I'm a libertarian so I am almost always against conflict/ interventionalism. So apologies in advance for the length of this comment. But I feel like I need to explain my inkblot(s)..cuz it's more than just one blot. And before I'm attacked in the comments about Trump I'm happy to share dozens of comments where I have criticized him.
So let me try to create some coherence out of myriad inkblots running through my head.
First, I feel like I've had to compromise some of my ideals over the last 6 years, starting with the scamdemic...BUT, I also did not realize the extent to which if I stood by some of those ideals on paper I may lose agency to be a libertarian in the country I love.
The fact is, people sleep peaceably at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf
When it comes to Iran ,I'm old enough to have figured out that Iran’s regional strategy relies on a multilayered system of coercion:
- ballistic missiles
- proxy militias
-maritime intimidation
- nuclear brinkmanship
Does that sound like a threat?
I suppose we could just drop pallets of cash instead of bombs....
The most convincing argument for the Iranian "war" is the good people of Iran. If you doubt me go on X and read their comments. Its heartbreaking. They truly want the bombing to continue so they have a chance of taking back their country without hundreds of thousands being mowed down by the Mullahs henchmen.
Bottom line: I've come to the conclusion this action is a net benefit because I believe the alternative to this action is more risky than trying to dismantle a theocracy that believes the "infidel" has no right to live.
Another fact:
Every president over the last 40 years has had the same intelligence Trump has had, the difference is he had the political courage to do what none of his predecessors would do.
Maybe the war was a mistake, but to say we are "losing" is so beyond myopic.
We won so much more:
- We effectively control the EU and Chinas future. Why do you think China literally forced Iran into this ceasefire?
- We exposed the EU and NATO for the frauds they are.
-We exposed the fact that Iran, did indeed, have intermediate-range ballistic missiles that could threaten every country within 800-1000 miles, while at the same time exposed them as the paper tiger they are.
-We reshuffled the geopolitical map in our favor.
-We demonstrated we can destroy any country, at minimal cost to us, with terrifying precision, and thereby put the fear of God into our adversaries.
-We totally decimated Iran's military. We splintered the mullahs in 31 Provinces (mosaic strategy) where they are close to being weakened to the point that the Iranian people could possibly take their country back.
-The IRGCs communication and transportation between the provinces has effectively been cut off.
Lastly, nobody seems to truly understand this has as much to with China as Iran. You just have to read between the lines, over the last 20 years, with Trumps comments.
TRUMP JUST DECLARED WAR ON CHINA
Nobody is calling this what it actually is. 50% tariff on ANY country supplying Iran weapons, effective immediately, no exceptions.
Sounds like an Iran policy. It's not.
Russia barely trades with the US. North Korea doesn't at all. The only country this actually destroys is China.
China funneled $75 billion into Iran's war machine.
China sent AI intelligence on US carrier positions directly to Tehran.
5 Chinese ships were caught delivering missile fuel chemicals while the bombs were still falling.
The tariff isn't just 50%. China is already at 145% from the ongoing trade war. Add 50% on top. That's 195% total. On $500 billion in annual trade.
That's not a tariff. That's an economic execution.
Trump got a 14-day ceasefire with Iran the other day. That ceasefire was never going to hold...and Trump knew it. This potentially gives him moral authority to rain down hellfire.
Iran was the cover story imo.
This is the US-China economic war going to the next level.
They make the authors of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion look like pikers. I’ve been stunned by it. I really thought we had put this behind us once and for all.
After the Covid fiasco, I really disliked how Douglas Murray used credentialism to dunk on Dave Smith. And I also dislike people using straw men to win an argument, which as far as I could tell was happening to Tucker Carlson for 5 minutes. And then all of those people completely lost their minds and I had to completely reevaluate who I was willing to listen to. Guess who continues making the most sense? Douglas Murray. He is one of few standing up for western civilization. I’m with those guys. And besides that, I live in holland. The holocaust is literally all around me, all the time. I couldn’t just abandon all of that for the sake of a few grifters. I’m so glad I’m not alone in these comments. The accusations of zionazi are just incomprehensible to me. Mental gymnastics indeed.
It’s obvious these people have never set foot in Israel or any Arab country — nor have they ever had honest, face-to-face conversations with Arabs and Jews who actually live in the Middle East.
Re: Douglas Murray and David Smith, yes, that was disgusting behavior on DMs part.
And it got me to thinking some interesting thoughts. Some social engineering thoughts that would probably blow up in some unknown way. Likely would become dystopian in some unpredictable way…
Imagine if governments were not corrupt, and voting in a Constitutional Republic actually mattered. Guaranteed individual rights and all that. Individuals can do as they please in their private lives, and be fully protected by the Law.
With one caveat: the only ones who have the ability to be in government in any capacity, and the only ones with the right to vote them in and out of power, are households with a father, mother, and (of course) at least one child. Since it is only this structure that creates the next generations, and has literal skin (kin) in the game. All the decisions would be made with this in mind.
One vote per household would be ideal, yet I imagine there would be some pushback on that.
Mind you, in this invented world, everyone is guaranteed full rights to live as they please. And those who are not part of a family raising children have every right to influence and convince the voting units to vote a certain way. They would still have a voice and a role to play.
I know, nuts, and completely against the Western ideal of the full (voting) rights of each individual. And yet, something tells me it makes perfect sense for the basis of a sane and coherent society.
Imagine living in a place where it is common to hear, “yeah, yet do you have kin in the game?”
One additional issue. When representatives vote on war, they must have direct kin on the front lines to vote yes, or to vote at all. No leaders voting other peoples’ children into the military meat-grinder.
The EXACT same handbook. Your replies are well articulated. Thank you for making them on behalf of so many of us who see it through your same lens, even those of us that are conservatives and not libertarian …
Israel conspiracy theories are among the clearest examples of the meme where the low IQ and the high IQ support Israel and the soyjak midwit cries about "free Palestine" (with purchase of equal or greater value).
As I've commented before, a significant amount of Silicon Valley R&D happens in Israel now, including chip design teams for Apple, Intel, and Nvidia. It's climatically similar to the SF Bay Area, gay-friendly, relatively reasonably taxed, and there's a good supply of smart people coming out of good universities there. We have an obvious interest in preventing anyone from dropping missiles on American companies and the American citizens working there.
It's also worth noting that prior to October 7th, many Palestinians had jobs in Israel proper, jobs that paid far better than anything in the PA. There's an alternate timeline where the Palestinians threw off Iranian proxy control and set about making the Gaza Strip a premiere Mediterranean destination, a sort of Dubai West. Under those conditions, the vaunted "two-state solution" would be an entirely reasonable thing instead of a proxy for the destruction of Israel. Boy would that screw with a lot of peoples' heads. And it's always been there for the taking.
Plenty of American GIs saw what was happening inside the camps first hand when they were liberated.
Plus, the Germans, true to stereotype, had forms and reports for literally everything, including death orders for Jews, Gypsies, and gays. Mountains of that paperwork were recovered after the war.
The sister cults are always, in the marrow of their bones, suffering from the fear and insecurity that Daddy might love the elder daughter most. It was only during the flourishing of the Western Enlightenment that people raised as Christians were able to free themselves from irrational hatreds, but as we saw the Western Enlightenment must be fought for. It didn't create a permanent state of rational being.
It’s truly amazing how one can look at the same set of facts and come to a completely different conclusion. You see Israel having to fight for their survival for 5k years as proof the problem is everyone else. I see the problem as it being them.
I have no desire to live in any part of the Middle East. It all seems like a hellish place. But I certainly have no desire to go to Israel. And I also have no clue how that applies to what I said. If i continue to have issues with 9/10 people I meet, it's probably a me problem, not a them problem.
People are enjoying the permission to express their true feelings, just as with the divide during Our Plague Era.
If a person adheres to a religion it's because they believe their religion to be true. If they believe their religion to be true they believe other religions are false.
If the foundation of one's religion is that the adherents of another religion rejected and killed the human personification of what you conceive to be God, and if your theological relationship to those people is that they continue to live in error and are excluded from salvation until they accept your version of God, can you have normal healthy feelings about them? You will be glad of any excuse to drop the pretense of civility towards them.
And we're in an era where that excuse has become socially acceptable again.
The idea that Muslims and Jews being mortal enemies is just wrong. Jews lived in Muslim controlled areas for most of the last 1500 years. Where do you think a lot of them went when they got kicked out of European countries? The "People of the book" paid their taxes and were left alone. Mohamed himself authored that rule.
The Ayatollah Khomeini had a meeting with Iran's Rabbis and said "I have nothing against the descendants of Moses. It's those Zionist blood suckers I can't stand".
Wow. I actually have something in common with Khomeini? Didn't see that one coming. Probably the only thing.
Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews. Alan Hart wrote a great book "Zionism. The real enemy of the Jews". One Rabbi told him "You have summed up our problem is 7 words".
libertarian government is, by far, the best form of government under which to live. the social contract and general non-interference leads to unparalleled human flourishing. the problem is that it only works on and for people who can pass a marshmallow test and generally exist in a high trust society. once you have to deal with such people, rights become a burden instead of a benefit. others demand their protection while refusing to be bound by them.
the social contract should be as inclusive as possible, but no more so, and it gets difficult when you start to grapple with issues like "if i allow the other person to grab the gun off the table, what then?" sure, they have not violated your rights yet. but what you think they will do once they have the power to matters. only a fool waits to be shot before defending himself.
"libertarian government is, by far, the best form of government under which to live." I liked you better when you were acknowledging that there is no right answer, it all depends on your choice of priors. this dogmatic profession of "by far the best" is (let's drop the nuance shall we?) BullShit.
EGM is right though. In a perfect high-trust society, libertarianism is the best way to live. Everyone has a favorite fantasy form of government that could never work in reality - I lean anarcho-capitalist in my blackest of hearts, but I also know it wouldn't actually work.
Seems to me like whatever system, as pure as it may be at first, Corruption creeps in and spoils it all. Somewhere in my head there seems to be the idea that when the constitution was first written, and the people’s representatives were chosen, it wasn’t supposed to be their “career.” I thought they were supposed to keep their career at home and go to Washington to represent us when necessary. And I thought the federal system was they do this and this but not that and that and that and that and that and that and on and on that they do now. Protect us with the military and then leave us the hell alone. I need some schooling on that. Seems to me that we need to get back to that. It was never meant to be so big and convoluted that we have no idea whatsoever where our money goes and what for. And it also seems to me that the election machines have gone off the radar. To me that should be number one. We should be able to elect the representative we want. Not the one the machines want.
agree, my friend. like i said, the scamdemic opened my eyes. normally i'm all for private businesses doing what they like, but not when they are forced to infringe upon my rights through government heavy-handedness. same with the FUCKING MASKS. For the first couple weeks, I was like whatever, do you - live and let live. but when they tried to force-mask my family I fought back....HARD.
It was the damn masks that REALLY pissed me off too. THAT was MY trigger and forced my awareness to scramble. . . and, I found substack, and. . .
the warriors of our world:
Jeff Childers, Malone, The MW Doc, McCullough, Jessica Rose, Dr Zelenko, Dr Ardis, and many more I cannot name, not to mention commenters like yourself.
El Gato is one too, of course, but a recent find. . .
Let us continue to kick ass and take names, my friend.
Ha! I like your moniker. I am a pretty, red, old gal 😉 I also see that you are a bowhunter. I took archery in high school. I still hold the record for 18 bull’s-eyes in a row 🏹(I had several foot surgeries so they put me in remedial PE. Archery was one of our activities.)
amazing. I can hardly put two in a row. . . at 20 yds and 60# pull.
I only took up bow hunting in 2009 when I got fed up with all the nutcase slug gunners shooter 5 times every time they saw something move! Bow hunting is much more relaxed and actually takes skill-- and no fear of heights!
but yeah, your use of grammer, red, and pretty vs mine really make those descriptors' meaning a LOT different. Ha!
Ha! That video is hysterical. 😂 Thank you for the laugh. I haven’t picked up a bow since high school. I have no idea how far away those haystacks were. They posted the targets on bales of hay. My prize was a trip to McDonald’s with the gym teacher. It was our very first McDonald’s in town, down the street from the high school. I was very excited! LOL.
First I never said "Jews taking over the world" so you're doing strawman stuff but hey I'll play along:
Me neither because the banking cartel already has the "fait accompli". The Rockefeller & Rothschild families hold the main power. And the Rothchilds aren't Jews IMHO but Canaanite.
Banking is also all electronic now, so it's more open to disruption than at any previous point. The Democrats in the US have made it extremely difficult via regulation for anyone to challenge the incumbents, but it is possible. PayPal was the first crack in the wall, and then Cash App and Apple Pay and a bunch of others. The cracks are spreading slowly, but they are spreading.
I hardly call sustained, day-and-night targeted strikes on IRGC military capabilities “war.”
I’d call it a military conflict — precise, one-sided, and long overdue. But most importantly, one that we need to finish.
Here’s another question I wish I had a definitive answer to:
If you could line up every Iranian currently leaving the country and somehow look into their hearts, how many would still support the IRGC? How many would instead cheer the destruction of the criminal regime that has controlled — and ruined — their country for the last 47 years?
How different things would be if the democratically elected government of Mosaddegh hadn't been overthrown in 1953 by the UK/USA for their oil companies.
But he was and things have gone from bad to worse.
How different would they be? Nobody knows. There is no provable counter-argument for events that occurred between 1953 and now. Both the Mosaddegh administration and the Shah were being undermined by communist factions supported by the USSR. Iran could have become a Cuba or North Korea. I'm not saying that toppling the Mosaddegh government was moral, or justified, or even a good idea. I'm saying that blaming the historical trajectory of a nation on one event is an invalid logical progression.
Good post. Agree with most of what you are saying. EGM,s post (especially when paired with his earlier/ linked post) was brilliant.
Imagine, leading up to the Second World War, that the US was far more powerful than it actually was, and seeing what Hitler was about to do to Europe, the US had then done to Germany what it is now doing to Iran. Certainly, that would have been a good thing (& would probably have precluded Pearl Harbor). No iron curtain, no 20+ million dead Russians, no London blitz, no fire-bombing of Dresden, no Holocaust. A net win-win for everyone? But we will never know.
It will be a long time before we understand the total effect of what Trump is now doing with Iran. And re winning the peace, we have at least (2) good models, Germany and Japan. Perhaps a new sovereign homeland for the Kurds, or a federation of the 31 provinces sub-grouped by language / religion? Maybe the biggest winners of all will be the Iranian peoples. Imagine: free speech, real (non-mullah) democracy, and then, taking all of the money spent on missiles, drones, tunnels, Chinese air defense systems, and proxies, and redistributing those $billions among the Iranian people.
"It will be a long time before we understand the total effect of what Trump is now doing with Iran."
Riiight. How long do you estimate? (When's that Final Judgment gonna happen, I wonder?)
Seriously though, maybe you mean: It will be a long time before 'we' (or maybe 'they,' if 'we' aren't still around?) agree to settle on a common narrative about the total effect... (etc.). (And again, I'd say this is equivalent to a question about when the Final Judgment's gonna be.)
Another thought re my WW2 analogy, above . . . supposed the US knew that those brilliant Nazi scientists were close to having an atomic bomb. There would have been no “ifs, ands, or buts” re what to do.
I probably haven't seen you on the boards as much cuz I've been crazy busy with my kiddos activity. Coaching baseball for my boy and running my girl to theater and debate club.
I take between 4,000-8,000 grams/day and if I'm fighting off some unpleasant illness or nasty symptoms I take more.
Some authorities say that "too much" Vitamin C is implicated in kidney stones but their idea of "too much" might be my idea of "not enough."
Note also that too much water--especially in hot weather or during exertions--can deplete/alter the electrolyte balance in your blood and hvae dangerous effects.
I use a 12-oz former jam jar as my drinking glass and try to have a full glass of water when I take my vitamins (I ought to divide them more throughout the day but I take 4,000 at one time and the other 4.000 later).
I also happen to drink several large mugs of tea during the day and black tea is a diuretic so I may be somewhat under optimum water intake myself.
A book I've found very useful is Earl Mindell's "The Vitamin Bible." My edition is probably from the '70s. Also highly recommend James Duke's "The Green Pharmacy."
Did you ever get sharp stabbing pains in your stomach with high doses? I wanted to use the mega-dosing again because years ago it helped me with a cough I couldn’t shake, but when I tried it again it caused significant pain in my stomach and couldn’t do it. I sure would like to though if I could figure out how to avoid that. I drink about 72 oz of water throughout my day so I know I’m hydrated.
I never had that problem but I wouldn't necessarily want to see what my stomach lining might look like by now.
You should make sure to eat something easy to digest before each dose you take. I'm a big carb eater so that may be quite helpful in protecting my stomach (i.e. cereal/bread before the first dose and I like bread and cheese as an after-dinner before-vitamin snack).
Ohhhhh yes I’m low carb. 90% protein. Maybe that has something to do with it. I was high carb the first time I used high dose vit C. Thanks!
