rjshae

It's snowing here; there's about an inch accumulated thus far and it's still coming down. This is very late in the season for snow in this area. ❄️ Meanwhile, the weather folk are predicting a strong El Niño for 2026, which may mean a year or two of abnormally high temperatures. 🥵 The Return of a Super El Niño: How the Rapid Collapse of La Niña is Triggering a Massive Global Shift for 2026 Guess I should enjoy the cold while I can...

Note that the death of the Aytollah is credited to Israel, although it likely wouldn't have happened without the US attack. We also have Israel to thank for attacking Iran's oil infrastructure; I'm not sure that was a good move from the US perspective.

Well, presumably Iran would want to return to the negotiating table with some form of leverage. The US is spending around $900 million per day, with $6 billion spent thus far. If Iran pursues an asymmetrical war strategy, it could cost the US dearly to gain any sort of victory. Plus, redacted doesn't have infinite funds to spend; he'll have to go to Congress with hat in hand with the Reps having to run for re-election with this on their record.

I'm not clear that's true. In the past they have repeatedly acted to damage the political interests of the in-power President. With most of their military infrastructure destroyed, Iran may choose to play the long game and try to bottle up the Straits of Hormuz. The goal would be to damage the US economy and influence the next election. Democrats have shown more willingness to deal diplomatically with Iran, rather than resorting to force as redacted has done multiple times already.

I'm wondering what the "victory" conditions are for this conflict? Is it a win if regime change is achieved? Are we looking for a Treaty on Iranian interests in Lebanon and Gaza? Is there a hypothetical conflict we're concerned about? Otherwise, I'm not clear what it accomplishes, other than raising gas prices and burning a lot of expensive munitions. We supposedly already destroyed Iran's nuclear enrichment and tore up the nuclear treaty. Seems like it's primarily useful as a distraction from Epstein.

Yes, I was expecting mining as well, but perhaps that's too indiscriminate. It wouldn't surprise me if they allow passage of China-bound vessels in exchange for Chinese military aid. That would cause redacted's head to explode.

He believes in many things that aren't real, so yeah it's concerning about their strategic vision for Iran.

Trump’s War On Iran: Myth Vs. Fact

Hopefully the new ICE head candidate is more Constitutionally aligned, although he's a loyalist to the FIFA peace award winner so that seems unlikely.

Trump fires Homeland Security Secretary Noem after mounting criticism Another one under the bus. Not a surprise really.

I wonder if Infantino will take back his "peace prize"? Heh, probably not, since DJT can disrupt the 2026 World Cup. What a cluster.

The gaming division has been tanking of late and they are reducing funding. I wouldn't be surprised to see Paramount+ sell it off for the IP rights.

Perhaps just greater range? For example, he could almost immediately connect with Frodo when the hobbit put on the ring. With the rings he can manipulate multiple heads of state at the same time at a distances of many weeks' ride.

I do suspect it will now make the job of the Secret Service more difficult.

I known DJT likes to gamble, but this attack can set of a cycle of revenge retaliations. I can't see Iran responding with a token attack this time; they will want to deter future raids. The whole event appears reckless, unwarranted, and poorly justified. Did the administration even bother to notify Congress?

One hit wonder from back in the day

Negative social ties as emerging risk factors for accelerated aging, inflammation, and multimorbidity Another good reason to keep negative people out of your life.

Almost operatic in presentation.

Easier said than done. Neither of the existing parties wants competition, so they aren't going to change the funding system to allow more parties. The solution has to be mathematical: change the voting system to a non-pluralistic approach. Allowing people to vote for more than one candidate captures more information about the voters intent, and encourages non-extreme candidates. This approach has been tested in two states thus far (Alaska and Maine) and more cities are turning to this method.

The Wacko in Chief thinks he's Paul Atreidies: "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." Which, of course, is a logical absurdity. Presumably he believes he's being funny. Must be rich man's "humor", I suppose.

Eric "McSteamy" Dane of ALS at age 53. Tough way to go.

The negative is that it (seemingly) encourages more European powers to develop nuclear weapons. I could see Germany going nuclear if they are abandoned by the US, and possibly others: Poland would have a strong motivation given their history.

Today in knucklehead: Border patrol saves the nation from red party balloons Hopefully nobody was trying to fly into El Paso. Classified briefing is scheduled...

Imposing harsh tariffs on our friends to the north is high up on my list of stupid decisions DJT has made. I'm glad there are members of Congress who view them in an equally bad light. Unfortunately, this bill is just another completely futile gesture by Congress, which has no chance of passing a veto. I suspect it's more about the upcoming mid-term elections. Hopefully, SCOTUS will take up the so-called "national emergency" issue soon, although I suspect they would prefer to ignore it.