When it comes to Israel vs Iran, his utter incompetence and stupidity is once again on show for all to see. In May 2018, President Donald Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), widely known as the Iran nuclear deal, effectively dismantling the agreement. We are told that Iran’s response was to commence work on Nuclear weapons, that their nuclear capabilities gradually rebounded, and that by early 2024, its low-enriched uranium stockpile had grown more than 27 times original limits.
And so here we are now, learning that once again his stupid incompetent actions have consequences.
How real is the threat of an Iranian Nuclear weapon?
It’s probably not.
There is however no ducking that it all now feels like a repeat of the “weapons of mass destruction” claims that got us into an utterly pointless war in Iraq during the Bush Era, and so here we go again.
Seems worth at least remembering that Netanyahu has been making claims about Iran getting nukes for 35 years — and helped perpetuate the lie that took us into Iraq. “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana
It is also worth remembering that the official intelligent update from less than 90 days ago was that Iran had no Nukes. This conclusion has now been swept under the nearest rug …
Also via the former ambassador to Russia …
Seth is spot on here, the Netanyahu Regime is out of control and out of its mind …
As the week progressed, so did the lunacy …
- Trump’s Fox News consumption is why he went from saying we had nothing to do with it to taking credit for the attack: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol…
- Iran says they did not ask to come to the White House, despite Trump’s claim. Iran are big into blatant propaganda and outright lies, yet even when knowing that, I’m still inclined to believe them over anything Trump says.
Then yesterday on Sat Jun 21, we bombed Iran.
Yet even as recently as one week ago …
Iran may not have been working on a bomb last week, but you can bet your sweet ass they are determined to get one now.
Apparently we did reach out and warn the Iranians in advance …
Washington notified Tehran of the strikes. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a high-ranking Iranian political source confirmed that the Trump administration on June 21 conveyed that it did not seek an all-out confrontation, and only intended to strike the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites.
- So wrap your head around this – They kept democrats in congress in the dark and so they didn’t know … but Iran did.
- Did Pete add the Ayatollah to the signal chat?
Meanwhile, what is perhaps the easiest way for the Ayatollah to get out of this mess is to buy some Trump phones. Via Mike Luckovich
Nick Anderson on the The Trump Peace Prize …
War Propganda Prevails
Every Fox guest and host 24/7 for days has had this exact same message. Same thing they did in 2002, beating the drums of war with a single message all day, every day. Dissent will not be tolerated because war is great ratings …
- Trump would now appear to be the only person in history to have started a world war because of poor attendance at a birthday party
- Also as a reminder: Much of the Fox News lineup is now running the country.
Now this next bit is both interesting and also funny as hell. If you are a foreign intelligence service wanting to understand if the US is about the do something dramatic, then apparently the Pizza Index is all you need …
- Yes it is a bit of a joke account, but the data is real, and as pointed out by one media outlet – “Pentagon’s Pizza Index has accurately predicted 21 crises: and that now includes this one“
- The idea isn’t new. During the Cold War, Soviet operatives observed pizza delivery activity in Washington, believing it signalled crisis preparation inside U.S. intelligence circles. They coined it “Pizzint” — short for pizza intelligence.
- As former CNN Pentagon correspondent Wolf Blitzer once joked in 1990, “Bottom line for journalists: Always monitor the pizzas.”
Completely crazy fanatical religious belief is also a rather obvious driving force here, and I don’t just mean Israel and Iran, but also us. Here is our “We are the chosen ones” variation …
Is Jesse considering coming out? He has been fantasizing about a massive penetrator …
As always, for everything he does there is always one of his old tweets …
This following clip has been doing the rounds. In it Tucker Carlson exposes that Ted Cruz, who wants to destroy Iran, knows absolutely nothing about Iran …
- You resolve Jo’s dilemma like this – Tucker is a big piece of shit. But it’s funny watching him make an even bigger piece of shit look like a big piece of shit.
- As for what happened after the above “debate” – Ted Cruz did the most Ted Cruziest thing imaginable – posting a bunch of cherry-picked clips from a debate that he lost.
Meanwhile, Wikipedia appears to have worked in out in advance. The US was added to the Iran-Israel page as a Belligerent on Tue 17th June (You can find the editors discussion on that change – here) …
So what else has been happening this past week?
Oh come now, as always you need not even ponder that, a continuous torrent of “utter lunacy blended with raw stupidity” is the now well-established normal, or to borrow a well-worn phrase, “Interesting times”.
