Althouse: At the Wednesday Night Café...

June 18, 2025

At the Wednesday Night Café...

... you can talk about anything you want.

88 comments:

Jon Ericson said...: An Open Letter to America; 6/18/25, 6:52 PM
Eva Marie said...: Tucker Carlson needs to take a chill pill. Maybe some of those mushrooms Joe Rogan keeps going on about. I really like him but this past week he could have really stayed in bed; 6/18/25, 7:02 PM
Eva Marie said...: All you folks who thing women should be birthin’ babies should be happy to find out that What to Expect When You’re Expecting is one of the top 100 books on Amazon this week.; 6/18/25, 7:10 PM
Jamie said...: I've been waiting for the cafe post all afternoon!

My baby avian charge has been relinquished to the Wildlife Rescue at the Houston SPCA - and it is indeed a mockingbird. I feel relieved not to have to raise it properly to be a bird (what the heck do I know about that?), but also a little verklempt.; 6/18/25, 7:12 PM
Eva Marie said...: Empty nest syndrome.; 6/18/25, 7:13 PM
Jamie said...: You got it, Eva Marie!; 6/18/25, 7:19 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Glad the Bird is in good hands. Althouse comment section is a good place to learn. For example, we had a discussion yesterday about "Birds learning to fly" and Grok gave me this:

"Mockingbird fledglings typically leave the nest around 12 days after hatching, but they may stay on the ground for about a week or so after that, before they are fully capable of flight. During this period, they hop and flutter around, learning to fly while their parents continue to feed them. "; 6/18/25, 7:25 PM
Disparity of Cult said...: You were a good muter to that little mockingbird. We kvell at your kindness :); 6/18/25, 7:25 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: I never would've thought that was the way did it. Amazing.; 6/18/25, 7:26 PM
William50 said...: Jamie, you did good.; 6/18/25, 7:37 PM
n.n said...: Congratulations are in order to women and men who enjoy life enough, and are responsible enough, to have sex, conceive, birth, and raise children to honor their parents as productive members of family, community, nation, and humanity.; 6/18/25, 7:43 PM
Clyde said...: Saw a bumper sticker today that said:
Annoy A Liberal!
Work Hard. Succeed. Be Happy.; 6/18/25, 7:49 PM
Jaq said...: "Tucker Carlson needs to take a chill pill. Maybe some of those mushrooms Joe Rogan keeps going on about. I really like him but this past week he could have really stayed in bed."

Amazing what one denunciation by Trump will do to one of his long time supporters, and a good part of the MAGA base.

What is there to not be chill about? We are just sending B2 bombers, which are not as stealthy as maybe they should be, over Iran to blow up nuclear facilities. I am sure everything will be fine, though. It will all work out, the newspapers tell me so.; 6/18/25, 7:52 PM
Leland said...: I thought you were in Austin, Jamie. Then again, I once thought you were a man, which shows how much I pay attention.; 6/18/25, 8:12 PM
Eva Marie said...: Jaw, Tucker’s on board now. He’s all in . . . according to CFP.; 6/18/25, 8:13 PM
Eva Marie said...: Sorry, I meant Jaq not Jaw; 6/18/25, 8:14 PM
Narr said...: Alfred Brendel, R.I.P.; 6/18/25, 8:39 PM
Jaq said...: I doubt that I am the only Trump supporter who is now a bitterly disappointed former Trump supporter. You guys know that I have supported and defended Trump here since the primaries in 2016, and until this disastrous decision, I supported him still.

I am done. He is no different than Hillary. It saddens me to see how Trump went from "the only president to not start a war" to "Just this one war, it's the end, we promise."

Here is Steve Bannon and General Flynn explaining how nukes are just a pretext for this war. If Iran ever nuked Israel, it would be destroyed by Israel's nukes, and American nukes. They would never do it. But that's not how they "explain" it to MAGA world.

It's about China; 6/18/25, 8:41 PM
Jaq said...: https://youtu.be/JQMfglDUKwU?si=Ygl-Lg4k_PCNnG8n&t=752

Not sure why that link didn't work. It's about establishing "US global dominance" it's about endless war.; 6/18/25, 8:42 PM
Peachy said...: So the 2 slaughtered democrats in MN - one was a legislator who voted with R's to not fund illegals. now she is dead.; 6/18/25, 8:51 PM
FormerLawClerk said...: The Vice President of the United States signed up to Bluesky - the liberal social media site that Democrats decamped to once Elon Musk bought Twitter.