Actually I just spent a month eating a lot of sourdough and sourdough crackers trying to learn and perfect how to make it for my son, and it causes the WORST acid reflux. I don’t think my stomach likes those kinds of carbs. 🤣
I would be careful about believing/using "X" comments to shape your worldview about Iran. I'm sure it can be useful and that there are truths in there, but do not forget the power of perception management, and in war, that is in full overdrive. X isn't some pure and free platform - they visibility filter and censor - that is no secret. Just because its much better than when it was Twitter doesn't mean it isn't being used nefariously and to manage the public.
You are the one that used it as part of your post/argument Ryan. And no, I think you are generally pretty thoughtful and even handed. I wasn't trying to sound condescending or anything - just wanted to point out how careful we need to be regarding information during wartime. And many people do see X as a bastion of free speech which it definitely is not.
Always remember that the expatriate Iranians are a lot of monarchists and Marxists. They both took turns fleeing the country when they lost.
The religious and Marxist groups stopped fighting to get rid of the Shah. Once gone they went back to their civil war. The Marxists lost. The CIA was not unhappy with the Ayatollah regime because they didn't want Russia influence.
If anyone is still stymied by the dichotomy of choice* of how to regard Iran, put some time into learning about Islam foundational doctrine with its the religious mandate to spread Islam through jihad (the only way to be guarantees of attaining heaven) to all corners of the earth as a caliphate. It is no small thing that the Mullahs wish to bathe the world in blood and burn it under the fury of Islam.
Perhaps this new axis of allies is a real thing forming, as the neighbors get a taste of what world trade can bring via Abraham accords.
Could this even be the inflection point for the dissolution of Islam itself, or of its muting, blunting, and reworking?
*”why did they not exercise it? here we get into speculation. the two broad schools of thought seem to look like this:
1. iran had no intention to threaten oil transport and just wanted to live in peace
2.iran was held in check by fear of what would happen to them if they did exercise such control”
We agree on much, but I find the idea that this is good due to some geopolitical perceived advantage kind of odious. Maybe you are just trying to counter the idea that “we lost” as opposed to saying this is good.
All I will say is all of the rationalizations on how this is somehow about American security fail under scrutiny, and that entire argument is being forwarded by the same people who have been lying about such things since my parents were in grade school.
This whole thing is the Iraq war powerpoint deck after a quick search and replace. We know Trump is full of s***, and he is peddling rationales fed to him by sociopaths. The chain of evidence is more than a little tainted.
> Maybe you are just trying to counter the idea that “we lost” as opposed to saying this is good.
yes, you interpreted my comment correctly regarding that point.
Like I said, I'm a libertarian, to the extent The Founders were.
For example I completely agree with this incisive comment Washington made:
"Our detached and distant situation invites and enables us to pursue a different course... Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."
I guess, my point is I think Washington would agree with me on my overall assertion if he were alive today even though that is pure speculation. the founders are my guiding principle...I wish I could talk to them now....lol...:)
let's face it; all anyone here is doing is "speculating". we shall see.
Glad I read your literal meaning right. Debating whether something will ultimately be good or bad is something that we will see. I can accept that hey its possible it may turn out well. The track record here is awful so I am not optimistic, but its a fair point of debate.
I like the Washington quote and agree with the sentiment.
I’m not sure they were all that libertarian really. the sedition acts were a thing and MA actually collected taxes to fund churches. lots of stuff was regulated or illegal at the state level.
Still far better than the retarded sociopaths running the show today.
A common thread in these discussions is the assumption the decision makers, including but not limited to Trump, have the best interests of the American people, or preservation of Western civilization as their focus. I don't believe that. How a smart person could think even before COVID, but for sure after COVID, that they give a rip about what's best for us puzzles me. They have their own agendas, and what's best for me and substack commenters is not a part of that agenda. I suggest everybody analyzing this war stop ignoring that reality, or at the very least, possibility.
I'm in the MTG, TC, Dave Smith, Candace camp. So not exactly all-in on many of the points made here. That said, as an open-minded truth seeker I appreciate the well-thought-out counter arguments here to the spot where I find myself. One reason I've landed where I am (for now) is they have no rose-colored glasses with regard to the ruling class. Except Tucker, who is way too charitable.
I’m definitely more in the Dave Smith camp. I don’t disagree that these people are islamic fanatics, but it doesn’t logically follow that they are about to attack the United States. Pakistan has more islamic zealots than almost anywhere in the world, they have nukes, and yet somehow they aren’t attacking us.
Islam isn't a monolith. The Shiites who run (ran?) Iran are significantly more crazy than the more common Sunnis and Sufis. The latter groups have shown they can be trusted, with Reagan's mantra of "trust but verify" in mind. A lot of young people in the Gulf states are interested in having an economy outside of just oil and so they've been far more liberal (in the good sense) than previous generations.
Pakistan attacks India almost constantly at a low level and they're seemingly happy to do that until the end of time. With India being a popular destination for Western companies seeking to decouple from the ChiComs that situation may occupy more of our attention in the future though.
Yes. The most populous majority-Muslim country is Indonesia. Are they a problem? Do they chant "death to America"? No. Could that be because they aren't in proximity to our "greatest ally" and suffer from the consequences of that? And they don't have copious petroleum resources for us to pursue? I'm no fan of Islam by a long shot. Europe is lost, because they'll be swallowed by it. What idiots to invite it in to become the majority of their population. But for us, it's low-hanging fruit for the fear-mongerers to exploit. They know what works and they use it. Just keep them the eff out of here, and leave them alone over there.
Great explanation of how a libertarian (me too) can support the war in Iran.
Libertarianism is great as a guiding principle, but too often is too weak when it comes to realpolitik. It's highly dependent on people honoring the NAP. Or, perhaps to home in on it more closely, being forced to honor the NAP. If I try to go mug someone, I will certainly be forced to honor the NAP at least in this specific case.
Yeah. But nevertheless, this war is a huge gamble, and Trump ran on the promise no more meddling, no more regime changes, no more war. It feels like a betrayal, plain and simple, especially with him retreating into ridiculour memes designed to stir outrage everywhere.
This whole thing was part of why Orban lost in Hungary. The whole world of normal people is sick of these psychopathic wars. Psychopaths on both sides throwing live humans at each other, again. While we argue the strategies... and whether something good will come out of it.
At the same time, I agree this is the game that's being played. Been played for thousands of years now.
To your original point, Trump thus far has not thrown live humans at them, just a lot of military hardware. He's clearly looking to avoid that at all costs, even though a brief ground operation would likely have resolved this in like a week.
DataRepublican says Orban's problem, which went unreported in Western media, is that he was openly corrupt. EU and US media ignored that because Team EU and Team Donkey are too (just look at all the media figures saying "of course everyone knew for 20+ years that Swalwell was a sex pest"). And she also says the guy who won is by no means pro-EU or pro-immigration, so the parties in Brussels are not likely to last long.
Yes, I have heard that too. And people say that the sense was they wanted younger people in leadership. He came to be seen as same old same old. Still though... he saved the country from the millions of migrants on its border, and stood up to EU.
Also, it is FAR too early to say we control much of anything at this point. The regime remains. Are we going to keep our navy there for years/decades to "control" the strait? How do we exercise control over a huge country with a pretty powerful military and a populace who will not lie down either if push comes to shove?
i hope not. we suck at "what's next". i think I just have a little longer rope with trump than you may have.
the minute they start talking about boots on the ground...I'm out. And, if this does not allow the iranian people to take their country back...I'm out.
My problem with this operation is that boots on the ground would've ended regime/IRGC/militia control of Iran much, much faster than what we're doing. Trump clearly does not want to do that for the same reasons we're all squeamish about it, but as a matter of military tactics it does work.
If we'd simply packed up and left after the Iraqi government had been obliterated I don't think anyone would have a problem with it now. It was the deeply stupid concept that people are interchangeable widgets and we can give low-trust nomadic goat herders a Jeffersonian democracy where everything came apart. (The same concept underlies unlimited immigration, which Dubya and many neocons were/are also fans of).
I don't know if we could survive a land invasion of Iran. Their army is reportedly around 600k and IRCG ground forces around 200k. That is far far more troops than we have. And of course, fighting a war far overseas brings with it great challenges to begin with....
The US now holds the ultimate leverage in the region. If we take Karg Island, we become the gate keeper. If we destroy Karg Island, Iran is finished. The Chinese will have much less use for Iran and will greatly reduce their military aid. At the same time the Iranian economy crashes. There are other sources of oil, and the remaining production will eventually increase to meet demand, but Karg is Iran's only real source of revenue.
Gato, sorry, Israel has tons of nukes and is a genocidal warmonger. Iran has every right to enrich uranium, as it has been doing, or to have nukes, for that matter - genocidal warmongering Israel has them, and is the biggest terrorist state in the Middle East, or anywhere. And Trump flagrantly broke his promise not to start a war with Iran, or anyone.
We don't attack N Korea because they have nukes. Nuclear weapons are a deterrent. I hope Iran gets them soon, because Israel wants them to be a failed state, in service of the genocidal project of Eretz Israel.
We started this war with a despicable Pearl-Harbor style attack, and our Zionist bootlicker president continues to take his orders from Tel Aviv. We committed war crimes in Iran, and of course, Israel commits horrific war crimes every day. Along with genocide, ethnic cleansing, torture....
Time to free ourselves from Zionist occupation. It's coming. Majorities of Republicans, Indies, and Democrats under 50 are there. Only the brainwashed Boomers continue to lap up the hasbara.
- Christian Republican Boomer Trump voter, now thoroughly disgusted.
Nothing screams more independend than having foreign bases all over your country and selling the only thing you have with currency of that foreign power. All that while beeing not a slither morally better internally than Iran but somehow ending up the "good guys".
Iran is "evil" because they are sovereign, not because of anything else.
so the whole "women are chattel slaves, if they show their face, burn them with acid, execute them for adultery, and mass-murder any opposition to your rule" part, you see no "evil" there? just a happy society run by good folks?
Awful where it happens (in all countrysides of most arabic nations btw), but the only difference wether you get attacked from the USA seems to be the presence of one of their bases in your country or not, not some dreadful things loosely based on internal policies.
Maybe you should also watch small youtubers going through Teheran filming the area to get at least some vibes from the average Iranian life.
it sems like you're moving goalposts here. i was responding to your comment:
"Iran is "evil" because they are sovereign, not because of anything else." because i view it as demonstrably false. now you shift to "why the USA attacks" which is a seperate topic.
the US did not attack iran over sharia, it attacked them over perceived designs on regional hegemony and a fear of chinese influence in the ME reaching levels that would be difficult to resist. this is a war for which way the arab world will wind up facing and one in which most of the arab would is in agreement.
one can disagree about how to feel about that, but those basic facts seem clear.
"...this is a war for which way the arab world will wind up facing and one in which most of the arab would is in agreement." ~ el gato malo
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It is important to bear in mind that the Middle East has suffered over the decades and longer from the meddling of various foreign powers. So many of their internal problems were externally-caused, directly or indirectly.
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"Many people's thinking is permeated by state perspectives. One manifestation of this is the unstated identification of states or governments with the people in a country which is embodied in the words 'we' or 'us.' 'We must negotiate sound disarmament treaties.' 'We must renounce first use of nuclear weapons.' Those who make such statements implicitly identify with the state or government in question. It is important to avoid this identification, and to carefully distinguish states from people..." ~ Brian Martin, 'Uprooting War'
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"Yes, there's hatred against us. Why? In 1958, the US government faced-- we know from internal records-- 3 major crises in the world-- North Africa, Middle East, and Indonesia-- all with oil producing states, all Islamic states. President Eisenhower, in an internal discussion, observed to his staff that-- I'm quoting it now-- there's a campaign of hatred against us in the Middle east, not by governments, but by the people. The National Security council discussed that question and said yes, and the reason is, there's a perception in that region that the US supports status-quo governments which prevent democracy and development and that we do it because of our interest in near east oil. Furthermore it's difficult to counter that perception because it's correct, and furthermore it ought to be correct. We ought to be supporting brutal and corrupt gov'ts, which prevent democracy and development, because we want to control Middle East oil. And it's true that leads to a campaign of hatred against us. Now until Bernard Lewis tells us that-- and that's only one piece of a long story-- we know that he's a just a vulgar propagandist, not a scholar... So yes as long as we are supporting harsh brutal governments, blocking democracy and development because of our interest in controlling the oil resources of the region, there will be a campaign of hatred against us."
~ Noam Chomsky
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“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.” ~ Smedley D. Butler, War Is a Racket
That sure is evil - and our government is perfectly happy keeping those evil despots in power as long as they continue to buy our oil with petrodollars.
The Talmud does say that a girl is a woman at age 12 if she is physically mature. But Jews do NOT marry 12 year olds. They have progressed beyond the the 12th century unlike the monsters in Iran
And so bombing them-- over a thousand so far apparently-- to death and threatening the destruction of their entire country like Trump just did is better than their internal problems?
Trump threatened Canada, too, which is where I reside.
Don't worry about Iran. Worry about your own imprisonment.
Yet the US was fine with Saudi Arabia sometimes scoring even worse on the female rights issue over the decades. The difference between the two nations could not be more stark over that period of time.
When you state "arab nations" - are you referring to their leadership, or to their people? The gulf monarchs are generally not too popular with the citizens.
Idk man. I think the Arab states are pretty pissed that we just let them get bombed and didn’t defend them. Oman has explicitly said so, and many signs are suggesting we may have pushed Saudi Arabia into closer ties with China. I don’t think there’s any argument one could make that our standing in the region is *stronger* after this misadventure.
Yes, that point is legitimate. They sat and watched any new assets (missile defense systems) that came into the area went to Israel. You think they are going to readily invite the US back in to rebuild bases in this context? I think not - unless of course we make the cry uncle.
as one who has traveled extensively in the arab world, the people despise iran and the shia meddling and terrorism. spend some time in lebanon or egypt, syria or jordan and see what you see.
Even if you set aside recent Iranian meddling, the fact that most Western people have no idea about the simmering enmity that has existed hundreds of years between Persians vs. Arabs and Sunnis vs. Shias is always a surprise to me.
Iran average IQ 105, most of the Arab countries in the region 95 or lower. Hate or envy? Iran, despite years of sanctions and ostracism still had a better functioning economy and infrastructure for a far broader swath of its populace than any Arab nation in the region. As for the 12th Century line, that BS is really long in the tooth. Iran became a problem in 1953 when they decided the deal BP was unfair, at which point MI6 and the CIA decided to yank its chain, and again in 1979, when they broke free again. The Arab polities that hate Iran are little more than Western vassals.
I work with a couple of Iranian scientists. They say the populace despises the Iranian government, but everyone who would do something about it has long since emigrated or been shot. So an unarmed populace that is used to being treated horribly by the government, remains.
I’d wager that polls taken in any of the GCC would show a similar, if not stronger, antipathy of the ruled towards their rulers. Probably the same in much of the Western world these days.
What are you talking about? In 1976, only 37% of the population could read. That’s a big improvement, sure — but adult male literacy is still under 90%. Iran is nowhere close to having one of the highest literacy rates in the world.
I agree that to listen to a leader from UAE express his contempt for Iran is pointless -- they are vassals of the empire. Saudi is among the worst, but awake now and looking for new alliances.
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Simplicius on Substack:
"The fact that serious negotiations continue to be mediated by an unelected claque of billionaire henchmen with close ties to Israel is a true disgrace to the “America First” vision, particularly given this year’s special occasion as the 250th anniversary of America’s signing of the Declaration of Independence.
"In this, our unholy year of 2026, America has never been further from having “first” priority in the hearts and minds of its elites and ruling class. In this unholy year, the White House is no longer the haunt of its proud presidential forebears—instead, it has come to be ruled by dybbuks of a different stripe."
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But is this the outer chain of power? No. I believe Trump's understanding is limited. He seems to have lost it, and in any case is making horrible PR decisions.
re Great Game: this is a move on China. Land routes are in place for trade now -- a train going all the way from Xian to Ukraine via the west side of the Persian Gulf completed the trip last year. From Ukraine rails existed down to Le Havre (no more).
Like the British before us, we must force trade onto the seaways, and the choke points are mainly 6 globally (2 in the current Iran war, the Bab el Mandeb/ Suez are next to get choked, as Iran stated the other day), and we have the best navy (under duress from missiles these days when too close to land) and nuclear submarines.
Col. Larry Wilkerson and others who mediated in the region during Iraq see it as such, but are not sure at the same time that Trump is even aware of the larger chain around the go pieces. He is a Mafioso out of his league now (I still agree the democrats are more contemptible.)
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I have no time here at the moment, so this is episodic -- but the Lloyds of London Bank is separate from the Lloyd's insurance exchange. They were banking "illicit" Iranian oil profits and enabling them -- and taking the 20% estimated markup on the insurance. Go Britain!
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The port in Haifa was built by China. Israel will drop us in a heartbeat if China is more conducive ton their survival and enrichment.
Someone posted a link to your article here, which I have yet to read completely. Should I? Do you have a summary?
But I did catch the name, Zineb, and am wondering if it's the same woman, also with a Substack blog, who seems based in some Jewish institution and who deleted my comments 'just like that' under one of her articles on her blog. I forget what I wrote, but it was probably a swipe at her ideas, background and biases-- things along those lines.
