shoot at women who look out their window without their Muslim Lady getups on which resemble beekeeper suits. Imagine that in spite of that you venture out to protest and are gunned down by a police force populated by bloodthirsty sociopaths, psychopaths and plain old lunatics. Sane people would sit back, bide their time and hope for a situation where they might be able to do something. Americans have millions of AR's and AK's and an estimated one trillion rounds of ammunition in civilian hands. Our authorities realize they do not ever have free rein on a large scale to attempt to impose such horrors on us because there are multiple armies of regular folks with the ability to put up very serious resistance to such blatant tyranny.
They showed exceptional courage during the protests. One would think that it would be on display now since the regime is infinitely weaker.
Trump told them that another opportunity may not come around for generations. They should be heeding that advice and toppling their tyrants, whatever the cost.
Their military may be badly beaten up. The Basji goon squads living in and amongst the people number in the hundreds of thousands. There are other groups of goons in addition to the IRGC. Figure out how to get 50,000 AK's, 50 million rounds of ammo, RPG launchers and rockets into the hands of a movement and then you have something. Until then resistance is truly futile.
Waste of time Iran has been busy jailing and murdering anyone with a spine. Iran will need to be broken up into several countries to defang the Shiite crazies.
Given there is no 2nd amendment in Iran and the general population was disarmed about 47 years ago, one can appreciate their reluctance. Any regime change will have to come from within. The best the sane world can do is stand by them (you know...like Ukraine) if they decide to take matters in their own hands.
Ukraine was Victory Nuland left-wit inspired regime change, so it earned the progtard seal of approval. Obama and Biden green lit Russia's takings.
Events in Iran that are decades past due, were the making of a decisive leader not of the American Marxist tribe, therefore we must hate our country...Scott Pelley says so.
Jim writing on a Sunday! In twenty years ive never seen this before, and this is a special day, if things work out. I must say, politics does indeed make strange bedfellows when sane people who believe in rational limits, Nature-bats-last, borders, and God-given biology are allied with coal rolling, NASCAR loving conspicuous consumers who say they believe Michelle Obama is a man. We have elected the Corn Pone Hitler and he saved Israel. Amazing times.
Let’s look realistically at the fiasco of Netanyahu’s war, and how it has reshuffled the deck of West Asia.
It is now clearly established that Iran is a major player. It has fought the US to a stand-off, and can re-block the Strait of Hormuz at any time. It has demonstrated that its most advanced hypersonic missiles cannot be defended against, and it has ameliorated its relationship with the Arab world by standing up for Gaza and Lebanon.
The US has been grievously weakened by Trump’s folly in being puppeteered by Netanyahu. At least thirteen and perhaps as many as twenty of our military bases in the region have been rendered useless to us. The Gulf States now realize that we cannot provide them with security. Allies like South Korea now understand that we are spread too thin in the world, and may withdraw defense infrastructure from their territory when we run low.
Our Navy has been exposed as needing to stay far away from Iran to avoid having our ships sunk. The USS Gerald R. Ford is now non-operational. It’s clear that our Army would under no circumstance be capable of effectively invading Iran without unacceptable losses. There’s the detail of our pledging three hundred billion dollars to Iran in reparations, er – development funds. And our missile supply line has been revealed to be all about shareholder value rather than, you know, producing replacement missiles in a timely fashion, now that our inadequate stockpiles have been seriously depleted.
Bottom line: US hegemony has ended.
Israel has also been grievously weakened. Its Iron Dome has been defeated. Tel Aviv and Haifa are a shambles and there’s a prison sentence for any Israeli who takes photos of the wreckage. Worldwide contempt for Zionism and for Israel has greatly increased, and the citizenry of the US is increasingly restive about continuing to support our worst “ally.”
And then there’s the fact that the damage that’s been done to the world economy, its oil producing infrastructure, and its capacity to produce food this year will not soon go away. Collapse as a result of this unnecessary conflict is still a distinct possibility that will not end with a signed piece of paper.
All of the above is undeniable, even if this agreement to eventually agree stands, and is not sundered by Israel’s continuing attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. If you’d like to place a bet on that, let me know.
Iran, no air defense, no navy, no national security, no Air Force, uranium buried deep in the ground with the centrifuges destroyed, water infrastructure gone, ports blockaded, oil revenue gone,
USA, world, paying a dollar and a half more for a gallon of gas. The world has adjusted to the Straits shut down and the price of oil and gas is going back down. Iran cannot afford too much of these standoffs.
I find your comment poignant. This conflict demonstrated conclusively that a traditional navy is useless today. Iran's small boats had no difficulty maintaining the blockage of the Strait. The destruction of the centrifuges was a canard that Trump sold in order to try and avoid the war in the first place. That agreed-upon attack was pure theatre.
Your contention that the world has adjusted to the strait being closed is astonishingly clueless. Ask countries like Japan with inadequate petroleum reserves how their "adjustment" is going. Our adjustment has been to plunder our own reserves to a dangerous level and to temporarily rig the energy markets so that things still seem ok. They're not, as we shall all see in a couple more months.
Yes, we have bombed the crap out of the edge of Iran nearest our capacity to attack them. The rest of a very large country is untouched. In assessing the tit-for-tat of the last 105 days, you fail to include the destruction of our military bases in the region, or the horrendous damage that Iran has inflicted upon Israel, which is now essentially defenseless.
Add to that the fact that Iran is a much more resilient culture than either the US or Israel. We are still pretending to have lost only thirteen soldiers in this war, because the truth is too dangerous to the administration. Israel's IDF is stressed to the breaking point, with forty per cent of the citizens called to serve refusing to show up these days.
Hold tight to your delusions,. You will need them in the days ahead.
The traditional Navy that counter-blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and choked Iran's economy and the regime into submission? ...and enabled the near total destruction of Iran's navy and air force? ...that traditional Navy?
China is running out of oil...perhaps they are influencing the mullah's decision calculus???
You seem unfamiliar with power projection...but bitterly cling to your own delusions.
You apparently don't know that China has an immense oil reserve. It's ours that is being depleted. You also apparently don't know that Iran has never been so foolish as to sink resources in a traditional navy or air force. Their prioritization of drones and missiles has turned out to be prescient. That's a far as I am willing to educate you.
I have no trouble dismissing your ill informed posts.
105 days ago our host honestly believed that the war would be over in five days or less. Pretty much everything I have posted since that has stood up very well so far. You are welcome to keep track and rub my nose in my errors later, if the tide changes.
Okay, I will bite. How big is China’s reserve of oil? Also, these infinitely intelligent Iranian military geniuses have decided they do not need defenses for their homeland, that attack vehicles are all they need. That is as far as I will listen to your tripe. Where exactly do you pull this BS out of? NYT. CNN?
This is all quite correct, and a useful look at the broader picture. America's empire is visibly dying in real time. The first hunk of it to fall off turns out to be the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran is the beneficiary.
The long-term consequences of having the Strait blocked for even this long are going to be serious. The most significant of them is the critical timing of cutting off fertilizer shipments, right before the northern hemisphere growing season. This is likely to ramify through the system in unforeseeable ways, at minimum meaning a sharp rise in food prices and with significant famines a distinct possibility.
This has its own further consequences. The wealthier countries are likely to glide past with little more than grumbles about the price of bread. So once against it's the impoverished people living in the 's---hole' countries whose bellies will rumble and bloat, parents going hungry so their children can eat or simply starve right beside them. Famines are the kind of thing that drive mass migration. And mass migration, well... You can write your own end to that sentence, but one thing I can guarantee you is that MAGA will be as shitty about that as they possibly can.
US bases in the region? Neutralized and now mostly unwanted by the inhabitants.
But…let us agree in the dubious chance the MOU holds, the war will end. For which all should be thankful.
