Althouse: Sunrise

June 14, 2025

Sunrise — 5:11.

Talk about Trump's Army parade or whatever you like in the comments.

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94 comments:

le Douanier said...: Polling always shows that the military is way more liked than other government and civilian stuff.

But, the military doesn't usually do the things that DJT has them doing; such as have rallies where the troops are encouraged to express hatred of the free press, or having the military invade L.A. w/o a need, not to mention having them as props at an honor the dictator style parade.

It seems to me that DJT is fucking up the US military so they can be as disliked and controversial as all the rest.; 6/14/25, 6:26 PM
rhhardin said...: There ought to have been No Kinks marches against sexual deviancy as counterplay.; 6/14/25, 6:26 PM
Disparity of Cult said...: Kinks still unvoiced.; 6/14/25, 6:40 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Like I've written before, I'm split on the military parade. On one hand, I like the military, the family has a military background, and I'm patriotic. And I'd see the parade as a big "Thank You".

OTOH, the globalists always use the military - not to defend the USA, but to their foreign adventures. Oh, how all these DC Pols love to strut on the world stage and use our military to threaten some foreigner. Look at the shithead Miss Lindsey Graham. Trump was supposed to be different. "American First". But as shown by his support for the attack on Iran, I'm beggining to have my doubts.

It reminds me of Reagan. When I was in HS, I was a big Reagan supporter. Lets fight the USSR aka "the evil empire" and all that. And then I woke one morning and 240 Marines had been killed in Lebanon. WTF? What were Marines doing in Beirut? That had zero to do with "fighting the evil Empire".

And the whole history of the last 100 years is the US Power elite using our patriotism to implement their insane "Invade the world, invite the world" ideology.

So yeah. I have mixed feelings. I have a daughter, but if I had a son, I'd tell him stay out of the US Military. I don't want you dying for Israel or because Trump changed his mind and decided to "Confront Putin".; 6/14/25, 6:47 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Might wanna fill up your cars today...

'Tehran is ablaze': Israel strikes massive oil depot near Iranian capital, fire rages ~ The Jerusalem Post; 6/14/25, 6:49 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: “There ought to have been No Kinks marches against sexual deviancy as counterplay”

Or a belated protest against the British Invasion. “Bigger than Jesus, my Cracker ass”; 6/14/25, 6:54 PM
le Douanier said...: "And then I woke one morning and 240 Marines had been killed in Lebanon. WTF? "

After that he retreated rather than opening a can of worms/war.

Likewise, when his big tax cuts resulted in too little gov rev, he went with some tax increases. (Not that that was enough to avoid deficits.)

Those were the days.; 6/14/25, 6:58 PM
Leland said...: Nice to see the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets in the parade. West Point was ahead of them, and I can see other military academy uniforms. A&M does two Corps trips a year, which is essentially a military parade. To those of us used to it, we don’t get excited about the US Army having one. It just seems like the right thing to do.

Looking forward to the No King’s Day Parade next month, on July 4th, with an even bigger No King’s Day Parade next year.; 6/14/25, 6:59 PM
Rabel said...: It's not "Trump's Army parade," it's our Army and it's our Army parade.; 6/14/25, 7:04 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Right pay attention MY GENERALS MY MILITARY as a veteran(65-72) this draft dodging perp is making a the military .like his personal police force, he is a disgrace .Just like Kim and Vlad now trump has his day in the sun(rain) diminishing the once great thoughts of the once non political Veterans of the United States, Oorah for the ARMY BOOOOO! trump and his sock puppets.; 6/14/25, 7:15 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: rhhardin said...

There ought to have been No Kinks marches.....

WTF did Ray Davies ever do to you?; 6/14/25, 7:17 PM
Leland said...: The progressive commenters are apparently have a sad day, because others are celebrating birthdays. Poor narcissists can’t handle one day of not being the one celebrated. They have to make their tantrum gain attention by flooding the comments with their hatred. They won’t change because they are incapable of it.; 6/14/25, 7:38 PM
Dave Begley said...: If I was 50 years younger, I’d join the Army after that parade and I don’t even like parades!; 6/14/25, 7:42 PM
Josephbleau said...: “Looking forward to the No King’s Day Parade next month, on July 4th, with an even bigger No King’s Day Parade next year.“

Whoop. A former student of TAMU agrees.; 6/14/25, 7:44 PM
Big Mike said...: And then I woke one morning and 240 Marines had been killed in Lebanon. WTF? What were Marines doing in Beirut?