Anyway, the whole Iran-demonization thing, while it may have some teeth, it may also be classic war-demonization too-- you know, to dehumanize one's enemy so as to make bombing and murdering them feel somehow closer to acceptable? Alleviate a bit of that cognitive dissonance?
While life is too short to read everyone's articles, I will say, in parting, that I looked up the statistics for the State ('country') with the most deaths-by-military (both civilian and military) in the world since WW2: It's apparently America.
Sheldon Wolin also calls the American political system something approaching inverted totalitarianism apparently.
So, I don't know, maybe look in the mirror before pointing fingers if, of course, that's what you and/or others are doing in that regard.
If Isreal wanted genocide, no Palestinians would be left. Period. You won't, but you should look into the lengths the IDF went to limit civilian casualties. Something Hamas (hah) would never think of doing.
Oh please, the ridiculous claim that the IDF tries to limit civilian casualties is long past its expiration date. The evidence is overwhelmingly otherwise.
As for that over-used piece of hasbara - "If Israel wanted genocide, no Palestinians would be left" - Israel is slaughtering as fast as it can get away with. Which is, of course, also why it has a killed more journalists than in WW1 and 2 combined.
You’re clearly unaware that Israel has been observing a ceasefire in Gaza for some time, which Hamas continues to flout whilst refusing to hand over its weapons - a condition of that ceasefire.
Seriously, you think this flaming-lies propaganda works? israel has violated this ceasefire almost every day, bombs helpless civilians, guns down people gathered at publicized aid stations, is permitting less than 1/4 of the food needed into Gaza, having bombed all infrastructure there is no sanitation and Israel will not permit sanitation relief measures to enter, is denying medical aid after destroying all hospitls and killing almost all healthcare workers..... Israel has killed over 2000 people since this phony ceasefire and injured many more - and is starving and killing with disease many, many more.
Have you no shame, or do these diabolical lies come naturally to you?
You mean the IDF whose headquarters with deep underground bunkers is smack dab in the middle of a densely populated civilian neighborhood. They don't even care about their own civilians, much less the palestinian population.
I'm not the one being hysterical about human shields. Just pointing out that the lovely benevolent gov of Israel does the same thing. And btw, the pentagon doesn't sit in the middle of civilian housing.
No effect? Which is, of course, why we are innundated with frantic articles trying to conflate Zionism with Judaism, and calling anti-Zionism "anti-Semitism."
The world has had its eyes opened, and decades of Zionist propaganda has been undone by the livestreamed Zionist Holocaust.
Eh, I have no interest in trying to convince her or any of them of my thinking. That’s their shtick. They feel a need to infect everyone with their mind virus. I just like to remind them they are nothing more than noisy gongs and useful idiots
I'll bet you didn't know about the Arabs who live in Israel and vote and not oppressed....I challenge you to find openly Jewish or Christian people in Iran.....
Oct 7th was the unprovoked start of all this world sympathy for Hamas.
You didn't actually READ this piece. You skimmed over the parts you didn't like.....
I don't know if Trump will be successful or not. I DO know he thinks outside the box more than any president in my lifetime. All the doom and gloomers assume he will do EXACTLY what the last bunch has done and just stamp it red instead of blue. I think Trump actually means to change things....and thus the almost universal hatred of him by people in power.
Wow, you don't know much, do you? Iran has the second largest Jewish population in the Middle East, after Israel.
Iran also has many Christians.
Oct 7 was unprovoked? Israel has been murdering Gazans regularly in its "mow the grass" strategy and had a blockade on Gaza after its phony withdrawal.
Do you really think this propaganda works any more?
I think you may be surprised to learn that both Jews and Christians do live in Iran, actually. Are the oppressed? Of course, all citizens in these countries are oppressed.
Have people already forgotten that Israel was the testing grounds for the forced poisonous covid shots, after all? It is amusing to see many acting like the Israeli government is full of saints who just want to help their people.
Iran currently has a population of approximately 93 million. At its modern peak around 70–75 years ago (late 1940s to early 1950s), the Jewish population in Iran reached roughly 100,000–150,000. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the rise of the Islamic Republic (with the IRGC established that same year), the community has shrunk dramatically. Today, only about 8,000–10,000 Jews remain in Iran.
Those who stay face daily discrimination simply for being Jewish. Under Iran’s Islamic legal system, Jews are treated as second-class citizens: their testimony in court is worth less than that of a Muslim, they are barred from many senior government and military positions, and they endure constant surveillance, antisemitic state propaganda, and collective suspicion of disloyalty (especially ties to Israel). Synagogues and community activities are monitored, Jewish schools are controlled by the regime, and individuals risk arrest, interrogation, or worse — particularly after tensions with Israel. Many live with the constant pressure to publicly denounce Israel to prove their loyalty, while facing social stigma and bureaucratic obstacles in everyday life.
"Are the oppressed? Of course, all citizens in these countries are oppressed." You say that like it's no biggie.....Guess who WASN'T oppressed before Oct 7th?
The freakin Palestinians. Did they have everything they WANTED? No, but nobody does. The Israelis weren't shooting them in the streets until they came over and did their 'thang.'
You are seriously delusional if you think the Palestinians weren't being oppressed prior to Oct 7. Israel mass-slaughtered them periodically. Bombing, blockade, demolitions... and on the West Bank ethnic cleansing, daily IDF murders, murderous settler pogroms, land grabs...
But I don't think you are delusional - you are just brazenly lying.
Really....and where did you get this information? I'd like to see unbiased documentation of these claims. Daily IDF murders? How about all the Palestinians allowed to come and go in and out of Israel for work? Hmmmm....seems so fucking oppressive compared to HANGING in Iran for disagreeing with, oh, I dunno, the government....or stoning women. Gaza was comparatively nice before Hamas decided to SACRIFICE their own people by pulling the October 7th stunt. They did it on purpose at the behest of Iran......they all knew that Israel had to react. Even then.....EVEN FUCKING THEN.....Israel didn't immediately react. Do you think that Iran would give Israel the same grace if they had come across the border and murdered and raped and kidnapped Iranians and celebrated it with videos posted publicly? Iran would have wiped Israel off the face of the earth and taken NO CARE in trying to avoid civilian deaths. Meanwhile, Hamas built their bunkers under hospitals and schools and other civilian structures to FORCE Israel to attack 'civilian' targets to kill the evil bastards.
And Hamas wouldn't be a thing with Iran funding it. Don't ever forget that. Hamas would not exist without Iran. They are the driving force. Iran funds these useful idiots and then pushes them into the fire to be killed for PR purposes.
Anyone who falls for this is a moron. It was a setup, everyone knows it. Everyone KNEW Israel would react violently....ANY COUNTRY WOULD in the same situation. ANY COUNTRY.
Palestinians would likely be happily living side by side with Israelis if a bunch of outside forces---namely Iran---hadn't been pushing them constantly and telling that the Israel is evil. The Jews were around in that area long before ANY Muslim. Mohammed wasn't even born until 570 AD....AFTER CHRIST....and the Jews were there long before Christ....but the Jews somehow don't deserve to have a tiny piece of land where their ancestors lived and the Muslim armies under the Rashidun Caliphate began invading southern Palestine, gaining control of areas around Gaza and the countryside. So, the damn Muslims STOLE it from the Jews as did the Romans and Persians before them...in spite of all of this....Jews remained there continuously.......Maybe read some history. There is no such thing as a Palestinian people....they are colonizing muslim invaders......they are living on stolen land......and Israel has allowed them to stay......much to their own detriment.
Perhaps you might consider the Islamic/jihadist occupation of many European countries, as well as US cities Detroit, Minneapolis, Manhattan? I cite a single example. The Lt. Gov of Minnesota putting on a hijab to meet our Minnesota Somali 'neighbors.' Perhaps I am particularly sensitive on this point today because I just paid my state taxes. With visions of suitcases of cash being transported out of MSP. Not high on theory today, just reality. Thx el gato malo. I thought I was the only one.
I'm continually perplexed at how upset people are at these scams to rob us taxpayers, but seem to not care about the pentagon scam, which is the worst offender in robbing us of our taxpayer dollars.
When Trump was informed that Israel was going to start this war with or without us, he should've bombed Tel Aviv and hoped that the people would rise up and overthrow their blood-soaked leader.
Trump didn’t start a war. He’s actually ending it once and for all. And thank God for that. Big difference. Painting it as if he started this is only beneficial to crazy leftists and an indicator of brainwashing.
I really look forward to all the “I Told Ya So”s you’ll all deserve five/ten years from now. But even then you’ll find a way to spin what happens good negatively.
Iran started it. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ It’s been ongoing forever and they used terrorist proxies to do their dirty deeds. We all knew it, that is until Trump became president and decided to end it now y’all have amnesia. Yes, you ARE delusional and brainwashed
Please look up what the Mullahs believe about the Mahdi. Essentially they believe they can bring about the end of the world and coming of their version of the messiah. If they get nukes it is not to use to gain control or bargain with. It is for the destruction of Israel and the west to bring about the end of the world and the Mahdi. “Big Satan” and “Little Satan” are part of this twisted belief and why they repeat these names frequently. The rest of the Middle East also understands this death wish of the Mullahs and it is part of reason why they hate Iran.
Seriously, this "Israel is a genocidal warmonger" shit is so tired. If Israel wanted to "do a genocide" in Gaza, they could do it in an afternoon. Q.E.D.
You're late to the party - that tired piece of hasbara has already been trotted out here, and rebutted - Israel is genociding as fast as it can get away with. Hitler didn't kill everyone in an afternoon, either.
Excellent piece Gato you never disappoint (and thanks for the link to that wonderful article written from a true insider’s perspective). I would disagree with you on something though, although it reinforces what I think is your central argument. My apologies if someone beat me to it, but your comments section is so rife with “the Joooz ate my farina” type of stuff that you can feel your brain turning into a fine paste and it’s exhausting. You argued that we will never know what would have happened had Trump chosen the path of least resistance and done nothing. But we do know. Obama the Ocean Whisperer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace (read: Awesomeness) chose that path. He took his tailored trousers down and presented his effeminate posterior for peace in our time and what we got a decade later was 60% enriched uranium, underground shielded bunkers, murderous proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, and assorted other shitholes, a massive aresrnal of cheap drones, and a partridge in a pear tree. That was always a losing hand.
Paulette, for the sake of argument, and I will not admit or deny your points are correct or incorrect, would you feel safer in a world where the U.S. and Israel are the main power brokers or where Iran, China and Russia occupied that place of power? That’s really what it comes down to for me. Do you think China and Iran would defend your rights as a Christian, Republican, Boomer, Trump supporter, now disgusted? Just answer the question honestly.
That's a false choice, Andrea. We are not required to choose between the "US AND Israel" vs Iran, China, and Russia. I choose America only, but not America the Bully.
Israel is a genocidal Jewish Nazi state - we have already seen the horrific genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, pogroms, et al they inflict on helpless civilians when they have any power. I do not choose them at all, nor for my country, currently Zionist-occupied, to be their stooge and lapdog - although they are dependent on us.
I would choose America ONLY, free of the shackles of genocidal Zionism, but not the American Bully my country has far too often been on the world stage. An America that heeds George Washington's warning to avoid foreign entanglements, held in check from being so by a decent balance of power with other nations.
And just as I would wish for an altered America in its foreign affairs, I would wish for an altered China and Russia. I fear China most, because with our incessant wars for genocidal Israel's benefit, we are hollowing out our economy and piling on unsustainable debt. Meanwhile, China has been expanding its influence, does not have our crushing debt burden, and is the world's manufacturing power house.
(Our ridiculous former manufacturing policies that claimed one could build long-term prosperity on "services" rather than manufacturing has been an albotross too - Trump was right on that, before he jettisoned all his campaign promises to bootlick his Zionist donors and take his orders from that disgusting war criminal Bibi.)
Iran? They have the same right to be a nuclear power Israel has. We have no business or right dictating to them on this, and sending Americans to die for Israel.
And we are now so much in thrall to genocidal Israel, we are willing to commit war crimes. Shame on America, shame on the commanders ordering it, and shame on the people who obey those immoral orders. We need another Nuremberg.
clarifies much of what underlies Israeli Zionism and their goal of Greater Israel. He moved to Palestine in 1945, lived there until his death in 2001, and became a scholar who read the Talmud in Hebrew, not just the sanitized English translations.
I won't argue with most of your facts - except that Iran has never had a nuclear weapons program, and they were not developing one. The intelligence community has many, many reports on this, all concluding that they are not building a bomb. The IAEA had inspectors up the wazoo in the country, and they never found any evidence. The ONLY evidence of Iran's nuclear program is the cartoon of a bomb that Bibi took to the UN. There is literally no other evidence. They poured concrete into a research reactor that would have been capable of making nuclear material when the signed the JCPOA.
However, you are leaving out a TON of facts that color the analysis.
First, they are still kinda pissed about living for 25 years under a brutal CIA-installed dictator. I mean geez, Iranians, get over it.
In the 1980s, close to a million Iranian civilians were murdered by Saddam Hussein with weapons supplied by the United States. Including chemical weapons. If your grandmother had been gassed to death, maybe just maybe you might bear a grudge to the country that sent the weapons? You yourself gave the example of the US flattening Mexico if the cartels did what Hamas did. Why does Iran not get the same privilege?
Another conveniently forgotten fact: Bibi was FUNDING Hamas, to keep them alive as a boogeyman and prevent a Palestinian state.
Also, what about the Clean Break strategy? Written by neocons in the 1990s, it proposed destroying Libya, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, etc (sound like a familiar list?) in order to destroy the Oslo accords and prevent a Palestinian state. Are we supposed to believe that the fact that the plan played out exactly as written was a giant coincidence and in fact it was Iran the whole time?
Yes, Iran killed, or helped to kill, US soldiers. And all the US had done was send its soldiers halfway around the world, murdered a couple hundred thousand innocent civilians, and destroyed entire cities and even countries. So Iran helped their neighbors shoot back? My gosh, they are TERRORISTS!
Maybe the Iranians were a little worried by Bibi's self-confessed 43-year life's mission to destroy Iran. Might that make them nervious? How about a Senator from a superpower ridiculously singing "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran"? We are supposed to be outraged by them chanting "Death to America" (and chanting has always been a capital offense, worthy of destroying a country over) but not singing about destroying a country? WTAF.
And why in the world would the Iranians attack their neighbors? They just don't like each other? The US was launching attacks from the soil of those countries. If Cuba let China build military bases from which they attacked the US, would the US not respond by attacking Cuba?
I don't think the mullahs are "good guys" (like there is such a thing in politics). But, as Rambo said, "we drew first blood."
Also, if we are going to extoll the virtues of "the great game" and "hard power", then how in the world do we make moral judgements "oh the Iranians cause mischief." Too bad. It's kill or be killed, and they have as much right to kill as anyone. Also, the "moral" US government is talking about "raining hell" and destroying the civilian infrastructure and bombing them "back to the Stone Age", but we are supposed to clutch our pearls when Iran does similar? And what about other countries? Should Costa Rica start bombing the rest of Latin America to "secure needed resources"? Should Brazil invade Africa? Maybe Mexico should attack the US, after all, it's a "great game" and we have a lot of resources. This just leads to more death and grief and sorrow and murder (apologies to Steve Martin).
And let's not forget the end of the 12-day War - the US had bombed Iran, and now it was up to them. Would they destroy all the Gulf infrastructure? Would they close the Straights? Start WW3? The US basically put the fate of the world in the hands of the mullahs and waited. And what did they do? They sent a dozen out-of-date missiles to an abandoned corner of a US airbase where they called ahead to make sure there were no casualties. Those Iranians are OUT OF CONTROL! They are MADMEN! They only shot back after the US/Israel bombed them IN THE MIDDLE OF NEGIOTIATIONS twice (when the Japanese do this it's a "day of infamy" but when the US does it's a "strategic masterstroke") and then assassinated their version of the pope. Which side are the madmen and who is showing restraint?
It’s kind of tough to argue that the leaders of a theocratic death cult that believes killing infidels will earn them 72 virgins in paradise are only acting rationally.
No. It’s really not like that at all. You might be thinking of the Crusades a thousand years ago. Western civilization has moved on from that. Maybe someday the Islamists will move past it too. Many of the countries in the Middle East seem to be taking steps in that direction. Iran is not one of them.
I recall not too long ago GWB saying God was speaking to him in the context of war. I wouldn't be shocked if Hegseth thinks the same thing. Maybe they will soon be claiming divine right.
Also, has everyone forgotten that Israel was ground zero for the forced innoculations of the poisonous covid shots? Seems like both governments are quite rotten to the core.
TL;DR past the first paragraph, but how then do you explain their 60% enriched uranium, far more than needed for any peaceful purpose, and their unwillingness to give it up, even to the destruction of their country? I remember the so called “inspections,” and the “look here, but not over there” ridiculousness.
