From the Washington Post: Iran launched drones from its territory toward Israel late Saturday, the Israeli military said. Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in brief remarks Saturday evening it would take several hours for the drones to reach Israel. Israeli forces were responding according to plan, he said. If threats with “shorter arrival times” are found, “we will immediately alert,” Hagari said.
So Israel attacked Iran - big surprise - now Iran is retaliating! I find it very easy to believe that Israel knows exactly what its doing - drawing the US into a regional conflict AND taking attention away from Gaza & the crap the settlers are pulling. This is asinine.
Plus the US will have to "stick up" for Israel in yet another war. I saw a short news thing saying that there were lots of explosions in Israel, but no impacts - I guess the "iron Dome" thing stops a lot of them?
They claim to have hit 99% of the Shaheed dronts - not hard, they're slow - with the "hits" not harming the population. Since the Shaheed warhead is only 110 pounds, that's unsurprising.
Iran is arming Putin. China is arming Putin. NK may be arming Putin. The NATO nations are arming Ukraine. Iran is arming the three H's, Hamas, Hezbollah, Huthis. Israel is leveling Gaza. Jordan and Syria are caught in the crossfire. The rest of the Middle East seems to be holding coats for those in this deadly donnybrook. This will not end well, assuming it ever ends. I long for the days when Obama and Biden achieved some level of detente with Iran only to have it blown up by Trump, probably on orders from Putin. And it would be great if Mike Johnson, Trump's toady, would listen to the military brass's complaints about the House not dealing with aid to Ukraine, Israel, and our own military budgets. (See "Stars and Stripes.")
We can only hold onto our hats so many times before we rip off the brims.How long before the theater roof falls in on us while we sit, watching and munching our popcorn?
Well, there's not all that much more we can do beside watch and munch popcorn -- except do our damndest to persuade our friends, neighbors, and acquaintances that sitting out the November election is a really, really bad idea.
Susan Troy, yes yes yes. Rumi, Hafiz, many others who once lived in that region would be horrified .. maybe not surprised… at the squabbling in the sandbox that continues on. (Ira needs a woman at the helm w no headscarf. Netnet needs to be ousted as well.
I'm not sure they'd be horrified or surprised. "That region" is no stranger to conflict, and Rumi didn't write poems like "Out beyond ideas" because everything was peachy-peaceful where he was.
Not sure what you're saying here: what's "oropley" And war may surely result in "sloppy population control," but is that the objective of those who push for it? I'm skeptical. If I had to come up with a rationale, I'd go with "it's the same thing that causes men (XY-chromosome people) to fight duels: someone's honor has been insulted, and they can't figure out a better way to salvage their honor so they have to fight a duel / go to war over it."
Oh may God forgive me for not proofreading! Oropley is people in in unspellcheck, my native language.🙄
And yes, I do think sloppy population control is the objective. Those who are in control obviously don't care about anyone's children than their own and that's just because they fear death and think they (their genes) may live on through dynasty, if there is less competition. Look at how Putin stuffed any opposition into gulags, then three them into his meat grinder war: and I'll bet you anything you want he will throw the prison guards in next because he's afraid they would turn on him for their lack of knowing what else to do. The percentage of men who have any compasion or concern for anything besides themselves is about equal to the percentage the Earth can sustain according to Zeitgeist without collapsing into a polluted puddle of human generated trash. The problem is, how will that small per centage survive the stupid rest of the multitude?
Susan, may I recommend a Mark Twain short novel “The Mysterious Stranger”? It has something important to say relative to the gift of this beautiful planet.
Just what we need, another vicious attack from yet another terrorist nation. Thanks for nothing Netanyahu. If Israel had any sense right now, they'd arrest Netanyahu and let his sorry ass rot in jail while awaiting overdue prosecution. But then we are setting no examples letting the trumpster threaten our legal system, ignore court ordered gag orders and give him all the attention he needs but doesn't deserve.
If we don't drum up the courage to isolate Iran and Russia NOW, you will be facing the consequences of creeping authoritarianism for years to come. Thankfully I'll be dead.
How big a war does Bibi need to keep in power? He will burn it all down to save himself. It’s time for Biden to stop shipping weapons until Israel agrees to stop escalating, destroying infrastructure and killing civilians. We’ve been played too long already.
