• BC: We Are All Going To Die

    From Lynn McGuire@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, March 03, 2026 15:48:58
    BC: We Are All Going To Die
    https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2026/03/03

    And if you run that stop sign, it may be sooner rather than later.

    Lynn


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.12
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From quadi@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 04, 2026 05:15:52
    On Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:48:58 -0600, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    BC: We Are All Going To Die
    https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2026/03/03

    And if you run that stop sign, it may be sooner rather than later.

    This certainly is an amusing comic strip. The humor arises from the
    contrast between a philosophical idea and a mundane purpose.

    Of course, though, in the absence of vehicles powered by internal
    combustion engines or electric motors, the need for care when crossing intersections is rather less urgent...

    But the title is oddly apt. Some people who disapprove of President
    Trump's actions in Iran feel panic is the appropriate response.

    Personally, my initial reaction was that, for once, President Donald J.
    Trump was fulfilling the responsibilities of his office in an appropriate manner. Of course I still had minor concerns, given my great antipathy
    towards his Administration - such as whether I could trust a man engaged
    in dismantling democracy in the United States to bring it to Iran.

    And then there's the small matter of starting a war in the middle of peace negotiations. I seem to recall that, shortly after December 7, 1941, an American President was rather judgmental about that sort of behavior.

    But such minor nitpicks will only serve to make it obvious to the
    President's supporters that my real motive is that I would have preferred
    that a Democrat get the credit for ending the threat from Iran's
    Ayatollahs.

    Donald Trump, though, has often noted that it's the Democrats who want to burden the United States with foreign adventures. Some have wondered how
    this can be reconciled with his decision to join Israel in dealing with
    Iran.

    Given his track record, I think it's obvious what will happen. After
    creating enough chaos in Iran that it is clear that the former regime is
    not in control... American forces will be withdrawn from the area. The
    task of setting up a new regime will be left to those of America's allies
    who will pay $10 billion each to join the Donald J. Trump Occupation Force
    of Peace.

    John Savard

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.12
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 04, 2026 20:01:14
    On 2026-03-04 05:15:52 +0000, quadi said:
    On Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:48:58 -0600, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    BC: We Are All Going To Die
    https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2026/03/03

    And if you run that stop sign, it may be sooner rather than later.

    This certainly is an amusing comic strip. The humor arises from the
    contrast between a philosophical idea and a mundane purpose.

    Of course, though, in the absence of vehicles powered by internal
    combustion engines or electric motors, the need for care when crossing intersections is rather less urgent...
    <snip>

    Maybe, but people were still killed by horses and horse-drawn carriages. :-)



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.12
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Horny Goat@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, March 14, 2026 01:18:27
    On Wed, 4 Mar 2026 20:01:14 +1300, Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com>
    wrote:

    Maybe, but people were still killed by horses and horse-drawn carriages. :-)

    Definitely - probably one of the most famous was Pierre Curie husband
    of Marie. It is claimed that at the time of his death he was already
    showing the initial signs of radiation sickness which is not
    surprising given how often he and his family worked with radioactive
    materials.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Horny Goat@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, March 14, 2026 01:24:09
    On Wed, 4 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com>
    wrote:

    I see pedestrians enter the roadway without even
    looking in the direction of traffic; that's
    dangerous regardless of vehicle type.

    About 3 weeks ago I was driving and a young lady had buried her face
    in her cell phone, waited 10 seconds on the curb so I waited for her
    and only after I got tired of waiting for her started my turn only to
    have her THEN step off the curb directly in front of me.

    Fortunately for her I was paying more attention to the crosswalk
    (which was NOT a corner but a 45 degree turn around an intersection
    involving 2 streets crossing at 45 degrees from each other) than she
    was and stood on my brakes...at no point did she even look up or
    around her until I lightly horned her (beep-beep!). Figured I was
    doing her a favor hoping she'd cross her next intersection more
    carefully...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From quadi@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 04:51:57
    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade
    them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy. Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of
    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is
    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to
    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still hoping, though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    John Savard

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 19:48:13
    On 2026-03-15 04:51:57 +0000, quadi said:
    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy. Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    What other countries do withint their own borders is up to them and
    their citizens. Depsite far too many Americans believing their the only
    ones who are ever right and have to police the entire world, they
    should keep their noses, out unless actually asked otherwise.

    Trump obviously never studied history where America stuck their nose in
    and had it bitten off - Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, ...




    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of
    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is
    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to
    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    Despite his delusions of getting a Nobel Peace Prize, all egotistical
    Trump the Chump really interested in is the oil and filling his own
    bank account. He has absolutely zero interest in anything else,
    including his "fellow Americans".



    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still hoping, though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    John Savard



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 08:50:33
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:51:57 -0000 (UTC), quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid>
    wrote:

    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a >democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade

    them, I basically don't care.

    Iran literally /voted/ to be what it is. The others did not.

    And, having voted for it, they are stuck with it. No matter how they
    feel about it now.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy.

    Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of

    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is

    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to

    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still
    hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is
    a nonexistent category.

    And MAGA is much the same, although individuals vary somewhat.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 08:57:51
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:48:13 +1300, Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com>
    wrote:

    On 2026-03-15 04:51:57 +0000, quadi said:
    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to
    invade
    them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a
    democracy.
    Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    What other countries do withint their own borders is up to them and
    their citizens. Depsite far too many Americans believing their the only
    ones who are ever right and have to police the entire world, they
    should keep their noses, out unless actually asked otherwise.

    Trump obviously never studied history where America stuck their nose in
    and had it bitten off - Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, ...

    Countries which had a national identiy and their own culture. As Iran
    does.

    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some
    of
    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country
    is
    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies
    to
    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    Despite his delusions of getting a Nobel Peace Prize, all egotistical
    Trump the Chump really interested in is the oil and filling his own
    bank account. He has absolutely zero interest in anything else,
    including his "fellow Americans".

    While claiming "it's really about the oil" is a very old mantra,
    applicable to anyone who attacks anyone in the Middle East, I don't
    think Trump is motivated by it.

    I think Trump is motivated by being able to raise "Iranian sleeper
    agents" as a reason for the Dems to back off on starving DHinS of
    funds. Not quite as bad as the man who killed his parents and then
    through himself on the mercy of the court because he was an orphan,
    but definitely in the same ball park.

    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities),
    I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still
    hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    What's /really/ wierd is that nobody seems to be claiming that the
    girls were there precisely to act as human shields, so it is the
    Iranians' fault.

    Instead, we have the head of the FCC, who has clearly been drinking
    the Kool-Aid, threatening the licenses of those outlets Trump has been
    labeling as "false news" for daring to not worship and adore him.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 09:19:00


    On 3/14/26 21:51, quadi wrote:
    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Not true! Lots of Americans object to the Netanyahu distraction from
    the crimes and the trial he is avoiding. Some of them are even Jewish-Americans


    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade them, I basically don't care.

    Because you are not paying the price in blood or tax money.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy. Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    Trump is trying frantically to offset the interest in the Epstein Files and
    the story about him that they tell. Some obscure but well off group have
    put up a statue of Trump and Epstein on the Capital Mall but they left out
    his corrupter, Roy Cohn formerly on the staff of Joseph (Tailgunner Joe) McCarthy. The three together were/are an axis of evil at its most
    banal.