That's a very skilled spin on the matter, but it leaves out mountains of circumstantial evidence pointing to Netanyahu/Israeli influence and intelligence being a driving force. Here's Colin Powell's Chief of Staff's take on the truthfulness of the Israelis: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RQ8iJ4ZZkw0 ("Israelis are patent liars...inveterate liars")
This is an unjust war. If you want to live in a world where "might makes right" than sit back and allow Soros and his "mighty" fellow travelers decide to take away your rights... and maybe even your life.
so, someonme once said the israelis are dishonest, so everything else is spin?
with respect, that seems like spin.
there is no question israeli intellegence and military were important parts of this war. but none of that says anything about a potential confluence of interests. seems like you're making an awful lot of leaps here that you have not backed up.
What are your thoughts on the NYT (yes, I know, NYT) article published last week that painted a picture where Bibi came into the situation room and convinced trump to this, and almost everyone who’s actually a part of OUR government who had a say was hesitant or outright against it. The only exception was Hegseth, who we have on video talking about how he wants to build the third temple and usher in Armageddon.
Not to mention Rubio said the quiet part out loud at the start, when he outright stated that we were dragged into this by Israel. The Zionist factor in this equation carries a lot more weight than you’ve addressed in either part of this series thus far, at least imho.
Everything is spin, gato. I wanted that out there for people to see.
Reports are that Bibi convinced Trump to move forward based on exaggerated claims of a quick victory. Exaggerated claim or lie? Trump's advisors called Israeli assessments “farcical .“
I think they did expect a quick victory, which is why they didn't think the strait would be an issue - a new US friendly regime was supposed to be in place in a matter of weeks. The planning (if you can call it that) around this military action seems to be not so well thought out. What have we gained thus far? How many hundreds of billions have been spent by a nation that is $39 trillion in debt?
Shock and Awe, I believe, is what Netanyahu promised would be enough to topple the Iranian government. Ground troops are arriving only now. The ceasefire is merely a delay until enough are massed for at least a limited success.
These are Persians, not Iraquis. They will fight vigorously to fend off invasi9n.
Exactly. If this were all about snagging oil for America, someone would've sat Kent down and explained to him the plan before he courageously spoke out.
Bibi didn't visit the WH 7 times to tell Trump how great it would be for America to edge out ChIna for Iran's resources.
Gato hasn't done it, but many others on substack (Chris Bray, Librarian) have tried to immediately take Israeli involvement out of polite discussion of this unfolding fiasco.
I always laugh where I hear "Israel has the right to exist" type nonsense.
1) No country on this planet has the "right to exist". You have the might to exist or you exist at the mercy of others. Full stop.
2) How can Israel have rights when their citizens have none? They put the screws to their own people same as everywhere else. "No jab, no job" type coercion.
City of London ... the penultimate shit-stirrer behind both Iran and Izzy ... and so many other "flashpoints" where the jar of red/black ants can be shaken ...
You're an excellent narrative control writer. I'll give you that. The lies you spread about Oct 7, ignoring the real reasons the kingdoms hate Iran, and avoiding The Greater Israel Project which is what this war is really about, you are definitely a friend of the murderous zionists.
Tell me more about Greater Israel, bigfatpop. I understand is that it is the annexation of Gaza and West Bank, which will come with issues of their own if that land changes from an occupation to actually become part of Israel.
No one is talking about taking over Jordan (where there is a peace treaty) or lebanon (where there has been active war because Lebanon refuses to acknowledge Israel borders and hosts Hezbollah, whose sole purpose and gosl is destrucrion of the Israel state. Why does tehran, in Palestinian square, have a doomsday clock that counts down to the destruction of Israel (feel free to Google it)?
Why didn't Egypt (controlled Gaza) nor Jordan (controlled West Bank) create a Palestinian State back in the 1950's?
politely suggestin' ya read whut I shared....respectfully but fully...disagree.
See how Israel's terrytory has SHRUNKN like sum' kinda Maori head trophy--Israel has given (by treaty) land over ta her "Arab friends" in eggchange fer "Peas." Clearly didn't work...Oslo made a Bozo outta Israel (Yas'Sir AraRat hadda good laff 'bout it too!)
a. no Israelis have heard of Od Yinon plan...an' nobuddy has ever taken it seriously... Israel duz not even wanna manage Gaza let alone take over orchestration of the entire Middle East... lotta baloney (not even kosher baloney--)
b. "Given that Israel recognizes and has a peace agreement with Jordan and returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for peace, it's safe to say Israel has no such plans."... nor has Israel every acted on 'em...evah!
c. "TransJordan" was created from a chunk of Israel the UN originally had as part've the jooish state... they literally gave away a nayshun fer "peas"--those were chewish lands...
c) Israel would like it's terrorist neighbors ta leave it the heck alone-- The "West Bank" was renamed ta hide the fact that it's Chooish terrytory...Judea & Samaria--at most "Greater Israel" might mean havin' J&S (rightfully "theirs") & that's 'bout it... Arab naytions have zip ta fear from "Greater Israel"--Saudis & sum others know this...already
Zo we disagree on this par-tick-u-lar toe-pick but methinks we agree that Martin the Martian is hilarious.... (peas out)
Search "conque" (yes that's a stem) and just read the text around the 119 matches. Search "river" and "borders". That will get you to the places where this maniac, sorry bog standard rabbi is discussing the future borders. It's all in context of the religious fever dreams about some shared and jointly perpetuated nationalist fantasy, so yes you do have to slog through pages and pages of maundering about "once upon a time and in the divinely mandated prophetic future to come". https://potomactorah.org/content/2025-07-25-Matot-Masei.pdf All this geopolitical hasbara in the article above, repeating lies such as "babies killed" (zero) and "rapes" (zero) and "hamas killed 1200" (the IDF came in and killed hundreds of Israelis and guest servants, flattening kibbutzes in what seems to have been the production of a reality tv gorefest to manufacture consent), is just as I say hasbara serving the Zionist aims. "Libertarian" my ass.
Is this a joke? The paper seems to consist of Rabbi's discussing and analyzing the Torah/old testament to determine what the holy book describes as the land promised to the Jews. A religious discussion as proof is laughable.
I'm not giving it as proof of the claim's correctness. I'm giving it as a clear demonstration that yes the Greater Israel concept, as Bezalel Smotrich and many others in the contemporary Knesset currently call it and also going back in time even to the 1890s (eretz yisroel, cf Ahad Ha'am and others) is a defined concept as a land of future conquest larger than the area currently occupied by them. In some cases much larger. As this screed points out, there are "minimalist" assertions which only run up into Southern Lebanon and there are grabbier assertions which extend much farther.
Fyi "Ben Gurion" also made these claims, and talked about pushing east. He certainly was not the only one. When the British declined to say that the Jews could just have all of "transjordan", the World Zionist Congress started throwing fits and accusing the British of being welchers, which is just insanity piled on top of insanity.
But the Zionist project is fundamentalist Judaism, wrapped in politicized aggression, and so the determinants of the project are always found in their religious maunderings. Like this one. The undetermined nature of what this rabbi is saying is the essence of the demands: boundless, as Ben Gurion stated, except if the Jews themselves decide to limit their aspirations.
I enjoyed reading this with a cup of coffee. El Gato Malo, excellent clarity in a fog of propaganda! I always find your assessment reasonable on a situation.
What if the inkblot is the entire world, run by the Epstein class that control all the ruling families? In this case, both sides of the war are funded by the same class, as was done with Napoleon, the world wars, and the conflicts in southeast Asia during the 60s, Iraq, Afghanistan etc.
If this is the case, then the Agenda becomes clear - crush oil so that EV cars and the biometric control grid go live for Klaus and his Swiss friends.
i see nothing here aimed at crushing oil, rather a play to secure it for the west and control its flow to china. seems to me more like a recognition of its inevitable ongoing import as a strategic resource.
because it's securing oil access for the west and denying it to china? how does it fit? just because something causes a ST rise in oil prices does not make it some sinister EV plot.
Thanks for this article gato. I see that you have discovered some of the same non-western media sources I have which certainly provided some needed context for the Middle East situation.
Another perspective I found even before the Iran conflict began was an intriguing piece by the environMENTAL Substack. It was looking at the aftermath of Venezuela, the feasibility of energy networks throughout the Americas, and that this new “spheres of influence” model could result in the pullout of American troops/interests in the Middle East as it is expensive to maintain and could be made redundant as to the question of oil supplies. I get the perspective of some Americans that they are tired of being the world’s policeman (and footing the bill for it too!). Even still, it is very clear that the Middle East cannot simply be handed over to the likes of China; the US does not need Middle Eastern oil … but the Chinese sure do, and the entire world will suffer if they are given a free hand. Iran and its proxies should be viewed as the playbook for the violent version of Chinese “soft power” (and Canada as the more insidious “nothing to see here” version).
totally agree. I have a friend who was married to a Ukrainian born in a refugee camp and interviewed survivors of Holodomor. We have had honest discussions about this and the corruption. I read the book Purge and it took my breath away with its rawness. We are teetering into our own corruption where we may fall under its weight. Will the world weep or cheer?
Nice read & I'll take a dive into the recommended article.
Two points though that must not be forgotten:
1) Trump's unilateral commitment of US blood and treasure is in violation of the Constitution and the WPA of 1973. If we as a nation of laws seek to rid the world of the lawless, let's make sure we at least follow our own laws in doing so. The laughable excuse of needing the element of surprise as justification is another one of those "let's see how much the public will swallow" actions. We don't win by becoming our enemies.
2) Reminder that one of the two folks in that room already has a gun, so when the stranger reaches for the gun on the table, both know the consequences of using their guns. What NK learned from developing its own nukes and the delivery vehicles to send them where they will is there will not be any Iran like bombardments of NK. Only one nation has ever uses nukes on another, and none has used them since 1945...
The line that Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map by using a nuke is nonsense. They have shown they already have missile capacity to deliver a lot of devastation to Israel if they wanted - and have done nothing until Israel and the US began bombing the sh*t out of them. So....
Any entity claiming that it’s doing this war because it’s necessary to “grab the gun before the other guy gets it” but that is not, in the same breath, ensuring that their national food supply is decentralized and debt free, that water is a human right, that insurance companies have not captured the medical system and that finance cartels have not captured the single family housing market is full of shit.
Because all of those things leave a country open to attack and manipulation, which if you are trying to maintain your national resilience, is unacceptable.
If you’re grabbing the gun from the other guy, but still letting Wall Street, banks, insurance and big ag hold a gun to the heads of the American people…
It is a false analogy. In reality there are 2 people in a room. One has a gun (Israeli nukes) and there is a gun laying on the table (Iran develops a nuke).
If the cartels rampaged a music festival in Texas I would be rather angry with my government for funding them and standing down during the attack. I would also be skeptical of my government who have for years been salivating to take over Mexico and destroy "El Amaleko." But if I was a retard, I would be gleefully cheering the indiscriminate and systematic slaughter of Mexican kids, just like my government would want me to.
Good article. We have a lot of people with TDS but also IDS. They completely ignore what the Iranian Ayatollah says about obliterating Israel and America. They keep no record of wrongs regarding all the innocent people (many it’s own citizens) the radical regime has murdered over the decades, but listen to propaganda and form conspiracy theories about what Israel has done. If you agree with the Ayatollah that America is the Big Satan, consider how his people and the Palestinians live. They are force-fed hatred from an early age (the same is happening here, alas) and if it doesn’t take, they are executed. But anyway, if they truly believe that Iran is so good, why don’t they move there?
Military analysts I have listened to state that Iran didn't really have a navy or air force. It just gives a good talking point to say we destroyed something that hardly existed to begin with.
I'm a libertarian so I am almost always against conflict/ interventionalism. So apologies in advance for the length of this comment. But I feel like I need to explain my inkblot(s)..cuz it's more than just one blot. And before I'm attacked in the comments about Trump I'm happy to share dozens of comments where I have criticized him.
So let me try to create some coherence out of myriad inkblots running through my head.
First, I feel like I've had to compromise some of my ideals over the last 6 years, starting with the scamdemic...BUT, I also did not realize the extent to which if I stood by some of those ideals on paper I may lose agency to be a libertarian in the country I love.
The fact is, people sleep peaceably at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf
When it comes to Iran ,I'm old enough to have figured out that Iran’s regional strategy relies on a multilayered system of coercion:
- ballistic missiles
- proxy militias
-maritime intimidation
- nuclear brinkmanship
Does that sound like a threat?
I suppose we could just drop pallets of cash instead of bombs....
The most convincing argument for the Iranian "war" is the good people of Iran. If you doubt me go on X and read their comments. Its heartbreaking. They truly want the bombing to continue so they have a chance of taking back their country without hundreds of thousands being mowed down by the Mullahs henchmen.
Bottom line: I've come to the conclusion this action is a net benefit because I believe the alternative to this action is more risky than trying to dismantle a theocracy that believes the "infidel" has no right to live.
Another fact:
Every president over the last 40 years has had the same intelligence Trump has had, the difference is he had the political courage to do what none of his predecessors would do.
Maybe the war was a mistake, but to say we are "losing" is so beyond myopic.
We won so much more:
- We effectively control the EU and Chinas future. Why do you think China literally forced Iran into this ceasefire?
- We exposed the EU and NATO for the frauds they are.
-We exposed the fact that Iran, did indeed, have intermediate-range ballistic missiles that could threaten every country within 800-1000 miles, while at the same time exposed them as the paper tiger they are.
-We reshuffled the geopolitical map in our favor.
-We demonstrated we can destroy any country, at minimal cost to us, with terrifying precision, and thereby put the fear of God into our adversaries.
-We totally decimated Iran's military. We splintered the mullahs in 31 Provinces (mosaic strategy) where they are close to being weakened to the point that the Iranian people could possibly take their country back.
-The IRGCs communication and transportation between the provinces has effectively been cut off.
Lastly, nobody seems to truly understand this has as much to with China as Iran. You just have to read between the lines, over the last 20 years, with Trumps comments.
TRUMP JUST DECLARED WAR ON CHINA
Nobody is calling this what it actually is. 50% tariff on ANY country supplying Iran weapons, effective immediately, no exceptions.
Sounds like an Iran policy. It's not.
Russia barely trades with the US. North Korea doesn't at all. The only country this actually destroys is China.
China funneled $75 billion into Iran's war machine.
China sent AI intelligence on US carrier positions directly to Tehran.
5 Chinese ships were caught delivering missile fuel chemicals while the bombs were still falling.
The tariff isn't just 50%. China is already at 145% from the ongoing trade war. Add 50% on top. That's 195% total. On $500 billion in annual trade.
That's not a tariff. That's an economic execution.
Trump got a 14-day ceasefire with Iran the other day. That ceasefire was never going to hold...and Trump knew it. This potentially gives him moral authority to rain down hellfire.
Iran was the cover story imo.
This is the US-China economic war going to the next level.
To paraphrase Gold Meir: there will be peace when people learn to love Western Civilization more than they hate Jews and/or Trump.
Judging from these comments, we are still far away from that point.
Oh it's the whole zionist bullshit conspiracy theory.
Im reading comments here from several people i agree with 95% of the time.
It's astonishing the amount of vitriol people have towards a people that have had to fight for their survival for 5k years.
I respect their opinions, but just watch how they attack people that disagree regarding Isreal.
Its telling...
....same handbook as the leftist use......
They make the authors of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion look like pikers. I’ve been stunned by it. I really thought we had put this behind us once and for all.
Half of them deny the holocaust or minimize it.
You have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to believe it didn't happen.
After the Covid fiasco, I really disliked how Douglas Murray used credentialism to dunk on Dave Smith. And I also dislike people using straw men to win an argument, which as far as I could tell was happening to Tucker Carlson for 5 minutes. And then all of those people completely lost their minds and I had to completely reevaluate who I was willing to listen to. Guess who continues making the most sense? Douglas Murray. He is one of few standing up for western civilization. I’m with those guys. And besides that, I live in holland. The holocaust is literally all around me, all the time. I couldn’t just abandon all of that for the sake of a few grifters. I’m so glad I’m not alone in these comments. The accusations of zionazi are just incomprehensible to me. Mental gymnastics indeed.
It’s obvious these people have never set foot in Israel or any Arab country — nor have they ever had honest, face-to-face conversations with Arabs and Jews who actually live in the Middle East.
I had a similar set of reactions. I knew Dave Smith was saying dumb things, but I also felt that credentialism was a dumb way to counter it.
Re: Douglas Murray and David Smith, yes, that was disgusting behavior on DMs part.
And it got me to thinking some interesting thoughts. Some social engineering thoughts that would probably blow up in some unknown way. Likely would become dystopian in some unpredictable way…
Imagine if governments were not corrupt, and voting in a Constitutional Republic actually mattered. Guaranteed individual rights and all that. Individuals can do as they please in their private lives, and be fully protected by the Law.
With one caveat: the only ones who have the ability to be in government in any capacity, and the only ones with the right to vote them in and out of power, are households with a father, mother, and (of course) at least one child. Since it is only this structure that creates the next generations, and has literal skin (kin) in the game. All the decisions would be made with this in mind.
One vote per household would be ideal, yet I imagine there would be some pushback on that.
Mind you, in this invented world, everyone is guaranteed full rights to live as they please. And those who are not part of a family raising children have every right to influence and convince the voting units to vote a certain way. They would still have a voice and a role to play.