If the Marine at the guardhouse had been issued ammunition to go with his M16, those Marines would probably have been alive the next morning. To this day I do not understand how you can put a battalion of Marines into a potentially hostile environment and not permit your guards to have loaded weapons. But to my recollection no one faced a court martial.; 6/14/25, 7:47 PM
Jersey Fled said...: “Might wanna fill up your cars today...”

Too bad Biden sold off our strategic petroleum reserve to makes gas prices look better prior to the election.; 6/14/25, 7:54 PM
Big Mike said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/14/25, 7:54 PM
Big Mike said...: Ten posts today, Professor. Since calculating that you need to average 8.45 posts per day to reach your goal of 3000 for the year you have published 35 posts in 4 days. That works out to 8.75 posts per day. Well done.; 6/14/25, 8:00 PM
Big Mike said...: Glenn Reynolds reported from Boston’s “No Kings” rally. Two of the pictures he included showed hand-lettered signs that said “No War But Class War.”

I have bad news for Robert Cook and other hard core Leftists. The working class has risen up at last — and voted for Donald Trump. Seriously, the educated idiots with their degrees in grievance studies have no more in common with genuine, dirt under their fingernails workers than I have with Beyoncé; 6/14/25, 8:01 PM
R C Belaire said...: Kharg Island is Iran's primary oil export terminal located in the Persian Gulf, handling about 90% of the country's crude oil exports. You would think that this facility is pretty high on Israel's target list. Talk about an economy-killer!; 6/14/25, 8:02 PM
Disparity of Cult said...: Video from the See BS affiliate in Chicago. Around 3:42 timestamp, traveled from MN for a protest in Chicago?

https://youtu.be/a4ZK-sPcLn4?feature=shared; 6/14/25, 8:14 PM
le Douanier said...: "If I was 50 years younger, I’d join the Army after that parade"

What about that parade was the thing that would tip you over into deciding to join the Army? You must realize that being in the Army doesn't mean that you will have a full time job as a parade performer.

Rather than being fluffed up by watching a DJT parade, I think it would be better if you were inspired to join the Army because you genuinely wanted to serve your country even though you may have not seen soldiers marching in a DJT parade.

BTW, the navy tried to recruit me when I was in college. They brought me to San Diego to show me good food and hotels. And we did also spend a little time at the base. We also went to Tijuana where I (with my Navy recruiters paying) got a hand job at a strip club. I bet that was more exciting than watching the DJT parade on TV.

Still, I didn't join.; 6/14/25, 8:15 PM
bagoh20 said...: Reading the lefty comments here is like seeing people suffering from Leprosy. It makes you sad for them, but damned happy to not be them. Happy Birthday to OUR Army!; 6/14/25, 8:18 PM
Leland said...: Still, I didn't join.

That’s probably the only truth you wrote, and we all already knew it. Sorry it is not your day. Please find somewhere else to cry.; 6/14/25, 8:22 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: I was actually in the army for six months, then got kicked out for medical reasons. Eyesight got worse and went over the line. And... I'm glad. The army is fine for some people, especially if they aren't very smart. But its - quite rightly - geared to people of average intelligence. And there's nothing wrong this that.

But if you're "above average" it gets annoying fast. And if there's not a war going on, it gets boring fast. Glad i served, glad i left. Plus the food was awful!; 6/14/25, 8:24 PM
Kakistocracy said...: @ Jersey Fled: $75 is not a “high” price so calm down! Anything above $90 might be. Above $100 certainly.

Now if Iran decides to block the Straits of Hormuz, not only oil that goes through the Straits of Hormuz, but also gas in LNG tankers. Qatar and Abu Dhabi account for 25% of global LNG exports. Closure of the Straits would send spot LNG prices through the roof, taking other gas prices with them. In Europe and other major LNG importers (China, India, Japan, South Korea etc), the impact on energy markets and the economy could exceed that of the higher oil price.; 6/14/25, 8:25 PM
le Douanier said...: Leland, I have very often thought back re that strip club. It seems like it could have been a huge PR problem for the Navy if the public found out about it.

And, it's hard to imagine that I was the only recruit that they took to Tijuana to party like that. OTOH at the time me and the recruiters were just chillin', maybe most engineering students that they bring down there are more lame. Hence they don't get hand jobs at Mexican strip clubs.

IDK.; 6/14/25, 8:27 PM
bagoh20 said...: The lefties haven't been happy since the Republicans got shot at a ball game.; 6/14/25, 8:29 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: My comment sounds sort of snobby but I dont look down on people in the military. I respect them. I can remember the "Caine Mutiney" where Fred MacMurray's character sneers about how "the Navy is designed by geniuses to be run by idiots". Well duh. How would a 3 million man Navy be run by geniuses, who make up 1 percent of the population?