    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of
    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is
    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to
    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    We do not approve of Iranian Invasion nor the present Regime but Americans
    are not happy by about 75% to 80% of the nation. Many Republicans are
    unhappy
    as well. Oh and he left out a comma when he promised No Forever Wars! <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/14/2372579/-Cartoon-Forgot-the-comma> And this one is appropo as well: <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/14/2373164/-The-Small-Man-in-the-White-House>


    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still hoping, though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    John Savard

    You will wait a very long time. The best surprise he could give the USA is
    dropping dead. Even then the poison he leaves behind is going to take a
    long
    time to reverse. He will continue along the path of AH for the rest of
    his life

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad reasons


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 09:27:04


    On 3/14/26 23:48, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-03-15 04:51:57 +0000, quadi said:
    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade
    them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy.
    Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    What other countries do withint their own borders is up to them and
    their citizens. Depsite far too many Americans believing their the only
    ones who are ever right and have to police the entire world, they should keep their noses, out unless actually asked otherwise.

    Trump obviously never studied history where America stuck their nose in
    and had it bitten off - Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, ...

    He also missed the problems discovered in the 1930s when Tariffs were imposed on foreign imports which made the problems of the Great Depression worth. He may never have read the US Constitution but if he did he did not understand it.


    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of
    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is
    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to
    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    He blew right thru those promises or his voters misheard him: <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/14/2372579/-Cartoon-Forgot-the-comma>

    Despite his delusions of getting a Nobel Peace Prize, all egotistical
    Trump the Chump really interested in is the oil and filling his own bank account. He has absolutely zero interest in anything else, including his "fellow Americans".

    Oh if his Fellow Armericans include only Americans
    who are billionaires, does he care for them. He cares for the inordinately wealthy well enough. Taxes reduced in both terms and shortages to be
    made up by the multitudes of very poor folks.

    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still
    hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    John Savard

    bliss

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 09:31:05


    On 3/15/26 08:50, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:51:57 -0000 (UTC), quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid>
    wrote:

    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade
    them, I basically don't care.

    Iran literally /voted/ to be what it is. The others did not.

    Not really for the regime that has imposed itself for the last 50 years or so on the Iranians. They have demonstrated against enough times
    and the Regime has killed enough Iranians to be sure that they don't care
    for the Islamic Revolutionaries.


    And, having voted for it, they are stuck with it. No matter how they
    feel about it now.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy.
    Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of
    its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is
    not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to
    do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still hoping, >> though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is
    a nonexistent category.

    And MAGA is much the same, although individuals vary somewhat.

    With the work Trump et al have been doing even the MAGA members are coming to see what a false face he has presented to them.

    bliss


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From quadi@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 18:37:01
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 08:50:33 -0700, Paul S Person wrote:

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is a nonexistent category.

    Yes, that is consistent with my observations as well.

    John Savard

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From quadi@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 18:38:04
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:19:00 -0700, Bobbie Sellers wrote:

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad
    reasons

    Well, you have more to remember than I do; I'm only 70 years old, so my experience is more limited.

    John Savard


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From quadi@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 18:54:36
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:48:13 +1300, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-03-15 04:51:57 +0000, quadi said:

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to
    invade them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a
    democracy. Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So
    if someone would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    What other countries do withint their own borders is up to them and
    their citizens. Depsite far too many Americans believing their the only
    ones who are ever right and have to police the entire world, they should
    keep their noses, out unless actually asked otherwise.

    Iran funds Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. So it isn't a country that just minds its own business.

    As well, the principle you're expressing is, in my opinion, simply not
    true. It's wrong for a repressive government to brutally repress dissent.
    And any instance of injustice is always everyone's business.

    That being said, though, it's also obvious that anyone can claim some government is oppressive, and then use it as an excuse for a war of
    aggression aimed at stealing a country's resources or enslaving its people.

    What's the war in Iran actually for? I'll admit that distracting from the Epstein files sounds like a distinct possibility. But given that the war
    seems to be _Israel's_ idea... it seems like the purpose is to eliminate
    the threat of Iran, a country very hostile to Israel, acquiring nuclear weapons.

    While there are news stories claiming that Iran is very far from having a nuclear weapon, according to people with relevant expertise, it is also a
    fact that we definitely know that Iran has insisted that it will not agree
    to completely abstain from any and all uranium enrichment. It claims that
    this is only because of its civilian nuclear power industry.

    While I suppose it's possible the cause could be U.S. obstructionism, generally I would think that it would be fairly simple to arrive at robust safeguards such that Iran wouldn't need to pay foreign exchange to have
    other countries enrich natural uranium to the level needed for reactors
    used in power generation, and yet no possibility of weapons diversion
    would be left open.

    So the fact that this issue hasn't been settled looks suspicious.

    And I know that the Netanyahu administration has pretty much squandered Israel's moral capital in Gaza, but it still remains a fact that being
    wiped from the face of the Earth is, to Israelis, a concrete and real possibility rather than an impossibly remote abstraction.

    The fact that the war does appear to have an actual rational reason behind
    it of course doesn't end the debate about whether or not it is justifiable
    or appropriate. It just needs to be noted to counter the misconception
    that there isn't one.

    John Savard

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 09:26:49
    On 2026-03-15 16:27:04 +0000, Bobbie Sellers said:
    On 3/14/26 23:48, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-03-15 04:51:57 +0000, quadi said:
    On Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:58 -0800, Pluted Pup wrote:

    Trump-centric criticism of American foreign policy is myopic, there's
    little difference between him and his predecessors, nor do "Trump
    critics" have any problem with his waging wars to service the Israel
    Lobby.

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade >>> them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a democracy. >>> Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So if someone
    would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    What other countries do withint their own borders is up to them and
    their citizens. Depsite far too many Americans believing their the only
    ones who are ever right and have to police the entire world, they
    should keep their noses, out unless actually asked otherwise.

    Trump obviously never studied history where America stuck their nose in
    and had it bitten off - Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, ...

    He also missed the problems discovered in the 1930s when Tariffs were imposed on foreign imports which made the problems of the Great Depression worth. He may never have read the US Constitution but if he did he did not understand it.

    He doesn't even have the intelligence to actually be able to read. Even toddlers' picture books are far above his level.



    Of course, it looks like all Trump wants to do with Iran is bomb some of >>> its nuclear facilities and missile sites and then declare victory.
    Actually sending in an occupation force to de-Ayatollahfy the country is >>> not something he seems to envision as being either necessary or
    acceptable. I mean, really. He could just ask America's former allies to >>> do it for him, in exchange for being exempt from his next round of
    tariffs, if he wants to keep his election promises that badly.

    He blew right thru those promises or his voters misheard him: <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/14/2372579/-Cartoon-Forgot-the-comma>

    Despite his delusions of getting a Nobel Peace Prize, all egotistical
    Trump the Chump really interested in is the oil and filling his own
    bank account. He has absolutely zero interest in anything else,
    including his "fellow Americans".

    Oh if his Fellow Armericans include only Americans
    who are billionaires, does he care for them. He cares for the inordinately wealthy well enough. Taxes reduced in both terms and shortages to be
    made up by the multitudes of very poor folks.

    So while I won't criticize his attacks on Iran as being morally wrong
    (well, except for having incompetents in charge who don't make enough
    effort not to bomb girls' schools instead of nearby IRGC facilities), I
    will criticize them as apparently being stupid, so far. I am still hoping, >>> though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    John Savard

    bliss



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 13:44:30


    On 3/15/26 11:54, quadi wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:48:13 +1300, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-03-15 04:51:57 +0000, quadi said:

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to
    invade them, I basically don't care.

    Ukraine is a democracy. Taiwan is a democracy. Greenland is a
    democracy. Canada is a democracy, and I also happen to live there. So
    if someone would want to invade any of those, I would care.

    What other countries do withint their own borders is up to them and
    their citizens. Depsite far too many Americans believing their the only
    ones who are ever right and have to police the entire world, they should
    keep their noses, out unless actually asked otherwise.