That Trump and his dwindling minions will hail it as brilliance at work is not only unexpected, it’s a small price to pay. If, a huge if, this war really ends the result will be the end of the Greater Israel project dreams of Bibi Zionists and Huckabee Christian Zionists. The land grab days will end.
The amazing thing about the people who buy that this is somehow a victory for the U.S. and an accomplishment for Trump is they didn't even have to pass through Room 101 and get broken. They were already primed and ready to guzzle the Victory Gin by choice.
Meanwhile Erdogan is seething about the prospects for Greater Turkey. He has heard big Jews saying, Turkey is the next Iran and he will not be caught flat footed.
The Turkish military yes. They are not a good enemy to provoke. Erdogan is known to play both ends against the middle. He talks a good game. We shall see.
"And our missile supply line has been revealed to be all about shareholder value rather than, you know, producing replacement missiles in a timely fashion, now that our inadequate stockpiles have been seriously depleted."
I remember reading a few years ago about how in Russia, the armaments manufacturers are closely connected with the government -- partially nationalized, maybe? I can't recall -- at any rate, the supreme incentive there is not maximum stockholder profit, as it is here, but rather, the most efficient and effective fulfillment of the country's national security objective. This is why Russia has been able to outpace us on things like hypersonic missiles, and for far less cost.
Sure, there is corruption in the system, as there is everywhere on earth. BUT at least Russia's defense industry does not have the built-in waste and fiascos we get from the maximum-profit-for-stockholders paradigm in the U.S., where cost overruns and delays and do-overs are actually incentivized.
Bravo. The absolute folly of Capitalism revealed. And conversely, the strength of Fascism where industry must serve the nation or else. If they do, they will be lauded and treated very well. Carrot and stick.
HS - yours is the lone comment - on this blog with its misguided and ill-informed host and commenters - that lifts my spirits and keeps me from pulling my hair out. Thanks.
Thank you, Carol. When I started following Jim's blogs the issue was collapse and I admired him a great deal. He has since become a crank, supporting Israel no matter what. Of course, over time readership self-selects to align itself with the blogger.
With Iran off the board, perhaps we can now focus on the internal sedition and treason on the part of many Democrats who are so rage-filled against Trump and Republicans for taking away their absolute power that they work overtime to destroy our country. To these lowlifes, control over a ruined and barren landscape is preferable to being the minor party in a thriving society. The pushing of trans and drag is just a part of the marxist plans to destroy the U.S., and the Democrats have adopted the CPUSA plans lock, stock, and barrel. Time for Grand Juries to issue indictments all across the land, as they represent a more insidious threat than our foreign enemies.
Now the leading candidate in Washington DC mayor’s race is a self=defined Socialist Democrat.
Look around, piece by piece, this slime is overtaking the country bit by bit. The Long Emergency is extending its grip on the poverty class including the kids, the work ethic is dying and the consequence is the on-going expansion of the gimme state and dependence on the government. Yeah, that government.
If the liberal left and neocon right could calm themselves for a part of a minute, they might actually see Trump could have pulled the triple Lindy here. Wait, no decades of fighting and thousands of America's boys killed or maimed? No more talk of regime change for people that don't want it? What kind of babble is this?
If nothing else, he has degraded Iran for longer than an Al Gore doom prediction. And maybe they have figured out that if not finally being normal, it probably makes sense to hang out with the cool kids until this summer of MAGA finally wanes - be that 2 or 8 years.
Citation needed? Check my posts for today, I have posted links for where I’m getting my info. If you know something real that I’ve gotten factually wrong, say what it is and how you know it’s wrong. Though I suspect you’re just blowing smoke because you don’t want to admit what a crushing defeat this is for the USA.
“A freaking peace deal, and now this low-rent spectacle of ultra-violence! Like their whole world had turned out to be the meanest, lowest, most sordid backwater of the Marvel Comics universe where no one has ever heard of ChardonnAy.”
While I am a big fan of Tom Wolfe, I have come to believe that JHK is actually the better writer, at least to this political junkie.
Tom Wolfe was more of chronicler of the foibles of the rich and famous of NY city's Upper East Side; while JHK uses his sardonic wit to add another dimension to the news and politics of the day. These days he is one of the few authors that I really look forward to reading on a regular basis.
Patience grasshoppers. GOD is fulfilling HIS promises of exposing things done in the dark to the light. Let HIM do HIS works. This is a time of revelation. People are being exposed for who and what they are.
The vast majority of people in the world have never known what it is like for Iran to NOT be the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism.
If - IF - DJT has managed to put a dent in their murderous conduct, it will be more than the entire world-wide collection of politicians have managed for almost five decades.
Trump's biggest sin is that he actually gets results, and that is what just drives his (and America's) domestic enemies into blathering fits.
I love the smell of Dem heads exploding in the morning.
You nailed it. 5 decades of do nothings.
Ms. Jarrett and Obumer are certainly going to be in sour moods this morning.
Ever notice how one almost never hears (and rarely ever heard) about Jarrett?
Just the idea that Jarrett was hired to babysit the half-breed Obama,
because it was evident that an American President groomed in Russia
during Obama's disappearance during the 1980's, would require vast
assistance to modify his 78 I.Q., to ACT of POTUS, with the emphasis
placed upon the word ACT. What manner of legislation did the half-
breed Obama originated, that has proven to be beneficial to the United
States? When the half-breed Obama was supposedly interned at Harvard,
he acquired a prestigeous literary position known as the HARVARD LAW
REVIEW, but to date, he never published anything at all, or anything that
would embellish his coveted position. None of his worthless effn books
were never written by him. He published nothing, because this
half-breed was I.Q. deficient.
What say thee, America?
I think of Obama as black rather than half-breed, although technically, you're right. Any part black is black to me. Like Kamala. Part black is black with all its stereotypes, low IQ, & incompetence.
Hmmm....a Nobel prize?
Giving this Fraud a Noble Prize was the End of Nobels Credibility and their Integrity!
Meaningless.
The power behind the throne. You will find she's pretty scary if you dig into her various shenanigans as a public official in Chicago.
"The power behind the throne" Precisely.
She was found On-Sale in the Fill-An-Empty-Suit bin.
Which is a bit worrisome, like when your two year old toddler goes silent in the other room.
06/15/26: The Michael Jackson of WDC, the Queens of Trans, has laid very, very low. We're not using the right bait.
She controlled obeyme from the gitgo. He’s actually a very very stupid little man. She came up with his shit.
06/15/26: They were born sour.
Including the Bushes.
"The Bushes"
AKA "the Shrubs".
MAGA has the memory of a goldfish. Everything Trump is getting in this agreement is something he already had, then pissed away.
Trump's "results" are the loss of control over the Strait of Hormuz, the end of its sanctions regime against Iran, and an unmistakable signal to the world that the American Empire is a sinking ship.
You on crack?
Not even slightly.
No, he’s just not smoking the Trump hopium. The US lost whatever prestige it had left by being Net n yahoo’s biatch
Memory of a goldfish? Mouth of a carp.
So long as gas prices stay below $5.00/gal it's okay for a mass murdering suicidal death cult to have nukes, amiright?
Iran has had the technical wherewithal to build a nuclear weapon for decades now. They haven't done so, though they have stubbornly kept their options open since they don't want to get regime-changed. What they did do was agree to the JCPOA, and allowed extensive, intrusive inspections to make sure they did not and could not build a bomb, in exchange for some concessions and America taking its finger off the trigger. That worked fine and dandy until Trump pulled the plug on it, likely because (a) Netanyahu wanted it that way, and (b) to spite his predecessor in office.
