Archive for the War Category

WW E / III:  Two Weeks To Flatten The Country.  Oh, And Happy St. Patrick’s Day! (March 16, 2026)

Posted in China, Derivatives, Iran, Isreal, Oil, Trump, War, World War E, World War III, World's Reserve Currency on March 16, 2026 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “Six years ago to this very Monday, those in power proclaimed they needed only two weeks to flatten the curve.  Trump is now proclaiming that he needs only two weeks to flatten Iran.”

J          “Looks like Fort Israel may be flattened within a few weeks.  Everything is falling flat.”

. . .

J          “The two-year-old narcissist threw a tantrum and a hissy fit in public.  He does not play well with others.  And others are not willing to play well with him.”

K          “His behavior is so infra dig at a time when he is digging a deeper hole.”

J          “No one ever told him:  ‘When you are in a hole, quit digging.’”

K          “The sycophants and court jesters around him do not have the courage or the incentive to tell him that the puppet looks like a buffoon.  He went way off script when he became the first American President to acknowledge publicly that Israel has nuclear weapons and then surmised that Israel would not likely use them.”

J          “He is not operating with a functioning frontal lobe.”

K          “Time for the Twenty-Fifth Amendment?

. . .

J          “Most diplomacy and other shenanigans go on behind closed doors.  However, based on some official statements, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia and South Korea suggest they may not sail their vessels into the buzz saw.  They are able to look at the current AIS data and take a hint from the heavily-fortified Abraham L. and Gerald F. and supporting entourage of vessels that are staying way offshore and far from threats.”

K          “What if Trump issued a direct order to the U.S. Navy to sail into the Strait?  Although the order is irrational and suicidal, the order is not patently illegal under United States or international law.” 

. . .

J          “Those in power are shifting the narrative to support a draft.”

K          “On the Solstice, December 21, 2023, Frank Murkowski of Alaska delivered a present to the youth of America.  We are coming for you and taking your liberty and likely terminating your life.”

J          “Oh, And Have A Happy Christmas!  The soccer dad you mentioned will drive the kids to the induction center and swap soccer cleats for combat boots.”

. . .

K          “I must confess some surprise at how unaware and indifferent the public is to the horrors of the war and the likely devastating economic, political, and social repercussions in the next few weeks and months.  The indifference reflects a populace of zombies just trying to crawl through the day without looking up or making a commitment.”

J          “One needs to understand and cannot forget that the public is objectively overwhelmed by events.  Few have the emotional software and the intellectual hardware to make any sense of what is transpiring.”

. . .

K          “Someone could modify ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ into ‘The Charge of the Lighter Barge’ to provide some poetic flair to the despair.”

J          “The Strait now appears to be a toll road open to those with Yuan or to those who pay allegiance to those who issue Yuan.”

. . .  

[See “Frustrated by Failure, an Unhinged Trump Begins to Tilt as Hormuz Standoff Heats Up” by Simplicius at “Simplicius76” on March 15, 2026.]

[See the e-commentary on the strategic, geographic and economic choke point that is the Strait at Strait of Hormuz or Deutsche Bank?  Deriving Derivatives (July 8, 2019) and So It Was The Red Sea And Credit Suisse.  Who’s Counting?  (Strait of Hormuz or Deutsche Bank?  Deriving Derivatives (July 8, 2019)) (February 12, 2024).  See the special edition uploaded on derivatives on St. Patrick’s Day three years ago this week at Special Edition.  Deciphering Derivatives.  Oh, And Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! (March 17, 2023).  The first rumblings of a draft are discussed more than two years ago at Le Draft.  And A Day Of Remembrance.  Oh, And Happy Presidents’ Day! (February 19, 2024).] 

Bumper stickers of the week:

FAFO

Karma

“When you are in a hole, quit digging.”

“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king.  The palace becomes a circus.”  Ancient Turkish proverb.

Another Vietnam

WW E / III:  When Lies Fail (March 9, 2026)

Posted in Middle East, Iran, War, Oil, Trump, World War E, World War III, Derivatives, Isreal on March 9, 2026 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “Everyone is lying.  But this time, some truth will slither out soon.”

J          “Trying to tell, let alone convince, someone that he or she is not really waiting in a lengthy gas line to pay ten dollars for a gallon of gas will take a heaping dollop of Bernay’s Sauce.”

K          “While heading off to disgorge the kids at the military induction center.”

. . .

K          “The USA has had naval superiority for decades.  Does it matter now?  The USA has had air superiority for decades.  Does it matter now?”

J          “Who has drone superiority now?  The fundamental nature of war has changed in two big leaps.  First, the use of drones in the Armenia and Azerbaijan war in 2020 voided so many legacy weapons.  Second, hiding and moving the drones in mobile innocuous appearing civilian vehicles and using them on civilian infrastructure is a game changer.  Technology and technique are rapidly evolving.”