    Iran funds Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. So it isn't a country that just minds its own business.


    Iran also funded HAMAS while Netanyahu paid them the money to dig tunnels.


    As well, the principle you're expressing is, in my opinion, simply not
    true. It's wrong for a repressive government to brutally repress dissent.
    And any instance of injustice is always everyone's business.

    That being said, though, it's also obvious that anyone can claim some government is oppressive, and then use it as an excuse for a war of aggression aimed at stealing a country's resources or enslaving its people.

    What's the war in Iran actually for? I'll admit that distracting from the Epstein files sounds like a distinct possibility. But given that the war seems to be _Israel's_ idea... it seems like the purpose is to eliminate
    the threat of Iran, a country very hostile to Israel, acquiring nuclear weapons.

    While there are news stories claiming that Iran is very far from having a nuclear weapon, according to people with relevant expertise, it is also a fact that we definitely know that Iran has insisted that it will not agree
    to completely abstain from any and all uranium enrichment. It claims that this is only because of its civilian nuclear power industry.

    While I suppose it's possible the cause could be U.S. obstructionism, generally I would think that it would be fairly simple to arrive at robust safeguards such that Iran wouldn't need to pay foreign exchange to have
    other countries enrich natural uranium to the level needed for reactors
    used in power generation, and yet no possibility of weapons diversion
    would be left open.

    So the fact that this issue hasn't been settled looks suspicious.

    And I know that the Netanyahu administration has pretty much squandered Israel's moral capital in Gaza, but it still remains a fact that being
    wiped from the face of the Earth is, to Israelis, a concrete and real possibility rather than an impossibly remote abstraction.

    The fact that the war does appear to have an actual rational reason behind
    it of course doesn't end the debate about whether or not it is justifiable
    or appropriate. It just needs to be noted to counter the misconception
    that there isn't one.

    What is that "actual rational reason"? The irrational Mr.Trump has not
    at any
    point clearly stated it. He did not bother to get the backing of the
    American people
    which is a necessity in any war that we would have a chance of winning.
    He did
    not bother to get the backing of the Congress the elected
    representatives of the
    American people. In the USA the people are supposed to govern themselves
    via the Congress. By the Constitution Wars are not supposed to be
    started by
    any branch of the Government but Congress. Roosevelt did not declare War
    upon Japan but the American Congress did so. Trump's earlier bombing
    of Iran was to act in unison with the Israel Military and it seerms that
    this is
    very similar but he did it with some forethought moving the military units
    he wanted to use into place ahead of time. Neglecting the thought of the possibility of Iran's despotic government reacting by using the Geography against the larger World's economy.

    I think we need a new Constitution with a Department of Justice divorced from the Executive Branch of the Govenment and perhaps as
    its own branch with separate Investigatory, Prosecutorial and Judicial
    Branches with an enlarged US Marshals service for enforcement and
    no quarter for crooked officials such as our present President.


    John Savard

    bliss


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 14:01:08


    On 3/15/26 11:38, quadi wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:19:00 -0700, Bobbie Sellers wrote:

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad
    reasons

    Well, you have more to remember than I do; I'm only 70 years old, so my experience is more limited.

    John Savard

    Indeed it is more limited and that makes a lot of difference because I heard
    Roosevelt talk about that Day of Infamy and heard the Declaration of
    War. I was
    in the theatres when the NAZI extermination camps were discovered and films were shown of the emaciated skeletal survivors as well as the mass burials uncovered of the bodies of the NAZI victims. I was in High School
    during the
    Korean War.

    The MAGA people to be were there before WW II and they did not want
    war with Germany and after nearly 200 years were still holding a grudge against
    Great Britain. They were Isolationists and NAZI sympathizers who believed
    in Racism and the rights of the rich over the rights of the people. During
    WW II both the Left and the Right had people who thought that their rights
    were more important than the Wars in the Pacific, North Africa and Europe.

    After the War I read more about the damned Hitlerian adventure.
    There never ceased to be books about it. Have you read "the Rise and
    Fall of the Third Reich", "Last train from Hiroshima"(it went to Nagasaki
    and arrived in time for the second bomb), or the manga "Gen of Hiroshima"
    by a man who lived through the horrors as a child. There is similar
    stuff for the other aspects of WW II and I still see stories told about
    the European aspect and the African aspect told from the UK viewpoint
    on PBS in the USA. One of my favorite series is "Foyle's War" where
    the problems the British population had with foreigners from the
    continent and with the American troops in the UK.

    The Post-War International Order set up by the fortunate
    survivors was aimed at preventing such wars in the future but
    Trump knows very little about war due to his "deadly heel spurs"
    and lack of real education. So he has discarded it for the old
    Spheres of Influence model which essentially produced WW II.

    bliss




    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Sn!pe@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 21:24:45
    Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    Iran also funded HAMAS while Netanyahu paid them the money to dig tunnels.

    This makes no sense.

    --
    ^?^. Sn!pe, bird-brain. My pet rock Gordon just is.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 15:07:12


    On 3/15/26 14:24, Sn!pe wrote:
    Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    Iran also funded HAMAS while Netanyahu paid them the money to dig tunnels.

    This makes no sense.

    None at all but it happened and he did not specify "dig tunnels" but
    that is what was done with the money intended to pacify HAMAS.

    bliss

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Sn!pe@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 22:31:48
    Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    On 3/15/26 14:24, Sn!pe wrote:
    Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    Iran also funded HAMAS while Netanyahu paid them the money
    to dig tunnels.

    This makes no sense.

    None at all but it happened and he did not specify "dig tunnels" but
    that is what was done with the money intended to pacify HAMAS.

    I presume you mean that Hamas misused Israel's money?
    That would make sense.

    --
    ^?^. Sn!pe, bird-brain. My pet rock Gordon just is.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 15:54:56


    On 3/15/26 15:31, Sn!pe wrote:
    Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    On 3/15/26 14:24, Sn!pe wrote:
    Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    Iran also funded HAMAS while Netanyahu paid them the money
    to dig tunnels.

    This makes no sense.

    None at all but it happened and he did not specify "dig tunnels" but
    that is what was done with the money intended to pacify HAMAS.

    I presume you mean that Hamas misused Israel's money?
    That would make sense.

    Only to HAMAS. Bibi thought that he had paid them for peace
    and cut back on the border watch. Then Bibi did crime and needed
    something to stay out of the courts and the HAMAS incursion saved
    his bacon.

    bliss - not totally cynical but over 99.9% when I look at politics...


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Don@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 00:07:30
    quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 08:50:33 -0700, Paul S Person wrote:

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is a
    nonexistent category.

    Yes, that is consistent with my observations as well.

    "My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that
    can stop me," Trump told the The New York Times on
    Wednesday night when asked if there were any limits
    on his international power.

    Satan's speech shares similar sentiments in PARADISE LOST by Milton.
    The storied Satan is a nominalist who uses his own mind to defy God.
    You guys ought to read PARADISE LOST. Warning: the UK government counter-terror program now flags PARADISE LOST as a sign of far-right extremism. Other banned books on London's literary list include:

    BEOWULF
    WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
    LEVIATHAN
    THE LORD OF THE RINGS
    1984
    TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT
    THE FOUR FEATHERS
    BRAVE NEW WORLD
    THE SECRET AGENT
    THE CANTERBURY TALES
    REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE

    <http://x.com/the_culturist_/status/2029278185569845682>

    It turns out London's list is too little, too late. The USA founding
    fathers were also nominalists. Jefferson used Satan's speech in PARADISE
    LOST as a template to write the USA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
    In the end, the USA founding fathers would warmly welcome the Weltanschauung of Trump. And don't blame me - the mere messenger!