Bibi will persevere until Hamas is thoroughly drubbed and totally forgotten. The Israelis are dead serious. You can't imagine what frustration 30 years of trying to negotiate with saboteurs is like. Hamas succeeded in unleashing Israel's fury and unfortunately the Palestinians Hamas was supposed to love and protect were used as live shields instead.
Good heavens, how did you manage to miss the Reagan administration and the Bush II administration, not to mention what came between them? Having come of political age (more or less) in 1968, I have no idea what "normal" looks like.
I wish I had missed Reagan and Bush2. But as bad as they were, I didn't find them nearly as bad as tfg, at the time at least, although Reagan certainly helped pave the way for the disaster that TFG was.
Normal for me was JFK, early LBJ, and Carter (and I thank LBJ at least once a month for my Medicare, which is such a blessing). My parents were very political--my mother's uncle had run the Colorado Dem party for nearly 50 years--which is why at 7 I was keyed into the JFK/Nixon race.
I had my first political arguments in the fall of that second grade year in Seattle. My parents were both trained academic economists, although my mother switched to psych. My best friend was Ralphie. Ralphie's maternal grandfather was a cofounder of Nordstrom's, which got its start in Seattle. His mother was interior decorator to the wealthy, including John Ehrlichman.
In his California Senate race, in 1946, Nixon had run against Helen Gahagan Douglas, and during that race, he had smeared her with an epithet that GOPers liked to use against Democrats.
One day, Ralphie and I were riding along, my mother at the wheel. I said to Ralphie, "You know, Ralphie, you really shouldn't vote for Nixon, because he called that lady in California something like an economist."
I'm certain I'm quoting myself exactly, because my mother, who didn't laugh much, repeated this story a lot because she found it so hilarious. And I'm very happy that gave her so much mirth. She deserved it.
Biden's the best president of my lifetime, which began during the first summer of the Eisenhower Administration. I feel like I did when the wind was at my back as I was bicycling from Seattle to Boston the summer of '75.
I was born the last few months of Truman, but I don't remember him or Ike, and little of JFK, so I wont opine on their attributes.
Biden the best? If you say so. Obviously have very, very different expectations. Admittedly, my personal Presidential ratings usually run from 0 all the way to 2 (out of 10). Maybe an occasional and random 3.
C'mon Bibi. I lived through an entire fucking Cold War waiting anxiously for the Hot one to start. Lets not start the nukes now. You did your deterrence with the Iron Shield, so as Biden says, Take the Win.
Lest 'from the river to the sea' all the sand shall be radioactive glass, and both sides will find themselves answering to their separate deities only to find they are one and the same. Or likely discover that there is no existence at all after death.
uh, in this case Iran was just retaliating. Israel fired the first shot, to the embassy in Damascus. Pretty sure what Iran stood to gain was a "we can too" to tell their people. Not that I think either was a bright idea.
So Israel attacked Iran - big surprise - now Iran is retaliating! I find it very easy to believe that Israel knows exactly what its doing - drawing the US into a regional conflict AND taking attention away from Gaza & the crap the settlers are pulling. This is asinine.
It is asinine. And the rest of us have to deal with the consequences of unscrupulous and unaccountable “leaders.”
Plus the US will have to "stick up" for Israel in yet another war. I saw a short news thing saying that there were lots of explosions in Israel, but no impacts - I guess the "iron Dome" thing stops a lot of them?
They claim to have hit 99% of the Shaheed dronts - not hard, they're slow - with the "hits" not harming the population. Since the Shaheed warhead is only 110 pounds, that's unsurprising.
I don’t know about the iron dome. I’m all for standing up for the Israeli people but not for self serving blockheads like Netanyahu and Co.
Iran is arming Putin. China is arming Putin. NK may be arming Putin. The NATO nations are arming Ukraine. Iran is arming the three H's, Hamas, Hezbollah, Huthis. Israel is leveling Gaza. Jordan and Syria are caught in the crossfire. The rest of the Middle East seems to be holding coats for those in this deadly donnybrook. This will not end well, assuming it ever ends. I long for the days when Obama and Biden achieved some level of detente with Iran only to have it blown up by Trump, probably on orders from Putin. And it would be great if Mike Johnson, Trump's toady, would listen to the military brass's complaints about the House not dealing with aid to Ukraine, Israel, and our own military budgets. (See "Stars and Stripes.")
