I wonder what is up with Mr Trump's Bored of Peace? Or is it Board of Piece (i.e. we're taking a piece of your territory)? I thought the whole point was to prevent international conflict but I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if there was less conflict now than when that grifters' cabal was formed.

Edited Monday at 11:01 AM1 day by npts2020
spelling

It's clear he's trying to overwhelm the whole system, from the courts to the public, in an attempt to shut us down cognitively. This is Bannon's flood-the-zone-with-shit strategy. Why else would you be trying to actively recruit young men into active military duty for an insane war while also sending ICE after their spouses? Unvarnished cruelty.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-soldier-newlywed-wife-detained-louisiana-military-base/

On 4/6/2026 at 12:00 PM, npts2020 said:

I wonder what is up with Mr Trump's Bored of Peace? Or is it Board of Piece (i.e. we're taking a piece of your territory)? I thought the whole point was to prevent international conflict but I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if there was less conflict now than when that grifters' cabal was formed.

Oh that was just about Gazan real estate for Jared Kushner. It seems to have gone nowhere now that Trump has other things on (the remnants of) his mind.

3 hours ago, Phi for All said:

It's clear he's trying to overwhelm the whole system, from the courts to the public, in an attempt to shut us down cognitively. This is Bannon's flood-the-zone-with-shit strategy. Why else would you be trying to actively recruit young men into active military duty for an insane war while also sending ICE after their spouses? Unvarnished cruelty.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-soldier-newlywed-wife-detained-louisiana-military-base/

Nothing like threatening/conducting war crimes to hold on to power. Worked for Netanyahu.

Iran's 'disappearing' tonight:

2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Iran's 'disappearing' tonight:

Funny how the proponents of this war always want to start the time line at 1980. Why not 1953? Seems to me that the only reason there is a radical Islamic state in Iran is because the US and its allies were meddling in their affairs to begin with.

3 minutes ago, npts2020 said:

Funny how the proponents of this war always want to start the time line at 1980. Why not 1953? Seems to me that the only reason there is a radical Islamic state in Iran is because the US and its allies were meddling in their affairs to begin with.

Yep. There is a tendency to select arbitrary historical dates in isolation that support and justify some government military action.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by StringJunky

19 minutes ago, npts2020 said:

Funny how the proponents of this war always want to start the time line at 1980. Why not 1953? Seems to me that the only reason there is a radical Islamic state in Iran is because the US and its allies were meddling in their affairs to begin with.

Dead right. I remember at school and university the stories of deaths and torture by the Shah's secret police, SAVAK. One of their specialities was something called the toast rack, whereby they strapped people onto red hot bedsteads. Ugh. The Shah of course was given great support by the USA and I think NATO. But as you say it all goes back to the overthrow by the US and the UK, of Mossadegh in 1953. Churchill was behind that because of threat to nationalise the Anglo Iranian Oil Company (which became BP). A late spasm of imperialist meddling, well past its sell-by date.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by exchemist

One of the things that folks tend to forget is that the uprising against the Shah was a popular one, and not really one driven by religion (initially). Quite a few folks that would be considered progressives were part of it, in an effort to overthrow the Shah. As part of this alliance, Kohomeini then promised things like equal rights, freedom of expression, democratization and even agreed to ensure that religious leaders wouldn't be in position of political power.

Of course, that never happened, and when he realized that he was able to consolidate power, he did. And perhaps different to some other autocracies, who are very much focused on the person, he did create a deep system, that is holding on to power even now.

But folks have to recognize how badly folks wanted to get rid of the Shah and it is not simply religious fanaticism that caused and sustained the current regime.