Within 2 hours, they shut down his account and deprived the Vice President of the United States of his free speech rights.

They are going to regret doing that.; 6/18/25, 8:51 PM
Eva Marie said...: Sorry Jaq, there are no former Trump supporters, there are only people who say they are former Trump supporters. Plus I don’t understand that type of argument. It!s similar to I was a Republican but now I hate Republicans or I’m Jewish but I hate Israel. In other words it means nothing to the validity of your argument to tell us what you once were.; 6/18/25, 8:59 PM
Achilles said...: Eva Marie said...
Tucker Carlson needs to take a chill pill. Maybe some of those mushrooms Joe Rogan keeps going on about. I really like him but this past week he could have really stayed in bed

Apparently he has already called Trump and apologized.; 6/18/25, 9:15 PM
Eva Marie said...: @Acchilles: that’s what I mean. Why go all out with criticisms and then a few days later say never mind. Maybe just take the week off.; 6/18/25, 9:22 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Happy 83rd Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney!; 6/18/25, 9:23 PM
Jaq said...: I have supported Trump on here since 2016, anybody who reads these threads knows that, formerly as tim in vermont, and now as. Just Asking Questions. I feel utterly betrayed in that support. I have taken crap from my IRL friends, from my family, but I always said "He is the president who never started any wars."

That's all gone now. He is no different. If you can find one anti-trump post among the thousands of posts I have made here, prior to this disastrous decision, go ahead and find it. If you need to pretend that I never really supported Trump to make you feel better that this decision will not create a split in MAGA, well, go ahead.

Tucker Carlson sarcastically floats nuking Iran if they actually try killing Trump in fiery clash with Ted Cruz over Israel conflict - NY Post

Why would they worry that Iran would want to kill Trump? Maybe because Trump is openly talking about killing the Iranian leader. So it's just projection.

Obviously, you guys want this war. Obviously Trump is going to give the order, so remember how badly you wanted it and why when the time comes to regret it. "Sin in haste, repent at leisure," is the old saying.; 6/18/25, 9:23 PM
Eva Marie said...: I find this really interesting - if true:
Our military tested striking Fordow at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, around 2009, involving a replica of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant designed to mimic its key characteristics, including its underground depth. According to the 2019 New York Times article, the replica was built to simulate Fordow’s centrifuge halls, buried approximately 80–90 meters (260–295 feet) beneath the surface, matching Fordow’s actual depth under a mountain near Qom, Iran. The test structure included centrifuge-like components and was constructed with fortified materials (likely reinforced concrete and rock layers) to replicate Fordow’s hardened design.
The MOP, dropped from a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, successfully destroyed the underground replica in a single strike.
Of course it’s hard to mimic the conditions exactly.
Scott Adams said they would hit the facility with 3 or 4 bunker busters and that supposedly we have about 15 of them.; 6/18/25, 9:26 PM
Jim at said...: I am done. He is no different than Hillary.

I've always thought you were a bit off and rarely pay attention to your non-stop comment after comment after comment.

Need I remind you Trump hasn't done one, GD thing yet? And you're completely off the rails over something that may or may not happen?

Get a fucking grip.; 6/18/25, 10:00 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: “and until this disastrous decision, I supported him still.”

What disastrous decision?