The U.S. doesn't hate Iran because of how nasty and evil Iran is. They hate it because they lost control of it when the shah was overthrown, and because their Israeli ally sees Iran is a threat. That's it, that's all there is to it. All this 'death cult' nonsense is propaganda and a waste of breath.
Look, you don't have to agree with me today, but it simply won't be possible to keep up your level of delusion much longer. Facts have swerved so far away from the MAGA narrative that the castles in the air have to come down soon, no matter how much you clap your hands and believe in fairies. The Iranian government is a despotic theocracy, but the people in power there are actually much more rational and sane than the people now running the USA. And it's those irrational actors in the USA who have sold the narrative that Iran is some kind of death cult.
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
The IAEA called out Iran's numerous nuclear -related violations of UN sanctions in the past 12 months.
Also, unless you have access to classified intelligence information, your TLDR bloviating/opining is just like that thing everyone has (arseholes), only worse since it's based on what you're told you believe by the TDS hate porn you over-consume.
I believe that Hawaaiian Pizza's talking about the Obama deal times. Not the Trump times, last 12 months.
After reading this, you are proving to the world that you are a dope. If you think that Iran would build its nuclear energy program hundreds of feet underground, and illegally buy shit from the Chinese , for instance, that is used to create the product needed for a weapon, you are just one stupid fool.
"A mass murdering suicidal death cult". Would that be the current empire under the Epstein regime?
I'm aware that your ilk are trying to spin it that way so you can eek out some kind of domestic political victory ( at the expense of the credibility of your own nation) but the facts say otherwise IMO . Iran's Navy : at the bottom of the sea, their air force : destroyed , the missile and drone capacity severely if not completely damaged , their nuclear program :buried and under observation . Their ability to continue fund terror proxies near non existent .
For US ? Well serious deterence has been re established ,China's ability to secure cheap petroleum products has been reduced and we've proven that the Chinese and Russian military hardware isn't up to competing with ours . So now we also have a deal with the Iranians that they will not try to control the free flow of shipping thru an international body of water and they wont try to produce nuclear weapons .
How you can spin all that as somehow a win for Iran or " not as good a deal as the JTCPOA" I have no idea other than its just pure serious cynical power politics that you are interested in as a fellow maggot commie .
Trump shat on the last of our credibility. We didn’t win this war. We haven’t won any wars since WWII
Sure pal , brilliant retort ( NOT!)
Having Iran be the scapegoat for almost any terrorist plot was useful for a lot of mayhem so nobody else had to "fess up" that their own countries (our own, for instance) was really who was behind it. There are always mentally deficient actors willing to pay for their fix. Returning Iran to a productive country isn't gonna stop radicals. I'm hoping that prosperity, rational society, freedoms, what Iran enjoyed in a previous life, have a greater influence than fanaticism.
What is wrong with you, and the people like you? The USA is the main source of terrorism, destruction, intervention, domination, regime toppling, etc. etc. Take a look in the mirror my friend. There wouldn't be any degree of "terrorism" coming from Iran if Israel and the USA got the hell out of the Middle East. The West is the one at fault, always pushing for total global hegemony. Your viewpoint and ideology are not reality-based at all.
Exactly how many times were you dropped on your head as a child?
Brilliant contribution to the discussion. Please contribute more, we await further edification.
"The USA is the main source of terrorism, destruction, intervention, domination, regime toppling, etc. etc."
Citations seem to be missing.
Typical of American Marxist left-wits that view reality through the lens of what they're told they believe by the likes of recently unemployed "journalists" (Scott Pelley).
Maybe cry harder.
Please stop. Go away. This isn't a discussion.
I was thinking the same thing about you.
Outside of the UFC cage fighting is Iran, finally captured and tethered to The Rack, with DJT’s hands on the levers, ready to stretch the miscreant nation at his discretion. Iran has little choice now but to tap out.
"The vast majority of people in the world have never known what it is like for Iran to NOT be the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism."
Gyrene,
Well, I certainly remember (who can forget?) that Iran brought down the towers...and that they destroyed Syria, Lebanon, and were responsible for Pearl Harbor. Those bastards even tried to destroy the USS Liberty! Goddamned A-Rabs.
Give full credit where due:
You left out the part where they killed thousands of their own unarmed civilians for peacefully protesting against the mullahs, stoning women to death for being raped, public hangings, and killing around 2,000 US servicemen in Iraq with explosively formed projectiles, a deadly form of IED. Oh, and lying about enriching uranium to 60% and beyond, which has no non-military application.
Today (June 17) Trump endorsed Iran having ballistic missiles:
"I'm saying that if other countries have them, it's a little unfair for them not to have some"
He clearly doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing, nor how to squeeze a “win” out of his disastrous Iran War debacle.
Shall we shower Iran with $300 billion in “reparations” to get them to open the Straight that was, um, already open before the war, anybody? And to sign an “MOU” barely worth the paper it’s printed on?
Trump is an international embarrassment.
06/15/26: SUPERB:
“… the cries for impeachment will be ringing across the District of Columbia like calls to prayer in Mamdani’s Caliphate on the Hudson.”
***
Iran will simmer and then explode again. A mafia that slaughters 30,000 of its own citizens (SOP in them there parts) will not change its spots.
So. That’s that. Peace and quiet. For the time being. Possibly even until next Thursday. My money is that the missiles start flying again on June 29-30, 2026.
It will take longer than that for Iran to rebuild and get the Russian and Chinese junk radar systems that worked so well to keep US fighter jets from dropping warheads on foreheads with almost utter impunity.
The gist is Iran will go back to what it was doing because that is what they believe in.
If only they could build their own systems but that would require skills and materials that they simply do not have.
It has shown the US needs larger bombs that penetrate more than 50 feet or rock or concrete.
06/19/26: In case you were to miss this ---
https://exclusive.iranintl.com/iran-missile-cities/en/
Dems would have been all-in on UFC at the White House if there'd been a couple of "trans-women" vs. biologic women bouts, and they'd been able to see a couple of women beat up by men, a la 2024 Paris Olympics boxing.
Name the Democrat, or any president whatsoever other than Donald Trump, who would have hosted a UFC cage match at the White House. Name one, any one. A name, I'm looking for a name.
If there's one thing MAGA can be counted on to do, it's to set up a stupid straw man so they can knock it down again and feel powerful. It's Clint Eastwood lecturing an empty chair at the Republican convention all over again.
Name any Republican, or any president whatsoever who would have hosted a drag queen event at the White House for the queens to bare their breasts on the White House lawn. Oh - there was one - Joe Biden.
Or a"Catholic" President remaining Easter the day of trans visibility
Biden is about as Catholic as Protestant Evangelical-Zionists are to christianity. Small c reflects their poseur status.
And yet the only president in our history who ever tweeted “Praise be to Allah!” on Easter Day (or on any day) was — Donald Trump.
Go figure. “He ain’t right in the head, that boy”, as Cletus woulda said.
You retards are insufferable! Smug and dumb is not a great combination...
Get lost...
Pure projection! Real childish...ugh
I know you are, but what am I?
An obvious troll with nothing useful to post about. What is this your tenth new name?
The Reuben's defense!
I say this will all respect, even though I believe Pizza with pineapple on it is an abomination before God.
"Name the Democrat, or any president whatsoever other than Donald Trump, who would have hosted a UFC cage match at the White House. "
President Camacho
Its got electrolytes...
You're missing the point of the post. The point was Democrats like to see men beat up women. Strange but true
Now do trans woman showing off their fake boobs at the White House and a gay version of the Christmas Holiday.
Teddy Roosevelt. You know Hawaiian Pizza, they have this Internet thingy (thanks al gore!) that you can (and probably should) look this kind of stuff up on before you ask such an ignorant question.
It is rumored that JFK and FDR, both Democrats, had drunken orgies in the White House. I have no evidence of this but I have read that both men, before paralysis and death of course, enjoyed a good romp with multiple partners from time to time.