I know, nuts, and completely against the Western ideal of the full (voting) rights of each individual. And yet, something tells me it makes perfect sense for the basis of a sane and coherent society.
Imagine living in a place where it is common to hear, “yeah, yet do you have kin in the game?”
One additional issue. When representatives vote on war, they must have direct kin on the front lines to vote yes, or to vote at all. No leaders voting other peoples’ children into the military meat-grinder.
Agree :(
The EXACT same handbook. Your replies are well articulated. Thank you for making them on behalf of so many of us who see it through your same lens, even those of us that are conservatives and not libertarian …
yep, conservative here. . . and, as objective as he is, Ryan seems like one too(. . . Sorry Ryan, not accusing!)
For the most part. But im definitely libertarian when it comes to economics.
Israel conspiracy theories are among the clearest examples of the meme where the low IQ and the high IQ support Israel and the soyjak midwit cries about "free Palestine" (with purchase of equal or greater value).
As I've commented before, a significant amount of Silicon Valley R&D happens in Israel now, including chip design teams for Apple, Intel, and Nvidia. It's climatically similar to the SF Bay Area, gay-friendly, relatively reasonably taxed, and there's a good supply of smart people coming out of good universities there. We have an obvious interest in preventing anyone from dropping missiles on American companies and the American citizens working there.
It's also worth noting that prior to October 7th, many Palestinians had jobs in Israel proper, jobs that paid far better than anything in the PA. There's an alternate timeline where the Palestinians threw off Iranian proxy control and set about making the Gaza Strip a premiere Mediterranean destination, a sort of Dubai West. Under those conditions, the vaunted "two-state solution" would be an entirely reasonable thing instead of a proxy for the destruction of Israel. Boy would that screw with a lot of peoples' heads. And it's always been there for the taking.
Its just astonishing.
Its like they can't even believe the German soldiers and "death-squad" policemen accounts of their own atrocities.
This lays it out. Over 200 non-nazi policemen (not even soldiers) on the record in excruciating detail about what they did in this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution/dp/0062303023#immersive-view_1776205872576
Plenty of American GIs saw what was happening inside the camps first hand when they were liberated.
Plus, the Germans, true to stereotype, had forms and reports for literally everything, including death orders for Jews, Gypsies, and gays. Mountains of that paperwork were recovered after the war.
Those silly low IQ men/women…Henry Ford, Nikola Tesla, Martin Luther, Charles Lindbergh, Voltaire, Kant, JFK, Nixon,
And those notorious dullards Bobby Fischer, Ron Unz and Gilad Atzmon :-)
The sister cults are always, in the marrow of their bones, suffering from the fear and insecurity that Daddy might love the elder daughter most. It was only during the flourishing of the Western Enlightenment that people raised as Christians were able to free themselves from irrational hatreds, but as we saw the Western Enlightenment must be fought for. It didn't create a permanent state of rational being.
Very well stated Ryan and thanks for the comment!
Absolutely and sickening..
The other day some dude was arguing with me about the Holocaust and called me brainwashed.🤯
You are
😱
It’s truly amazing how one can look at the same set of facts and come to a completely different conclusion. You see Israel having to fight for their survival for 5k years as proof the problem is everyone else. I see the problem as it being them.
Would you rather have your entire family live in Isreal or one of these backward 7th century ideological theocracies?
Be honest
I have no desire to live in any part of the Middle East. It all seems like a hellish place. But I certainly have no desire to go to Israel. And I also have no clue how that applies to what I said. If i continue to have issues with 9/10 people I meet, it's probably a me problem, not a them problem.
Well i can disagree with you and still like you, and respect your opinion
Unless it was a coordinated, paid effort to harass u...
I'd live in Oman if I had to live in the middle east. The rest of the area is a total shit show. Seriously. Israel included.
People are enjoying the permission to express their true feelings, just as with the divide during Our Plague Era.
If a person adheres to a religion it's because they believe their religion to be true. If they believe their religion to be true they believe other religions are false.
If the foundation of one's religion is that the adherents of another religion rejected and killed the human personification of what you conceive to be God, and if your theological relationship to those people is that they continue to live in error and are excluded from salvation until they accept your version of God, can you have normal healthy feelings about them? You will be glad of any excuse to drop the pretense of civility towards them.
And we're in an era where that excuse has become socially acceptable again.
Well you know how I feel about all that stuff...just like you do.
I just don't mention it much cuz it ain't worth the heartburn.
I think it's appropriate to center it in threads like this. It is the heart of the matter.
Funny. I have less than zero respect for their opinions.
The idea that Muslims and Jews being mortal enemies is just wrong. Jews lived in Muslim controlled areas for most of the last 1500 years. Where do you think a lot of them went when they got kicked out of European countries? The "People of the book" paid their taxes and were left alone. Mohamed himself authored that rule.
The Ayatollah Khomeini had a meeting with Iran's Rabbis and said "I have nothing against the descendants of Moses. It's those Zionist blood suckers I can't stand".
Wow. I actually have something in common with Khomeini? Didn't see that one coming. Probably the only thing.
Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews. Alan Hart wrote a great book "Zionism. The real enemy of the Jews". One Rabbi told him "You have summed up our problem is 7 words".
Well i can disagree with you and still like you, and respect your opinion
Nothing personal, love your opinions, but libertarianism is just another ism that runs into reality periodically.
It has no answer to the reality of Iran.
It does not matter how much we tell the mullahs live and let live, they are bent on world domination.
Id rather live in the federation of planets but we don't and i think we have to choose.
China wants to rule the world, Islam wants to rule the world, the usa wants to rule the world.
When i compare the three and am asked to choose there is no choice.
Canada is full of people who think we would be better off as a Chinese economic zone instead of having to suffer Trumps mean tweets.
Nope.
libertarian government is, by far, the best form of government under which to live. the social contract and general non-interference leads to unparalleled human flourishing. the problem is that it only works on and for people who can pass a marshmallow test and generally exist in a high trust society. once you have to deal with such people, rights become a burden instead of a benefit. others demand their protection while refusing to be bound by them.
the social contract should be as inclusive as possible, but no more so, and it gets difficult when you start to grapple with issues like "if i allow the other person to grab the gun off the table, what then?" sure, they have not violated your rights yet. but what you think they will do once they have the power to matters. only a fool waits to be shot before defending himself.
I never liked marshmallows. Perhaps that’s why I never had a problem with delayed gratification.
i'm saving this comment. bravo!
I too am mostly libertarian, i guess.
But there are limits, i think we all agree
"libertarian government is, by far, the best form of government under which to live." I liked you better when you were acknowledging that there is no right answer, it all depends on your choice of priors. this dogmatic profession of "by far the best" is (let's drop the nuance shall we?) BullShit.
EGM is right though. In a perfect high-trust society, libertarianism is the best way to live. Everyone has a favorite fantasy form of government that could never work in reality - I lean anarcho-capitalist in my blackest of hearts, but I also know it wouldn't actually work.
that's a cute dogmatic claim, period. obvious questions:
1) is there such a thing as a "perfect high-trust society"? (where? when? as judged by what criteria?)
2) is libertarianism compatible with the maintenance of such a society?
3) (how) is it (even remotely) possible to test such a (quasi-)empirical thesis?
How about this? The libertarian system of government is the worst system there is, but it’s still better than all the rest.
How does that one work for you?
It appears to be no less subject to the same objections. Unless I'm missing something??
Seems to me like whatever system, as pure as it may be at first, Corruption creeps in and spoils it all. Somewhere in my head there seems to be the idea that when the constitution was first written, and the people’s representatives were chosen, it wasn’t supposed to be their “career.” I thought they were supposed to keep their career at home and go to Washington to represent us when necessary. And I thought the federal system was they do this and this but not that and that and that and that and that and that and on and on that they do now. Protect us with the military and then leave us the hell alone. I need some schooling on that. Seems to me that we need to get back to that. It was never meant to be so big and convoluted that we have no idea whatsoever where our money goes and what for. And it also seems to me that the election machines have gone off the radar. To me that should be number one. We should be able to elect the representative we want. Not the one the machines want.
Agree
agree, my friend. like i said, the scamdemic opened my eyes. normally i'm all for private businesses doing what they like, but not when they are forced to infringe upon my rights through government heavy-handedness. same with the FUCKING MASKS. For the first couple weeks, I was like whatever, do you - live and let live. but when they tried to force-mask my family I fought back....HARD.
anyway, you get the point.
It was the damn masks that REALLY pissed me off too. THAT was MY trigger and forced my awareness to scramble. . . and, I found substack, and. . .
the warriors of our world:
Jeff Childers, Malone, The MW Doc, McCullough, Jessica Rose, Dr Zelenko, Dr Ardis, and many more I cannot name, not to mention commenters like yourself.
El Gato is one too, of course, but a recent find. . .
Let us continue to kick ass and take names, my friend.
same. same. same
Dr Ryan Cole, Dr Pierre Kory, Dr Christiane Northrup 💕
Ha! I like your moniker. I am a pretty, red, old gal 😉 I also see that you are a bowhunter. I took archery in high school. I still hold the record for 18 bull’s-eyes in a row 🏹(I had several foot surgeries so they put me in remedial PE. Archery was one of our activities.)
18 in a row. Holy crapp! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbtUC9oVThg
amazing. I can hardly put two in a row. . . at 20 yds and 60# pull.
I only took up bow hunting in 2009 when I got fed up with all the nutcase slug gunners shooter 5 times every time they saw something move! Bow hunting is much more relaxed and actually takes skill-- and no fear of heights!
but yeah, your use of grammer, red, and pretty vs mine really make those descriptors' meaning a LOT different. Ha!
Ha! That video is hysterical. 😂 Thank you for the laugh. I haven’t picked up a bow since high school. I have no idea how far away those haystacks were. They posted the targets on bales of hay. My prize was a trip to McDonald’s with the gym teacher. It was our very first McDonald’s in town, down the street from the high school. I was very excited! LOL.
Ditto!
"It does not matter how much we tell the mullahs live and let live, they are bent on world domination."
And the Israelis are any different? See the Od Yinon plan.
I’m not terribly worried about 15 million Jews taking over the world, I’d have to be a little crazy.
First I never said "Jews taking over the world" so you're doing strawman stuff but hey I'll play along:
Me neither because the banking cartel already has the "fait accompli". The Rockefeller & Rothschild families hold the main power. And the Rothchilds aren't Jews IMHO but Canaanite.
The banking cartel is a soft power structure. As the Germans showed in 1936, it's vulnerable to hard power.
Banking is also all electronic now, so it's more open to disruption than at any previous point. The Democrats in the US have made it extremely difficult via regulation for anyone to challenge the incumbents, but it is possible. PayPal was the first crack in the wall, and then Cash App and Apple Pay and a bunch of others. The cracks are spreading slowly, but they are spreading.
It’s funny you think there are only 15m Jews…
Is this really a war?
I hardly call sustained, day-and-night targeted strikes on IRGC military capabilities “war.”
I’d call it a military conflict — precise, one-sided, and long overdue. But most importantly, one that we need to finish.
Here’s another question I wish I had a definitive answer to:
If you could line up every Iranian currently leaving the country and somehow look into their hearts, how many would still support the IRGC? How many would instead cheer the destruction of the criminal regime that has controlled — and ruined — their country for the last 47 years?
How different things would be if the democratically elected government of Mosaddegh hadn't been overthrown in 1953 by the UK/USA for their oil companies.
But he was and things have gone from bad to worse.
How different would they be? Nobody knows. There is no provable counter-argument for events that occurred between 1953 and now. Both the Mosaddegh administration and the Shah were being undermined by communist factions supported by the USSR. Iran could have become a Cuba or North Korea. I'm not saying that toppling the Mosaddegh government was moral, or justified, or even a good idea. I'm saying that blaming the historical trajectory of a nation on one event is an invalid logical progression.
poignant and concise way of putting it.
Good post. Agree with most of what you are saying. EGM,s post (especially when paired with his earlier/ linked post) was brilliant.
Imagine, leading up to the Second World War, that the US was far more powerful than it actually was, and seeing what Hitler was about to do to Europe, the US had then done to Germany what it is now doing to Iran. Certainly, that would have been a good thing (& would probably have precluded Pearl Harbor). No iron curtain, no 20+ million dead Russians, no London blitz, no fire-bombing of Dresden, no Holocaust. A net win-win for everyone? But we will never know.
It will be a long time before we understand the total effect of what Trump is now doing with Iran. And re winning the peace, we have at least (2) good models, Germany and Japan. Perhaps a new sovereign homeland for the Kurds, or a federation of the 31 provinces sub-grouped by language / religion? Maybe the biggest winners of all will be the Iranian peoples. Imagine: free speech, real (non-mullah) democracy, and then, taking all of the money spent on missiles, drones, tunnels, Chinese air defense systems, and proxies, and redistributing those $billions among the Iranian people.
"It will be a long time before we understand the total effect of what Trump is now doing with Iran."
Riiight. How long do you estimate? (When's that Final Judgment gonna happen, I wonder?)
Seriously though, maybe you mean: It will be a long time before 'we' (or maybe 'they,' if 'we' aren't still around?) agree to settle on a common narrative about the total effect... (etc.). (And again, I'd say this is equivalent to a question about when the Final Judgment's gonna be.)
well, you may not agree 100% with my comment, but I agree 100% with yours!...lol...:)
Another thought re my WW2 analogy, above . . . supposed the US knew that those brilliant Nazi scientists were close to having an atomic bomb. There would have been no “ifs, ands, or buts” re what to do.
Precisely, Ryan, and an excellent companion piece to gato's post.
Thx, SCA!
Haven't seen you on the boards lately.
Hope you're doing well!
Im still on the mega-dosing of Vit C like you recommended.
Never felt better!
I've been right there pretty much every day, in the usual places.
Be sure to hydrate well. You've got to wash it out after it's done its work.
Yeah I drink so much water i get made fun of.
I probably haven't seen you on the boards as much cuz I've been crazy busy with my kiddos activity. Coaching baseball for my boy and running my girl to theater and debate club.
Anyways, cheers!
Glad everything is well with you and yours, Ryan. We been through the trenches together.
Hmmmm. did not know that about Vit C.
I have been taking about 3 g/day. . . how much water do you recommend? and what if I fail on that? Symptoms of problems?? thanks
I take between 4,000-8,000 grams/day and if I'm fighting off some unpleasant illness or nasty symptoms I take more.
Some authorities say that "too much" Vitamin C is implicated in kidney stones but their idea of "too much" might be my idea of "not enough."
Note also that too much water--especially in hot weather or during exertions--can deplete/alter the electrolyte balance in your blood and hvae dangerous effects.
I use a 12-oz former jam jar as my drinking glass and try to have a full glass of water when I take my vitamins (I ought to divide them more throughout the day but I take 4,000 at one time and the other 4.000 later).
I also happen to drink several large mugs of tea during the day and black tea is a diuretic so I may be somewhat under optimum water intake myself.
A book I've found very useful is Earl Mindell's "The Vitamin Bible." My edition is probably from the '70s. Also highly recommend James Duke's "The Green Pharmacy."
Do you use capsules or granular crystals? I used to use the crystals when my stomach could handle it….
Did you ever get sharp stabbing pains in your stomach with high doses? I wanted to use the mega-dosing again because years ago it helped me with a cough I couldn’t shake, but when I tried it again it caused significant pain in my stomach and couldn’t do it. I sure would like to though if I could figure out how to avoid that. I drink about 72 oz of water throughout my day so I know I’m hydrated.
I never had that problem but I wouldn't necessarily want to see what my stomach lining might look like by now.
You should make sure to eat something easy to digest before each dose you take. I'm a big carb eater so that may be quite helpful in protecting my stomach (i.e. cereal/bread before the first dose and I like bread and cheese as an after-dinner before-vitamin snack).
Ohhhhh yes I’m low carb. 90% protein. Maybe that has something to do with it. I was high carb the first time I used high dose vit C. Thanks!
Actually I just spent a month eating a lot of sourdough and sourdough crackers trying to learn and perfect how to make it for my son, and it causes the WORST acid reflux. I don’t think my stomach likes those kinds of carbs. 🤣
YES, I will second that one.
I would be careful about believing/using "X" comments to shape your worldview about Iran. I'm sure it can be useful and that there are truths in there, but do not forget the power of perception management, and in war, that is in full overdrive. X isn't some pure and free platform - they visibility filter and censor - that is no secret. Just because its much better than when it was Twitter doesn't mean it isn't being used nefariously and to manage the public.
C'mon man. You've read my comments for 5 years.
You really think im that gullible?
I can think for myself.
You are the one that used it as part of your post/argument Ryan. And no, I think you are generally pretty thoughtful and even handed. I wasn't trying to sound condescending or anything - just wanted to point out how careful we need to be regarding information during wartime. And many people do see X as a bastion of free speech which it definitely is not.
All good, I understand your point. and respect it.
cheers, friend!
Always remember that the expatriate Iranians are a lot of monarchists and Marxists. They both took turns fleeing the country when they lost.