Internet Trump Nostradamus has been a wildly popular piñata for many years now.; 6/18/25, 10:38 PM
planetgeo said...: Eva Marie, I feel it's essential that the US destroys that Fordow underground facility. We are the only country in the world that can do that using a non-nuclear device. Those who want to leave it to Israel to do it are mistaken if they believe Israel can do it using ground forces. If we don't do it, Fordow will continue to operate and Iran will finish developing their first nukes. What then?; 6/18/25, 10:38 PM
gadfly said...: Lots of things we don't know about Fordow. Most important is that even if the Bunker Busters work, there is no guarantee that the refined uranium supposedly sufficient to build 10 nukes is stored inside the mountain.; 6/18/25, 10:49 PM
Jupiter said...: It is completely unacceptable that _________ have a nuclear weapon.
a) North Korea
b) India
c) Pakistan
d) China
e) Russia
f) America
g) Israel
h) Iran; 6/18/25, 11:12 PM
Jupiter said...: If you want to know who rules you, ask who cannot have a nuclear weapon.; 6/18/25, 11:15 PM
planetgeo said...: Jupiter, my planetary bro, the only country in your list that has committed in advance to use their nuclear weapons against pre-identified other countries and which also isn't concerned that they will be destroyed in return is _______.; 6/18/25, 11:22 PM
Jamie said...: "Mockingbird fledglings typically leave the nest around 12 days after hatching, but they may stay on the ground for about a week or so after that, before they are fully capable of flight. During this period, they hop and flutter around, learning to fly while their parents continue to feed them. "

Yes, this one was in exactly the same spot where my husband, earlier that day, saw two that were dead. We did learn that mockingbird parents do not tend to abandon their chicks on the ground, and although there might have been a nest in the crook of a branch about 30 feet up (hard to tell), there was no activity there, so we had to conclude that the parents had just left, period.

That and the weather: it was a Houston downpour when my neighbor begged me to do something! But the next day, I did bring the baby back to the spot to see if there would be any activity around it, and there wasn't.

So I thank Aggie, I think it was, for steering me toward the wildlife rescue people! A mere $20 donation, and my conscience is clear.; 6/18/25, 11:28 PM
Eva Marie said...: Computed by Grok: All the cash and unfrozen assets that were transferred to Iran by the Obama and Biden administrations if considered as a lump sum - The $67.7 billion in funds (cash and unfrozen assets) is approximately 127.74% of Iran’s 2023 oil export revenue of $53 billion. That’s a huge amount of money if looked in that light. Much greater than I imagined.
BTW in 2021 Irans oil revenue was 37 Billion.
BTW the figures $53 billion and $37 billion are gross revenue figures not profit. If you subtract the costs associated with those revenues (approx 10 billion for each of those years, then you get a true picture of exactly how much money we sent to Iran.; 6/18/25, 11:35 PM
Iman said...: Jaqass.; 6/18/25, 11:38 PM
Eva Marie said...: In my earlier comment I ended by saying we sent it to Iran - more accurate to say we made it available to Iran since most of the money was in the form of unfrozen assets.; 6/18/25, 11:55 PM
Achilles said...: Eva Marie said...
@Acchilles: that’s what I mean. Why go all out with criticisms and then a few days later say never mind. Maybe just take the week off.

People got all tangled up in this idea that the United States will never have to go to war again. Ever. For any reason.

And anyone who thinks there is ever a reason to go to war is a bad person and therefor I get to call them bad.

It gives you a lot of dopamine when you are in that place. But eventually you wake up and you are hoping things go wrong so you can tell people how right you are.

not a great place.; 6/19/25, 12:00 AM
Big Mike said...: So the 2 slaughtered democrats in MN - one was a legislator who voted with R's to not fund illegals. now she is dead.

The lady did it as a parliamentary maneuver in the expectation of killing the Republican initiative once and for all. Killed her instead.; 6/19/25, 1:17 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: If we break Iran, we own it.; 6/19/25, 3:20 AM
gadfly said...: During a private lunch with the president at the White House last Wednesday, (June 4) conservative talk show host Mark Levin told Trump that Iran was days away from building a nuclear weapon, an argument Trump’s own intelligence team has told the president is not accurate, according to an intelligence official as well as another Trump ally familiar with the matter. Levin urged Trump to allow the Israeli government to strike Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would torpedo the diplomacy.

Whoever gives advice to last becomes Trump's expert. Fox News strikes again. Perhaps Donny needs to listen to Israeli intelligence.

On Iran's nuclear capability, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said, "Iran is very advanced in uranium enrichment and now possesses enough material for nine atomic bombs. They have also begun making progress in weaponization. This is extremely risky — they are dangerously close to a critical point. When negotiations stalled and the IAEA confirmed breaches of the agreement, we acted. Perhaps we acted late, but certainly not too early.”