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, March 15, 2026 21:30:56


    On 3/15/26 17:07, Don wrote:
    quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 08:50:33 -0700, Paul S Person wrote:

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is a >>> nonexistent category.

    Yes, that is consistent with my observations as well.

    "My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that
    can stop me," Trump told the The New York Times on
    Wednesday night when asked if there were any limits
    on his international power.

    Satan's speech shares similar sentiments in PARADISE LOST by Milton.
    The storied Satan is a nominalist who uses his own mind to defy God.
    You guys ought to read PARADISE LOST. Warning: the UK government counter-terror program now flags PARADISE LOST as a sign of far-right extremism. Other banned books on London's literary list include:

    BEOWULF
    WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
    LEVIATHAN
    THE LORD OF THE RINGS
    1984
    TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT
    THE FOUR FEATHERS
    BRAVE NEW WORLD
    THE SECRET AGENT
    THE CANTERBURY TALES
    REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE

    <http://x.com/the_culturist_/status/2029278185569845682>

    It turns out London's list is too little, too late. The USA founding
    fathers were also nominalists. Jefferson used Satan's speech in PARADISE
    LOST as a template to write the USA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
    In the end, the USA founding fathers would warmly welcome the Weltanschauung of Trump. And don't blame me - the mere messenger!

    Danke,

    You are welcome. But while some of the founders would embrace
    Trump others would find him repulsive as one of the tenets of the new
    nation was non-interference with other nations. The MAGA group would
    go right along with that as it is isolationism and they never would have
    gone along with the Allies in WW II. Well not until the Japanese advised
    from Germany that the USA would never fight hit Pearl Harbor in 1941.


    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |


    Sure it does.

    bliss

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 08:20:40
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:26:49 +1300, Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com>
    wrote:

    <snippo -- "he" is Trump>

    He doesn't even have the intelligence to actually be able to read. Even >toddlers' picture books are far above his level.

    Well, I /have/ argued that he and his minions are operating on the
    level of 5-year-olds. Petulant 5-year-old.

    And 5-year-olds aren't noted for their reading ability.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 08:35:49
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:31:05 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    On 3/15/26 08:50, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:51:57 -0000 (UTC), quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid>
    wrote:

    <topic: Iran>

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to
    invade
    them, I basically don't care.

    Iran literally /voted/ to be what it is. The others did not.

    Not really for the regime that has imposed itself for the last 50 years
    or so on the Iranians. They have demonstrated against enough times
    and the Regime has killed enough Iranians to be sure that they don't
    care
    for the Islamic Revolutionaries.

    Yes, really.

    They had a vote on whether they wanted to be a secular democratic
    state or an Islamic Republic.

    They chose the Islamic Republic.

    And that is what they have now.

    From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution>

    On 30 and 31 March (Farvardin 10, 11) a referendum was held over
    whether to replace the monarchy with an "Islamic republic". Khomeini
    called for a massive turnout and only the National Democratic Front,
    Fadayan, and several Kurdish parties opposed the vote. The results
    showed that 98.2% had voted in favor of the Islamic Republic.

    It was not imposed on them. It was their own choice.

    And, BTW, those who opposed government policy soon found they were
    opposing the Ayatollah's policy (for the President is just the
    Ayatollah's lap-dog), which meant they were opposing Allah's policy
    (for the Ayatollah gets it all from Allah), which is blasphemy. Which
    is a crime.

    As /Christianity Today/ pointed out, "If there is no freedom of
    religious speech, there is no freedom of speech at all".

    And, having voted for it, they are stuck with it. No matter how they
    feel about it now.

    <snip-a-bit-more>

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is
    a nonexistent category.

    And MAGA is much the same, although individuals vary somewhat.

    With the work Trump et al have been doing even the MAGA members are
    coming to see what a false face he has presented to them.

    Some are, some aren't. Those who aren't are making excuses.

    This is why I suggest the Republican Party, if it wishes to control
    Congress next year, needs to impeach Trump, convict Trump, and bar
    Trump from ever holding public office again. And then do the same to
    Pence if he doesn't immediately turn things around.

    That last is needed because, otherwise, Trump would run in 2028,
    arguing that he is entitled to a full-length second term [1]. And the Republicans are as much in need of /not running Boomers/ as the
    Democrats are.

    [1] You may respond that that won't work, but this is Trump, and there
    is no telling how an enraged MAGA will react if the Republicans remove
    him.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 10:52:56


    On 3/16/26 08:35, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:31:05 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    On 3/15/26 08:50, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:51:57 -0000 (UTC), quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid>
    wrote:

    <topic: Iran>

    Iran is not a democracy. Cuba is not a democracy. Venezuela is not a
    democracy. So if the U.S., under Trump, or someone else, wants to invade >>>> them, I basically don't care.

    Iran literally /voted/ to be what it is. The others did not.

    Not really for the regime that has imposed itself for the last 50 years >> or so on the Iranians. They have demonstrated against enough times
    and the Regime has killed enough Iranians to be sure that they don't care
    for the Islamic Revolutionaries.

    Yes, really.

    They had a vote on whether they wanted to be a secular democratic
    state or an Islamic Republic.

    They chose the Islamic Republic.

    And that is what they have now.

    From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution>

    On 30 and 31 March (Farvardin 10, 11) a referendum was held over
    whether to replace the monarchy with an "Islamic republic". Khomeini
    called for a massive turnout and only the National Democratic Front,
    Fadayan, and several Kurdish parties opposed the vote. The results
    showed that 98.2% had voted in favor of the Islamic Republic.

    According to what vote counter?

    It was not imposed on them. It was their own choice.

    About 50 years ago. Most of those who voted for it are long
    dead.


    And, BTW, those who opposed government policy soon found they were
    opposing the Ayatollah's policy (for the President is just the
    Ayatollah's lap-dog), which meant they were opposing Allah's policy
    (for the Ayatollah gets it all from Allah), which is blasphemy. Which
    is a crime.

    As /Christianity Today/ pointed out, "If there is no freedom of
    religious speech, there is no freedom of speech at all".

    And, having voted for it, they are stuck with it. No matter how they
    feel about it now.

    <snip-a-bit-more>

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It is
    a nonexistent category.

    And MAGA is much the same, although individuals vary somewhat.

    With the work Trump et al have been doing even the MAGA members are
    coming to see what a false face he has presented to them.

    Some are, some aren't. Those who aren't are making excuses.

    This is why I suggest the Republican Party, if it wishes to control
    Congress next year, needs to impeach Trump, convict Trump, and bar
    Trump from ever holding public office again. And then do the same to
    Pence if he doesn't immediately turn things around.

    Pence is no longer the Vice President but JD Vance is and he is
    a running dog of Russell Voight who was behind Project 2025 the plan
    to impose a variety of ill-liberal Christianity on the secular republic.


    That last is needed because, otherwise, Trump would run in 2028,
    arguing that he is entitled to a full-length second term [1]. And the Republicans are as much in need of /not running Boomers/ as the
    Democrats are.

    [1] You may respond that that won't work, but this is Trump, and there
    is no telling how an enraged MAGA will react if the Republicans remove
    him.

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    bliss


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 16:57:59
    quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
    What's the war in Iran actually for? I'll admit that distracting from the >Epstein files sounds like a distinct possibility. But given that the war >seems to be _Israel's_ idea... it seems like the purpose is to eliminate
    the threat of Iran, a country very hostile to Israel, acquiring nuclear >weapons.

