The US-Iran War Has Begun

[Free]

TRUMP’S WAR IS GOING SO BAD HE’S ALREADY THROWING JARED KUSHNER UNDER THE BUS

Eight Americans Dead. A Harder Iran. Russia Feeding The Enemy Our Coordinates. And The President’s Son-In-Law Is Now The Guy Who Started It All. Sure.

deanblundell.substack.com

You want to know exactly how badly Trump’s Iran war is going?

He’s blaming Jared Kushner.

His son-in-law. The man he trusted to simultaneously negotiate peace in the Middle East, end the Ukraine war, and broker a nuclear deal with Iran. The man he put in charge of some of the most consequential diplomacy on the planet — not because Jared had foreign policy experience, but because he married into the right family and Trump trusts no one who isn’t either blood or leverage.

That guy. Trump is now pointing at that guy.

It's a semi-long breakdown of how Jared is now, apparently, the one they'll be using as the fall guy for when things go really badly. I'm not sure I swayed. We're talking about the husband of Trump's favorite. Is he this malignant? (What am I asking?!?!)

 

[Casey Pelous]

...Is he this malignant?...

Was Caligula a little goofy?

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

US intelligence reports early indications that Iran might deploy mines in the Street of Hormuz. Trump promises military consequences to Iran that will be at a level never seen before it Iran is trying to do so.

US believes Iran may deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz | The Jerusalem Post

Iran’s naval mine stock isn’t known, though according to CBS, estimates have ranged from 2,000 to 6,000 units.

www.jpost.com

Everything is always "at a level never seen before" with Trump. He knows no other superlatives.

 

[Free]

Trump certainly sickens me to a level I've never been at before.

(And can Casey define "little" as a Roman concept?)

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Fake AI Content About the Iran War Is All Over X

X’s Grok is failing to accurately verify video footage from the Iran conflict and is sharing its own AI-generated images about the war.

www.wired.com

Evernote Link

 

[Innula Zenovka]

We did attack Iran last year at Netanyahu's behest with targetted strikes on their nuclear production. In 2017-2020, there were still adults in charge of the military and around Trump. This time is a very very different situation. Netanyahu through AIPAC has also captured Congress. I don't get it, but they all seem to be fucking beholden to Israel. It makes zero sense, and America suffers at the whims of Israel.

This argues that it's a bit more complicated than AIPAC's malign influence:

Why Politicians Resist Public Opinion on Israel

And why that resistance is being overcome

www.everythingishorrible.net

One common explanation for Democratic politician intransigence is donor cash. Democrats, the argument goes, are bribed to support Zionism by big donors, often with money funneled through AIPAC and similar networks. The subtext for a lot of these charges is the antisemitic implication that Jewish people have a lot of money and are therefore able to rig the election process with their cash.

There are a number of problems with this conventional wisdom. First of all, donors don’t generally bribe politicians—which is to say, donors do not pay politicians to change their views or adopt the donor’s positions. If they did, the solution would be simple—just outbid them. AIPAC doesn’t give that much money to individual candidates; if politicians were truly for sale, you could just crowdfund and buy them off for the pro Palestine position. Which would be venal, but ultimately worth it.

 

[Casey Pelous]

(And can Casey define "little" as a Roman concept?)

It has been a few decades since Latin class, but I believe that would take the less-well-known sarcastive case: Paululum insanus est, intelligisne quid dicam?

 

[Free]

It has been a few decades since Latin class, but I believe that would take the less-well-known sarcastive case: paulum insanus, intelligisne quid dicam?

I said concept. This is not a language quiz, puella.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Iran confirmed now what many people suspected: that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded during the air strike which killed his father, which is why he didn't make a public appearance yet.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-11/ty-article-live/iran-fires-four-barrages-at-israel-idf-launches-wide-scale-attacks-in-tehran/0000019c-daf7-d9b7-a5fd-dfff2a880000?liveBlogItemId=1837234219#1837234219

Also former president Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad, whom many people believed to be killed, seems so be still alive.

After he left office he became an outspoken critic of Ali Khamenei, and therefore was quite restricted.

Israel-US hit on Ahmadinejad reportedly acted as jailbreak | The Jerusalem Post

Since his alleged escape, Ahmadinejad has made few public addresses, including a congratulatory message on Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise to supreme leader.

www.jpost.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

It has been a few decades since Latin class, but I believe that would take the less-well-known sarcastive case: Paululum insanus est, intelligisne quid dicam?

Paulum ineptus, maybe? Stultus? Ridiculus? I'm not sure it really translates.

