We rise by lifting others… ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/ileKD0Uo9K
— BubuNguyen 🇺🇸🇻🇳 (@Bubu_fan1) March 21, 2024
- Lots happening yesterday around Israel and Iran.
My own understanding:
Israel launches an attack that smashes an Iranian consulate – technically Iran’s territory – and kills more than half a dozen of Iran’s military advisors, and half a dozen others, along with a pretty bad guy who’s a top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Iran can’t do …well… nothing. So they launch a missile and drone attack on Israel that seems either inept as all hell or …maybe… maybe even designed NOT to inflict a lot of harm. A little girl is severely injured, tragic in itself, and there is minor damage to a military base.
Interestingly, the Arab world seems to coalesce informally in silent support of Israel. For the air attack, Iran can’t get permission to cross land lines or airspace from other regional countries. Traditional enemies of Israel join in providing intelligence in the defense. In fact, Jordan and Saudi Arabia send jets to join with the US and other allies in shooting down Iranian missiles before they reach Israeli defenses.
Imagine that.
So Iran declares the matter closed. Israel doesn’t.
Israel does some explosive sabotage near, but not at, Iran’s nuclear facilities, then launches its own air attack on Iran, with maybe one-twentieth of what missiles and drones could have been used. Iran says damage is minimal.
Israel does not claim and Iran does not accuse.
Israel says: Gosh! who could have done all that?
Iran says meh.
So I’m just spitballing here:
Is it at all possible Biden knows what he is doing and has been pressing exactly the right buttons to cool things down in a very hot region?
- tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors takes a crack at quick analysis of yesterday’s military moves. Highly condensed version: Despite President Biden’s advice, Netanyahu did not take the win.
- Kevin Drum runs down what President Biden seems to be asking from Netanyahu in exchange for massive US military aid.
Seems minimal. Kevin adds a modest suggestion.
- Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit has unkind words for food blocker Netanyahu, pro-Palestinian road blockers, and Republican Ukraine blockers.
Key lesson:
When you engage in a protest that inconveniences lots of people (making them late for work, miss their flights), those people are not going to ruminate or consider the cause you espouse.
- Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson has a reminder:
Remind everyone who said in recent days that Donald Trump would be a better steward of our foreign policy what his real beliefs are…
…and that there will be nobody to stop him in a second term. https://t.co/jUd5NW3dcv
— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) April 16, 2024
- At The Moderate Voice retired U.S. Air Force Major Dorian de Wind talks about the difficult position of the military if the Oval Office is ever occupied by a rogue President (Now, who comes to mind?) endowed with absolute legal immunity (What comes to mind?).
- Max’s Dad goes Trump trial hunting and covers Drowsy Don and jury intimidation.
- In Letters from an American, historian Heather Cox Richardson begins with the Trump trial, as the defendant joins with Fox in slowing the selection process by outing individual jurors. The jury gets selected anyway.
- M. Bouffant will very likely never, ever, be on the Trump jury.
- From The Borowitz Report, jury selection in mr Trump’s trial continues as the defendant is scolded by the judge for rejecting several female jurors as not his type.
It’s SATIRE – Lemme alone!
- PZ Myers briefly considers whether mr Trump will go to jail for criminality, and is not hopeful.
- Dave Columbo insists Trump will quickly prove his innocence if only he would take the stand: Please don’t let them talk you out of it, Mr. President!
- Ted McLaughlin at jobsanger has the polling numbers. A whole lot of voters say a conviction for falsifying business records to hide hush money would make Trump unfit for office. Even more think Trump committed serious crimes.
- Eric Trump is furious at what turns out to be a judicial non-decision.
And, so:
The Onion provides a bit of juvenile snark for a childish response from some immature individual who will not be named (Hint: his initials are Burr):Anger at a decision not yet made. Judge said he'll see how the trial schedule works out.
Note from the Onion:https://t.co/i8IXyJ5vLd
— Burr Deming – @BurrLand01@mastodon.world (@BurrLand01) April 18, 2024
Continue reading “Israel, Iran, NONageddon, Trials of Trump, Holy War, my friend Darrell”