    There's a problem here in that "what it's for" is likely different for the
    US and for Israel... and it is likely different for different factions within the US government too.

    It sure does look like Netanyahu decided to do a crazy thing, told Trump
    about it, and Trump immediately wanted in on it. People told him it was
    crazy but he didn't listen. It increasingly does not sound like it was originally an American idea.

    Note here that I am not saying it's possibly justifiable, I'm just saying it
    is crazy and a bad idea. Many justifiable things are bad ideas.

    While there are news stories claiming that Iran is very far from having a >nuclear weapon, according to people with relevant expertise, it is also a >fact that we definitely know that Iran has insisted that it will not agree >to completely abstain from any and all uranium enrichment. It claims that >this is only because of its civilian nuclear power industry.

    This is true, but they WILL allow inspection by the UN. Of course, the
    current US government doesn't trust the UN. I don't think that is the case
    for the Israeli government, though.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Mark Jackson@3:633/10 to All on Monday, March 16, 2026 18:28:33
    On 3/16/2026 4:57 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:

    While there are news stories claiming that Iran is very far from having a
    nuclear weapon, according to people with relevant expertise, it is also a
    fact that we definitely know that Iran has insisted that it will not agree >> to completely abstain from any and all uranium enrichment. It claims that
    this is only because of its civilian nuclear power industry.

    This is true, but they WILL allow inspection by the UN. Of course, the current US government doesn't trust the UN. I don't think that is the case for the Israeli government, though.

    The Israeli government unsuccessfully opposed the establishment of the
    Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Netanyahu applauded its
    abandonment during Trump 1. AIUI at least some elements of his
    government now view it more favorably given subsequent developments.

    --
    Mark Jackson - https://mark-jackson.online/
    The "i" in "LLM" stands for intelligence.
    - Daniel Stenberg

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 08:47:18
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:52:56 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:



    On 3/16/26 08:35, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:31:05 -0700, Bobbie Sellers
    <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    On 3/15/26 08:50, Paul S Person wrote:

    <topic: Iran>

    Iran literally /voted/ to be what it is. The others did not.

    Not really for the regime that has imposed itself for the last 50 years
    or so on the Iranians. They have demonstrated against enough times
    and the Regime has killed enough Iranians to be sure that they don't
    care
    for the Islamic Revolutionaries.

    Yes, really.

    They had a vote on whether they wanted to be a secular democratic
    state or an Islamic Republic.

    They chose the Islamic Republic.

    And that is what they have now.

    From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution>

    On 30 and 31 March (Farvardin 10, 11) a referendum was held over
    whether to replace the monarchy with an "Islamic republic". Khomeini
    called for a massive turnout and only the National Democratic Front,
    Fadayan, and several Kurdish parties opposed the vote. The results
    showed that 98.2% had voted in favor of the Islamic Republic.

    According to what vote counter?

    One acceptable to all parties.

    Unlike Trump, no Iranian doubted the results.

    The Islamic Republic won because there were a lot more rural voters
    than urban voters. Well, per a film about an Iranian young woman who
    lived through the events, anyway.

    It was not imposed on them. It was their own choice.

    About 50 years ago. Most of those who voted for it are long
    dead.

    The USA Constitution was adopted about 250 years ago. All of those who
    voted for it are long dead. Does that somehow make it invalid?

    They wanted it. They voted for it. They got it. If it is now causing
    their descendants heartburn, that is their problem.

    <this is about those who were protesting around 2010, when the
    Ayatollah's new lapdog was to be chosen and the USA, for some reason,
    cared who it would be>

    And, BTW, those who opposed government policy soon found they were
    opposing the Ayatollah's policy (for the President is just the
    Ayatollah's lap-dog), which meant they were opposing Allah's policy
    (for the Ayatollah gets it all from Allah), which is blasphemy. Which
    is a crime.

    As /Christianity Today/ pointed out, "If there is no freedom of
    religious speech, there is no freedom of speech at all".

    <snip-a-bit-more>

    For Trump, there is no "morally" at all. No "right", no "wrong". It
    is
    a nonexistent category.

    And MAGA is much the same, although individuals vary somewhat.

    With the work Trump et al have been doing even the MAGA members are
    coming to see what a false face he has presented to them.

    Some are, some aren't. Those who aren't are making excuses.

    This is why I suggest the Republican Party, if it wishes to control
    Congress next year, needs to impeach Trump, convict Trump, and bar
    Trump from ever holding public office again. And then do the same to
    Pence if he doesn't immediately turn things around.

    Pence is no longer the Vice President but JD Vance is and he is
    a running dog of Russell Voight who was behind Project 2025 the plan
    to impose a variety of ill-liberal Christianity on the secular republic.

    Good catch. I should indeed have said "Vance".

    But the point remains: if, after removing Trump, Vance does not clean
    up the mess immediately, Vance will need to be removed as well.

    This would leave the Speaker of the House next in line, BTW. This may
    get /very/ repititious before November.

    And, of course, my suggesting it doesn't mean it's even likely to
    happen. The Republicans are in their final death spiral, and the
    Democrats aren't far behind if they are planning to continue to run
    Boomers or would-be Friends of Bernie in deep red districts.

    That last is needed because, otherwise, Trump would run in 2028,
    arguing that he is entitled to a full-length second term [1]. And the
    Republicans are as much in need of /not running Boomers/ as the
    Democrats are.

    [1] You may respond that that won't work, but this is Trump, and there
    is no telling how an enraged MAGA will react if the Republicans remove
    him.

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    You wish. I wish. I suspect, however, that a lot of MAGA is making
    excuses because Trump is being attacked by "them", and the ones
    expressing dissatisfaction are not the fully-siloed core.

    Also, a lot of the articles on this appear to be talking about
    non-MAGA voters who voted for Trump. That /they/ would be upset and
    willing to vote for a Democrat is a lot more likely than that a MAGA
    (or lifelong Republican, even if not MAGA) would be.

    Meanwhile, they are still trying to restrict the vote to White People,
    not realizing that a whole lot of White People voted for Harris (and
    other Democrat candidates before her), so that isn't going to work if
    Trump messes up enough. Their problem is not the Barbarians at the
    Gate, whom they want to exclude; their problem is that the Barbarians
    (people who vote for non-Republican candidates) are embedded in their
    safe zones, who cannot be distinguished from those who vote for them.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Mark Jackson@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 12:59:42
    On 3/17/2026 11:47 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:52:56 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss- sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    You wish. I wish. I suspect, however, that a lot of MAGA is making
    excuses because Trump is being attacked by "them", and the ones
    expressing dissatisfaction are not the fully-siloed core.

    According to

    https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin

    Trump's net approval has wandered within a 3.5% band since November,
    with no trend.

    Also, a lot of the articles on this appear to be talking about non-
    MAGA voters who voted for Trump. That /they/ would be upset and
    willing to vote for a Democrat is a lot more likely than that a MAGA
    (or lifelong Republican, even if not MAGA) would be.

    The dissatisfaction of a number of prominent MAGA "influencers," mostly
    with the Iran adventure, has been widely reported. Whether they will significantly influence (har) the rank and file is unclear.

    --
    Mark Jackson - https://mark-jackson.online/
    The "i" in "LLM" stands for intelligence.
    - Daniel Stenberg

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Don@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 05:02:23
    Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
    You guys ought to read PARADISE LOST. Warning: the UK government
    counter-terror program now flags PARADISE LOST as a sign of far-right
    extremism. Other banned books on London's literary list include:

    BEOWULF

    It pictures the Tolkien version of Beowulf.

    WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
    LEVIATHAN
    THE LORD OF THE RINGS
    1984
    TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT
    THE FOUR FEATHERS
    BRAVE NEW WORLD
    THE SECRET AGENT
    THE CANTERBURY TALES
    REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE

    <http://x.com/the_culturist_/status/2029278185569845682>

    Is that true and are there any hard details
    about that? Is checking out these books from
    the library allowed but it's added to the
    political biography the state and state
    endorsed private institutions keep on all
    citizens?

    Would buying, selling and borrowing all
    these books result in an arrest and political
    interrogation by police as part of the War
    On Literacy?



    It turns out London's list is too little, too late. The USA founding
    fathers were also nominalists. Jefferson used Satan's speech in PARADISE
    LOST as a template to write the USA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
    In the end, the USA founding fathers would warmly welcome the
    Weltanschauung of Trump. And don't blame me - the mere messenger!


    Ask rock about your first question:

    <https://media.craiyon.com/2025-04-13/QQurhbBBSDmODhxALZuIHg.webp>



    Yes, the story has validity. It comes from Douglas Murray's
    Feb 2023 Spectator report on 2019 internal docs from the
    UK's Prevent/RICU unit. They flagged classics like LOTR,
    Paradise Lost, Leviathan (Hobbes), 1984, Shakespeare,
    Canterbury Tales, Brave New World, and others as "key texts"
    potentially linked to far-right/white nationalist indicators
    or radicalization pathways in training materials. This was
    part of broader (and criticized) efforts to spot extremism
    beyond Islamist threats, leading to 2023 Prevent reforms for
    better focus.

    <https://x.com/grok/status/2029625851084415035>



    No, the UK is not currently implementing the practice of
    flagging classics like LOTR, Paradise Lost or Leviathan as
    far-right extremism indicators.

    Those came from 2019 internal Prevent/RICU training docs,
    reported in 2023. The Independent Review led to reforms:
    new Prevent duty guidance (effective Dec 2023, updated Mar
    2024) makes no such references, stresses proportionate focus
    on primary threats (mainly Islamist extremism) and ideological
    drivers, with emphasis on free speech safeguards. Official
    sources confirm the old materials are not current policy.

    https://x.com/grok/status/2029628660777415070



    Weltanschauung is worldview. The worldview of the founding fathers and
    Trump is: "The mind is its own place, and in it self Can make a Heav'n
    of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n."
    The mind of Satan slyly sees Hell as Heav'n. "Better to reign in
    Hell than serve in Heaven," says shrewd Satan.
    Founding fathers who share Trump's nominalism says nothing about
    whether they agree or disagree with Trump.

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 08:37:02
    On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:59:42 -0400, Mark Jackson
    <mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:

    On 3/17/2026 11:47 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:52:56 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-
    sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    You wish. I wish. I suspect, however, that a lot of MAGA is making
    excuses because Trump is being attacked by "them", and the ones
    expressing dissatisfaction are not the fully-siloed core.

    According to

    https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin

    Trump's net approval has wandered within a 3.5% band since November,
    with no trend.

    Among hard-core MAGA or for Democrats, independents, and the saner
    Republicans as well?

    That's the problem with statistics -- unless it is known what is
    actually being measured, they are meaningless.

    And sometimes they are meaningless anyway. Our water utility measures
    useage in CCF but shows a graph of "gallons per day" which is based
    dividing the CCF by the number of days between meter readings. As a
    result, every few months, when the CCF I use drops from the usual 3 to
    2, the statistics show I used 2/3ds as much water in the current
    period, whereas in fact my useage is pretty much the same each and
    every day.

    The electric utility, OTOH, uses its WiFi meters to report how many
    KWh I use /each and every hour/ during /each and every day/. This
    would be more like it, it electricity leaked the way water does. But
    it doesn't, and my pattern of use doesn't vary much.

    Also, a lot of the articles on this appear to be talking about non-
    MAGA voters who voted for Trump. That /they/ would be upset and
    willing to vote for a Democrat is a lot more likely than that a MAGA
    (or lifelong Republican, even if not MAGA) would be.

    The dissatisfaction of a number of prominent MAGA "influencers," mostly
    with the Iran adventure, has been widely reported. Whether they will >significantly influence (har) the rank and file is unclear.

    Are these the ones with American IPs, or the ones with overseas IPs,
    or both?

    IOW, are they actual Americans who feel strongly about their
    obsession, or are they foreign agents trying to steer America into
    destruction?
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 08:45:50
    On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:15:27 -0700, Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com>
    wrote:

    <topic was the Republican Party can avoid a disaster in Novermber.
    And, yes, Trump was definitely mentioned>

    What are your conjectures, solely based on mockeries?
    That we are living in the Great Trump Void for the
    last 12 years where nothing has happened but Trump.
    Trump is the only issue. Not even a particle of light
    can be seen, just Trump. Not a single political idea
    exists but is a reflection of the all powerful image of
    the initiative and dedication of Donald Trump. We've
    all become illiterate and aphasic in our basking in
    the glow of his unique genius. It's because of Trump
    that we are no longer critical, no man can be
    unaffected from his rhetorical brilliance. We are all
    left with just Yes or No answers, but what's the
    question? The only possible question, Trump; the only
    possible answer, Trump. Trump. Trump.

    That's my satire of Trump-centric criticism, which
    has elevated Trump to the demigod status among his
    supposed critics.

    Wow, you really /are/ suffering from TDS, aren't you.

    That the Republican Party is defined as the Party of Trump currently
    is hardly a "conjecture". Trump himself clearly believes it is so,
    just as he clearly believes that he owns the Supreme Court.

    And it isn't his critics who are claiming he was "anointed by Jesus"
    to bomb Iran and "signal to God that it is time to end the world", as
    some (which, if this is not entirely made up, may mean "one") of the
    generals are said to have said.

    That would, BTW, go /far/ beyond the EOTW scenarios derived from
    Revelation in the books I read a while back that I inherited from my grandfather. Those authors might even have considered it blasphemous.
    Such is the "progress" of (parts of) the Religious Right.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 08:51:45
    On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:15:58 -0700, Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com>
    wrote:

    I am still hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    ????You will wait a very long time.? The best surprise he
    could give the USA is
    dropping dead.? Even then the poison he leaves behind is going to
    take a long
    time to reverse.? He will continue along the path of AH for the rest
    of his life

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad
    reasons

    There was a time that the Secret Service appeared to
    take death threats against the President, as Carter
    had 25,000 people arrested for "threatening the
    President". His successor Reagan at first kept the
    Carter severity in place but then went "laissez-faire",
    and now hardly anyone is arrested for threats. But
    death threats should be taken as an offense more
    seriously, and not as "normal" political language.
    Mass Media Death Threats presaged assassinations and
    attempts against Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump. It
    is routine for criminals to make death threats
    against their victims.

    They take /credible/ death threats seriously.

    But that doesn't mean they arrest the people doing the threatening.

    And, anyway, given the death threats regularly issued by MAGA and
    other right-wing groups since at least Sandy Hook, taking only threats
    against Republicans and right-wing fanatics seriously is not
    sufficient.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Don@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 16:26:15
    Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
    You guys ought to read PARADISE LOST. Warning: the UK government
    counter-terror program now flags PARADISE LOST as a sign of far-right
    extremism. Other banned books on London's literary list include:

    BEOWULF

    It pictures the Tolkien version of Beowulf.

    WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
    LEVIATHAN
    THE LORD OF THE RINGS
    1984
    TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT
    THE FOUR FEATHERS
    BRAVE NEW WORLD
    THE SECRET AGENT
    THE CANTERBURY TALES
    REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE

    <http://x.com/the_culturist_/status/2029278185569845682>

    Is that true and are there any hard details
    about that? Is checking out these books from
    the library allowed but it's added to the
    political biography the state and state
    endorsed private institutions keep on all
    citizens?