 

[Cristiano]

This argues that it's a bit more complicated than AIPAC's malign influence:

Why Politicians Resist Public Opinion on Israel

And why that resistance is being overcome

www.everythingishorrible.net

Of course it is more complicated, but it is certainly a factor. Also, the whole "zomg it is antisemitic!" thing about Jews having money is just stupid and detracts from the point.

On a related note, from the notoriously anti-semitic Bernie Sanders:

 

[Beebo Brink]

Per bronxelf's political punditry (she's Jewish, btw) Democrats are highly dependent on voter donations because accepting big corporate donations generally draw condemnation from Democratic voters. (Republicans, on the other hand, don't give a fig where the campaign donations come from.) Jewish voters and donors, as a group, are a prominent faction in the coalition of disparate minorities that form the base of the Democratic party. Pissing off Jewish voters, therefore, really is a big deal, so Democratic candidates, not to mention elected politicians, will try very hard not to do that.

Jewish voters are not the only faction, of course. It's a big umbrella. So Democratic leaders are always walking a tightrope between them all, doing their best to not piss off any one group more than another. Rather obviously, if you're talking about Israel and the Middle East, it's the Jewish faction that has the strongest held opinions on what we should do there.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Per bronxelf's political punditry (she's Jewish, btw) Democrats are highly dependent on voter donations because accepting big corporate donations generally draw condemnation from Democratic voters. (Republicans, on the other hand, don't give a fig where the campaign donations come from.) Jewish voters and donors, as a group, are a prominent faction in the coalition of disparate minorities that form the base of the Democratic party. Pissing off Jewish voters, therefore, really is a big deal, so Democratic candidates, not to mention elected politicians, will try very hard not to do that.

Jewish voters are not the only faction, of course. It's a big umbrella. So Democratic leaders are always walking a tightrope between them all, doing their best to not piss off any one group more than another. Rather obviously, if you're talking about Israel and the Middle East, it's the Jewish faction that has the strongest held opinions on what we should do there.

But that presupposes Jewish voters who are inclined to contribute to Democrats necessarily agree with AIPAC's hard-right, pro-Netanyahu, pro-Trump, line, which, as I understand it, is certainly not the case.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Of course it is more complicated, but it is certainly a factor. Also, the whole "zomg it is antisemitic!" thing about Jews having money is just stupid and detracts from the point.

On a related note, from the notoriously anti-semitic Bernie Sanders:

There's also Track AIPAC. That's a platform founded by Casey Kennedy and Cory Archibald, who is a former campaign staffer for Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.

Track AIPAC - Follow Israel lobby spending in U.S. politics

Track AIPAC provides in-depth analysis and insights into the influence of the Israel lobby on U.S. democracy. Our mission is to foster transparency and accountability by tracking lobbying efforts and their impact on American policy. Stay informed and engage with our research on this critical issue.

www.trackaipac.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Of course it is more complicated, but it is certainly a factor. Also, the whole "zomg it is antisemitic!" thing about Jews having money is just stupid and detracts from the point.

I dunno. I thought he made a good point about inertia -- that is, politicians generally are slow to abandon positions that have served them well in the past. And, when most of the current Democratic leadership got started, support for AIPAC was pretty uncontentious and bi-partisan.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

But that presupposes Jewish voters who are inclined to contribute to Democrats necessarily agree with AIPAC's hard-right, pro-Netanyahu, pro-Trump, line, which, as I understand it, is certainly not the case.

My poll less than one week old says otherwise: 68% of the American Jews support American's decision to go to war against Iran.

המלחמה עם איראן: סקר בזק בקרב יהדות ארה"ב מראה תמיכה במלחמה

יהודי ארה"ב תומכים בחיסול פרויקט הגרעין ותשתית הטילים אך מעריכים שהמלחמה תגביר את האנטישמיות.

jppi.org.il

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

My poll less than one week old says otherwise: 68% of the American Jews support American's decision to go to war against Iran.

המלחמה עם איראן: סקר בזק בקרב יהדות ארה"ב מראה תמיכה במלחמה

יהודי ארה"ב תומכים בחיסול פרויקט הגרעין ותשתית הטילים אך מעריכים שהמלחמה תגביר את האנטישמיות.

jppi.org.il

Jews supporting an attack on Iran, whose government are just as much authoritarian, ethno-religious nationalist thugs with genocidal intentions as are Israel's , if not more so, does not necessarily equate to supporting AIPAC, to my mind, any more than does the fact that much of the Iranian diaspora (at least in the UK) similarly support the attacks suggest they're particular fans of Netanyahu.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Well sounds like a plan Iran could come up with, yes. But: it would not make much sense for the Iranian government, because this would give America enough justification to invade Iran on ground. And also create enough support for such a step within America.

And that's something neither Iran nor Trump wants to see happen, I suppose.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Iranian video trashing Trump and Netanyahu with Lego figures