The religious and Marxist groups stopped fighting to get rid of the Shah. Once gone they went back to their civil war. The Marxists lost. The CIA was not unhappy with the Ayatollah regime because they didn't want Russia influence.
no kidding.
If anyone is still stymied by the dichotomy of choice* of how to regard Iran, put some time into learning about Islam foundational doctrine with its the religious mandate to spread Islam through jihad (the only way to be guarantees of attaining heaven) to all corners of the earth as a caliphate. It is no small thing that the Mullahs wish to bathe the world in blood and burn it under the fury of Islam.
Perhaps this new axis of allies is a real thing forming, as the neighbors get a taste of what world trade can bring via Abraham accords.
Could this even be the inflection point for the dissolution of Islam itself, or of its muting, blunting, and reworking?
*”why did they not exercise it? here we get into speculation. the two broad schools of thought seem to look like this:
1. iran had no intention to threaten oil transport and just wanted to live in peace
2.iran was held in check by fear of what would happen to them if they did exercise such control”
RG or anyone else here , ever listen to this newsletter? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IBxif0k4d-k
I love Promethian Action!
No. But I just did. Good find!
Wow! Great find! Thanks
We agree on much, but I find the idea that this is good due to some geopolitical perceived advantage kind of odious. Maybe you are just trying to counter the idea that “we lost” as opposed to saying this is good.
All I will say is all of the rationalizations on how this is somehow about American security fail under scrutiny, and that entire argument is being forwarded by the same people who have been lying about such things since my parents were in grade school.
This whole thing is the Iraq war powerpoint deck after a quick search and replace. We know Trump is full of s***, and he is peddling rationales fed to him by sociopaths. The chain of evidence is more than a little tainted.
> Maybe you are just trying to counter the idea that “we lost” as opposed to saying this is good.
yes, you interpreted my comment correctly regarding that point.
Like I said, I'm a libertarian, to the extent The Founders were.
For example I completely agree with this incisive comment Washington made:
"Our detached and distant situation invites and enables us to pursue a different course... Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."
I guess, my point is I think Washington would agree with me on my overall assertion if he were alive today even though that is pure speculation. the founders are my guiding principle...I wish I could talk to them now....lol...:)
let's face it; all anyone here is doing is "speculating". we shall see.
Glad I read your literal meaning right. Debating whether something will ultimately be good or bad is something that we will see. I can accept that hey its possible it may turn out well. The track record here is awful so I am not optimistic, but its a fair point of debate.
I like the Washington quote and agree with the sentiment.
I’m not sure they were all that libertarian really. the sedition acts were a thing and MA actually collected taxes to fund churches. lots of stuff was regulated or illegal at the state level.
Still far better than the retarded sociopaths running the show today.
A common thread in these discussions is the assumption the decision makers, including but not limited to Trump, have the best interests of the American people, or preservation of Western civilization as their focus. I don't believe that. How a smart person could think even before COVID, but for sure after COVID, that they give a rip about what's best for us puzzles me. They have their own agendas, and what's best for me and substack commenters is not a part of that agenda. I suggest everybody analyzing this war stop ignoring that reality, or at the very least, possibility.
Assuming the good and noble intentions of politicians and government bureaucrats is the kind of mistake that should be preceded with a phrase like
“hold my beer”
I'm in the MTG, TC, Dave Smith, Candace camp. So not exactly all-in on many of the points made here. That said, as an open-minded truth seeker I appreciate the well-thought-out counter arguments here to the spot where I find myself. One reason I've landed where I am (for now) is they have no rose-colored glasses with regard to the ruling class. Except Tucker, who is way too charitable.
I’m definitely more in the Dave Smith camp. I don’t disagree that these people are islamic fanatics, but it doesn’t logically follow that they are about to attack the United States. Pakistan has more islamic zealots than almost anywhere in the world, they have nukes, and yet somehow they aren’t attacking us.
Islam isn't a monolith. The Shiites who run (ran?) Iran are significantly more crazy than the more common Sunnis and Sufis. The latter groups have shown they can be trusted, with Reagan's mantra of "trust but verify" in mind. A lot of young people in the Gulf states are interested in having an economy outside of just oil and so they've been far more liberal (in the good sense) than previous generations.
Pakistan attacks India almost constantly at a low level and they're seemingly happy to do that until the end of time. With India being a popular destination for Western companies seeking to decouple from the ChiComs that situation may occupy more of our attention in the future though.
Yes. The most populous majority-Muslim country is Indonesia. Are they a problem? Do they chant "death to America"? No. Could that be because they aren't in proximity to our "greatest ally" and suffer from the consequences of that? And they don't have copious petroleum resources for us to pursue? I'm no fan of Islam by a long shot. Europe is lost, because they'll be swallowed by it. What idiots to invite it in to become the majority of their population. But for us, it's low-hanging fruit for the fear-mongerers to exploit. They know what works and they use it. Just keep them the eff out of here, and leave them alone over there.
Great explanation of how a libertarian (me too) can support the war in Iran.
Libertarianism is great as a guiding principle, but too often is too weak when it comes to realpolitik. It's highly dependent on people honoring the NAP. Or, perhaps to home in on it more closely, being forced to honor the NAP. If I try to go mug someone, I will certainly be forced to honor the NAP at least in this specific case.
WOW, greaaaaaattttt post Ryan. and,
considering China gets its oil from Iran and Venezuela and Trump "owns" them both now.
CHECKMATE.
I really want to be a fly on the wall next month when Trumpie visits CHYYYYNAAA.
Great response RG
Yeah. But nevertheless, this war is a huge gamble, and Trump ran on the promise no more meddling, no more regime changes, no more war. It feels like a betrayal, plain and simple, especially with him retreating into ridiculour memes designed to stir outrage everywhere.
This whole thing was part of why Orban lost in Hungary. The whole world of normal people is sick of these psychopathic wars. Psychopaths on both sides throwing live humans at each other, again. While we argue the strategies... and whether something good will come out of it.
At the same time, I agree this is the game that's being played. Been played for thousands of years now.
Not disagreeing. BUT, I won't vote D...and i won't sit out the midterms.
If you do, just looked to Ireland for your future where modern day brownshirts are attacking their fellow-citizens for peacefully protesting tyranny.
Its all over my friend if Ds get back in power without reform.
They will hunt us down like prey.
Do you disagree?
I completely agree. Trump's broken promises and this war has given the Ds good ammunition for the midterms.
To your original point, Trump thus far has not thrown live humans at them, just a lot of military hardware. He's clearly looking to avoid that at all costs, even though a brief ground operation would likely have resolved this in like a week.
DataRepublican says Orban's problem, which went unreported in Western media, is that he was openly corrupt. EU and US media ignored that because Team EU and Team Donkey are too (just look at all the media figures saying "of course everyone knew for 20+ years that Swalwell was a sex pest"). And she also says the guy who won is by no means pro-EU or pro-immigration, so the parties in Brussels are not likely to last long.
Yes, I have heard that too. And people say that the sense was they wanted younger people in leadership. He came to be seen as same old same old. Still though... he saved the country from the millions of migrants on its border, and stood up to EU.
The new guy seems an EU creation out of nowhere.
Also, it is FAR too early to say we control much of anything at this point. The regime remains. Are we going to keep our navy there for years/decades to "control" the strait? How do we exercise control over a huge country with a pretty powerful military and a populace who will not lie down either if push comes to shove?
i hope not. we suck at "what's next". i think I just have a little longer rope with trump than you may have.
the minute they start talking about boots on the ground...I'm out. And, if this does not allow the iranian people to take their country back...I'm out.
My problem with this operation is that boots on the ground would've ended regime/IRGC/militia control of Iran much, much faster than what we're doing. Trump clearly does not want to do that for the same reasons we're all squeamish about it, but as a matter of military tactics it does work.
If we'd simply packed up and left after the Iraqi government had been obliterated I don't think anyone would have a problem with it now. It was the deeply stupid concept that people are interchangeable widgets and we can give low-trust nomadic goat herders a Jeffersonian democracy where everything came apart. (The same concept underlies unlimited immigration, which Dubya and many neocons were/are also fans of).
I don't know if we could survive a land invasion of Iran. Their army is reportedly around 600k and IRCG ground forces around 200k. That is far far more troops than we have. And of course, fighting a war far overseas brings with it great challenges to begin with....
You and I had this discussion right when the war broke out. Here we are, 6 weeks or so later.....sigh
I definitely think Trump thought he was getting into something easier than it actually is.
Yeah. That's why he should stop listening to the neocons. They haven't met a war they didn't like.
The neocons are wearing Trump like a skin suit.
True dat!
Well said, Ryan. Good analysis.
The US now holds the ultimate leverage in the region. If we take Karg Island, we become the gate keeper. If we destroy Karg Island, Iran is finished. The Chinese will have much less use for Iran and will greatly reduce their military aid. At the same time the Iranian economy crashes. There are other sources of oil, and the remaining production will eventually increase to meet demand, but Karg is Iran's only real source of revenue.
Bingo. Seems obvious to me
Gato, sorry, Israel has tons of nukes and is a genocidal warmonger. Iran has every right to enrich uranium, as it has been doing, or to have nukes, for that matter - genocidal warmongering Israel has them, and is the biggest terrorist state in the Middle East, or anywhere. And Trump flagrantly broke his promise not to start a war with Iran, or anyone.
We don't attack N Korea because they have nukes. Nuclear weapons are a deterrent. I hope Iran gets them soon, because Israel wants them to be a failed state, in service of the genocidal project of Eretz Israel.
We started this war with a despicable Pearl-Harbor style attack, and our Zionist bootlicker president continues to take his orders from Tel Aviv. We committed war crimes in Iran, and of course, Israel commits horrific war crimes every day. Along with genocide, ethnic cleansing, torture....
Time to free ourselves from Zionist occupation. It's coming. Majorities of Republicans, Indies, and Democrats under 50 are there. Only the brainwashed Boomers continue to lap up the hasbara.
- Christian Republican Boomer Trump voter, now thoroughly disgusted.
i think you may benefit from reading zineb's piece.
even most arab nations do not agree with you.
In regards to the arab countries:
Nothing screams more independend than having foreign bases all over your country and selling the only thing you have with currency of that foreign power. All that while beeing not a slither morally better internally than Iran but somehow ending up the "good guys".
Iran is "evil" because they are sovereign, not because of anything else.
so the whole "women are chattel slaves, if they show their face, burn them with acid, execute them for adultery, and mass-murder any opposition to your rule" part, you see no "evil" there? just a happy society run by good folks?
Awful where it happens (in all countrysides of most arabic nations btw), but the only difference wether you get attacked from the USA seems to be the presence of one of their bases in your country or not, not some dreadful things loosely based on internal policies.
Maybe you should also watch small youtubers going through Teheran filming the area to get at least some vibes from the average Iranian life.
it sems like you're moving goalposts here. i was responding to your comment:
"Iran is "evil" because they are sovereign, not because of anything else." because i view it as demonstrably false. now you shift to "why the USA attacks" which is a seperate topic.
the US did not attack iran over sharia, it attacked them over perceived designs on regional hegemony and a fear of chinese influence in the ME reaching levels that would be difficult to resist. this is a war for which way the arab world will wind up facing and one in which most of the arab would is in agreement.
one can disagree about how to feel about that, but those basic facts seem clear.
"...this is a war for which way the arab world will wind up facing and one in which most of the arab would is in agreement." ~ el gato malo
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It is important to bear in mind that the Middle East has suffered over the decades and longer from the meddling of various foreign powers. So many of their internal problems were externally-caused, directly or indirectly.
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"Many people's thinking is permeated by state perspectives. One manifestation of this is the unstated identification of states or governments with the people in a country which is embodied in the words 'we' or 'us.' 'We must negotiate sound disarmament treaties.' 'We must renounce first use of nuclear weapons.' Those who make such statements implicitly identify with the state or government in question. It is important to avoid this identification, and to carefully distinguish states from people..." ~ Brian Martin, 'Uprooting War'
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"Yes, there's hatred against us. Why? In 1958, the US government faced-- we know from internal records-- 3 major crises in the world-- North Africa, Middle East, and Indonesia-- all with oil producing states, all Islamic states. President Eisenhower, in an internal discussion, observed to his staff that-- I'm quoting it now-- there's a campaign of hatred against us in the Middle east, not by governments, but by the people. The National Security council discussed that question and said yes, and the reason is, there's a perception in that region that the US supports status-quo governments which prevent democracy and development and that we do it because of our interest in near east oil. Furthermore it's difficult to counter that perception because it's correct, and furthermore it ought to be correct. We ought to be supporting brutal and corrupt gov'ts, which prevent democracy and development, because we want to control Middle East oil. And it's true that leads to a campaign of hatred against us. Now until Bernard Lewis tells us that-- and that's only one piece of a long story-- we know that he's a just a vulgar propagandist, not a scholar... So yes as long as we are supporting harsh brutal governments, blocking democracy and development because of our interest in controlling the oil resources of the region, there will be a campaign of hatred against us."
~ Noam Chomsky
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“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.” ~ Smedley D. Butler, War Is a Racket
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'Yankee go home.'
Is this unique to Iran? And is it a good justification for the US to go to war? Next you're going to tell me they hate me for my freedom.
That sure is evil - and our government is perfectly happy keeping those evil despots in power as long as they continue to buy our oil with petrodollars.
Don’t forget the part that says a girl is a “woman” at age 9
check out the Talmud. (not that two terrible wrongs make a right).
The Talmud does say that a girl is a woman at age 12 if she is physically mature. But Jews do NOT marry 12 year olds. They have progressed beyond the the 12th century unlike the monsters in Iran
And so bombing them-- over a thousand so far apparently-- to death and threatening the destruction of their entire country like Trump just did is better than their internal problems?
Trump threatened Canada, too, which is where I reside.
Don't worry about Iran. Worry about your own imprisonment.
Yet the US was fine with Saudi Arabia sometimes scoring even worse on the female rights issue over the decades. The difference between the two nations could not be more stark over that period of time.
When you state "arab nations" - are you referring to their leadership, or to their people? The gulf monarchs are generally not too popular with the citizens.
Idk man. I think the Arab states are pretty pissed that we just let them get bombed and didn’t defend them. Oman has explicitly said so, and many signs are suggesting we may have pushed Saudi Arabia into closer ties with China. I don’t think there’s any argument one could make that our standing in the region is *stronger* after this misadventure.
Yes, that point is legitimate. They sat and watched any new assets (missile defense systems) that came into the area went to Israel. You think they are going to readily invite the US back in to rebuild bases in this context? I think not - unless of course we make the cry uncle.
Most Arab LEADERS aka dictators don't agree. What the people think is another matter, I would say
as one who has traveled extensively in the arab world, the people despise iran and the shia meddling and terrorism. spend some time in lebanon or egypt, syria or jordan and see what you see.
i think you're making assumptions without basis.
Even if you set aside recent Iranian meddling, the fact that most Western people have no idea about the simmering enmity that has existed hundreds of years between Persians vs. Arabs and Sunnis vs. Shias is always a surprise to me.
Iran average IQ 105, most of the Arab countries in the region 95 or lower. Hate or envy? Iran, despite years of sanctions and ostracism still had a better functioning economy and infrastructure for a far broader swath of its populace than any Arab nation in the region. As for the 12th Century line, that BS is really long in the tooth. Iran became a problem in 1953 when they decided the deal BP was unfair, at which point MI6 and the CIA decided to yank its chain, and again in 1979, when they broke free again. The Arab polities that hate Iran are little more than Western vassals.
I work with a couple of Iranian scientists. They say the populace despises the Iranian government, but everyone who would do something about it has long since emigrated or been shot. So an unarmed populace that is used to being treated horribly by the government, remains.
I’d wager that polls taken in any of the GCC would show a similar, if not stronger, antipathy of the ruled towards their rulers. Probably the same in much of the Western world these days.
The Iranian people are not unarmed
I believe as a country they also have the highest literacy rate in the world.
What are you talking about? In 1976, only 37% of the population could read. That’s a big improvement, sure — but adult male literacy is still under 90%. Iran is nowhere close to having one of the highest literacy rates in the world.
Exactly. They are dictators paid off by American tax dollars.
I agree that to listen to a leader from UAE express his contempt for Iran is pointless -- they are vassals of the empire. Saudi is among the worst, but awake now and looking for new alliances.
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Simplicius on Substack:
"The fact that serious negotiations continue to be mediated by an unelected claque of billionaire henchmen with close ties to Israel is a true disgrace to the “America First” vision, particularly given this year’s special occasion as the 250th anniversary of America’s signing of the Declaration of Independence.
"In this, our unholy year of 2026, America has never been further from having “first” priority in the hearts and minds of its elites and ruling class. In this unholy year, the White House is no longer the haunt of its proud presidential forebears—instead, it has come to be ruled by dybbuks of a different stripe."
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But is this the outer chain of power? No. I believe Trump's understanding is limited. He seems to have lost it, and in any case is making horrible PR decisions.
re Great Game: this is a move on China. Land routes are in place for trade now -- a train going all the way from Xian to Ukraine via the west side of the Persian Gulf completed the trip last year. From Ukraine rails existed down to Le Havre (no more).