It is rumored that Donald Trump was a long-time, enthusiastic participant in Jeffrey Epstein's serial trafficking of girls and women over a period of years, perhaps decades. I have no evidence of this because Donald Trump is abusing his power to defy the law, which requires him to disclose all of the Epstein files, which has hasn't done. But I have read that both men, before the death of one and accession to power of the other, enjoyed a good rape with coerced, underage partners from time to time.
The difference here is, Donald Trump is still alive to answer for his criminal behaviour. But he just turned 80 and the clock is ticking.
I have heard such rumors. I have also heard that those on the Epstein express also enjoyed an occasional snack consisting of the remains of human children.
The Donald ain't no angel and I have never assumed he was a person who operates on a level of higher morality.
Tell that to Kevin Hicks, who has been making a spectacle of himself remonstrating with people about Trump being their moral better. Some people just have a real need to believe that people with power must deserve that power, somehow. They believe in fealty, not justice.
How about ole hickory. Invited his drunken demokrat buddies and they stole stuff and got in fights. Sounds like your crowd
Old Hickory was one mean fucker. The dude had a duel with a man who dishonored he and his wife by questioning her divorce. Jackson stood before that dude during the duel and literally let his opponent shoot him in the chest. Jackson then aimed his weapon and shot and killed the man. There are many that say Jackson was a murderer after this event. Jackson spent the rest of his life with a nagging cough because of the ball that was lodged in his chest.
Jackson also refused to clean the boots of a British soldier during the war of 1812 and had his face slashed by the sword of that British soldier.
Foul mouthed and crude as they came. Love him or hate him, regardless, the man was probably the toughest and meanest man the Presidency of this Country has ever seen, aside from Abraham Lincoln who is said to have laughed at the atrocities that his Generals Sherman and Grant inflicted upon the innocent women, children and farm animals in Georgia and South Carolina. LBJ was pretty foul as well but none of them as tough as Old Hickory.
Andrew Jackson was also the only President to leave office having complete obliterated and paid off the national debt.
Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
Perfect
Why do UFC fighters cover their bodies with unrecognizable and unreadable tattoos? Do they think it makes them look meaner? Tougher?
I think they all look like idiots. Yeah, they could all beat me up which is why I can say this from the safety of my own computer screen but tatted up dudes don't look scary. They look stupid. Like they are some kid in pre-school bored by the teacher's lecture so he took to drawing on himself for entertainment.
Another human behavior that doesn't make any sense to me.
Probably for the same reason sorority girls get similar tattoos today - it's the in thing.
I've actually spent a lot of time working with MMA fighters, as an official, corner, and trainer. 99% are remarkably friendly and kind. I imagine that once you've gone in the cage with someone your size who's sober, and trained - perhaps better trained than you - and completed a fight; whether you've won or lost you no longer have go around putting on a tough guy act.
No doubt they are tough people. Like I said, I'm sure they could take me down a peg or two. I just don't understand the body graffiti. These guys are incredible physical specimens and they obscure those incredible physical bodies with box car like graffiti. I'll never understand the addiction.
Women too. I see so many would be attractive women covered with tats and facial piercings. I'll never understand.
That's because you are old.
I suffer the same affliction; the tats and piercings are gross.
I don't care if the dudes want to scar up their skin with inks and dyes but I don't understand the women. I frequent the local gym having been a life long body builder (in decline now that I am in my 50s) and I am amazed when I see what would be a stunning female covered with disgusting tattoos. Why? And it isn't just the pretty ones. Older women are getting them now. Fat women get them. Average soccer mom type women are getting them.
Even weirder is tattoos on black people. Their skin is already very dark so the tattoos don't have any color variation and are hard to see.
Humans do weird and strange things and seek to mutilate and destroy themselves. As Spock from Star Trek said "the human species is illogical."
Not to mention the cost of the filthy things. Some people have a mortgage's worth of tats covering their bodies. More evidence that Americans still have it way too good if people can still afford to pay for something as useless as a tattoo and still afford to feed themselves and pay rent.
It’s Chardonnay, Mr. Kunstler, not “chardonney.”
—Victoria Nuland
I believe that was on purpose.
Works either way, doesn't it?
And Victoria Nuland would know :-)
"We still have a very serious cold civil war to deal with here in the Homeyland, and a national mental health crisis that turns US daily life into a real time horror movie from sea to shining sea. The party of “our democracy” still works avidly to overthrow the republic, and extravagant sports entertainments will not avail to make that stop. We need perp walks and trials. . .sober business. . .a cold reckoning with our own monsters." Yep.
Mr. Kunstler is spot on which is why I have been so opposed to the USA's war adventures in so many nations abroad. While our vaunted military is out there spreading America's version of a Democracy our own nation crumbles from neglect. Get the troops home, put them to work rebuilding bridges, pipes and other infrastructure. Put them on the border. Use them to get the illegal mooches and interlopers back to their home nations. Keep the money used to pay these troops right here at home to benefit those who pay them. The good old beaten down US taxpayers!
No one had Human Cock Fighting on the South Lawn on their bingo card.....but so what!
The most consequential President of all time decided to have a birthday party with testosterone all around rather than images of him blowing out candles on a cake.
I can't help thinking of all the macho images of President Putin in the early or mid 2000s.
When Russia was collapsing in the 1990s, male life expectancy there plunged by 10 years. Russian men were killing themselves with vodka, drugs, gang violence, and straight-up suicide.
When Putin came in in 2000, one of his biggest challenges was to make Russia believe in itself again (MRGA!), to restore its testosterone level, so to speak. All those cheesy shots of a muscular barechested Putin fishing, hunting and horseback riding in Siberia, showing off his judo moves (he's been a black belt since his youth), driving a Formula 1 car, swimming in a freezing-cold river, etc., had a purpose. They were over-the-top macho for a reason.
People who don't know what condition Russia was in by 1999 think Putin was a vain man simply showing off. That was not what it was about at all. Putin understands -- as I think Trump does -- that a country needs to believe in itself, to see itself as virile. And humans being human, that starts with the leaders.
Russia HAS turned around since Putin came in. Male life expectancy is back up; crime and suicide and alcohol and drug abuse are down; Moscow is now one of the safest megacitities in the world; and Russia is now the fourth-largest economy in the world measured by PPP (parity purchasing power).
No wonder the Lefty-left hates Russia as much as they do Trump!
I think Putin was aiming at the young men. "Look past your poor, despairing father in drunken slumber on the beaten-down couch. Look at me! This is your future!"
And the Neo-Cons, ex-Communists who turned Republican on a dime.
Didn't happen anywhere but in your little nazi brain.
No doubt there's plenty of Trump testosterone on display in the Epstein files.
Really? Really? Now everyone here knows how incredibly stupid you are. Wow.
Why is telling the truth an act of stupidity?
Truth citations missing.
Another useless idiot that believes what they're told they believe by man-child Scott Pelley and his ilk.
Sincere question: who TF is Scott Pelley and why should I care?
I'm sure you meant to say "Clinton" rather than Trump.
...and Bill Gates, the Andrew formerly known as Prince, and so many others - but never, not ever, Donald J. Trump.
Trump is the ultimate Epstein predator.
Come off a the goods if ya got em.
And you're spittle if you try the "if you don't know" crap.
Do you have the goods that exonerate him? I didn't think so.
And you do?
"Exonerate?" Don't be silly. In America, one is INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty.
You first.
Let's see....how many Socialist/ Democratic administrations had access and did nothing??
And on national teevee a fighter reported Michele Obama is a dude.
Good comment, but you misspelled Michael.
Amen !