    Would buying, selling and borrowing all
    these books result in an arrest and political
    interrogation by police as part of the War
    On Literacy?



    It turns out London's list is too little, too late. The USA founding
    fathers were also nominalists. Jefferson used Satan's speech in PARADISE
    LOST as a template to write the USA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
    In the end, the USA founding fathers would warmly welcome the
    Weltanschauung of Trump. And don't blame me - the mere messenger!


    Ask rock about your first question:

    <https://media.craiyon.com/2025-04-13/QQurhbBBSDmODhxALZuIHg.webp>



    Yes, the story has validity. It comes from Douglas Murray's
    Feb 2023 Spectator report on 2019 internal docs from the
    UK's Prevent/RICU unit. They flagged classics like LOTR,
    Paradise Lost, Leviathan (Hobbes), 1984, Shakespeare,
    Canterbury Tales, Brave New World, and others as "key texts"
    potentially linked to far-right/white nationalist indicators
    or radicalization pathways in training materials. This was
    part of broader (and criticized) efforts to spot extremism
    beyond Islamist threats, leading to 2023 Prevent reforms for
    better focus.



    <https://x.com/grok/status/2029625851084415035>

    No, the UK is not currently implementing the practice of
    flagging classics like LOTR, Paradise Lost or Leviathan as
    far-right extremism indicators.

    Those came from 2019 internal Prevent/RICU training docs,
    reported in 2023. The Independent Review led to reforms:
    new Prevent duty guidance (effective Dec 2023, updated Mar
    2024) makes no such references, stresses proportionate focus
    on primary threats (mainly Islamist extremism) and ideological
    drivers, with emphasis on free speech safeguards. Official
    sources confirm the old materials are not current policy.

    https://x.com/grok/status/2029628660777415070



    Weltanschauung is worldview. The worldview of the founding fathers and
    Trump is: "The mind is its own place, and in it self Can make a Heav'n
    of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n."
    The mind of Satan slyly sees Hell as Heav'n. "Better to reign in
    Hell than serve in Heaven," says shrewd Satan.
    Founding fathers who share Trump's nominalism says nothing about
    whether they agree or disagree with Trump.

    # # #

    Addendum: Some Science Fiction fans feel FOUNDATION by Asimov is
    informed by Gibbon's DECLINE AND FALL. Gibbon's grumble against
    Christians [eg Catholics] leans into nominalism. Gibbon's stylish swish
    "?" seems at odds with his "manly virtues."

    "[The Christians'] credulity deba?ed and vitiated the
    faculties of the mind ; they corrupted the evidence of
    hi?tory ; and ?uper?tition gradually extingui?hed the
    ho?tile light of philo?ophy and ?cience. Every mode of
    religious wor?hip which had been practi?ed by the ?aints,
    every my?terious doctrine which they believed, was
    fortified by the ?anction of divine revelation, and all
    the manly virtues were oppre??ed by the ?ervile and
    pu?illanimous reign of the monks"

    <https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_decline-and-fall-octav_gibbon-edward-the-hist_1792_6/page/268/mode/2up>

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Mark Jackson@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 12:58:33
    On 3/18/2026 11:37 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:59:42 -0400, Mark Jackson <mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:

    On 3/17/2026 11:47 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:52:56 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-
    sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    You wish. I wish. I suspect, however, that a lot of MAGA is making
    excuses because Trump is being attacked by "them", and the ones
    expressing dissatisfaction are not the fully-siloed core.

    According to

    https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin

    Trump's net approval has wandered within a 3.5% band since November,
    with no trend.

    Among hard-core MAGA or for Democrats, independents, and the saner Republicans as well?

    That's the problem with statistics -- unless it is known what is
    actually being measured, they are meaningless.

    As you'd know if you glanced at the reference URL (or were at all
    familiar with Nate Silver's work) the polls from which the numbers are
    derived are general population: adults, registered voters, likely
    voters, or voters depending on the survey. The stability would be hard
    to explain if MAGA and less-committed Trump supporters were shifting
    away to any significant extent (so far) - which rather supports the
    remark (yours) I was replying to.

    Also, a lot of the articles on this appear to be talking about non-
    MAGA voters who voted for Trump. That /they/ would be upset and
    willing to vote for a Democrat is a lot more likely than that a MAGA
    (or lifelong Republican, even if not MAGA) would be.

    The dissatisfaction of a number of prominent MAGA "influencers," mostly
    with the Iran adventure, has been widely reported. Whether they will
    significantly influence (har) the rank and file is unclear.

    Are these the ones with American IPs, or the ones with overseas IPs,
    or both?

    IOW, are they actual Americans who feel strongly about their
    obsession, or are they foreign agents trying to steer America into destruction?

    They have real faces - household names in the MAGAsphere. See "widely reported" for details.

    --
    Mark Jackson - https://mark-jackson.online/
    The "i" in "LLM" stands for intelligence.
    - Daniel Stenberg

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 10:26:11


    On 3/18/26 09:58, Mark Jackson wrote:
    On 3/18/2026 11:37 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:59:42 -0400, Mark Jackson
    <mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:

    On 3/17/2026 11:47 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:52:56 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-
    sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    You wish. I wish. I suspect, however, that a lot of MAGA is making
    excuses because Trump is being attacked by "them", and the ones
    expressing dissatisfaction are not the fully-siloed core.

    According to

    https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin >>>
    Trump's net approval has wandered within a 3.5% band since November,
    with no trend.

    Among hard-core MAGA or for Democrats, independents, and the saner
    Republicans as well?

    That's the problem with statistics -- unless it is known what is
    actually being measured, they are meaningless.

    As you'd know if you glanced at the reference URL (or were at all
    familiar with Nate Silver's work) the polls from which the numbers are derived are general population:˙ adults, registered voters, likely
    voters, or voters depending on the survey.˙ The stability would be hard
    to explain if MAGA and less-committed Trump supporters were shifting
    away to any significant extent (so far) - which rather supports the
    remark (yours) I was replying to.

    Also, a lot of the articles on this appear to be talking about non-
    MAGA voters who voted for Trump. That /they/ would be upset and
    willing to vote for a Democrat is a lot more likely than that a MAGA
    (or lifelong Republican, even if not MAGA) would be.

    The dissatisfaction of a number of prominent MAGA "influencers," mostly
    with the Iran adventure, has been widely reported.˙ Whether they will
    significantly influence (har) the rank and file is unclear.

    Are these the ones with American IPs, or the ones with overseas IPs,
    or both?

    IOW, are they actual Americans who feel strongly about their
    obsession, or are they foreign agents trying to steer America into
    destruction?

    They have real faces - household names in the MAGAsphere.˙ See "widely reported" for details.


    Some of them have American Citizenship but a lot of accounts on Xwitter espousing Trumpian lack of thought are from foreigners posing as Americans.
    The same sort are on other anti-Social media doing similar things. Russians, Chinese, and some others posing as American citizens. Just propagandists
    not hackers.

    bliss


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 14:56:00
    On 3/18/2026 11:37 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:59:42 -0400, Mark Jackson <mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:

    On 3/17/2026 11:47 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:52:56 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <bliss-
    sf4ever@dslextreme.com> wrote:

    MAGA is increasingly disenchanted with the child rapist.

    You wish. I wish. I suspect, however, that a lot of MAGA is making
    excuses because Trump is being attacked by "them", and the ones
    expressing dissatisfaction are not the fully-siloed core.