Grifting
Weirdly, Apple refused to destroy their business to pacify him, so he has moved on now to a new grifting alternative …
- This new Trump T1 “All‑American” phone is not actually made in the U.S.. Despite marketing claims, all evidence indicates it’s manufactured in China, then later labeled as “Built for America” or potentially “modded in the USA.” – Daily Beast has the details
“Big Ugly Bill”
The Senate changed the text of the bill, and guess what …
- Each version will kick millions of people off their health insurance and each would rip food assistance away from millions of households. Each would increase deficits by trillions of dollars while making the poorest Americans poorer and making the richest Americans richer.
- In addition to the direct wealth redistribution, it also transfers vast swathes of public land into private hands for drilling, mining, logging, development etc
Before this bill takes effect, right now, this is where we are …
… and here is what the bill will do if enacted and also when considered along with the Trump Tariffs …
Multiple layers of Lunacy and utter incompetence
- The Guardian Story can be found here.
- In essence an unintended consequence of his Exec Order empowers Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide to refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats. What has happened is that language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated. #TotalIncompetence
FEMA prep gutted …
- Above CBS News story here – Cuts to FEMA’s storm prep program hammer communities that voted for Trump
- Side note: The $4.6 billion FEMA initiative that he is killing was launched under the first Trump administration
- It’s not like we didn’t try to warn everyone about what would happen if he got back into the oval office. Too many people just refused to listen … and still refuse to listen.
- You know the drill by now … leopards, faces, etc…
A lot has changed in 20 years … or perhaps not…
The Cult of Trump
Here is his Juneteenth rant …
- Trump wasn’t complaining about too many holidays on President’s Day.
Meanwhile as a reminder, here was his stance on this in an election year (for everything he does there is always a past tweet) …
What is inevitable is that his delusional MAGA influences also fall into the same hole as they strive to stay in line …
Utterly delusional …
- Oh and lets not forget … Trump: I won the 2020 election by a lot. Courts: No you didn’t
- Trump is a pathological liar. There are many such people in the world, but he is the only one who is the American president. Unfortunately.
Trump decision making chart …
ICE Gestapo updates
This past week we sent a powerful message to opposition leaders, dissidents, cooperators, operatives and allies in Iran, Russia, and around the globe. After you are done risking your life to help us, we will sell you out and screw you over. Because the current govt will use you and then discard you …
Oh and remember that “Don’t raid the farms and hotels”, well you can forget that. The reversal has now been reversed …
Farms shutting down because workers have been kidnapped …
This is the big challenge, MAGA don’t want them, and also don’t want to do what they currently do, so the impact is that nobody will do it …
- People terrified of ICE raids will simply fail to show up for work.
Guilty of not being white …
You can’t even film them in action …
This is now completely out of control. ICE will be stopped and they will be held accountable, that is why they try to hide and wear masks. They know that this isn’t law enforcement and that they’re just racist thugs.
Now this new ad is really hitting a nerve …
People don’t realize just how much of the economy is dependent on illegal immigration. Like it or not, this will cause an absolute catastrophe if they actually do deport all illegal immigrants …
- For clarity, we don’t have actually measurements, so the above is simply a best guess from 2023, and may actually be too low.
- Another interesting stat, is that Morgan Stanley estimates that migration amounted to a net positive of $4.35 trillion in global GDP (that’s from 2020).
Meanwhile …
MAHA – Alternative “Science”
This next bit is jaw-droppingly insane – Bring back asbestos …
- Details here – Wired (June 18) – The EPA Plans to ‘Reconsider’ Ban on Cancer-Causing Asbestos – President Donald Trump has supported use of asbestos in the past and blamed the mob for its bad reputation.
- In his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback, Trump wrote that asbestos is “100 percent safe, once applied” and blamed the mob for its reputation as a carcinogen, writing: “I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal.”. Are the 40,000 who die each year due to Asbestos really all done as a mob hit perhaps?
Between the above, and the food poisoning, and the vaccination craziness, and canceling suicide hotlines, does it ever dawn to MAGA that their “beloved” president is trying to kill them just to make a few $$$ ?
Gaza Update
The genocide by Israel continues – Murdered by Israel for the “crime” of seeking food aid …
Canadian Update
Trump has 30 days …
- Trump wanted a trade war … well now he has one. Via here …”This isn’t a bluff. Carney confirmed that Canada’s existing 25% counter-tariffs could double or more on July 21 if the U.S. doesn’t roll back its protectionist crusade. Why does this matter? Because Canada is the #1 market for U.S. aluminum exports and one of the largest for steel. U.S. producers don’t just lose a customer if Canada walks—they lose their lifeline.“
- This is the New Canada: Confident. Strategic. Unapologetic. No more polite backroom begging. This time, they are setting the terms—and the deadline. July 21 is the day the hammer drops.