But i understand the sentiment. In the peacetime military you're just waiting around for a war, and unless you're fighting its just a job - like working at Lockheed/General Dynamics - only at 1/2 the pay and with bad food.; 6/14/25, 8:32 PM
BG said...: It was very obvious to me that most of the soldiers did not spend a lot of practice time marching to cadence. Hubby and I actually laughed. We surmised that it had been a long time since basic. High school marching bands are more disciplined. We rated Texas A&M as the best marchers. The Citadel came in second.; 6/14/25, 8:37 PM
YoungHegelian said...: If it looked as if the parade planners were hurrying things along, it's because they were because of the weather. I'm in a suburb of DC about 8 - 10 miles N of the mall (I could hear the fireworks), and it's been incredibly humid and on the edge of a thunderstorm all day. They were wanting to get things done and get the crowds off the mall before a thunderstorm blew in. Getting stuck in a huge crowd on the mall with little kids in tow would have been a terrifying experience in the middle of thunder, pouring rain, and lightening!

Between the protestors earlier today and the yuuuge crowd for the 250th, I can only imagine that probably around half a million people are taking a shower in the DC area all in about 3 hours time!; 6/14/25, 8:44 PM
NMObjectivist said...: I thought the Army 250 year parade looked very good. Trump put on a good show. Some equipment I have never seen and detail before was in the parade. The robot dog for one.; 6/14/25, 8:47 PM
Leland said...: Now if Iran decides to block the Straits of Hormuz

Block it with what exactly? You think in the situation they are in, they can take on the entire regions military forces? Right now, they are only getting bombed by Israel. They are in no position to expand the conflict by pissing off other nations.

Jersey Fled is right. $75 is a good average price. Actually $80 would be more ideal for producers. Any higher, and it will be great news for TSLA.; 6/14/25, 8:50 PM
Leland said...: It was very obvious to me that most of the soldiers did not spend a lot of practice time marching to cadence.

I noticed it too. I saw several people on the wrong foot, staggered marching, and inconsistent step and arm swings. It was a bit more noticeable with the units show casing uniforms from previous eras. To be fair, they are almost certainly not used to marching in that gear. Overall, it still looked good. It is just when you know what to look for, that odd person out of step is easy to pick up.; 6/14/25, 9:02 PM
Candide said...: Liked the parade show. Especially how American it looked. Nothing like Chinese or Russian military parade. Some regiments were almost sloppy. Most vehicle personnel were waiving at spectators and shooting breeze. Very refreshing spectacle.; 6/14/25, 9:30 PM
Tina Trent said...: I'm guessing I was called a Nazi at least 500 times today. What do you do with that?; 6/14/25, 9:31 PM
Tina Trent said...: I mean seriously what the fuck do you do with that, remaining polite and asking really neutral questions? It's war. I will respond appropriately to war.; 6/14/25, 9:35 PM
john mosby said...: I actually went to the Army 250 parade. Got there a couple of hours before start time, and picked a spot at Constitution and 23rd - basically the start point of the march. Random notes follow:

- Very well-behaved crowd. Veterans seemed to be in the minority.

- Lots of foreigners. Groups of Chinese tourists, for example. I guess if they were visiting DC and found out about the parade, they said what the heck and went.

- Did not see a single anti-Trump demonstrator, inside or outside the secure perimeter (you had to go through metal detectors to get on the actual parade route. BTW, the metal detectors were few and far between - I had to walk many blocks out of my way. But hey, once every 250 years).

- Oddly, lots of Spanish-speakers in the crowd, who seemed to be blue collar with Mexican or Central American accents (I am not a massive Hispanophone, but from osmosis I can usually tell the general part of the Mundo Hispano someone hails from). They're apparently not afraid of Trump or ICE, even with tanks! And/or they liked free family-oriented macho entertainment.

- Speaking of tanks, they got the biggest cheer in my neck of the woods. Second biggest cheer came after the parade, as people were wandering to the exits and the Metropolitan Police bicycle cops, converged from their checkpoints, rode in formation down Constitution to clock off.

- Did not notice any asphalt damage from the tracked vehicles, but I was on a straightaway. I don't know what was going on at any turns.

- Along with tanks, Bradleys, and Strykers, there were a bunch of HIMARS wheeled missile launchers. I am surprised they're not all in Ukraine. I wonder if their inclusion was a subtle message to Putin, and if so, by whom - Trump/Hegseth or some of their sneaky career subordinates?