Like the British before us, we must force trade onto the seaways, and the choke points are mainly 6 globally (2 in the current Iran war, the Bab el Mandeb/ Suez are next to get choked, as Iran stated the other day), and we have the best navy (under duress from missiles these days when too close to land) and nuclear submarines.
Col. Larry Wilkerson and others who mediated in the region during Iraq see it as such, but are not sure at the same time that Trump is even aware of the larger chain around the go pieces. He is a Mafioso out of his league now (I still agree the democrats are more contemptible.)
_____
I have no time here at the moment, so this is episodic -- but the Lloyds of London Bank is separate from the Lloyd's insurance exchange. They were banking "illicit" Iranian oil profits and enabling them -- and taking the 20% estimated markup on the insurance. Go Britain!
______
The port in Haifa was built by China. Israel will drop us in a heartbeat if China is more conducive ton their survival and enrichment.
Someone posted a link to your article here, which I have yet to read completely. Should I? Do you have a summary?
But I did catch the name, Zineb, and am wondering if it's the same woman, also with a Substack blog, who seems based in some Jewish institution and who deleted my comments 'just like that' under one of her articles on her blog. I forget what I wrote, but it was probably a swipe at her ideas, background and biases-- things along those lines.
Anyway, the whole Iran-demonization thing, while it may have some teeth, it may also be classic war-demonization too-- you know, to dehumanize one's enemy so as to make bombing and murdering them feel somehow closer to acceptable? Alleviate a bit of that cognitive dissonance?
While life is too short to read everyone's articles, I will say, in parting, that I looked up the statistics for the State ('country') with the most deaths-by-military (both civilian and military) in the world since WW2: It's apparently America.
Sheldon Wolin also calls the American political system something approaching inverted totalitarianism apparently.
So, I don't know, maybe look in the mirror before pointing fingers if, of course, that's what you and/or others are doing in that regard.
@Paulette- Israel doesn't start wars but it sure AF will retaliate. Hard.
Oh please, that nonsensical gaslighting hasbara is long past its expiration date.
Please go gaslight to your genocidal Zionist bubble.
If Isreal wanted genocide, no Palestinians would be left. Period. You won't, but you should look into the lengths the IDF went to limit civilian casualties. Something Hamas (hah) would never think of doing.
Oh please, the ridiculous claim that the IDF tries to limit civilian casualties is long past its expiration date. The evidence is overwhelmingly otherwise.
As for that over-used piece of hasbara - "If Israel wanted genocide, no Palestinians would be left" - Israel is slaughtering as fast as it can get away with. Which is, of course, also why it has a killed more journalists than in WW1 and 2 combined.
You’re clearly unaware that Israel has been observing a ceasefire in Gaza for some time, which Hamas continues to flout whilst refusing to hand over its weapons - a condition of that ceasefire.
Seriously, you think this flaming-lies propaganda works? israel has violated this ceasefire almost every day, bombs helpless civilians, guns down people gathered at publicized aid stations, is permitting less than 1/4 of the food needed into Gaza, having bombed all infrastructure there is no sanitation and Israel will not permit sanitation relief measures to enter, is denying medical aid after destroying all hospitls and killing almost all healthcare workers..... Israel has killed over 2000 people since this phony ceasefire and injured many more - and is starving and killing with disease many, many more.
Have you no shame, or do these diabolical lies come naturally to you?
Sorry if you can't handle the truth.
Your lies convince no one, Scott. Not sorry.
You mean the IDF whose headquarters with deep underground bunkers is smack dab in the middle of a densely populated civilian neighborhood. They don't even care about their own civilians, much less the palestinian population.
Sorry if you can't handle the truth.
Can you make a comment that makes sense? Otherwise, just keep nonsense to yourself please.
The Pentagon is in Washington, every government has their military headquarters in a major city.
Could you show me on a map where the Hamas headquarters was? Or Hezbollah?
I'm not the one being hysterical about human shields. Just pointing out that the lovely benevolent gov of Israel does the same thing. And btw, the pentagon doesn't sit in the middle of civilian housing.
Someone has come outta her damn closet and is a Jew hater 👆👆👆
Hating genocide and the Zionist Holocaust makes one a "Jew hater"? What an interesting self-own.
“Zionist” is the new “racist”. It has NO effect but make people roll their eyes at you. SMH
No effect? Which is, of course, why we are innundated with frantic articles trying to conflate Zionism with Judaism, and calling anti-Zionism "anti-Semitism."
The world has had its eyes opened, and decades of Zionist propaganda has been undone by the livestreamed Zionist Holocaust.
Racist racist racist - that’s all I here from your shlop
Paulette isa mental midget. No use trying to convince her of any thing.
Eh, I have no interest in trying to convince her or any of them of my thinking. That’s their shtick. They feel a need to infect everyone with their mind virus. I just like to remind them they are nothing more than noisy gongs and useful idiots
Idiots? Yes.
Useful? Hardly.
The useful ones were the ones that helped pull off the scamdemic.
Gato your article is quite reasonable.
Please name one war where Israel fired the first shot. The "Christian Boomer Trump voter must be locked in the Tucker / Candace orbit.
1958, 1967, 1982, 2026.
You don't know much, do you?
“The first shot,” is often orchestrated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair. This is likely what happened on 10/7 as well.
Heavy sigh......
Iran in it's current form needs to not exist.
I'll bet you didn't know about the Arabs who live in Israel and vote and not oppressed....I challenge you to find openly Jewish or Christian people in Iran.....
Oct 7th was the unprovoked start of all this world sympathy for Hamas.
You didn't actually READ this piece. You skimmed over the parts you didn't like.....
I don't know if Trump will be successful or not. I DO know he thinks outside the box more than any president in my lifetime. All the doom and gloomers assume he will do EXACTLY what the last bunch has done and just stamp it red instead of blue. I think Trump actually means to change things....and thus the almost universal hatred of him by people in power.
Wow, you don't know much, do you? Iran has the second largest Jewish population in the Middle East, after Israel.
Iran also has many Christians.
Oct 7 was unprovoked? Israel has been murdering Gazans regularly in its "mow the grass" strategy and had a blockade on Gaza after its phony withdrawal.
Do you really think this propaganda works any more?
I think you may be surprised to learn that both Jews and Christians do live in Iran, actually. Are the oppressed? Of course, all citizens in these countries are oppressed.
Have people already forgotten that Israel was the testing grounds for the forced poisonous covid shots, after all? It is amusing to see many acting like the Israeli government is full of saints who just want to help their people.
Iran currently has a population of approximately 93 million. At its modern peak around 70–75 years ago (late 1940s to early 1950s), the Jewish population in Iran reached roughly 100,000–150,000. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the rise of the Islamic Republic (with the IRGC established that same year), the community has shrunk dramatically. Today, only about 8,000–10,000 Jews remain in Iran.
Those who stay face daily discrimination simply for being Jewish. Under Iran’s Islamic legal system, Jews are treated as second-class citizens: their testimony in court is worth less than that of a Muslim, they are barred from many senior government and military positions, and they endure constant surveillance, antisemitic state propaganda, and collective suspicion of disloyalty (especially ties to Israel). Synagogues and community activities are monitored, Jewish schools are controlled by the regime, and individuals risk arrest, interrogation, or worse — particularly after tensions with Israel. Many live with the constant pressure to publicly denounce Israel to prove their loyalty, while facing social stigma and bureaucratic obstacles in everyday life.
I would call that more than just oppressed.
"Are the oppressed? Of course, all citizens in these countries are oppressed." You say that like it's no biggie.....Guess who WASN'T oppressed before Oct 7th?
The freakin Palestinians. Did they have everything they WANTED? No, but nobody does. The Israelis weren't shooting them in the streets until they came over and did their 'thang.'
There is no equilavence.
Also, Palestinian civilians
You are seriously delusional if you think the Palestinians weren't being oppressed prior to Oct 7. Israel mass-slaughtered them periodically. Bombing, blockade, demolitions... and on the West Bank ethnic cleansing, daily IDF murders, murderous settler pogroms, land grabs...
But I don't think you are delusional - you are just brazenly lying.
Really....and where did you get this information? I'd like to see unbiased documentation of these claims. Daily IDF murders? How about all the Palestinians allowed to come and go in and out of Israel for work? Hmmmm....seems so fucking oppressive compared to HANGING in Iran for disagreeing with, oh, I dunno, the government....or stoning women. Gaza was comparatively nice before Hamas decided to SACRIFICE their own people by pulling the October 7th stunt. They did it on purpose at the behest of Iran......they all knew that Israel had to react. Even then.....EVEN FUCKING THEN.....Israel didn't immediately react. Do you think that Iran would give Israel the same grace if they had come across the border and murdered and raped and kidnapped Iranians and celebrated it with videos posted publicly? Iran would have wiped Israel off the face of the earth and taken NO CARE in trying to avoid civilian deaths. Meanwhile, Hamas built their bunkers under hospitals and schools and other civilian structures to FORCE Israel to attack 'civilian' targets to kill the evil bastards.
And Hamas wouldn't be a thing with Iran funding it. Don't ever forget that. Hamas would not exist without Iran. They are the driving force. Iran funds these useful idiots and then pushes them into the fire to be killed for PR purposes.
Anyone who falls for this is a moron. It was a setup, everyone knows it. Everyone KNEW Israel would react violently....ANY COUNTRY WOULD in the same situation. ANY COUNTRY.
Palestinians would likely be happily living side by side with Israelis if a bunch of outside forces---namely Iran---hadn't been pushing them constantly and telling that the Israel is evil. The Jews were around in that area long before ANY Muslim. Mohammed wasn't even born until 570 AD....AFTER CHRIST....and the Jews were there long before Christ....but the Jews somehow don't deserve to have a tiny piece of land where their ancestors lived and the Muslim armies under the Rashidun Caliphate began invading southern Palestine, gaining control of areas around Gaza and the countryside. So, the damn Muslims STOLE it from the Jews as did the Romans and Persians before them...in spite of all of this....Jews remained there continuously.......Maybe read some history. There is no such thing as a Palestinian people....they are colonizing muslim invaders......they are living on stolen land......and Israel has allowed them to stay......much to their own detriment.
What would you call being forced to take a poisonous mRNA shot? I would call it more than oppressed.
Perhaps you might consider the Islamic/jihadist occupation of many European countries, as well as US cities Detroit, Minneapolis, Manhattan? I cite a single example. The Lt. Gov of Minnesota putting on a hijab to meet our Minnesota Somali 'neighbors.' Perhaps I am particularly sensitive on this point today because I just paid my state taxes. With visions of suitcases of cash being transported out of MSP. Not high on theory today, just reality. Thx el gato malo. I thought I was the only one.
I'm continually perplexed at how upset people are at these scams to rob us taxpayers, but seem to not care about the pentagon scam, which is the worst offender in robbing us of our taxpayer dollars.
I guess it depends on what the definition of scam is. To borrow a quote.
God damn you are a stupid fuck.
What was stupid about that comment - especially considering that President Bone Spurs wants to increase the already insane budget by another 50%?
In case you've never seen this:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RQ8iJ4ZZkw0
When Trump was informed that Israel was going to start this war with or without us, he should've bombed Tel Aviv and hoped that the people would rise up and overthrow their blood-soaked leader.
lol
Good grief 🙄🤦🏼♀️
Trump didn’t start a war. He’s actually ending it once and for all. And thank God for that. Big difference. Painting it as if he started this is only beneficial to crazy leftists and an indicator of brainwashing.
I really look forward to all the “I Told Ya So”s you’ll all deserve five/ten years from now. But even then you’ll find a way to spin what happens good negatively.
Trump didn't start a war? Delusional. Brainwashed. Nonsense.
Iran started it. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ It’s been ongoing forever and they used terrorist proxies to do their dirty deeds. We all knew it, that is until Trump became president and decided to end it now y’all have amnesia. Yes, you ARE delusional and brainwashed
“The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Please look up what the Mullahs believe about the Mahdi. Essentially they believe they can bring about the end of the world and coming of their version of the messiah. If they get nukes it is not to use to gain control or bargain with. It is for the destruction of Israel and the west to bring about the end of the world and the Mahdi. “Big Satan” and “Little Satan” are part of this twisted belief and why they repeat these names frequently. The rest of the Middle East also understands this death wish of the Mullahs and it is part of reason why they hate Iran.
lol
Maybe go to BlueSky they’d take your sorry azzz
Seriously, this "Israel is a genocidal warmonger" shit is so tired. If Israel wanted to "do a genocide" in Gaza, they could do it in an afternoon. Q.E.D.
You're late to the party - that tired piece of hasbara has already been trotted out here, and rebutted - Israel is genociding as fast as it can get away with. Hitler didn't kill everyone in an afternoon, either.
Excellent piece Gato you never disappoint (and thanks for the link to that wonderful article written from a true insider’s perspective). I would disagree with you on something though, although it reinforces what I think is your central argument. My apologies if someone beat me to it, but your comments section is so rife with “the Joooz ate my farina” type of stuff that you can feel your brain turning into a fine paste and it’s exhausting. You argued that we will never know what would have happened had Trump chosen the path of least resistance and done nothing. But we do know. Obama the Ocean Whisperer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace (read: Awesomeness) chose that path. He took his tailored trousers down and presented his effeminate posterior for peace in our time and what we got a decade later was 60% enriched uranium, underground shielded bunkers, murderous proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, and assorted other shitholes, a massive aresrnal of cheap drones, and a partridge in a pear tree. That was always a losing hand.
Paulette, for the sake of argument, and I will not admit or deny your points are correct or incorrect, would you feel safer in a world where the U.S. and Israel are the main power brokers or where Iran, China and Russia occupied that place of power? That’s really what it comes down to for me. Do you think China and Iran would defend your rights as a Christian, Republican, Boomer, Trump supporter, now disgusted? Just answer the question honestly.
That's a false choice, Andrea. We are not required to choose between the "US AND Israel" vs Iran, China, and Russia. I choose America only, but not America the Bully.
Israel is a genocidal Jewish Nazi state - we have already seen the horrific genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, pogroms, et al they inflict on helpless civilians when they have any power. I do not choose them at all, nor for my country, currently Zionist-occupied, to be their stooge and lapdog - although they are dependent on us.
I would choose America ONLY, free of the shackles of genocidal Zionism, but not the American Bully my country has far too often been on the world stage. An America that heeds George Washington's warning to avoid foreign entanglements, held in check from being so by a decent balance of power with other nations.
And just as I would wish for an altered America in its foreign affairs, I would wish for an altered China and Russia. I fear China most, because with our incessant wars for genocidal Israel's benefit, we are hollowing out our economy and piling on unsustainable debt. Meanwhile, China has been expanding its influence, does not have our crushing debt burden, and is the world's manufacturing power house.
(Our ridiculous former manufacturing policies that claimed one could build long-term prosperity on "services" rather than manufacturing has been an albotross too - Trump was right on that, before he jettisoned all his campaign promises to bootlick his Zionist donors and take his orders from that disgusting war criminal Bibi.)
Iran? They have the same right to be a nuclear power Israel has. We have no business or right dictating to them on this, and sending Americans to die for Israel.
And we are now so much in thrall to genocidal Israel, we are willing to commit war crimes. Shame on America, shame on the commanders ordering it, and shame on the people who obey those immoral orders. We need another Nuremberg.
right on Paulette. and i really hope you are right about freeing our country from Zionist occupation.
Bergen-Belsen Holocaust survivor Israel Shahak's "Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years":
https://ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/shahak.html.
clarifies much of what underlies Israeli Zionism and their goal of Greater Israel. He moved to Palestine in 1945, lived there until his death in 2001, and became a scholar who read the Talmud in Hebrew, not just the sanitized English translations.
Not a Boomer, but I agree completely with your take.
Not surprising
Wow. Definitely disagree.
I won't argue with most of your facts - except that Iran has never had a nuclear weapons program, and they were not developing one. The intelligence community has many, many reports on this, all concluding that they are not building a bomb. The IAEA had inspectors up the wazoo in the country, and they never found any evidence. The ONLY evidence of Iran's nuclear program is the cartoon of a bomb that Bibi took to the UN. There is literally no other evidence. They poured concrete into a research reactor that would have been capable of making nuclear material when the signed the JCPOA.
However, you are leaving out a TON of facts that color the analysis.
First, they are still kinda pissed about living for 25 years under a brutal CIA-installed dictator. I mean geez, Iranians, get over it.
In the 1980s, close to a million Iranian civilians were murdered by Saddam Hussein with weapons supplied by the United States. Including chemical weapons. If your grandmother had been gassed to death, maybe just maybe you might bear a grudge to the country that sent the weapons? You yourself gave the example of the US flattening Mexico if the cartels did what Hamas did. Why does Iran not get the same privilege?
Another conveniently forgotten fact: Bibi was FUNDING Hamas, to keep them alive as a boogeyman and prevent a Palestinian state.
Also, what about the Clean Break strategy? Written by neocons in the 1990s, it proposed destroying Libya, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, etc (sound like a familiar list?) in order to destroy the Oslo accords and prevent a Palestinian state. Are we supposed to believe that the fact that the plan played out exactly as written was a giant coincidence and in fact it was Iran the whole time?