Christian Nationalists
The nuttier right-wing religious fanatics within the MAGA cult are as always doing their thing.
They believe that they are superior to everybody else, and indeed they do demonstrate a degree of bigotry and intolerance that far exceeds the norm …
- Christian nationalist Lance Wallnau suspects that Vance Boelter was a left-wing wacko and not a Christian because “Christianity does give you a sound mind”: “Boy, am I grateful that there’s a solution to this mental illness that causes other people to go to that level of crazy.” – (This is really all about Lance trying to get ahead of really bad news. The Minnesota shooter, Vance Boelter, was not only a fanatical Trump supporter, but was also a fanatical Christian Nationalist just like Lance is, and spent time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a missionary as recently as 2021-23. Unlike Lance’s claims, there is some rather robust evidence for all this, hence he is now playing the “Not a True Christian” card)
- Indiana’s Christian nationalist Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith did a podcast attacking Pride Month in which he said that the LGBTQ movement is driven by an ancient “demonic spirit”: “This is the same demonic playbook just playing out all over again.” (It is bigotry, intolerance, and hate like this that empowers, inspires, and enables nuts like the Minnesota shooter, Vance Boelter)
- Far-right religious personality Bradlee Dean asserts that there is no such thing as LGBTQ rights because “criminals do not have rights; they have forfeited their rights when they committed the crime .” (Being Gay is not a crime; but promoting false statements like Bradlee here actually is).
Many such as this next example are now all excited and giddy about war in the middle east because they are once again convinced that it is the end-times and that they are all about to be raptured … just like last time, and the time before that, and the time before that …
- Jack Hibbs is positively giddy over the prospect that the Israel/Iran conflict will usher in the Rapture: “If this is not Ezekiel 38, this is a huge step toward Ezekiel 38. If it is the opening assemblage and the putting together of Ezekiel 38, you are … on the threshold of history.” (Delusional fool: Whenever something happens, we get “It’s the rapture” – number of failed claims (too many to count, but here is a list), number of successful claim – exactly zero)
While the earlier clip of Tucker Carlson revealing that Cruz wants to destroy a nation he knows absolutely nothing about, there was one other snippet of lunacy that deserve a bit of highlighting, and explains why …
- Our lives are in the hands of religious zealots deciding whether to send us to war based on their interpretation of an obscurely written ancient religious text is … well … I guess “surreal” is a good word. We go through life here imagining we live in a modern, 21st century, rational nation. But we do not.
- “Biblically” we are also very explicitly commanded to love our neighbours, but apparently that bit is optional and can be ignored. In essence these lunatics cherry pick the bits that align with their bigotry and discard the bits that don’t. It’s not new, and has always been this way.
The False Profit$
- Yes, the “prophecy” is old news from Jun 2, and so without you having any “prophetic” ability at all you already know where this is going, last Tuesday on June 17 Lindell lost his case.
- You also know how this Fake prophecy grifting stuff works. Within hours con-man Kunneman altered his prophecy to fit circumstances and is now claiming that he really meant that Lindell would win the appeal.
- Even later, when Lindell loses on appeal, we’ll no doubt hear that he actually won in “the courts of Heaven”
- Do people actually fall for stuff like this? (Again, you require exactly zero “prophetic” ability to answer that).
Shane Vaughn: “What you’re seeing right now tonight my friends is not, hear me well, flesh and blood warfare. The missiles that flew on Friday the 13th were not just iron missiles but they were spiritual projectiles.“
- Anything happening in that region is filtered through a religious lens – the net result is pure gibberish.
- The scary part is not that they influence the current administration, but that many of them are in the current administration
Weirdest of the Weird
Michele Bachmann praises Israel for taking military action against Iran: “We should all kiss the ground and be so grateful that Benjamin Netanyahu is prime minister.“
- Reminder: There is a reason the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for two senior Israeli officials, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
- For those upset by the above comment because they just love all that Israeli genocide, I will add that the ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif (he might actually be dead, but that’s unconfirmed, so the warrant still stands).
Even More Political Cartoons from the past week
As always, there are many excellent cartoons.
Media Shanewashing
The correct headline should read: “Tulsi Gabbard Blames the Media for Directly Quoting Her Actual Words” …
- GABBARD: How dare you report what I say!
Finally
Yep …
Robert vs Leo …
Just weeks away …
One last reminder – it is not just him. Republicans in Congress could put a stop to all of this at any time. I do have to wonder if it is all the culmination of their rage and anger, and so what we endure now is revenge for the civil war and freeing the slaves.
… and here it is …
Sending billionaires to explore their undiscovered country …