- Historically-dressed formations were incorporated into modern divisions, so I assume the soldiers came from those divisions. The 82nd had a company of WWII-dressed dudes in their formation, but they were not dressed like WWII paratroopers! No jump boots, no jump chinstraps or netting on their helmets, field jackets instead of jump smocks, etc. Sorry, I am an Army nerd.

- SOCOM had a small contingent. Every Ranger in the formation, down to very junior enlisted, had a combat scroll on the right sleeve. No other Army unit in the parade, even the SF guys right behind the Rangers, were like this. I think I keep up on war news, but I had no idea these guys were still operating so frequently.

- Speaking of patches, the Army seems to have gone to full-color patches on the fatigues for non-combat occasions. I like it. They're Velcro'd on there anyway, so you can change to the subdued version for field training or combat whenever you want.

- Women are allowed to have ponytails or braids in uniform now. Takes some getting used to. Beyond aesthetics, I saw female vehicle commanders with braids sticking out of their crew helmets - this is a safety issue, because concentrated hair concentrates the force of an impact and cancels out the helmet's protection. When I went to jump school, women were told to put their hair in a net under the helmet. Did this rule go away, or was it waived for such a slow ceremonial parade?

- Speaking of rules, I always thought West Point is supposed to lead any Army formation they're part of. In this parade, USMA was at the back, with the "Future of the Army" - other Corps of Cadets like Texas A&M, JROTC, and people who enlisted today. And to be clear, I am not a West Point guy. But there are supposed to be some benefits to having a pole rammed up your ass for four years. Maybe there's an old grad in the commentariat who can enlighten me.

RLTW

JSM; 6/14/25, 9:35 PM
Tina Trent said...: Donot call me a Nazi. I cannot express how exhausted I am. I was polite.; 6/14/25, 9:37 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Drove by the Athens GA 'No Kings' demonstration late afternoon. Peaceful, American flags, no foreign flags. Mix of young and old, mostly old. They were on the sidewalk, not blocking trafic, lined up a couple of blocks, mostly with signs. Some drivers would honk, and when drivers honk, the demonstrators became more boisterous.; 6/14/25, 9:38 PM
Tina Trent said...: Nice for you, John Mosby. Meanwhile, lots of people are also calling you a Nazi. Do something.; 6/14/25, 9:41 PM
Tina Trent said...: Lem, you're not paying attention.; 6/14/25, 9:42 PM
Tina Trent said...: Rcocean II: inappropriate.; 6/14/25, 9:46 PM
john mosby said...: Trent, I am not understanding you. Who is calling us Nazis? Are comments getting deleted?

JSM; 6/14/25, 9:48 PM
Tina Trent said...: Idiot Mosby. Not Sixty miles away, in a much more conservative area, lots of foreign flags, hate whitey signs, the whole nine yards. I know Athens, and I do not believe you.; 6/14/25, 9:48 PM
Tina Trent said...: Sorry I mean Lem. Long, hot day actually interacting with these idiots when I should be in bed..; 6/14/25, 9:51 PM
john mosby said...: Trent, I would be the first to agree that I am an idiot. I still can't really understand what your point is. If it's that lots of people out there are still gunning for us, yes, that's true. But I was just enjoying the Army 250 parade while it was there. Just having it take place against all the friction is a small victory for the forces of common sense. But yes, we cannot afford to rest on small gains like this.

JSM; 6/14/25, 9:54 PM
Birches said...: After a day at the beach we came back and watched the at parade. It was awesome. I liked that my kids could see and recognize the uniforms their ancestors wore in WWI. I appreciated that Trump stood up and saluted every company who marched by. Might have been the most male heavy crowd I've seen watching a parade in some time.; 6/14/25, 9:59 PM
le Douanier said...: Does anyone here know what to make of the number of stars on the DJT parade stage? So many stars all over the place. Usually when I think of the Army and I think of stars, I know that each star is hard to get. They don't just through them all over the place.

But, on the DJT parade stage it seems like there were sixteen stars on each side of DJT when he was standing at his highlighted, central space where he overlooked the DJT b-day parade participants.

And, I think there were three (or so) stars on each side of him way up at the top of the big screens. Also, there were a few stars down low, on both sides of DJT's perch. Those down low stars were a bit obscured by the tanks that were parked below his reviewing stand.

Maybe if you look close enough you could find fifty stars? Though my count is a bit fewer. If it was fifty it would make some sort of sense because every state would be represented.

Though technically, the American flag doesn't pick higher and lower zones re placing the stars re the States (of course it is true that the colonies do get extra props re getting stripes.)