Yes, Iran killed, or helped to kill, US soldiers. And all the US had done was send its soldiers halfway around the world, murdered a couple hundred thousand innocent civilians, and destroyed entire cities and even countries. So Iran helped their neighbors shoot back? My gosh, they are TERRORISTS!
Maybe the Iranians were a little worried by Bibi's self-confessed 43-year life's mission to destroy Iran. Might that make them nervious? How about a Senator from a superpower ridiculously singing "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran"? We are supposed to be outraged by them chanting "Death to America" (and chanting has always been a capital offense, worthy of destroying a country over) but not singing about destroying a country? WTAF.
And why in the world would the Iranians attack their neighbors? They just don't like each other? The US was launching attacks from the soil of those countries. If Cuba let China build military bases from which they attacked the US, would the US not respond by attacking Cuba?
I don't think the mullahs are "good guys" (like there is such a thing in politics). But, as Rambo said, "we drew first blood."
Also, if we are going to extoll the virtues of "the great game" and "hard power", then how in the world do we make moral judgements "oh the Iranians cause mischief." Too bad. It's kill or be killed, and they have as much right to kill as anyone. Also, the "moral" US government is talking about "raining hell" and destroying the civilian infrastructure and bombing them "back to the Stone Age", but we are supposed to clutch our pearls when Iran does similar? And what about other countries? Should Costa Rica start bombing the rest of Latin America to "secure needed resources"? Should Brazil invade Africa? Maybe Mexico should attack the US, after all, it's a "great game" and we have a lot of resources. This just leads to more death and grief and sorrow and murder (apologies to Steve Martin).
And let's not forget the end of the 12-day War - the US had bombed Iran, and now it was up to them. Would they destroy all the Gulf infrastructure? Would they close the Straights? Start WW3? The US basically put the fate of the world in the hands of the mullahs and waited. And what did they do? They sent a dozen out-of-date missiles to an abandoned corner of a US airbase where they called ahead to make sure there were no casualties. Those Iranians are OUT OF CONTROL! They are MADMEN! They only shot back after the US/Israel bombed them IN THE MIDDLE OF NEGIOTIATIONS twice (when the Japanese do this it's a "day of infamy" but when the US does it's a "strategic masterstroke") and then assassinated their version of the pope. Which side are the madmen and who is showing restraint?
It’s kind of tough to argue that the leaders of a theocratic death cult that believes killing infidels will earn them 72 virgins in paradise are only acting rationally.
Kinda like our Christian warmongers in government who also think they are doing God's will by going to war?
No. It’s really not like that at all. You might be thinking of the Crusades a thousand years ago. Western civilization has moved on from that. Maybe someday the Islamists will move past it too. Many of the countries in the Middle East seem to be taking steps in that direction. Iran is not one of them.
I recall not too long ago GWB saying God was speaking to him in the context of war. I wouldn't be shocked if Hegseth thinks the same thing. Maybe they will soon be claiming divine right.
Also, has everyone forgotten that Israel was ground zero for the forced innoculations of the poisonous covid shots? Seems like both governments are quite rotten to the core.
TL;DR past the first paragraph, but how then do you explain their 60% enriched uranium, far more than needed for any peaceful purpose, and their unwillingness to give it up, even to the destruction of their country? I remember the so called “inspections,” and the “look here, but not over there” ridiculousness.
Excellent comment. Which is why nobody will be able to rebut.
Excellent comment, well done.
thank you!! very well said.
Well said.
That's a very skilled spin on the matter, but it leaves out mountains of circumstantial evidence pointing to Netanyahu/Israeli influence and intelligence being a driving force. Here's Colin Powell's Chief of Staff's take on the truthfulness of the Israelis: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RQ8iJ4ZZkw0 ("Israelis are patent liars...inveterate liars")
This is an unjust war. If you want to live in a world where "might makes right" than sit back and allow Soros and his "mighty" fellow travelers decide to take away your rights... and maybe even your life.
so, someonme once said the israelis are dishonest, so everything else is spin?
with respect, that seems like spin.
there is no question israeli intellegence and military were important parts of this war. but none of that says anything about a potential confluence of interests. seems like you're making an awful lot of leaps here that you have not backed up.
What are your thoughts on the NYT (yes, I know, NYT) article published last week that painted a picture where Bibi came into the situation room and convinced trump to this, and almost everyone who’s actually a part of OUR government who had a say was hesitant or outright against it. The only exception was Hegseth, who we have on video talking about how he wants to build the third temple and usher in Armageddon.
Not to mention Rubio said the quiet part out loud at the start, when he outright stated that we were dragged into this by Israel. The Zionist factor in this equation carries a lot more weight than you’ve addressed in either part of this series thus far, at least imho.
Everything is spin, gato. I wanted that out there for people to see.
Reports are that Bibi convinced Trump to move forward based on exaggerated claims of a quick victory. Exaggerated claim or lie? Trump's advisors called Israeli assessments “farcical .“
i doubt anyone went ahead with this expecting quick victory.
you would not mass the kind of capability for sustained attack we did were that the case.
I think they did expect a quick victory, which is why they didn't think the strait would be an issue - a new US friendly regime was supposed to be in place in a matter of weeks. The planning (if you can call it that) around this military action seems to be not so well thought out. What have we gained thus far? How many hundreds of billions have been spent by a nation that is $39 trillion in debt?
Shock and Awe, I believe, is what Netanyahu promised would be enough to topple the Iranian government. Ground troops are arriving only now. The ceasefire is merely a delay until enough are massed for at least a limited success.
These are Persians, not Iraquis. They will fight vigorously to fend off invasi9n.
Okay how about Joe Kent and what he said?
Exactly. If this were all about snagging oil for America, someone would've sat Kent down and explained to him the plan before he courageously spoke out.
Bibi didn't visit the WH 7 times to tell Trump how great it would be for America to edge out ChIna for Iran's resources.
Gato hasn't done it, but many others on substack (Chris Bray, Librarian) have tried to immediately take Israeli involvement out of polite discussion of this unfolding fiasco.
What do you mean “live in the world where might makes right”?
Have you been living in some other world where it didn’t?
I always laugh where I hear "Israel has the right to exist" type nonsense.
1) No country on this planet has the "right to exist". You have the might to exist or you exist at the mercy of others. Full stop.
2) How can Israel have rights when their citizens have none? They put the screws to their own people same as everywhere else. "No jab, no job" type coercion.
City of London ... the penultimate shit-stirrer behind both Iran and Izzy ... and so many other "flashpoints" where the jar of red/black ants can be shaken ...
You're an excellent narrative control writer. I'll give you that. The lies you spread about Oct 7, ignoring the real reasons the kingdoms hate Iran, and avoiding The Greater Israel Project which is what this war is really about, you are definitely a friend of the murderous zionists.
you may need to re-read the part about "if every inkblot looks the same to you."
@Fat- the fact that Iran launched a missile into Diego Garcia refutes your comment.
Allegedly.
@Johnny (my fav adversary on Substack)- confirmed
By our lying government? Okay.
Tell me more about Greater Israel, bigfatpop. I understand is that it is the annexation of Gaza and West Bank, which will come with issues of their own if that land changes from an occupation to actually become part of Israel.
No one is talking about taking over Jordan (where there is a peace treaty) or lebanon (where there has been active war because Lebanon refuses to acknowledge Israel borders and hosts Hezbollah, whose sole purpose and gosl is destrucrion of the Israel state. Why does tehran, in Palestinian square, have a doomsday clock that counts down to the destruction of Israel (feel free to Google it)?
Why didn't Egypt (controlled Gaza) nor Jordan (controlled West Bank) create a Palestinian State back in the 1950's?
So bigfatpop, what exactly IS greater Israel?
backin' ya up! with this:
https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2026/03/the-big-lie-of-greater-israel.html
Substack really needs down votes LOL.
The Israeli soldiers wear arm patches showing it. From the Euphrates to the Nile. Look up the Od Yinon plan sometime.
politely suggestin' ya read whut I shared....respectfully but fully...disagree.
See how Israel's terrytory has SHRUNKN like sum' kinda Maori head trophy--Israel has given (by treaty) land over ta her "Arab friends" in eggchange fer "Peas." Clearly didn't work...Oslo made a Bozo outta Israel (Yas'Sir AraRat hadda good laff 'bout it too!)
a. no Israelis have heard of Od Yinon plan...an' nobuddy has ever taken it seriously... Israel duz not even wanna manage Gaza let alone take over orchestration of the entire Middle East... lotta baloney (not even kosher baloney--)
b. "Given that Israel recognizes and has a peace agreement with Jordan and returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for peace, it's safe to say Israel has no such plans."... nor has Israel every acted on 'em...evah!
c. "TransJordan" was created from a chunk of Israel the UN originally had as part've the jooish state... they literally gave away a nayshun fer "peas"--those were chewish lands...
c) Israel would like it's terrorist neighbors ta leave it the heck alone-- The "West Bank" was renamed ta hide the fact that it's Chooish terrytory...Judea & Samaria--at most "Greater Israel" might mean havin' J&S (rightfully "theirs") & that's 'bout it... Arab naytions have zip ta fear from "Greater Israel"--Saudis & sum others know this...already
Zo we disagree on this par-tick-u-lar toe-pick but methinks we agree that Martin the Martian is hilarious.... (peas out)
Looking forward checking it out! Thank you
Search "conque" (yes that's a stem) and just read the text around the 119 matches. Search "river" and "borders". That will get you to the places where this maniac, sorry bog standard rabbi is discussing the future borders. It's all in context of the religious fever dreams about some shared and jointly perpetuated nationalist fantasy, so yes you do have to slog through pages and pages of maundering about "once upon a time and in the divinely mandated prophetic future to come". https://potomactorah.org/content/2025-07-25-Matot-Masei.pdf All this geopolitical hasbara in the article above, repeating lies such as "babies killed" (zero) and "rapes" (zero) and "hamas killed 1200" (the IDF came in and killed hundreds of Israelis and guest servants, flattening kibbutzes in what seems to have been the production of a reality tv gorefest to manufacture consent), is just as I say hasbara serving the Zionist aims. "Libertarian" my ass.
Is this a joke? The paper seems to consist of Rabbi's discussing and analyzing the Torah/old testament to determine what the holy book describes as the land promised to the Jews. A religious discussion as proof is laughable.
I'm not giving it as proof of the claim's correctness. I'm giving it as a clear demonstration that yes the Greater Israel concept, as Bezalel Smotrich and many others in the contemporary Knesset currently call it and also going back in time even to the 1890s (eretz yisroel, cf Ahad Ha'am and others) is a defined concept as a land of future conquest larger than the area currently occupied by them. In some cases much larger. As this screed points out, there are "minimalist" assertions which only run up into Southern Lebanon and there are grabbier assertions which extend much farther.
Fyi "Ben Gurion" also made these claims, and talked about pushing east. He certainly was not the only one. When the British declined to say that the Jews could just have all of "transjordan", the World Zionist Congress started throwing fits and accusing the British of being welchers, which is just insanity piled on top of insanity.
But the Zionist project is fundamentalist Judaism, wrapped in politicized aggression, and so the determinants of the project are always found in their religious maunderings. Like this one. The undetermined nature of what this rabbi is saying is the essence of the demands: boundless, as Ben Gurion stated, except if the Jews themselves decide to limit their aspirations.
I enjoyed reading this with a cup of coffee. El Gato Malo, excellent clarity in a fog of propaganda! I always find your assessment reasonable on a situation.
What if the inkblot is the entire world, run by the Epstein class that control all the ruling families? In this case, both sides of the war are funded by the same class, as was done with Napoleon, the world wars, and the conflicts in southeast Asia during the 60s, Iraq, Afghanistan etc.
If this is the case, then the Agenda becomes clear - crush oil so that EV cars and the biometric control grid go live for Klaus and his Swiss friends.
Thoughts?
i see nothing here aimed at crushing oil, rather a play to secure it for the west and control its flow to china. seems to me more like a recognition of its inevitable ongoing import as a strategic resource.
How does this war not play into Agenda 2030?
because it's securing oil access for the west and denying it to china? how does it fit? just because something causes a ST rise in oil prices does not make it some sinister EV plot.
But what if the globalists already control both the west and China?
Are you aware of Agenda 2030?
That's just a happy coincidence. After the culling, the survivors will indeed "own nothing, but be happy"...because they're still alive.
If this is indeed the case, then is it about "spreading democracy" or spreading democracy as an excuse to control resources?
Thanks for this article gato. I see that you have discovered some of the same non-western media sources I have which certainly provided some needed context for the Middle East situation.
Another perspective I found even before the Iran conflict began was an intriguing piece by the environMENTAL Substack. It was looking at the aftermath of Venezuela, the feasibility of energy networks throughout the Americas, and that this new “spheres of influence” model could result in the pullout of American troops/interests in the Middle East as it is expensive to maintain and could be made redundant as to the question of oil supplies. I get the perspective of some Americans that they are tired of being the world’s policeman (and footing the bill for it too!). Even still, it is very clear that the Middle East cannot simply be handed over to the likes of China; the US does not need Middle Eastern oil … but the Chinese sure do, and the entire world will suffer if they are given a free hand. Iran and its proxies should be viewed as the playbook for the violent version of Chinese “soft power” (and Canada as the more insidious “nothing to see here” version).
And do you think that fact is in itself an act of war? That makes me want to throw up the hairball in my tummy.
of course it's an act of war. that's sort of the point, no?
are you saying war can never be justified or rational?
Do you think it is an act of war to provoke China? And does it help resolve the Ukraine/Russia War?
one could probably argue that overthrowing the ukrainian government, putting in a puppet, then threatening to add it to NATO was casus belli.
totally agree. I have a friend who was married to a Ukrainian born in a refugee camp and interviewed survivors of Holodomor. We have had honest discussions about this and the corruption. I read the book Purge and it took my breath away with its rawness. We are teetering into our own corruption where we may fall under its weight. Will the world weep or cheer?
F da WEF😂
Roman - here's another very interesting take i saw yesterday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_DHMUdOVdo
Nice read & I'll take a dive into the recommended article.
Two points though that must not be forgotten:
1) Trump's unilateral commitment of US blood and treasure is in violation of the Constitution and the WPA of 1973. If we as a nation of laws seek to rid the world of the lawless, let's make sure we at least follow our own laws in doing so. The laughable excuse of needing the element of surprise as justification is another one of those "let's see how much the public will swallow" actions. We don't win by becoming our enemies.
2) Reminder that one of the two folks in that room already has a gun, so when the stranger reaches for the gun on the table, both know the consequences of using their guns. What NK learned from developing its own nukes and the delivery vehicles to send them where they will is there will not be any Iran like bombardments of NK. Only one nation has ever uses nukes on another, and none has used them since 1945...
The line that Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map by using a nuke is nonsense. They have shown they already have missile capacity to deliver a lot of devastation to Israel if they wanted - and have done nothing until Israel and the US began bombing the sh*t out of them. So....
“They have done nothing” .??? Iran has been bombing Israel continuously for YEARS and continue today.
Any entity claiming that it’s doing this war because it’s necessary to “grab the gun before the other guy gets it” but that is not, in the same breath, ensuring that their national food supply is decentralized and debt free, that water is a human right, that insurance companies have not captured the medical system and that finance cartels have not captured the single family housing market is full of shit.
Because all of those things leave a country open to attack and manipulation, which if you are trying to maintain your national resilience, is unacceptable.
If you’re grabbing the gun from the other guy, but still letting Wall Street, banks, insurance and big ag hold a gun to the heads of the American people…
It is a false analogy. In reality there are 2 people in a room. One has a gun (Israeli nukes) and there is a gun laying on the table (Iran develops a nuke).
Do you go for it? I do.
If the cartels rampaged a music festival in Texas I would be rather angry with my government for funding them and standing down during the attack. I would also be skeptical of my government who have for years been salivating to take over Mexico and destroy "El Amaleko." But if I was a retard, I would be gleefully cheering the indiscriminate and systematic slaughter of Mexican kids, just like my government would want me to.
Good article. We have a lot of people with TDS but also IDS. They completely ignore what the Iranian Ayatollah says about obliterating Israel and America. They keep no record of wrongs regarding all the innocent people (many it’s own citizens) the radical regime has murdered over the decades, but listen to propaganda and form conspiracy theories about what Israel has done. If you agree with the Ayatollah that America is the Big Satan, consider how his people and the Palestinians live. They are force-fed hatred from an early age (the same is happening here, alas) and if it doesn’t take, they are executed. But anyway, if they truly believe that Iran is so good, why don’t they move there?
Military analysts I have listened to state that Iran didn't really have a navy or air force. It just gives a good talking point to say we destroyed something that hardly existed to begin with.
Truly outstanding. Thank you.
Zio feline is in da house!
Zionism for Everyone!! 🙌🏼
https://www.tabletmag.com/feature/zionism-for-everyone
Iran doesn't (yes, present tense) want to dominate the region. Iran wants to dominate the world. Ain't happenin'.
Really? Where does this analysis come from?