Words fail. 🤦🏻♂️ There are so many players who want the US embroiled in war in the Middle East.
We can only hold onto our hats so many times before we rip off the brims.How long before the theater roof falls in on us while we sit, watching and munching our popcorn?
Well, there's not all that much more we can do beside watch and munch popcorn -- except do our damndest to persuade our friends, neighbors, and acquaintances that sitting out the November election is a really, really bad idea.
We have been gifted a beautiful planet and the best we can find do with this gift is to blow one another up. For what? It’s beyond pathetic.
Susan Troy, yes yes yes. Rumi, Hafiz, many others who once lived in that region would be horrified .. maybe not surprised… at the squabbling in the sandbox that continues on. (Ira needs a woman at the helm w no headscarf. Netnet needs to be ousted as well.
I'm not sure they'd be horrified or surprised. "That region" is no stranger to conflict, and Rumi didn't write poems like "Out beyond ideas" because everything was peachy-peaceful where he was.
I love that—“squabbling in the sandbox.” I’m so over mindless death and destruction. To quote Tacitus, “ They create a desolation and call it peace.”
Have you noticed the "squabbling in the sandbox" that goes on in the U.S. Congress?
When there are too many oropley, they are not valued. War is sloppy population control.
Not sure what you're saying here: what's "oropley" And war may surely result in "sloppy population control," but is that the objective of those who push for it? I'm skeptical. If I had to come up with a rationale, I'd go with "it's the same thing that causes men (XY-chromosome people) to fight duels: someone's honor has been insulted, and they can't figure out a better way to salvage their honor so they have to fight a duel / go to war over it."
Oh may God forgive me for not proofreading! Oropley is people in in unspellcheck, my native language.🙄
And yes, I do think sloppy population control is the objective. Those who are in control obviously don't care about anyone's children than their own and that's just because they fear death and think they (their genes) may live on through dynasty, if there is less competition. Look at how Putin stuffed any opposition into gulags, then three them into his meat grinder war: and I'll bet you anything you want he will throw the prison guards in next because he's afraid they would turn on him for their lack of knowing what else to do. The percentage of men who have any compasion or concern for anything besides themselves is about equal to the percentage the Earth can sustain according to Zeitgeist without collapsing into a polluted puddle of human generated trash. The problem is, how will that small per centage survive the stupid rest of the multitude?
https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-xiaomi-rvo3&sca_esv=c3100514c60d20a4&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ACQVn0902KTsmGVryGY2YqP_Qoft2MvH2Q:1713248640419&q=Zeitgeist:+Moving+Forward&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLSz9U3yKgqMDMzUgKz0y1LKuKTtaSyk6300zJzcsFEfHFqUWZqsRWIXbyIVTIqNbMkPTWzuMRKwTe_LDMvXcEtv6g8sShlBysjAMk_nStVAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwifyv7EjMaFAxX4UkEAHaI4AVQQgOQBegQIGxAS&biw=393&bih=788&dpr=2.75#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:6799689f,vid:mboDCYyFxW0,st:0
Susan, may I recommend a Mark Twain short novel “The Mysterious Stranger”? It has something important to say relative to the gift of this beautiful planet.
Thanks. There's no equal to Mark Twain. I'll look it up. I may have a copy from last century.
Haha! No one I know has read this one. I’m reading it again now after many years. I can’t remember how it ends. The reading of it has me captive.
The West Bank must be an interesting place. Everybody there seems to be f***ing crazy.
This isnt a change of subject exactly - I'm watching Fallout on Prime! Speaking of apocalypses!
Netanyahoo is showing us what a 2nd TFFG administration would look like.
Just what we need, another vicious attack from yet another terrorist nation. Thanks for nothing Netanyahu. If Israel had any sense right now, they'd arrest Netanyahu and let his sorry ass rot in jail while awaiting overdue prosecution. But then we are setting no examples letting the trumpster threaten our legal system, ignore court ordered gag orders and give him all the attention he needs but doesn't deserve.