If all those stars aren't meant to represent the states, I guess that they're just like the Oval Office update with the tacky gold painted decorations (inc gold toilet?) that DJT added all over the place. IOW, if one or five stars is symbol of a great accomplishment for a general, then it's even better to randomly stick stars all over the place around bone spurs DJT, willy-nilly.

Anywho, can any of you DJT fans admit that this day has been a fail for DJT? Ya know cause of the murder of D politicians, and the new war (not to mention the one that DJT said he could end on his first day in office, even though it still goes on), and still not one single trade deal though the finish line yet, and a BBB that promises to borrow now so the rich can get richer while average folks suffer more, and we have a country full of citizens opposing monarchy all over the place.

You folks must be able to notice that this day was a disaster for DJT. At some point reality must be acknowledged. Right?; 6/14/25, 10:00 PM
john mosby said...: Ok, Trent, I am figuring it out with my monkey brain. I guess you were out counter-demonstrating today? You are braver than I. Braver than most of the people in the Army parade. And yes, even if your physical safety around Antifa could somehow be guaranteed, the mental wear and tear of dealing with their pretzel logic has probably taken days off your life expectancy. I salute you.

JSM; 6/14/25, 10:02 PM
Jim at said...: Today's posts have been educational ... in that it didn't even take a half a day to add another braindead leftist to the Scroll On By list.; 6/14/25, 10:03 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: “Lem, you're not paying attention.“

I didn’t hang around.; 6/14/25, 10:07 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Trump “knows in his gut” the strike on Iran was a strategic mistake and that it would be viewed as a betrayal by many voters. Douglas Macgregor — a Carlson favorite and one-time Trump appointee — warned that Americans should now expect terror attacks on soft targets at home. He didn’t hedge:
“The talks with Iran were a ruse. Witkoff, like much of Trump’s team, was acting in Israel’s interest. This is the start of a regional war.”
The harshest takes have accused Trump of being manipulated — “dog-walked” — by Benjamin Netanyahu. And these aren’t marginal voices. This is a faction of the conservative base that helped deliver Trump his presidency and once swore allegiance to his “America First” doctrine. Now they’re openly questioning whether he’s abandoned it.
That should worry Trump. The MAGA base alone isn’t big enough to keep him in power. Add the disillusioned isolationist right and the Elon Musk–adjacent tech-libertarian crowd, who were already squirming, and suddenly, Trump’s flagging poll numbers make a lot more sense.
It also explains why Trump worked the phones early Friday morning, calling journalists and friendly voices in media, trying to contain the fallout and stave off a MAGA mutiny. But even he may not be able to keep this one from breaking out.
The coalition that looked bulletproof just a month ago now appears brittle and deeply divided. And not even a $45 million North Korean–style military parade will fix that.This fella is over his heaad,Zelensky bombed Russia and didnt tell trump diddly(he knows the guy got a big mouth) BIBI dismisses trump fires the bombs,Putin been playing trump all long.Gaza is a picture of end times trump does nothing but try and sell bitccoin,,immigration 5 million dollar cards and TARIFFS that are a total washout,,HOW MANY DEALS IS THAT NOW,,STILL ZERO? The world is laughing at this incompetency and see this man as a useless fool. The peacemaker THE RIGHTIES said,, so far drom the truth..This fella is over his head,and its getting worse, he dont think,acts 1st and then has to TACO it all down the road...WTF.. The worlds blowing up and this guy selling bitcoin!; 6/14/25, 10:08 PM
le Douanier said...: Jim, I've only been here for getting close to twenty years (so what do I know?), but you should know that folks on these threads before you had better techniques than scrolling by commenters that yucked their yum. You can use software to block commenters that you don't want to read. That way you can be sure that you don't see upsetting comments.

Carry on.; 6/14/25, 10:11 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: "Not Sixty miles away, in a much more conservative area, lots of foreign flags, hate whitey signs, the whole nine yards."

I only came upon the one Broad St, Chick-fil-A. I don't know about the other ones.; 6/14/25, 10:15 PM
Candide said...: Melania looked great, as always.; 6/14/25, 10:25 PM
le Douanier said...: "Donald Trump humiliated as disappointing crowd turns up for Washington DC military parade"

Is the Irish Star a serious source, like NY Post?
https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-humiliated-disappointing-crowd-35394589; 6/14/25, 10:32 PM
le Douanier said...: "Trump baffles with embarrassing mispronunciation when addressing US Army at DC parade"

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/breaking-trump-baffles-embarrassing-mispronunciation-35394670; 6/14/25, 10:33 PM
Narr said...: I only saw a few segments of the Army 250 coverage, and was also struck by the sloppy marching of some of the units involved. Our JROTC battalion was sharper in 1970.

