“The portly man at the next table finished his breakfast, leaned in my direction, and asked: ‘What’s in the news that’s so interesting?’ ‘Iran,’ I said, adding that the U.S. seemed about to attack it. ‘Over in a day,’ he said, snapping fingers for emphasis. Having spent two years at Beirut’s Daily Star when Iraqis dragged the pro-West prime minister’s body through Bagdad’s streets to celebrate the monarchy’s overthrow, I know the Mideast’s ferocity against Western domination for exploitation. A war with Iran would never be over in a day — a month, or year anymore than it was in Vietnam. … when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to outgoing oil ships, somehow Trump’s war planners once again seemed to overlook the ancient contempt by Westerners for foreign militants as factors in wars. They soon learned that aroused ‘inferiors’ made wars endless and monumentally expensive in lives and treasure for arrogant ‘superiors.’” (03/23/26)
“On March 1, a massive attack was launched on Iran in violation of UN Charter Article 2.3 that demands that member states ‘settle their international disputes by peaceful means’ and Article 2.4 that requires all members to ‘refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.’ This norm has no exemptions and cannot be modified, including, according to the International Court of Justice, in self-defense. The war on Iran was legitimized neither by Security Council authorization nor by an immediate need for self-defense. Iran responded, in part, by targeting neighboring countries that hosted U.S. bases. On March 11, the Security Council responded by condemning the latter, but not the former.” (03/23/26)
“In case you haven’t noticed, our president is a literal pedophile who kills children. Not only do I feel like I have every fucking right to my rage, I feel like anyone still capable of staying calm in this situation is the sick one and that their apathetic sickness in dire times might actually be getting people killed. I can just hear them now; ‘Stay calm and vote blue no matter who, the woker section of Team Epstein will clean up this mess!’ Fuck you, you Chicken Noodle Soup reading mental insect.” (03/22/26)
“Iran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz have made gas prices rise to the point where they may threaten President Donald Trump’s affordability agenda. Whether the closure is short or long, consumers are feeling the pain just as the latest economic figures show an economy that is sputtering and can use a boost. But the President can help absorb the disruption and deprive Tehran of its goal to push our economy into reverse by cutting a deal on planned global tariff increases. The Strait of Hormuz has been a key bottleneck for oil exports from the Gulf region with roughly one-fifth of global oil flows being impacted by the threat of Iranian missiles, mines, and drone strikes through the narrow waterway. The economic situation is becoming increasingly precarious as energy stockpiles worldwide quickly dwindle and prices rise in response to the choked-off supply that is not easily substituted.” (03/23/26)
“By any measure, Homo sapiens is one of the most violent animals on Earth. At any one time today, humans are engaged in over 100 armed conflicts and wars across the world, many with a resource component—oil, diamonds, gold, timber, territory, water. In the 20th century alone, over 130 million people were killed directly in war, 210 million if including government killings in non-war situations. The United Nations now reports that the world is entering ‘a new era’ of increasing violence and conflict, and that ‘unresolved regional tensions, a breakdown in the rule of law, absent or co-opted state institutions, illicit economic gain, and the scarcity of resources exacerbated by climate change, have become dominant drivers of conflict.’ Such extraordinary intraspecific violence seems to be unique to humans.” (03/23/26)
“Decades of subsidies, mispricing, and politically protected water allocations have left households paying the highest costs while agriculture wastes the most.” (03/23/26)
“General Motors just rolled out a car that’s perfect for the moment. It’s the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt — a relatively cheap, all-electric subcompact that will let you drive right past gas stations, and dodge those high prices from the war in Iran. But if you want a Bolt, you’d better act fast, because they won’t be on dealer lots for long. GM has already confirmed that production will end next year. The plan is to convert the Bolt’s factory in Kansas City back to manufacturing vehicles with internal combustion engines. … a big part of the story is Donald Trump. Since taking office, he has launched an all-out assault on EVs — by working with Republicans in Congress to eliminate tax breaks for vehicle production and purchases, and by using his regulatory powers to gut federal and state emissions standards that favored fuel efficiency.” [editor’s note: No, those were good moves. But the US government should stop its similar subsidies, etc. to Big Oil as well, and let the market decide – TLK] (03/22/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Eliot Wilson
“The Government’s approach to the UK’s steel industry has always looked like a cross between inveterate, unshakeable optimism and the panicked thrashings of a drowning man clutching for a flotation aid. An extremely charitable observer would argue that the Government had always had a very clear aim: to preserve Britain’s steel industry in order to safeguard employment in the sector and to provide resilience in manufacturing a product vital for growth and security. A more cynical mind might counter that someone who makes a wish as a penny is flipped down a well has a very clear aim. Without a practical, sustainable and realistic plan to achieve that aim, such airy, wouldn’t-it-be-nice ambitions are politically worthless at best.” (03/22/26)