If we don't drum up the courage to isolate Iran and Russia NOW, you will be facing the consequences of creeping authoritarianism for years to come. Thankfully I'll be dead.
I know just how you feel.
At least we're going after Trump now. I also wish Israel would arrest Netanyahu.
How big a war does Bibi need to keep in power? He will burn it all down to save himself. It’s time for Biden to stop shipping weapons until Israel agrees to stop escalating, destroying infrastructure and killing civilians. We’ve been played too long already.
Bibi will persevere until Hamas is thoroughly drubbed and totally forgotten. The Israelis are dead serious. You can't imagine what frustration 30 years of trying to negotiate with saboteurs is like. Hamas succeeded in unleashing Israel's fury and unfortunately the Palestinians Hamas was supposed to love and protect were used as live shields instead.
God dammit!
It sure is entertaining living in interesting times, huh? Never a dull moment…
I did this already, during Watergate. I thought I was exempt after that!
All of we retreads were mistaken, David.
Alas. I had a therapist once, and probably the wisest thing she said was that it is up to citizens to preserve our Democracy.
After Watergate there was blood in the water. And blood attracts sharks, remora, and leeches, alike.
Good heavens, how did you manage to miss the Reagan administration and the Bush II administration, not to mention what came between them? Having come of political age (more or less) in 1968, I have no idea what "normal" looks like.
As do all of us who "came of age" then.
I wish I had missed Reagan and Bush2. But as bad as they were, I didn't find them nearly as bad as tfg, at the time at least, although Reagan certainly helped pave the way for the disaster that TFG was.
Normal for me was JFK, early LBJ, and Carter (and I thank LBJ at least once a month for my Medicare, which is such a blessing). My parents were very political--my mother's uncle had run the Colorado Dem party for nearly 50 years--which is why at 7 I was keyed into the JFK/Nixon race.
I had my first political arguments in the fall of that second grade year in Seattle. My parents were both trained academic economists, although my mother switched to psych. My best friend was Ralphie. Ralphie's maternal grandfather was a cofounder of Nordstrom's, which got its start in Seattle. His mother was interior decorator to the wealthy, including John Ehrlichman.
In his California Senate race, in 1946, Nixon had run against Helen Gahagan Douglas, and during that race, he had smeared her with an epithet that GOPers liked to use against Democrats.
One day, Ralphie and I were riding along, my mother at the wheel. I said to Ralphie, "You know, Ralphie, you really shouldn't vote for Nixon, because he called that lady in California something like an economist."
I'm certain I'm quoting myself exactly, because my mother, who didn't laugh much, repeated this story a lot because she found it so hilarious. And I'm very happy that gave her so much mirth. She deserved it.
Many of us wished we’d missed Bush II, Obama, Trump, AND Biden. The only saving grace seems to be no Clinton II.
Biden's the best president of my lifetime, which began during the first summer of the Eisenhower Administration. I feel like I did when the wind was at my back as I was bicycling from Seattle to Boston the summer of '75.
I was born the last few months of Truman, but I don't remember him or Ike, and little of JFK, so I wont opine on their attributes.
Biden the best? If you say so. Obviously have very, very different expectations. Admittedly, my personal Presidential ratings usually run from 0 all the way to 2 (out of 10). Maybe an occasional and random 3.
C'mon Bibi. I lived through an entire fucking Cold War waiting anxiously for the Hot one to start. Lets not start the nukes now. You did your deterrence with the Iron Shield, so as Biden says, Take the Win.
Lest 'from the river to the sea' all the sand shall be radioactive glass, and both sides will find themselves answering to their separate deities only to find they are one and the same. Or likely discover that there is no existence at all after death.
Oh, shit. Does Iran have an interest in hardening US support for Israel? What do they expect to gain from this retaliation to a retaliation??
uh, in this case Iran was just retaliating. Israel fired the first shot, to the embassy in Damascus. Pretty sure what Iran stood to gain was a "we can too" to tell their people. Not that I think either was a bright idea.
Does anyone fact check what the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson says?
Shit. I’ve been worried TFG sold classified docs to Iran. I don’t trade in conspiracy theories, but this freaks me out.
I wonder if “he went to Jared”.
Me too 👍
As Fearless Leader, aka C. Pierce, likes to say, this will not end well.