Local news reported that millions of Americans participated in the No Kings events; the local numbers have been given variously as between 1k - 4k, but what I saw on the news stories looked on the low end FWIW.; 6/14/25, 10:45 PM
le Douanier said...: The DJT administration is not worried about domestic terrorism (except folks that mess with Tesla cars, though I suspect that that may not be much of a concern anymore, since Elon talked about DJT and Epstein.) It seems like a dude trying to kill politicians is domestic terrorism.

"FBI scales back staffing, tracking of domestic terrorism probes, sources say"

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi-scales-back-staffing-tracking-domestic-terrorism-probes-sources-say-2025-03-21/; 6/14/25, 11:13 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: No kings was leftwing silliness. But imagine a rightwing "no kings" under Biden. Impossible to imagine. But if it'd happen the MSM would've called them "fasicits". All the "Moderates" would've disavowed them and would've been scandalized.
GOPe would've said "Shoot them" ala Erick Erickson.; 6/14/25, 11:18 PM
le Douanier said...: So, the DJT administration is minimizing the focus on domestic terrorism.

That reminds me of how they tried to hide that the BHO administration left them a playbook for dealing with a pandemic. And this time around, the DJT administration is staffed with way more unqualified fools at the highest positions. Not to mention that it's a fair bet that the Biden administration didn't leave them as much good stuff to copy as BHO did the first time around. Of course that doesn't matter cause we already know that DJT folks won't take in good info anyway. They think the US gov exists to own the libs and drink lib tears and dunk on the libs and so on. Idiocracy indeed.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/obama-team-left-pandemic-playbook-for-trump-administration-officials-confirm; 6/14/25, 11:36 PM
MikeD said...: Left wing liberal lady gives readers permission to talk about Army 250 parade, while assigning "guilt" as if it's Trump's Parade.; 6/14/25, 11:38 PM
tcrosse said...: Maybe our Democrat friends would be happier seeing LBJ reviewing an army of ghetto youths marching off to his war in Vietnam.; 6/14/25, 11:42 PM
n.n said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/14/25, 11:45 PM
Aggie said...: "...Local news reported that millions of Americans participated in the No Kings events;..." I dunno, our local news said the same thing, like they ripped it off the teletype. What I noticed is that there is very little drone footage anywhere, which is the only reliable way to evaluate a crowd nowadays. The limited drone footage I did see was accompanied by 'thousands' and I would have refined that to maybe 1-3 thousand. The local rally here, local news showed a few sidewalk crowds with signs and keffiyehs and so on and said 'close to a thousand' - I'd say they were a poor judge of distance, and that the crowd needs to use those sidewalks a little more frequently. Metropolitan Bedias, TX has gone dark - but that happens every night.; 6/14/25, 11:49 PM
Jaq said...: "They are in no position to expand the conflict by pissing off other nations."

When a war goes existential, a lot of stuff suddenly is on the table. Israel is trying to make this an existential war for Iran, their war aim is regime change, we will see how that goes, but at some point, pissing off other nations is less and less worrisome, and those "other nations" have no real interest in being next on the list because the West gets a wild hair about them for some reason.; 6/14/25, 11:53 PM
Jaq said...: "Might wanna fill up your cars today..."

You gotta be happy about this, isn't this what your boy Joe Biden was after? Isn't this what your boy Lindsey Graham wanted?

I think that the neocons have solved Trump. I don''t know how he gets out of this mess, but he sure got his ass handed to him for trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement. That's not allowed! Not in Ukraine, not with Iran. War is the answer, just ask Miss Lindsey.; 6/14/25, 11:58 PM
Jaq said...: Some ally, BTW.; 6/14/25, 11:58 PM
Aggie said...: If the Straits of Hormuz are affected, my guess is the Arab world is going to light up. Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Bahrain, UAE all get their revenue stream choked. They won't complain to the United Nations, they'll want treat it as a regional problem and solve it practically IMO. Hamas and Houthis are a nuisance to them, too.; 6/15/25, 12:06 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The Iranian rocket retaliation has been welcomed by Reddit anti Israel propaganda. If I didn’t see it I wouldn’t believe it. A lot of Jew hate out there.; 6/15/25, 1:23 AM
Big Mike said...: I very much approve of Secretary Robert Kennedy’s appointment of Dr. Robert Malone to the vaccine advisory panel. I remember learning about him hanks to a years-ago Althouse post, and I’ve since learned more on my own. The reality is that no one, living or dead, know as much as he knows about mRNA vaccines. It’s about time our federal research agencies did real science, instead of rubber stamping political decisions made on the basis of of who can donate the most to the Democrats.; 6/15/25, 1:56 AM
gadfly said...: Iran is seriously reviewing the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, IRINN reported, citing statements by Esmail Kosari, a member of the parliament’s security commission.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Oman and Iran, is the world’s most important gateway for oil shipping.