So nine A-bombs may already have been built in Iran and perhaps they are already on the way to be lit - possibly even some are on the way to the USA. Those nine bombs will result in immense casualties and contamination, and God help us all if we drop some of ours.; 6/19/25, 3:36 AM
Big Mike said...: If the Iranians build 3 atomic bombs they will explode the first on Tel Aviv and explode the second in New York City (which has more Jews living there than there are in Tel Aviv). The third woll detonate in Washington, DC. Those last two will kill tens of millions of Democrat voters and hardly any Republicans. Maybe the Democrat leadership might want to get behind President Trump on this issue, at least?; 6/19/25, 4:06 AM
Ampersand said...: Does anyone else here experience a reduced need for sleep at this time of the year? Since I started wearing my Fitbit I keep track of hours slept, and I sleep far less when days are longer. Perhaps I have some gene that gives me an annualized equivalent of a circadian rhythm.; 6/19/25, 4:37 AM
Jaq said...: What watching short video after short video does to your brain.

No, it's not just ruining your attention span.; 6/19/25, 5:24 AM
Jaq said...: "When negotiations stalled and the IAEA confirmed breaches of the agreement"

LOL, the "breaches" that the IAEA, which is politically captive by the West, found were 20 years old, and had already been admitted to and addressed by Iran.

I used to think that the Germans in the '30s rolled their eyes when the propaganda was broadcast on the radio. Now I realize that they lapped it up, because it handed out the ultimate dopamine source, that the listener is superior to the target. "Russians are half-breeds because of the Mongols," we won't even get into the Nazi stuff, you all know it, and it happened that they produced it and it, in turn, produced horrific results, another one is that "the Iranians, one of the oldest civilizations on the planet, are made up of psychopathic killers obsessed with the murder of Jewish people, we are so superior to them, oooh, does that sense of superiority feel good!"

Iran is not going to destroy Iran, its own ancient civilization, just to "kill Jews" Stephan Bandera could have taken care of the Jewish Iranians in a week, what's taking Iran so long? Maybe they don't want to do it. When Tulsi Gabbard said that Iran was three years away, what that meant was that it would take Iran three years *after* they made the decision to make the bomb, which they haven't.

But sure, kill, kill, kill, because we are the elves, and they are the orcs. Propaganda never changes, and it's insidious. Intelligence is no defense against it. The only defense against it, and it's only partial, is careful reflection.; 6/19/25, 5:33 AM
Josephbleau said...: Lots of cat calling and neocon this and Liz Chaney that in the comments today.

There are two probable consequences of the US assisting in the complete remote controlled destruction of the few Iranian nuclear weapons sites:

1. Iran will have the clock reset to a decade or so before they can make their own nukes. I don’t know why that is a bad thing, even if we think that China or Russia will give them some anyway, that has been much discussed but not happed yet, probably due to not wanting to be pariahs on the world stage. Nuclear access does not need to be fair and universally available unless you are a utopian.

2. Iran may have secret terror cells of immigrant Iranian doctors and business people and hidden border crossers that are waiting to attack the US in retaliation if we stymie their atomic ambition. But this is kind of silly, they know we are not stopping Israel so if they want a final Götterdämmerung why have they not done it yet? Are they waiting for the symbolic event to occur?

I suspect that the issue is more important to most people as a tool of domestic politics, blame Trump for being a war monger and praise Trump for taking a multi decade Iranian disaster off the table.

If we drop some bunker busters on Iran and don’t go in with an army and let the Iranians sort out the rest, somewhat contained by Israel I would say that is a reasonable decision. If that makes the Iranian mullahs go all 12th imam and try to kill everyone, well then, they are going to do that someday anyway.

So I vote for the super penetrators only. Then the dems and republicans can blame each other like they always do.; 6/19/25, 5:43 AM
Jaq said...: It has only been Europeans who have tried to exterminate the Jewish people. What's going on in Israel, that nobody wants to talk about because "squirrel!" is a dispute over land and decisions made in Europe, well in London, at the heart of the British Empire, when it was near its peak. The same British Empire that took a ruler and a pen and carved up the Middle East. But it's not possible that the people whose land was carved up could be angry about that! No, it has to be about race!

It's said that the Treaty of Versailles was the "'peace to end all peace" well, the arbitrary division of the Ottoman Empire by the victors was part of that.