MOUs are not treaties and not contracts in any sense. Nor are they intended to be. There are no clear detailed terms which parties can explicitly agree to. Just a rough outline which the parties agree indicate some of the big issues and how the parties might agree when the details are worked out.
Everyone on both sides know this. It will enable both sides to claim victory. And absent using the MOU to form the basis of talks resulting in an actual agreement, it will be fertile ground for either party to claim the other has violated... something.
This MOU is not nothing, but it is not much... especially if the public can't see the document. And take it to the bank. The details of this MOU will not be disclosed by either side.
Yes, the show must go on.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Over.
The MOU is a surrender agreement by the United States. We haven’t won a war since 1945 which is why we voted for Trump based in large part on his promise to avoid these wasteful quagmires. The terms we know of include opening our blockade so the Chinese can more easily supply Iran with military hardware and components while getting their oil shipments restored. We will unfreeze sanctions and release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets. We will be paying billions for part of Iran’s “reconstruction” which is a nice way of saying reparations. Iran will almost certainly change tolls for shipping through the Strait and since we are ending our own blockade we have no countermeasures in place. Such a deal!
Sam Faddis has some more intelligent and informed commentary from the perspective of a former intelligence operative on his Substack: https://andmagazine.substack.com/p/the-iran-deal-we-crossed-a-bridge I don’t understand the cheerleading from some people every time Trump uses the john. He’s done a fine job of screwing up our chances in the midterms and given his track record JD will have an uphill climb in ’28. Can you imagine our future dystopia if Kamala or Gavin wins the next time? The best we can hope for is for Trump to have a coronary before ‘28 giving JD a couple of years to straighten things out.
If Iran’s nuclear material is destroyed and the strait of Hormuz is open, then Mission Accomplished.
“Mission Accomplished”. I’ve seen that somewhere before…
You a genius like George Bush Jr.
Quite correct, this deal is a surrender by the U.S. America's 47-year campaign to punish and undo the overthrow of the shah is at an end, Iran is now free and clear and the mullahs are likely to have a nice new income stream in the Strait of Hormuz. Kunstler and any assorted nitwits spinning this as a victory are a spectacle of delusion.
Wrong as usual....What a putz.
Get your meds checked.
The Twelvers seeking global conflagration to bring forth the 12th Imam and convert us all to Shiites have had their capabilities to make that happen set back at least two decades. If the 60% uranium dust is properly disposed of, even longer.
You might want to consider that "enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing as your useful Islamo-fascist idiocy has a very short shelf life.
That shadow on the wall doesn't want to box with you, honest. Now turn around and join us outside the cave. It's bright and sunny out here!
This is the best because only way it could have ended without nuclear war. It's pro-Wrestling. Trump is sending a secret message with those with eyes to hear and ears to see.
TDS is real!!!
He speaks the truth you speak from the inside of your arse.
Kat confirms their TDS is Stage IV.
I am afraid they don't comprehend the meaning of their irrational exuberance for an Epstein Predator.
You people are always obsessed with "Arses" Lol?
You people, LoL. That's the best you can do is make a vague queer reference while continuing to talk out of your arse? BTW, your breath has a fecal order to it.
Pure projection
Faddis is former for quite some time now. He hasn't had access to classified intelligence information for years. But if speculation in service to American Marxism as gospel truth is your thing, he has you pegged.
Captain Picard was shown as the ultimate negotiator on the Next Generation. His secret? Make both sides walk away saying they have won. We just witnessed a today deal maker accomplish the same.
Learn from WW2, the way to stop war is to make friends. How the USA treats Iran right now will determine the future. We need to help the Iranian people realize how they have been duped by a bunch of religious nuts.
“IMO, the Supreme Leader (I choke on that description) is right in there with Hitler and Tojo. It should be part of any peace that he be done away with as well as the uranium dust. Again, IMO, the Americans are talking to people in Pakistan that do not represent the people in Tehran and are playing games with Trump’s people. The only way we will get the nuke material and the leadership out of Tehran is to take it and them out. I fear Trump does not have the cojones to get the job done.“
JohnAZ
May 24, 2026
That was three weeks ago. Now he’s a great negotiator. You were an integral part of his 4D chess game right? 😆 All according to plan?
No argument, I will say that what happened is one step closer to a solution, which is convincing Iran that it is better to get along than get blown up. I will not be convinced of the beneficence of Iran until they are contributing members of the Middle East consortium started by the Abraham Accords. Only time will tell.
It's all Kabuki Theatre. Nothing has been accomplished. As usual. The USA is going down the chute, to Hell in a hand-basket, into the great abyss, etc. just like every other corrupt empire in our history. Can't be avoided.
Is that why the rest of the world is beating down the American doors to get in?
Yes. Of course people want to be in the society of the dominant force or oppressor, as there is a better standard of living and it is safer.
I don't think these people think of America the way you do. They are looking to improve their lives and live in a country that gives its people the freedoms written in our constitution.
Yet, that has NOTHING to do with what that country these people want to live in is doing to other countries. I just said that people would prefer to live in the oppressor country as conditions will be better there than they are in all the countries that said country is using as war proxies, stealing resources from, bullying financially, etc. etc.
Idiot alert.
SUICIDAL RELIGIOUS FANATICS
ARE LYING.
THEY WILL COME OUT OF HIDING TO BE RETARGETED......
More smoke and mirrors on both sides. Did the Iranian people get anything at all out of this?
MAYBE TENS OF THOUSANDS WON'T BE SHOT DOWN IN THE STREETS, AGAIN
Yes, the Iranians need mini-skirts and diversity. Why aren't they letting in millions of Black Africans to enrich them?
They have enough problems with crazy Shiites throwing acid in woman's faces for showing to much hair.
It's safe to say any armed conflict takes some time to understand what the fallout is, no matter what side you're considering. I'm of the opinion that some of the Iranian people will be torn between those that support terrorism against the West (not good) and those who cut deals with neo-cons of the West for profits (also not good). I can't help but think many will still be holding a grudge for having their leader whacked on Day 1 of this "military police action".
It's also safe to say that if the Iranian Adventure was intended to distract from other processes of the Long Emergency kicking in and making things worse for most Americans, mission accomplished. It remains to be seen how much blame can be heaped on the various downgrades to Western Civilization's standards of living coming down the pike, but you can bet plenty of politicians will be trying to make hay one way or the other.
I saw hundreds here in San Diego celebrating the death of Khomani . May he burn in hell.
You are right in your last. There will be perturbations and excuses every year and every administration for the effects of The Long Emergency.
The changes are inevitable, the nature of our government is also inevitable. IMO, the stress put on our “elected” officials is going to skyrocket, the blame game will run the show down the road.
With that, think about the AI impact on DC, what a good deal. The Deep State has a new whipping boy to blame things on.
In Arizona, negotiations on the use of Colorado River water is stressing out the state government and the home building industry. Wait and see, they will look to AI to resolve the problem and find “the answer”. AI, the Great Satan.
The real deal, TLE shortages are inevitable and people are going to get hurt. AI gives another scapegoat to the government slime to blame things on.
"Classic" historians point out how decline and collapse of Empires includes many poor decisions by leaders which only make things worse. This view implies some sort of organic, natural cause for the process.
However, that explanation ignores how the wealthy and powerful have positioned themselves to retain control and maintain or even grow their wealth, thereby knowing beforehand what cycles of civilizations are all about. In other words, an alternative view to "organic" collapse - that it is planned, intentional and flexible to allow for various outcomes - makes far more sense than blaming things on a semi-fatalistic attitude of "ain't nothing we can do about it - humans being humans, ya know."
Historians avoid identifying the true root cause of collapse.
I think you are right here. I would like to add that IMO, events, such as TLE, control the agenda with the power merchants fighting for advantage, while the serfs fight to survive. AI is next.