Smart people, those Iranians. They can close the Hormuz Strait and shut down oil shipments from Arab nations, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Dubai. The US fleet will blockade Iranian shipping passing through the Gulf of Oman, and the war will end unless, God help us, a big bomb goes boom.

As for the economic disaster for Israel and America - we don't need the damn oil and the Suez Canal is all that Israel needs.; 6/15/25, 2:05 AM
Clyde said...: I enjoyed the Army 250th anniversary parade, especially the vintage uniforms and equipment. Many of the units could have used a little more marching practice, though. As one friend noted, FM 22-5 and D&C probably get a lot less emphasis than they did back in the day.; 6/15/25, 3:50 AM
Jim at said...: So I'm watching (recorded) the NCAA track and field championships from Hayward Field. Eugene, OR. Fourth night.

And if you're a runner - like I used to be - that venue is a bucket list. Been there twice, and not the last.

As I'm watching the women's 5k? I see a lot of ponytails going swish, swish.

I cracked up. Wife asks why?

See, there's a guy called Laslo ...; 6/15/25, 4:57 AM
john mosby said...: Jim at: thanks for making the connection on ponytails! I didn't as I was watching all the soldiers with ponytails.

Someone needs to give us Girl With A Ponytail On A Tank....

JSM; 6/15/25, 5:39 AM
n.n said...: A pride parade less the albinophobic symbols and rhetoric of queer intrigue, class conflict of fascists, color judgments of DEIsts, class-disordered apologetics of pussy hats, ritual sacrifice of abortionists through selective ideology and profit, the foreign intrigue of Green blighters, and the kingship of democratic partisanship. All in all an inclusive experience of people who bend the knee to avoid taking a knee.; 6/15/25, 6:16 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: I noticed the cadence too. I thought it a nice switch from the robotics of the Norks and Chinese.
Everyday Americans, not Kings Men.; 6/15/25, 6:30 AM
Jaq said...: Even if you are not a hockey fan, you might want to watch this goal from last night. https://youtu.be/7MLK9EZOCvQ?si=kyno4YRgmrEosd-X&t=9 It's a crazy move, how does a guy think of that?; 6/15/25, 7:07 AM
Clyde said...: @ BUMBLE BEE

Any veteran watching was shaking his head. Being selected to march in a parade like that is a big honor, you’re representing your unit and you want to look good. A little more practice would have helped. Granted it was a long parade route, but you definitely want to look sharp when you are passing the reviewing stand.; 6/15/25, 7:22 AM
Jersey Fled said...: Padilla is now playing the sympathy card over his troubled childhood.; 6/15/25, 7:45 AM
Jersey Fled said...: “ It seems to me that DJT is fucking up the US military so they can be as disliked and controversial as all the rest.”

Maybe you missed the part about how are experiencing record recruitment numbers.; 6/15/25, 7:48 AM
Jersey Fled said...: “ They can close the Hormuz Strait and shut down oil shipments from Arab nations, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Dubai.”

Do you really think they have the capacity to do that?; 6/15/25, 7:53 AM
Tina Trent said...: Sorry again for being reactive to Lem and the name screw-up. I was in Gainesville, Georgia, sixty miles from Athens, but the same cohort. Almost every sign referred to Trump or fellow Americans as Nazis or racists. The protesters were cheerful -- cheerfully seething with hatred for America and for anyone who voted differently from them. They were cult-like in their hatred. I go to record the signs and behaviors the media doesn't cover. If there is a counter-protest, I know to stay in my lane.

I don't go to potentially dangerous events unless I first tell the police and give an officer my ID. We've had violent riots and road blockages around downtown Atlanta, and I'd avoid those, and Gainesville now has illegal Hispanic gangs fighting each other, but they wouldn't go to a protest surrounded by police cars. Bad for gang business.

The most frightening thing is observing the brainwashing. And gleefully labeling people Nazis and racists is so predominant that it's honestly disturbing.; 6/15/25, 8:02 AM
Aggie said...: "Do you really think they have the capacity to do that? "

Put it this way: Think like an Arab. You've got more or less permanent international sanctions on oil exports, your one revenue stream. You're reduced to sneaking it out on old, unreliable ghost tankers and selling it at deep discounts to the Chinese and Indians. Now Israel bombs your refineries, which you can't get parts for - legally. If you don't have revenue anymore, why should anybody? Except that they'll kill you, of course, Arab-style, like Omar Sharif shooting Lawrence of Arabia's travel guide, for sampling his water. It's easy to see why nobody wants an Islamic religious tyrant to have the Hand of God in his tool kit, in the form of nukes.