The reason that Britain demanded total victory over Germany was very similar, not nuclear weapons, but Germany was planning to build a navy, which was potentially a threat to the Brits, who lived on an island, Bismarck had warned them against it, but they started to build one, and so it led to over a century of world war, and we are still fighting it.

Jewish Iranians have lived there in peace for thousands of years. But we need a pretext for a war, so we will invent one.; 6/19/25, 5:48 AM
Jaq said...: "let the Iranians sort out the rest,"

Israel blew up a TV station and made martyrs out of popular personalities that had been coming into Iranian homes every day on TV programs, and so Iranians felt like they knew them. Other than it being an out and out war crime, it was incredibly stupid. Only quislings would join protests in favor of Israel in Iran right now.; 6/19/25, 5:51 AM
john mosby said...: Jaq: "Other than [blowing up the Iranian TV station] being an out and out war crime"

Destroying enemy communications is not a war crime. It's pretty close to a surgical strike. Especially since the presenters are government-employee propagandists.

Would killing Goebbels be a war crime? He was never in the military - maybe at the very end when he was put in charge of the Volkssturm. But for most of his career he was a civilian.

JSM; 6/19/25, 6:04 AM
Josephbleau said...: The Iranian centrifuge plant is supposed to be 200 to 300 feet underground and has hundreds of precision high speed dynamically balanced super centrifuges. I have run banks of regular industrial centrifuges and they are touchy as hell. They may already be damaged due to loss of electric power during operation but a 30,000 lb high explosive is going to shift foundations and cause roof falls at that depth that are going to make them non operational, in my opinion. Accurate alignment is vital for high speed units. And 2 or 3 bombs will be worse. Remember Stuxnet virus? That caused the variable speed centrifuge drives to randomly change rpms during operation and wrecked the old centrifuges Iran had. The things are pretty fragile.

If Iran made an initial gadget they would then need to miniaturize it for use in a missile, just sending a baling wire version to New York in a sea container won’t work today. Enrichment to 90 pct would be critical for miniaturization.

So the assumption is that we have time to react.; 6/19/25, 6:04 AM
buwaya said...: I am sort of back, but I'm not always feeling very well. I had an honest to goodness stroke on Saturday, and my visiting sister noted the symptoms as it happened, I didnt. She may have saved my life... They gave me the " golden hour" drug in time it seems, and I'm not too badly affected. I'm still slurring speech a bit. There goes my acting career. I just got out of the hospital today. I have my heart condition of course, and don't have too much energy in any case. I don't think I should get worked up over social media, the emotional load isn't good for me. Getting mad at trolls is contraindicated. So I may post on occasion only, if there is something suitably informational-technical I can add.; 6/19/25, 6:05 AM
john mosby said...: Josephbleau: "So I vote for the super penetrators only."

I got yer super penetrator right heah....

Sorry, not a substantive comment. Just someone had to finally say it.

Odds on Trump himself saying it at some point in this thing?

JSM; 6/19/25, 6:09 AM
Christopher B said...: FWIW, John Hinderaker at Powerline reviews at least one poll that finds no significant differences of opinion within the Republican Party on Trump's possible actions against Iran, with the caveat that I suspect most of those questioned are thinking Trump's actions will be roughly the scenario that Josephbleau outlined above rather than an Iraq-style invasion. Hit Fordow so the Israelis don't have to go in with troops or use one of their tactical nukes, then leave the rest of the work to the Israelis and the Iranians opposed to the Ayatollahs.; 6/19/25, 6:17 AM
Jaq said...: Gadfly's post is a pretty solid tip-off that Trump's enemies conned him into this.; 6/19/25, 6:18 AM
Josephbleau said...: “buwaya said...“