But AI as well as the data centers it requires can only ACCELERATE the emergency. It's like a train that sees a huge boulder on the tracks up ahead -- and instead of slowing down to a stop, deliberately and inexplicably speeds up!
Yup.
"AI" has numerous possibilities as a scapegoat, and will do little to nothing to help The Little Guy. It will allow the Uber-Wealthy to replace "expensive" workers with expensive hardware (in the guise of creating Utopia), up until the process of resource depletion and a return to human labor Makes Slavery Great Again.
Until then, the story of AI saving mankind from The Long Emergency will allow the Uber-Wealthy to control water, electricity and other resources. Like war, space travel, cryptos and other Great Lies - AI is a racket.
All the MOU indicates is that the US, again using it's crude mimicry of Byzantine tactics, successfully bribed Iranian 'negotiators' to buy time. Who would want to be in the shoes of the bribed Iranian 'negotiators' at this time (lest, of course, the Iranians were just letting the 'other side' think its bribes were successful)? Tricky business.......
Meanwhile, in the world of reality, the US "bombed the shit" out of anything remotely worth bombing.
With threats of more bombs and taking over Karg Island.
The threat of taking over Karg Island finally brought them to heel.
That and the fact a huge percentage of global oil was being directed to Texas.
We all know Iran will wait out Trump and start over on all their machinations to take over the region and push Shiite objectives and their flawed apostate version of Islam.
Looks like the talks have stalled and the bombing will resume shortly.
I love your thoughts, Mr. Kunstler. This is an especially poignant column. Never stop. Write on.
I'm old enough to remember when, about 14 weeks ago, Mr. Kunstler assured us not to worry our pretty little heads about the Iran War, because it would effectively be over within a week.
Yep, he was off by 40 days. Damn him.
Read more of Dons posts, he is a one-trick whining pony.
I’m only starting to read this, but the deal is not the peace deal. It’s a deal to have a cease fire for 60 days, while they negotiate a deal. The only change is that the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to open, along with the cease fire. Please watch TousiTV on YT to understand really what’s going on.
But “the Straight of Hormuz being open” isn’t a change, either. It was open before Bibi talked Trump into starting this war. So, after four months, we’re back to where we started.
The repressive Islamic regime is also still firmly in power. Democracy-craving Iranian citizens did NOT have a feasible opportunity to rise up and overthrow the regime. Thousands of them got slaughtered. Oh well.
We might make some good progress on getting Iran to cough up its weapon-grade nuclear material in 60 or more likely 360 days. But that remains unclear and unsettled. It will take a long time to get back to anything as carefully thought through and negotiated and internationally monitored as the agreement that existed before Trump tore it up in 2017 in a fit of pique.
Meanwhile Bibi continues to run amok destroying the lives of countless civilians caught in the middle in Gaza and Syria and Lebanon, your tax dollars at work. What could possibly go wrong?
But we’ve got cage fights on the lawn of the White House, like some Las Vegas extravaganza designed by Bevis and Butthead, so it’s all good. Wayne Newton at 9:00 with complementary chips for the ladies. Clusterfuck Nation, indeed.
Your low-T efforts to snatch defeat from the claws of victory are pretty pathetic.
Thank you for that compelling counter-argument based on actual facts.
The arsonist has finally started putting out the fire he started, and we’re treating him like some f-ing genius.
TDS alert.
Gonzo Derangement Syndrome?
He is just pointing out your an idiot but to nice to actually say it.
So let me help.
Gonzo you're a disgrace to the Muppet named Gonzo and an idiot.
Your comments are uniformly fact-free, regurgitations of what you're told you believe by the likes of now unemployed "journalist" Scott Pelley.
Polly want a cracker?
Which part of my above comment is inaccurate?
All of them blue sky reject.
You're welcome!
Trump has been talking about the Iran situation for forty years. To indicate that Netanyahu is the driver of this situation, despite the number of Americans killed by IRGC terrorists, only shows that you’re not paying attention….or maybe paying too much attention to Tucker Carlson.
Gonzo is a moron.
“When the debate is lost, insults become the loser's tool.”
— Socrates
It's all BenR has.
One has to actually engage in debate to win or lose. Don you clearly have nothing but blue sky talking points and whining to spew here. I don't think I have ever seen you post anything but straight Democrat nonsense and talking points.
Or you are so one note as to not be worthy of debate and insults apply.
I was talking to the Gonzo, not you. I thnk Tucker has lost hs fuckng mind, BTW.
I was talking to Gonzo as well. When I posted, I didn’t even see your post. This thing with the lines indicating who is responding to what is nothing short of confusing.
The AI does it on purpose to confuse. It (those behind it) have their own agenda.
"So, after four months, we’re back to where we started."
Did you miss the part where a suicidal death cult trying to get nukes was set back by decades, or do you "think" enriching uranium to 60% and beyond has a non-military application?
Read the paragraph again. I was referring to the Straight of Hormuz being open to tanker traffic.
Yes, our roughly $100 billion fire and brimstone blitz on Iran clearly set back their military capabilities substantially. (God, one would hope so, for that kind of money! That’s more than the Trump family has amassed since he was reelected!)
Which seems like a good thing. But Iran still has their enriched uranium that they wouldn’t have if Trump hadn’t torn up the treaty and inspections that were in place in 2017. He’s trying to get back to where we started.
That is just another opinion. We have no clue what Iran will do, what Hezbollah will do, what Israel will do, what the Gulf states will do, what Europe or China will do, but we do know what Trump will do if Iran reneges on what it is signing up for.
He'll revert to endless, unfulfilled threats. "Don't make me count to three. You're not gonna like what happens. One, two, two and an eighth, two and a quarter, two and three eighths...."
How do we stop Bibi from attacking Lebanon? Lebanon is part of the Greater Israel Project, but it's also part of the Shiite Crescent of Greater Iran.
Israel is not attacking Lebanon. They are trying to get rid of Hezbollah, an Iranian terrorist proxy operating on their border and an infestation the Lebanese people would be happy to see expelled from their country.
You must be pretending to be so thick as no human with an average IQ would post such nonsense in good faith.
We don't Israel wipes out the Hezbollah trash and then peace happens. Which will drive you fake nazi types even crazier.
Go over to Lebanon and tell Hezbollah to stop attacking Israel. Israel responds….they don’t attack first
This 'Memorandum of Agreement' peace deal is one crazed Bibi Netanyahu attack away from falling apart.
America hater says what?
Hosting FIFA has brought people from all around the world to our nation and are being received warmly. This has done more for our position in the eyes of the world than anything else, as they see our mostly clean cities(Red States), friendly people and our wonderful resources on full display. They are spreading the word that they have been lied to about BIG BAD AMERICA. We are a welcoming nation, to those who will respect our laws and mores. Trump has done this with his strong policies and desire to MAGA. This good will resonate like a pebble thrown into a pond, rippling throughout the world. Lefties, get over it. PS, I was never a fan of UFC but for some reason, a lot of people are and I am glad they had a good time at the Party. Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
Eh, what people from around the world are largely discovering about the USA as they attend the World Cup there is how much America loves to build stadiums tens of miles from urban centers, next to freeways, surrounded by gargantuan parking lots:
https://youtu.be/H5lokZN-RWU?si=O0lLXvpYgZD5gssv
Once upon a time, I might have looked to Kunstler for commentary about good and bad urbanism, but nowadays I have to look elsewhere. More's the pity.
As if anyone actually cares what some nutty Canadian thinks?
I know you are, but what am I?
Then why are you here? Doesn't Canuckistan have enough insane woke socialist wet dreams of its own for you to improve? They even have a program that sounds just right for those infected with your same suicidal empathy...
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html
He is pissed about American exceptionalism.