A couple of strategically sunken, crude-filled ships would take weeks to clear, if not months, even if the salvagers weren't under attack.; 6/15/25, 8:45 AM
Dr Weevil said...: Aggie:
Thinking like an Arab won't help you understand Iranians. They're not Arabs, and tend to despise Arabs. They're Indo-Europeans, while Arabs (and Jews) are Semites. And 95% of Iran hates the mullahs: they have the lowest mosque-attendance rate of any nominally Muslim country in the world, and many of the young have gone back to their pre-Muslim roots and taken up Zoroastrianism. They're just waiting for Israel to kill enough of the Republican Guard for them to take back control and turn Iran into a democracy - or perhaps a constitutional monarchy with Reza Pahlavi II on the Peacock Throne.; 6/15/25, 9:48 AM
BG said...: I have a theory of why so many older people (mostly "boomers"?) are joining in the protests. Besides MAYBE getting paid (supplemental income), they are reliving the Vietnam protests of their youth. I base this theory on an example of one. (Ha!) A guy I dated for a while way back when, was a Vietnam protestor and avoided getting drafted by losing so much weight he was too underweight to qualify. We broke up and that was that. (I come from a patriotic family that did their stint in the armed forces, drafted or enlisted.) I happened to notice his name in social media and looked to see what he was doing with his life. Talk about me dodging a bullet! He has embraced every single talking point the progressives have handed him. He obviously listens ONLY to MSM. "Wow," was all I could think. "What a shame." And yes, he participated in No Kings in Milwaukee.; 6/15/25, 10:52 AM
effinayright said...: Kakistocracy said...
Might wanna fill up your cars today...

'Tehran is ablaze': Israel strikes massive oil depot near Iranian capital, fire rages ~ The Jerusalem Post
***************
Quelle stupidity! The US hasn't imported Iranian oil for years.

Yeah, the world price will go up, but we still have plenty of supply. Current under-$3 / gallon prices reflect that.; 6/15/25, 12:50 PM
effinayright said...: Aggie said: "A couple of strategically sunken, crude-filled ships would take weeks to clear, if not months, even if the salvagers weren't under attack.
*************
You incorrectly assume that Israel and the United States don't know where every Iranian ship is located, and can't track their movements day and night to prevent them from closing the Strait.; 6/15/25, 12:53 PM
Aggie said...: @effinayright: I assume no such thing, and made no such assertion, nor am I privy to military and/or diplomatic strategy.; 6/15/25, 12:57 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Well of course, this fella in over his head.. What’s happening between Iran and Israel is a direct result of Trump’s carelessness
Donald Trump claims to be the leader who will end wars. But by effectively killing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear containment deal with Iran in his first term in office and allowing Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to run roughshod across the Middle East in his second, the Republican president is instead fanning the flames of conflict across the region.
It is Trump’s choices that have led Israel and Iran, the Middle East’s most powerful military actors, to the brink of all-out war, with a risk of escalation and spread, global economic disruption and mass casualties.
The JCPOA, signed by the US, Iran, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the EU in 2015, was far from perfect. It failed to clamp down on Tehran’s conventional weapons programme build-up and its intentions to arm militia as far west as the Mediterranean – but it did succeed in freezing Iran’s nuclear programme.
In persuading Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal in 2018, Netanyahu triggered the revival of Iran’s uranium enrichment, which has led to the current crisis. In doing so, Trump and Netanyahu have, ironically, risked throwing away Israel’s huge strategic advantage of being the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East.
The Israeli premier’s obsession with destroying the regime in Tehran is partly due to its enmity with the Jewish state, but also because it represents a politically useful distraction as a convenient bogeyman. Trump complicit in this war and will be held accountable for as the righties think this guy is the one to not get us into any wars, just like he would build the WALL and Mexico would pay for it. P.T.BARNUM said it best "one born every minute, or David Hannum ANOTHER confidence trickster. Did PT SAY IT? who cares its true,,; 6/15/25, 2:13 PM
gadfly said...: Frank Burns eats worms!; 6/15/25, 2:36 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: At least anal sex month is halfway over.; 6/15/25, 4:31 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: It's all good Tina. 😅; 6/15/25, 10:49 PM