    According to

    https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin

    Trump's net approval has wandered within a 3.5% band since November,
    with no trend.

    Among hard-core MAGA or for Democrats, independents, and the saner Republicans as well?

    That's the problem with statistics -- unless it is known what is
    actually being measured, they are meaningless.

    And sometimes they are meaningless anyway. Our water utility measures
    useage in CCF but shows a graph of "gallons per day" which is based
    dividing the CCF by the number of days between meter readings. As a
    result, every few months, when the CCF I use drops from the usual 3 to
    2, the statistics show I used 2/3ds as much water in the current
    period, whereas in fact my useage is pretty much the same each and
    every day.

    The electric utility, OTOH, uses its WiFi meters to report how many
    KWh I use /each and every hour/ during /each and every day/. This
    would be more like it, it electricity leaked the way water does. But
    it doesn't, and my pattern of use doesn't vary much.

    Also, a lot of the articles on this appear to be talking about non-
    MAGA voters who voted for Trump. That /they/ would be upset and
    willing to vote for a Democrat is a lot more likely than that a MAGA
    (or lifelong Republican, even if not MAGA) would be.

    The dissatisfaction of a number of prominent MAGA "influencers," mostly
    with the Iran adventure, has been widely reported. Whether they will
    significantly influence (har) the rank and file is unclear.

    Are these the ones with American IPs, or the ones with overseas IPs,
    or both?

    IOW, are they actual Americans who feel strongly about their
    obsession, or are they foreign agents trying to steer America into destruction?


    I was amused when Twitter/X started making public the locations
    accounts were registered, and many of the most popular Trump
    boosters turned out to be foreign.

    pt

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 15:03:04
    On 3/17/2026 11:15 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    I am still hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    ˙˙˙˙˙You will wait a very long time.˙ The best surprise he could give
    the USA is
    dropping dead.˙ Even then the poison he leaves behind is going to take
    a long
    time to reverse.˙ He will continue along the path of AH for the rest
    of his life

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad reasons

    There was a time that the Secret Service appeared to
    take death threats against the President, as Carter
    had 25,000 people arrested for "threatening the
    President".˙ His successor Reagan at first kept the
    Carter severity in place but then went "laissez-faire",
    and now hardly anyone is arrested for threats.˙ But
    death threats should be taken as an offense more
    seriously, and not as "normal" political language.
    Mass Media Death Threats presaged assassinations and
    attempts against Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump.˙ It
    is routine for criminals to make death threats
    against their victims.

    Excited, unhinged people make death threats all the
    time, against all kinds of people.

    I myself, was once threatened with death online,
    seriously enough that I alerted authorities. The
    person was on the other side of the world, and of
    very limited means, so it was eventually ignored.

    pt

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 17:04:38


    On 3/18/26 12:03, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 3/17/2026 11:15 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    I am still hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    ˙˙˙˙˙You will wait a very long time.˙ The best surprise he could give
    the USA is
    dropping dead.˙ Even then the poison he leaves behind is going to
    take a long
    time to reverse.˙ He will continue along the path of AH for the rest
    of his life

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad
    reasons

    There was a time that the Secret Service appeared to
    take death threats against the President, as Carter
    had 25,000 people arrested for "threatening the
    President".˙ His successor Reagan at first kept the
    Carter severity in place but then went "laissez-faire",
    and now hardly anyone is arrested for threats.˙ But
    death threats should be taken as an offense more
    seriously, and not as "normal" political language.
    Mass Media Death Threats presaged assassinations and
    attempts against Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump.˙ It
    is routine for criminals to make death threats
    against their victims.

    Excited, unhinged people make death threats all the
    time, against all kinds of people.

    I myself, was once threatened with death online,
    seriously enough that I alerted authorities. The
    person was on the other side of the world, and of
    very limited means, so it was eventually ignored.

    pt

    Death and terror threats used to come over my phone when
    I was working the phone for COYOTE here in San Francisco but I
    am somewhat hardened to such nonsense. Finally though I quit
    because of age and paranoia.

    bliss


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lynn McGuire@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 19:08:52
    On 3/18/2026 7:04 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 3/18/26 12:03, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 3/17/2026 11:15 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    I am still hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    ˙˙˙˙˙You will wait a very long time.˙ The best surprise he could
    give the USA is
    dropping dead.˙ Even then the poison he leaves behind is going to
    take a long
    time to reverse.˙ He will continue along the path of AH for the rest
    of his life

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad
    reasons

    There was a time that the Secret Service appeared to
    take death threats against the President, as Carter
    had 25,000 people arrested for "threatening the
    President".˙ His successor Reagan at first kept the
    Carter severity in place but then went "laissez-faire",
    and now hardly anyone is arrested for threats.˙ But
    death threats should be taken as an offense more
    seriously, and not as "normal" political language.
    Mass Media Death Threats presaged assassinations and
    attempts against Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump.˙ It
    is routine for criminals to make death threats
    against their victims.

    Excited, unhinged people make death threats all the
    time, against all kinds of people.

    I myself, was once threatened with death online,
    seriously enough that I alerted authorities. The
    person was on the other side of the world, and of
    very limited means, so it was eventually ignored.

    pt

    ˙˙˙˙Death and terror threats used to come over my phone when
    I was working the phone for COYOTE here in San Francisco but I
    am somewhat hardened to such nonsense.˙ Finally though I quit
    because of age and paranoia.

    ˙˙˙˙bliss

    Coyote Logistics ?

    Lynn


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 18:42:17


    On 3/18/26 17:08, Lynn McGuire wrote:
    On 3/18/2026 7:04 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:


    On 3/18/26 12:03, Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 3/17/2026 11:15 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    I am still hoping,
    though, for a pleasant surprise from Trump.

    ˙˙˙˙˙You will wait a very long time.˙ The best surprise he could
    give the USA is
    dropping dead.˙ Even then the poison he leaves behind is going to
    take a long
    time to reverse.˙ He will continue along the path of AH for the
    rest of his life

    bliss - 88 yoa and remembers all the damned wars for good and bad
    reasons

    There was a time that the Secret Service appeared to
    take death threats against the President, as Carter
    had 25,000 people arrested for "threatening the
    President".˙ His successor Reagan at first kept the
    Carter severity in place but then went "laissez-faire",
    and now hardly anyone is arrested for threats.˙ But
    death threats should be taken as an offense more
    seriously, and not as "normal" political language.
    Mass Media Death Threats presaged assassinations and
    attempts against Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump.˙ It
    is routine for criminals to make death threats
    against their victims.

    Excited, unhinged people make death threats all the
    time, against all kinds of people.

    I myself, was once threatened with death online,
    seriously enough that I alerted authorities. The
    person was on the other side of the world, and of
    very limited means, so it was eventually ignored.

    pt

    ˙˙˙˙˙Death and terror threats used to come over my phone when
    I was working the phone for COYOTE here in San Francisco but I
    am somewhat hardened to such nonsense.˙ Finally though I quit
    because of age and paranoia.

    ˙˙˙˙˙bliss

    Coyote Logistics ?

    Lynn

    More like public contact and assistance to callers. COYOTE was an anarchical single issue feminist organization. Margo St.James was the leader while i was active. She was inspired by 19th Century character, Victoria Claflin Woodhull, who ran for President in 1872.

    I could not at the time work for a living but knew how to use
    a telephone or do simple things like refold newspapers or remove
    fictional characters from a mailing list database kept on paper.
    I was the first in organization to have a computer a Commodore
    64 on which at some times I composed a newsletter. Did not do
    a very good job but eventually i learned to be more descreet.

    bliss

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)