Nice to hear from you, seems like you have made the best out of a non good situation and hope you have a quick recovery!; 6/19/25, 6:20 AM
Jaq said...: I think that we will use a tactical nuke. It's a perfect situation, any radiation signature will be blamed on the centrifuges. Yay! Don't worry though, nobody will figure out that the US has nuked another country! It's our prerogative as the natural rulers of the world, "hegemony" is Greek for "guidance," after all, to use whatever means we want to take the stuff we want. What is the "rules based order" if not a set of situational rules that we make up as and when wanted?; 6/19/25, 6:24 AM
buwaya said...: It seems to me Jaq has been here under another name before. I taste the familiar flavor of malice. This entity is not a positive element in our lives.; 6/19/25, 6:24 AM
Eva Marie said...: Take care buwaya,; 6/19/25, 6:26 AM
buwaya said...: Stuxnet changed everything about infrastructure system security (for power gen, gas systems, water systems, etc). It spawned thousands of IT projects aimed at reinforcing "air gapped" systems. I had a good bit to do with several. One can say that Stuxnet caused many billions in "damage" that way, being such a telling demonstation of the weaknesses of air gaps.; 6/19/25, 6:33 AM
Jaq said...: Sure, I forgot about the "Doctrine of Netanyahu Infallibility" so Israel under his party cannot, by definition, commit war crimes.

"Lots of cat calling and neocon this and Liz Chaney that "

That's a pretty convenient way of saying that you can dismiss any counter arguments without giving them any thought. It's cult tactics, though, maybe you should know.

A thought-stopping cliché is a phrase used to end a discussion or argument, often by oversimplifying complex issues. These clichés can prevent deeper thinking and critical analysis, serving as a way to dismiss dissent or uncomfortable thoughts. - DDG summary

It forgot the part about acting the mind guard to maintain group think, which is what is going on here.; 6/19/25, 6:33 AM
Kathy said...: "It seems to me Jaq has been here under another name before. I taste the familiar flavor of malice. This entity is not a positive element in our lives."

Jaq says up above the he was tim in vermont.; 6/19/25, 6:36 AM
Dave Begley said...: I was on a podcast and I quoted Ann Althouse.; 6/19/25, 6:38 AM
planetgeo said...: Jaq in Vermont, one bit of advice...decaf.; 6/19/25, 6:57 AM
wendybar said...: Take care buwaya!!; 6/19/25, 7:07 AM
buwaya said...: The late Patricia Janeckova in I what think was one of her last performances. Dvorak, Rusalka "Song to the Moon" -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WrXtnCX_9g; 6/19/25, 7:16 AM
buwaya said...: It would be cool if they would play that in the upcoming Moon landing. The lyrics work, more or less.
It would be dramatic.
A couple of "people I know" are mixed up in this mission (from different angles), and I am overcome with pride. How can an old engineer die fulfilled? When he can pass on the honor of "touching the face of God" of course.; 6/19/25, 7:26 AM
Leland said...: Gadfly's post is a pretty solid tip-off that Trump's enemies conned him into this.

Botfly is the poster that, two days after the ship collided with the Baltimore Bridge, claimed we need the ability to track ships like we do aircraft. Let us set aside that the ability to track a vessel didn’t save the Air India 787 anymore than it helped the MV Dali. The fact is the MV Dali was tracked. Immediately after losing power, the local authorities began evacuating the bridge as best they could. By the time Botfly made his comment, you could find YouTube videos breaking down the collision using the AIS data that tracks the vessel even if it loses power.

Now, we are supposed to believe Botfly knows about “private” meetings at the White House and the existence of Iran WMD? I think Botfly could sell you a bridge over the Baltimore harbor.; 6/19/25, 7:30 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Buwaya
A word of thanks for enriching my life, thanks.; 6/19/25, 7:35 AM
Rusty said...: Yes Buwaya. Take care. It's good to have you around.

Eva Marie won the thread @ 7:03; 6/19/25, 7:40 AM
Josephbleau said...: "Lots of cat calling and neocon this and Liz Chaney that "

That's a pretty convenient way of saying that you can dismiss any counter arguments without giving them any thought. It's cult tactics, though, maybe you should know.”

Yes, my thought in that phrase was to point out the partisan content of the Iranian issue. If that was “mind guarding” then there is also meta mind guarding, the calling out of mind guarding. The journey continues.

Further deponent sayeth not.; 6/19/25, 7:43 AM
Jersey Fled said...: I didn’t realize Jaq was formerly Tim in Vermont. I liked him better then.; 6/19/25, 7:50 AM
Aggie said...: @buwaya, I'm very glad to hear that you received the treatment in due course, and that your sister was so sharp-eyed. I'm sure you're giving thanks today ! Get well soon. Now I'm off to read about detecting the signs of strokes.; 6/19/25, 8:22 AM
Michael McNeil said...: “Red Pill Media” posts on X: {quoting…}

I am an American citizen.
Born and raised in America.
I refuse to die for Israel.