K          “When you first noted the development, I thought the President should have used readily available and unchallenged legal authority to ramp up a very quiet ‘Manhattan’ style project to produce drones.  Instead, the government insisted on relying on old technicity and outdated strategy.”

J          “Maybe.  The future of war is laser technology guided by AI.  The USA may be ahead in the race.  However, governments tend to be secretive about such programs.”

K          “Time to return to reading ‘Aviation Week and Space Technology’ along with the Sunday paper.”

. . . 

K          “It is ‘ISTAR’ [Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance] versus ‘ISTAR’ now.  Who has better eyes and ears?  We are seeing and hearing in very close to real time.”

J          “The USA used its precision ISTAR to direct a missile strike at the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school for girls in Minab, near the Strait of Hormuz.  At least 175 people were killed, according to Iranian officials.  Most of them were children.  USA.  USA.  USA.” 

. . .

J          “The ability of AI to create entirely new realties has so advanced in just the last year.  Nothing is believable.  Except the price at the pump.”

. . . 

K          “So much is changing and likely collapsing.  The U.S. Treasuries are being swapped for gold.  This thing known as the Japanese carry trade seems to be blowing up.  And Japan may soon run out of fuel.”

J          “The things known as the Repo trade and private equity and private credit seem to be blowing up.”

. . .

K          “The great philosopher Michael Tyson observed that ‘Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.’  Israel and the USA did not even have a plan other than to kill, kill, kill, kill, and kill.”

J          “They are all getting punched in the mouth.”

K          “I do have a hunch who will throw the last punch.  And we are now blessed with the ability to bet on outcomes today.”

. . .

K          “The USA has never fought a war against a peer country since Russia resolved the Second World War back in ’45.  The US has lost all but a few skirmishes against some cub scouts since then.”

J          “There will be dragons.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary on the threat to Treasuries and the likelihood that the Treasury will simply lie about the sales at Holographic Treasury Rates?  The 500 Trillion Asset Steal?  And Then The Great Taking?  Oh, And Happy IRS Day! (April 14, 2025), the consequences of escalating militarily at U.S.A. Escalates Trump’s War With Russia.  Trump’s Budget Turbocharges National Debt (June 2, 2025), the unbroken string of lies at Afghanistan:  The Usual Lies And Liars.  Oh, And Happy I.F. Stone’s Birthday! (December 16, 2019) and a survey of American foreign policy at American Foreign Policy:  1945 –  ____ (July 24, 2023).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

“Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.”  Michael Tyson

Dragon < Eagle > Bruin; Dragon + Bruin > Eagle; Eagle + Bruin > Dragon

“To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.”  Henry Kissinger

When considering the reliability of information provided to you by the government of the United States of America, it is important that you recall and reflect:

[Big Bumper:]

They fibbed about Viet Nam.

They fibbed about Cambodia.

They fibbed about Laos.

They fibbed about Cuba.

They fibbed about El Salvador.

They fibbed about Nicaragua.

They fibbed about Guatemala.

They fibbed about Panama.

They fibbed about Honduras.                                                 

They fibbed about Venezuela.

They fibbed about Chile.

They fibbed about the Spanish American War.

They fibbed about the Mexican War.

They fibbed about Pearl Harbor.

They fibbed about 9/11.

They fibbed about Osama bin Laden.

They fibbed about Afghanistan.

They fibbed about Kuwait.

They fibbed about Iraq.

They fibbed about Saddam Hussein.

They fibbed about Libya.

They fibbed about Muammar Gaddafi.

They are fibbing about Yemen.

They are fibbing about Somalia.

They are fibbing about Sudan.

They are fibbing about Syria.

They are fibbing about Palestine.

They are fibbing about Iran.

They are fibbing about Ukraine.

They are fibbing about Niger.

They are fibbing about the War on Terror.

They are fibbing.

They do not seem to be telling the truth.

Things really did not turn out so super in Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia, Serbia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, but who is counting?

For four score and one years, the USA has engaged in an unbroken war of terror against the world.

Israel And USA Ignite WW E / III:  Trump’s War® (March 2, 2026)

Posted in Derivatives, Iran, Isreal, Middle East, Oil, Trump, War, World War E, World War III on March 2, 2026 by e-commentary.org

. . .

J          “Bad idea.”

K          “My constant fear. It was only a matter of time.”

. . .

K          “Trump promised no forever wars.  He lied. There are no two ways.”

J          “Trump promised no regime change.  He lied.  The two year old narcissist only knows how to lie and to rant and to rave and to deceive.”

. . .