I had hoped that the Iranian people would rise up and take back their country, but they don't seem interested in that, which is quite disappointing.
Leaving an Islamic regime in charge doesn't seem like much of a victory. They cannot be trusted anywhere.
Breathtakingly unfair. Reports of thousands of executions Just Because have crept out of the morass. More easily said than done.
Totally fair - 40,000 killed - if true - is a blip on the road to freedom for a country of 90 million. Trump gets the fact that some people don't want our world, which is actually fine, just don't mess with ours.
Imagine living somewhere that you have no access to weaponry, where the police shoot at women who look out their window without their Muslim Lady getups on which resemble beekeeper suits. Imagine that in spite of that you venture out to protest and are gunned down by a police force populated by bloodthirsty sociopaths, psychopaths and plain old lunatics. Sane people would sit back, bide their time and hope for a situation where they might be able to do something. Americans have millions of AR's and AK's and an estimated one trillion rounds of ammunition in civilian hands. Our authorities realize they do not ever have free rein on a large scale to attempt to impose such horrors on us because there are multiple armies of regular folks with the ability to put up very serious resistance to such blatant tyranny.
They showed exceptional courage during the protests. One would think that it would be on display now since the regime is infinitely weaker.
Trump told them that another opportunity may not come around for generations. They should be heeding that advice and toppling their tyrants, whatever the cost.
Their military may be badly beaten up. The Basji goon squads living in and amongst the people number in the hundreds of thousands. There are other groups of goons in addition to the IRGC. Figure out how to get 50,000 AK's, 50 million rounds of ammo, RPG launchers and rockets into the hands of a movement and then you have something. Until then resistance is truly futile.
Waste of time Iran has been busy jailing and murdering anyone with a spine. Iran will need to be broken up into several countries to defang the Shiite crazies.
Yeah, and the herd's been thinned by at least 40,000. What does one call Doing The Same Thing in the face of failure (and worse)?
Yeah, you're right. They should just give up and continue an existence of pure hell. That's much better than losing a few lives.
No, actually you're right. Unarmed people going willy-nilly against heavily armed religious fanatics is a sure winner. All the best.
As long as gas stays below $5.00/gal why should anyone care if a suicidal mass murdering death cult has nukes.
Yup, that is why Trump/Hegseth’s finger will only be withdrawn slightly from the trigger.
Given there is no 2nd amendment in Iran and the general population was disarmed about 47 years ago, one can appreciate their reluctance. Any regime change will have to come from within. The best the sane world can do is stand by them (you know...like Ukraine) if they decide to take matters in their own hands.
Ukraine was Victory Nuland left-wit inspired regime change, so it earned the progtard seal of approval. Obama and Biden green lit Russia's takings.
Events in Iran that are decades past due, were the making of a decisive leader not of the American Marxist tribe, therefore we must hate our country...Scott Pelley says so.
Jim writing on a Sunday! In twenty years ive never seen this before, and this is a special day, if things work out. I must say, politics does indeed make strange bedfellows when sane people who believe in rational limits, Nature-bats-last, borders, and God-given biology are allied with coal rolling, NASCAR loving conspicuous consumers who say they believe Michelle Obama is a man. We have elected the Corn Pone Hitler and he saved Israel. Amazing times.
Hey, i was on a road trip under special uncomfortable conditions… and I didn’t post the durned thing until after two a.m Monday. . . So gimme a break.
And he’s the only one who could do it and I’m here for it👍🏼🍿
It appears that you are another naive Communist/un-Democrat turd, especially when the
theme of Michelle/Michael Obama is the effn topic.
Let’s look realistically at the fiasco of Netanyahu’s war, and how it has reshuffled the deck of West Asia.
It is now clearly established that Iran is a major player. It has fought the US to a stand-off, and can re-block the Strait of Hormuz at any time. It has demonstrated that its most advanced hypersonic missiles cannot be defended against, and it has ameliorated its relationship with the Arab world by standing up for Gaza and Lebanon.
The US has been grievously weakened by Trump’s folly in being puppeteered by Netanyahu. At least thirteen and perhaps as many as twenty of our military bases in the region have been rendered useless to us. The Gulf States now realize that we cannot provide them with security. Allies like South Korea now understand that we are spread too thin in the world, and may withdraw defense infrastructure from their territory when we run low.
Our Navy has been exposed as needing to stay far away from Iran to avoid having our ships sunk. The USS Gerald R. Ford is now non-operational. It’s clear that our Army would under no circumstance be capable of effectively invading Iran without unacceptable losses. There’s the detail of our pledging three hundred billion dollars to Iran in reparations, er – development funds. And our missile supply line has been revealed to be all about shareholder value rather than, you know, producing replacement missiles in a timely fashion, now that our inadequate stockpiles have been seriously depleted.
Bottom line: US hegemony has ended.
Israel has also been grievously weakened. Its Iron Dome has been defeated. Tel Aviv and Haifa are a shambles and there’s a prison sentence for any Israeli who takes photos of the wreckage. Worldwide contempt for Zionism and for Israel has greatly increased, and the citizenry of the US is increasingly restive about continuing to support our worst “ally.”
And then there’s the fact that the damage that’s been done to the world economy, its oil producing infrastructure, and its capacity to produce food this year will not soon go away. Collapse as a result of this unnecessary conflict is still a distinct possibility that will not end with a signed piece of paper.
All of the above is undeniable, even if this agreement to eventually agree stands, and is not sundered by Israel’s continuing attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. If you’d like to place a bet on that, let me know.
Fought to a stand off? Hahahahaha.
Iran, no air defense, no navy, no national security, no Air Force, uranium buried deep in the ground with the centrifuges destroyed, water infrastructure gone, ports blockaded, oil revenue gone,
USA, world, paying a dollar and a half more for a gallon of gas. The world has adjusted to the Straits shut down and the price of oil and gas is going back down. Iran cannot afford too much of these standoffs.
I find your comment poignant. This conflict demonstrated conclusively that a traditional navy is useless today. Iran's small boats had no difficulty maintaining the blockage of the Strait. The destruction of the centrifuges was a canard that Trump sold in order to try and avoid the war in the first place. That agreed-upon attack was pure theatre.
Your contention that the world has adjusted to the strait being closed is astonishingly clueless. Ask countries like Japan with inadequate petroleum reserves how their "adjustment" is going. Our adjustment has been to plunder our own reserves to a dangerous level and to temporarily rig the energy markets so that things still seem ok. They're not, as we shall all see in a couple more months.
Yes, we have bombed the crap out of the edge of Iran nearest our capacity to attack them. The rest of a very large country is untouched. In assessing the tit-for-tat of the last 105 days, you fail to include the destruction of our military bases in the region, or the horrendous damage that Iran has inflicted upon Israel, which is now essentially defenseless.
Add to that the fact that Iran is a much more resilient culture than either the US or Israel. We are still pretending to have lost only thirteen soldiers in this war, because the truth is too dangerous to the administration. Israel's IDF is stressed to the breaking point, with forty per cent of the citizens called to serve refusing to show up these days.
Hold tight to your delusions,. You will need them in the days ahead.
The traditional Navy that counter-blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and choked Iran's economy and the regime into submission? ...and enabled the near total destruction of Iran's navy and air force? ...that traditional Navy?
China is running out of oil...perhaps they are influencing the mullah's decision calculus???
You seem unfamiliar with power projection...but bitterly cling to your own delusions.
You apparently don't know that China has an immense oil reserve. It's ours that is being depleted. You also apparently don't know that Iran has never been so foolish as to sink resources in a traditional navy or air force. Their prioritization of drones and missiles has turned out to be prescient. That's a far as I am willing to educate you.
Thank you for being uncharacteristically succinct versus your usual unsupported bloviating.