{/unQuote}

After which somebody does a trace and discovers that “@RedPillMediaX” is actually Abdul Abbas
in Karachi, Pakistan.

Nothing has been changed to protect the guilty.; 6/19/25, 8:27 AM
Achilles said...: Jersey Fled said...
I didn’t realize Jaq was formerly Tim in Vermont. I liked him better then.

Interesting.

He acted in a very similar way during COVID telling us we were all going to die in an exponentially expanding holocaust if we didn’t lock everything down.

Maybe he will step back and notice the pattern that his emotional state has on his critical thinking skills. But odds are…; 6/19/25, 10:46 AM
Narr said...: buwaya turned me onto La Janeckova. Even if his other comments weren't reasonable, intelligent, and well-informed that would be enough to make me a fan.

Be well, old man.; 6/19/25, 10:49 AM
Achilles said...: Jaq said...
Gadfly's post is a pretty solid tip-off that Trump's enemies conned him into this.

Did you even think about that post at all before posting it?

Gadfly hasn’t posted an honest or intelligent thing here in years. He is the easiest person to scroll past.; 6/19/25, 10:49 AM
Achilles said...: Lem Vibe Bandit said...
If we break Iran, we own it.

What if they sign the Abraham Accords?; 6/19/25, 10:52 AM
Narr said...: To his credit, Jaq has never concealed that he was Tim in VT--in fact, he tells us pretty often.

If I think of anything else positive to say, I'll be let you know.; 6/19/25, 10:53 AM
Achilles said...: buwaya said...
I am sort of back, but I'm not always feeling very well. I had an honest to goodness stroke on Saturday, and my visiting sister noted the symptoms as it happened, I didnt. She may have saved my life...

I thank your sister.

Get well. You make this a better place and world.; 6/19/25, 10:54 AM
Jupiter said...: "Jupiter, my planetary bro, the only country in your list that has committed in advance to use their nuclear weapons against pre-identified other countries and which also isn't concerned that they will be destroyed in return is _______."
The oft-stated Iranian position is that they are not trying to produce nuclear weapons. That may not be true, but neither is it an "advance commitment" to use nuclear weapons.
Let's see, what is Israel's stated position on their nuclear weapons, the ones they built with uranium they stole from us?; 6/19/25, 11:12 AM
Rusty said...: Jupiter. I always assume the gun is loaded. Especially when they are shouting, "Death to America!" The subtext there is, "by any means available."; 6/19/25, 11:50 AM
Jupiter said...: "I always assume the gun is loaded."
Does that mean that if you see someone with a gun, you shoot him?; 6/19/25, 11:53 AM
Dr Weevil said...: If someone is pointing a gun at you and saying "I'm going to kill you!", yes, you shoot him. If it turns out his gun was not loaded, that's too bad: it's still justifiable homicide. By the way, after the Gulf War a bunch of Iraqi generals testified that they knew their own units didn't have any WMDs, but they all thought other units did, because Saddam had told them he had them.; 6/19/25, 12:46 PM
Big Mike said...: Does that mean that if you see someone with a gun, you shoot him?

@Jupiter, if it’s pointed at me or someone I care about, Hell yeah! If it turns out that the “someone” is pointing an unloaded gun or even a toy gun that he modified to look real, that’s just too bad.; 6/19/25, 2:52 PM
Rusty said...: Jupiter.
Only when they threaten me and are pointing a gun at me.
You don't suppose they're serious, do you? The Iranian regime, I mean. They're just kidding around with that, "Death to America!" stuff, right?; 6/19/25, 7:14 PM
TwoAndAHalfCents said...: Buwaya - please take care and may you have a speedy recovery. I don’t post often - more of a long time lurker than active participant - but your posts are often thought provoking and always move the discussion forward. Thanks for your contributions and get well soon.; 6/20/25, 9:39 AM
buwaya said...: "Biden released frozen Iranian cash in exchange for American hostages."

Which he shouldn't have. There's a reason that was frozen in the first place. Among them a propensity, as with the Russians, to take hostages.; 6/22/25, 4:38 AM