K          “A friend of a sardonic disposition proffered the hypothesis that the Epstein Goons are using war in part fortuitously to divert attention from the Epstein revelations.”

J          “It promises to be a long war.”

. . .

K          “I believe our friend Sun Tzu observed:  ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.  If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.  If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. We do not know.”

J          “That skill requires two traits that are not American:  Self-awareness and understanding.  And a third. Intellectually curious. The U.S. may be its own worst enemy.”

. . .

K          “Wesley Clark reminded us that the U.S. plan was to take out seven countries in five years.  Iran is the only country left standing.”

J          “It is existential for Iran.  Iran intends to exist.  That truth requires understanding.”

K          “It is a 2500 year old rich and diverse culture taking on a not yet 250 year old consumer strip mall that once showed such great promise.”

. . .

K          “One word:  The Strait of Hormuz.”

J          “Damn straight.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at Strait of Hormuz or Deutsche Bank?  Deriving Derivatives (July 8, 2019), So It Was The Red Sea And Credit Suisse.  Who’s Counting?  (Strait of Hormuz or Deutsche Bank?  Deriving Derivatives (July 8, 2019)) (February 12, 2024), Special Edition.  Deciphering Derivatives.  Oh, And Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! (March 17, 2023), World’s Reserve Currency War I = Cold War 2.0 = WW III (?) (September 8, 2014) and Le Dollar – World’s Reserve Currency? (November 28, 2011).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.  If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.  If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”  Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“We’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and finishing off Iran.”  Retired U.S. General Wesley Clark said that shortly after the September 11 attacks after a Pentagon officer told him about a proposed U.S. military plan to remove governments in seven countries within five years

“‘Operation Epic Fury’ because ‘Operation Epstein Diversion’ didn’t sound warfightery enough.”  Keith Olbermann

Lights, Camera, (Distr)Action.  Oh, And Have A Happy New Year! (January 5, 2026)

Posted in Trump, War, World War E, World War III on January 5, 2026 by e-commentary.org

. . .

J          “Smoke and mirrors and sound effects and gratuitous violence.”

. . .

J          “To the extent that he ever had any principles, this goes against them.  He stated that he was against regime change and nation building.  He invaded a sovereign country without legal pretext under the guise of serving an arrest warrant on the basis of flimsy charges.”

K          “Something is not right about the service of the arrest warrant.  There was too little resistance.  The U.S. surely bribed some key officials in Venezuela to stand down.  What is remarkable is how effective the stand down was under the circumstances.  The whole operation may have been theater to display the American killing machine in operation.”

J          “Isn’t everything cosplay today.  More play acting orchestrated by the King of Chaos at the direction of his owners.”

. . .

J          “He is far worse than I ever perceived.  And I have always perceived him as an evil menacing threat.”

K          “As I firmly believe, the ‘Symptom’ of the ‘Problem’ has become a ‘Big Problem’ for the country and the planet.  I note to adherents and disciples of the ‘Problem’ that their candidates and actual policies are the ‘Problem’ that spawned our current circumstances.  They look dumbfounded because the observation finds them dumb to their and our predicament.”

. . .

K          “They could have killed him in some innocuous way.  They wanted to use his flamboyant arrest to make a statement.”

J          “Killing someone often martyrs him or her.  They don’t want to allow him to make a statement.”

. . .

J          “Running the country is a fool’s errand.  Trump needs to keep some structure and infrastructure in place and not allow the descent into chaos that resulted in Iraq.  He does not understand the challenge.”

K          “As I recall, he promised to focus on trying to run a country closer to home.” 

 . . .

J          “Trump may invade Canada or Greenland.  He has all but signaled that force is the only factor.  If diplomacy and public opinion and some internal sense of decency and order fail, the only way to resist force is with force.  Despite high hopes, flowers are ineffective.”

K          “You would think the Businessman-In-Chief would realize that taking by investment rather than by invasion is so much more efficient and effective.  Canada and Greenland will sell whatever the U.S. needs.”

. . .

J          “The legitimate resentment of many foreigners and foreign nations toward the U.S. will be the single most enduring and corrosive consequence of the Trump junta.”

K          “The U.S. may cease to be a country before the resentment abates.  Each new region will need to build credibility and respect.”

. . .

K          “The two prior impeachments were entirely driven by petty politics.  Russiagate was a farce.  However, he is now undertaking actions that provide a prima facie case for impeachment.”

J          “Once again, another election is more consequential than folks realize.  The Democrats must take the House and offer some resistance or at least apply an institutional brake.”

. . .

Bumper sticker of the week:

“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end and, perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.
My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.  That’s what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier.”  Donald Trump, Inaugural Address.