China had reserves to withstand a multi month disruption of oil and LNG. It's been a multi month disruption already.
Maybe try a citation to validate your delusions.
https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/implications-of-the-conflict-in-the-middle-east-for-chinas-energy-security/
https://www.prometheanaction.com/r/24968ee3?m=31371
I'd educate you further...not that you're stupid, but it does appear you have considerable trouble thinking.
I have no trouble dismissing your ill informed posts.
105 days ago our host honestly believed that the war would be over in five days or less. Pretty much everything I have posted since that has stood up very well so far. You are welcome to keep track and rub my nose in my errors later, if the tide changes.
Okay, I will bite. How big is China’s reserve of oil? Also, these infinitely intelligent Iranian military geniuses have decided they do not need defenses for their homeland, that attack vehicles are all they need. That is as far as I will listen to your tripe. Where exactly do you pull this BS out of? NYT. CNN?
Fair enough, John. I have been ignoring you all along.
Good grief you are absolutely clueless.
This is all quite correct, and a useful look at the broader picture. America's empire is visibly dying in real time. The first hunk of it to fall off turns out to be the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran is the beneficiary.
The long-term consequences of having the Strait blocked for even this long are going to be serious. The most significant of them is the critical timing of cutting off fertilizer shipments, right before the northern hemisphere growing season. This is likely to ramify through the system in unforeseeable ways, at minimum meaning a sharp rise in food prices and with significant famines a distinct possibility.
This has its own further consequences. The wealthier countries are likely to glide past with little more than grumbles about the price of bread. So once against it's the impoverished people living in the 's---hole' countries whose bellies will rumble and bloat, parents going hungry so their children can eat or simply starve right beside them. Famines are the kind of thing that drive mass migration. And mass migration, well... You can write your own end to that sentence, but one thing I can guarantee you is that MAGA will be as shitty about that as they possibly can.
Fought us to a standoff? And Hiroshima was only slightly singed. Your doing the Trump/cancer meme dude.
Scorecard:
Regime change? Nope.
Unconditional surrender? Nope.
Nukes they don’t have? We’ll discuss this later.
Strait of Hormuz? Run by Iran and Qatar.
US bases in the region? Neutralized and now mostly unwanted by the inhabitants.
But…let us agree in the dubious chance the MOU holds, the war will end. For which all should be thankful.
That Trump and his dwindling minions will hail it as brilliance at work is not only unexpected, it’s a small price to pay. If, a huge if, this war really ends the result will be the end of the Greater Israel project dreams of Bibi Zionists and Huckabee Christian Zionists. The land grab days will end.
No one should hold their breath however.
The amazing thing about the people who buy that this is somehow a victory for the U.S. and an accomplishment for Trump is they didn't even have to pass through Room 101 and get broken. They were already primed and ready to guzzle the Victory Gin by choice.
If Netanyahu runs true to form and scuttles this agreement, we will see that Iran is still quite capable of continuing this war indefinitely.
Herr Skillington is correct. They are the tip of the BRICS spear.
Let the morons be morons in three months they will either be erong and still suffering TDS OR Iran will be proven false yet again.
Meanwhile Erdogan is seething about the prospects for Greater Turkey. He has heard big Jews saying, Turkey is the next Iran and he will not be caught flat footed.
The Turkish military yes. They are not a good enemy to provoke. Erdogan is known to play both ends against the middle. He talks a good game. We shall see.
"And our missile supply line has been revealed to be all about shareholder value rather than, you know, producing replacement missiles in a timely fashion, now that our inadequate stockpiles have been seriously depleted."
I remember reading a few years ago about how in Russia, the armaments manufacturers are closely connected with the government -- partially nationalized, maybe? I can't recall -- at any rate, the supreme incentive there is not maximum stockholder profit, as it is here, but rather, the most efficient and effective fulfillment of the country's national security objective. This is why Russia has been able to outpace us on things like hypersonic missiles, and for far less cost.
Sure, there is corruption in the system, as there is everywhere on earth. BUT at least Russia's defense industry does not have the built-in waste and fiascos we get from the maximum-profit-for-stockholders paradigm in the U.S., where cost overruns and delays and do-overs are actually incentivized.
Bravo. The absolute folly of Capitalism revealed. And conversely, the strength of Fascism where industry must serve the nation or else. If they do, they will be lauded and treated very well. Carrot and stick.
Now do the folly of socialism, the goal of which is communism (at least according to Vladimir Lenin).
To witness the “folly of socialism” one need go no further than our own defense industry.
Not all Socialism is Marxist or a way station to Communism.
100% right.
HS - yours is the lone comment - on this blog with its misguided and ill-informed host and commenters - that lifts my spirits and keeps me from pulling my hair out. Thanks.
Thank you, Carol. When I started following Jim's blogs the issue was collapse and I admired him a great deal. He has since become a crank, supporting Israel no matter what. Of course, over time readership self-selects to align itself with the blogger.
With Iran off the board, perhaps we can now focus on the internal sedition and treason on the part of many Democrats who are so rage-filled against Trump and Republicans for taking away their absolute power that they work overtime to destroy our country. To these lowlifes, control over a ruined and barren landscape is preferable to being the minor party in a thriving society. The pushing of trans and drag is just a part of the marxist plans to destroy the U.S., and the Democrats have adopted the CPUSA plans lock, stock, and barrel. Time for Grand Juries to issue indictments all across the land, as they represent a more insidious threat than our foreign enemies.
Now the leading candidate in Washington DC mayor’s race is a self=defined Socialist Democrat.
Look around, piece by piece, this slime is overtaking the country bit by bit. The Long Emergency is extending its grip on the poverty class including the kids, the work ethic is dying and the consequence is the on-going expansion of the gimme state and dependence on the government. Yeah, that government.
If the liberal left and neocon right could calm themselves for a part of a minute, they might actually see Trump could have pulled the triple Lindy here. Wait, no decades of fighting and thousands of America's boys killed or maimed? No more talk of regime change for people that don't want it? What kind of babble is this?
If nothing else, he has degraded Iran for longer than an Al Gore doom prediction. And maybe they have figured out that if not finally being normal, it probably makes sense to hang out with the cool kids until this summer of MAGA finally wanes - be that 2 or 8 years.
Degraded? Iran has won the end of American sanctions and control of the Strait of Hormuz. They are the clear victors.
Good drugs in Hawaii I guess, good lord.
That's a Canadian bounced out of here and rebranded several times.
I was only banned once, and I consider it a badge of honour. One day I hope and aspire to be banned some more.
You do not know that, either claim.
Citation needed? Check my posts for today, I have posted links for where I’m getting my info. If you know something real that I’ve gotten factually wrong, say what it is and how you know it’s wrong. Though I suspect you’re just blowing smoke because you don’t want to admit what a crushing defeat this is for the USA.
Everything you post.....duh.
You should get your TBI looked at.
The Iranian people dearly want regime change, and make no doubt, that is not off the table.
Prose worthy of Tom Wolfe. Kudos! 🫡🇺🇸
“A freaking peace deal, and now this low-rent spectacle of ultra-violence! Like their whole world had turned out to be the meanest, lowest, most sordid backwater of the Marvel Comics universe where no one has ever heard of ChardonnAy.”
While I am a big fan of Tom Wolfe, I have come to believe that JHK is actually the better writer, at least to this political junkie.
Tom Wolfe was more of chronicler of the foibles of the rich and famous of NY city's Upper East Side; while JHK uses his sardonic wit to add another dimension to the news and politics of the day. These days he is one of the few authors that I really look forward to reading on a regular basis.
Hear, hear!
Patience grasshoppers. GOD is fulfilling HIS promises of exposing things done in the dark to the light. Let HIM do HIS works. This is a time of revelation. People are being exposed for who and what they are.