Think Narrowly, Bomb Locally?  The Current War Policy (December 15, 2025)

Posted in China, Russia, War with tags , , on December 15, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “December is the month that the President drops the current war policy on the nation.  The ‘National Security Strategy’ really reveals our national insecurity.”

J          “Each year they annually drop the bomb on America.  The new focus is still opaque and myopic.”

. . .

K          “He is not really fundamentally different.  The U.S. continues to be at war with the world in as many places in the world as possible all the time.”

J          “China and Russia are not given enough attention.  Looking inward does not relieve one from looking outward.  China is the 800 lb. panda in the room.”

. . .

K          “Trump seems to be shifting national defense priorities to the Western Hemisphere.  Trump may start another war closer to home.”

J          “The mess in Venezuela of course is not what it seems to be.  They are fighting over oil and resources and politics not drugs and may soon see themselves in a fight with China.”

K          “The U.S. could get in a war with China in Venezuela or in Taiwan or in the Ukraine.  China knows that if Russia loses to the U.S. in the Ukraine, then China is next.”

J          “China will take one of the small Taiwanese islands near China and gauge the response.  That will be the tell.”

. . .

K          “My overriding concern is that China may decide not to provide the U.S. with the rare earths and other minerals including silver and other resources and products necessary for the U.S. to fight China.”

J          “That would be unsporting but not surprising.”

. . .

K          “The whole world is a powder keg.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

Give war one more chance

K:  Dragon < Eagle > Bruin; Dragon + Bruin > Eagle; Eagle + Bruin > Dragon

J:  Panda > Eagle

Oh, And Happy Thanksgiving! (November 24, 2025)

Posted in Culture, War on November 24, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “We are.”

J          “We sure are.”

. . .

Bumper sticker of the week:

Have a peaceful and prosperous Thanksgiving

President War Pig On The War Path.  Venezuela Is In The Way. (November 17, 2025)

Posted in War on November 17, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “The Department of War.  That says it all.”

. . .

K          “He is not the Commander-in-Chief, he is the Chief War Pig on the war path.”

J          “The War Pig may get roasted.  Those advocating for war need to be more strategic.  They need to have some strategy.  The U.S. is low on ordinance and without a manufacturing base is unable to resupply on short order.  It is a dicey time to roll the war dice.”

K          “Only the Pentagon may realize that the U.S. would lose a conflict against China and surely would lose against China and Russia.”

J          “One major conflict may flare up and trigger three to five other countries to move against the U.S. or its allies.”

K          “The world is waiting for and waiting on a spark.”  

. . .

K          “The U.S. sent the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean Sea on Sunday.  There will come a time and there will be a theater when an entire carrier group is wiped out by a motley band with drones.  That will not play well back home.”

J          “And China may deploy the Mao Zedong Drone Strike Group and take Taiwan in an afternoon.”

. . .

J          “All eyes are on Venezuela.”

K          “The death throes of the Empire are ugly.”

. . .

[See the dozens of e-commentaries on War.]

The War President Forfeits Nobel Peace Prize During Nobel Season.  Oh, And Happy Patriot Day! (September 8, 2025)

Posted in Nobel Prize, Peace Prize Nobel, Trump, War on September 8, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “I have been so reluctantly tolerant of and conditionally apologetic for him in a desperate move to believe that someone can do something.  The Department of War.  He could not possibly come up with a more bone-headed and regressive name and notion.”

J          “He could and will come up with more bone-headed and regressive names and notions.  That is what he does. That is all he can do.”

. . .

K          “I hope the Norwegians are not sycophantic.”

J          “Why would they not be?  They too want access to power.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at Department Of War . . . Or Defense . . . Or Offense?  Oh, And Happy Peace Day! (September 16, 2019) and Joint Base State-War (JBS-W) (April 25, 2022).]

Bumper sticker of the week:

Give war a chance

Hiroshima And Nagasaki At 80 (August 11, 2025)

Posted in Nuclear, Presidency, War on August 11, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “We don’t learn.”

J          “We just don’t.  Something insignificant will be the trigger.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at Hiroshima And Nagasaki At 75 (August 10, 2020).]

Bumper sticker of the week:

“Restraint?  Why are you so concerned with saving their lives?  The whole idea is to kill the bastards.  At the end of the war if there are two Americans and one Russian left alive, we win.”  General Thomas Power, U.S. Air Force, 1960

JFK And The Commencement Address At American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963 At 62 (June 16, 2025)

Posted in Kennedy, War on June 16, 2025 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “He spoke truth.”

J          “And got killed.”

. . .

[See “‘Peace For All Time’: JFK American U Speech at 62” by Peter Kuznick dated June 9, 2022.]

[See the e-commentary at November 23, 1963; Three Score Years Later (November 27, 2023).]

Bumper sticker of the week:

Give peace a small chance