How Reagan’s secret betrayal of America during the Iran hostage crisis helped him win the presidency, killed Carter’s clean-energy revolution, and helped create today’s crisis in the Strait of Hormuz…
Tom’s post today should spread far and wide. Coupled with the Powell memo of 1971, they clearly show how disgusting and treasonous the Republican establishment and leadership has been for 50 years, how they screwed the American people and gave enormous wealth to 1% of American ms and screwed the east of us.
Yes, this newsletter was a real eye opener (thank you Thom)! What is even more disgusting is that the republicans have somehow rewritten history to portray Reagan as the best president we've ever had and Carter as the worst....
I smiled when I read your reference to the Powell Memorandum 1971. My friends roll their eye because I refer to it all the time. In honor of Doris Haddock (Granny D) when I was 81 in 2014 I walked from Sarasota to Tallahassee for campaign finance reform. At every stop I talked about the Powell Memo. Sadly things have only gotten worse. Time for a pendulum swing.
The "what-if" list is getting so long, we could imagine an entire alternative history of the last 50 years. Carter is a two-term president, and renewable energy use reaches 50% by 2000, exceeding his stated goal. Clinton doesn't feel the need to follow suit on Reaganomics and instead listens more to Robert Reich than Robert Rubin. Al Gore beats Bush II and doesn't ignore clear warnings about Osama bin Laden or Hurricane Katrina. Hillary Clinton beats Donald Trump and doesn't dismantle the framework for identifying and preventing a pandemic. Think how much better our lives would be!
An excellent summary of an untold aspect of how Reagan can help the hardliners in Iran get control. Another aspect that should be mentioned in this context is that the Arab oil embargo in 1973 was a response to the US helping Israel in the Yom Kippur War. This embargo was a major factor in creating stagflation, which caused governments to look to neoliberalism as a solution
Destruction of democratic norms, the destruction of the freedoms of our masses, the destruction of the property rights of the younger generations who will shortly comprise the majority of our population, and the rights of the great majority of us to pursue our own happiness.
I have suffered , deprived of all you mention except property rights - and many are trying to deprive me of that- aided by surveillance for more than two decades of 24/7 - a private citizen whose rights are violated everyday by the military which is unconstitutional.
Every time I note infractions, the guys at the Coronado military base roar their engines back at me for having the hutzpah to note it and complain- too much of a pattern to be wrong.
My family was living there at that time. Glad to read coverage of this part of the story as it's pretty rare for Americans to talk about it. Most people I knew in Iran then (Iranians) knew this--it was common knowledge on the street. The CIA took out any moderates who might play a role in Iran's future. The State Department also knew the hostage-taking was going to happen and contacted every American registered as a permanent resident in the country on the Thursday before the Sunday it happened to stay away from the embassy because "there will be an action on Sunday, November 4th, at the embassy". They knew beforehand; therefore most of the people there were either required to be there because they were military grunts scheduled to guard the gates OR because they were required to be there by the CIA to destroy records. I watched news coverage of the names of hostages and most of the ones I read about were in CIA-cover jobs. The two women were the director and deputy-director of the Iran-American Society, a cultural organization (theater, music, visual arts, dance, even Margaret Mead spoke there) that included the Abraham Lincoln Library that was run by USAID where I learned that the top three vice consuls at all American consulates are CIA cover jobs, FYI). Those positions were CIA covers. The one "innocent" at the embassy that Sunday was the headmaster of the international school in Islamabad who was there by chance. So the students were right.
The stupid "October Surprise" was the only reason Carter didn't have a second term and Reagan-Bush-Bush began the technosurveillance state we are facing today.
The CIA "disappeared" all competitors for power after the Revolution, FYI. It
About time someone in the US media establishment (can I call you that?) wrote honestly about this.
.Europe is playing it smart, for certain they will be back to kissing Trump's arse, but they know that Iran will cut off any of their ships if they join Trump. They have said that all ships not belonging to the US or Israel can transit the SOH.
Trump most certainly has plans to invade Kharq Island, if he does it will be a disaster for the Marines and/or 82nd Airborne. It will be Iran's Wake Island, and once occupied it will be under fire from the Iranian mountains which overlook it.
The best that can happen is take the island at great loss of American lives, then leave declaring victory, which has been an M.O. last time used in Afghanistan.
Trump may think that he can unmine the SOH and invade Kharq Island, but he is delusional, such an invasion would happen with a great loss of life for the Marines or 82nd Airborne, and even if captured, the Island is under the sites of the Iranians who will be lobbing missiles at it from the Mountains that overlook the Island, and it is only one of many, they also use Lavan, Sirri, Qeshm and Kish which is a is also a key facility for bunkering, storage, and oil products, while Kish Island operates as a free trade zone and oil bourse
This is a war that cannot be won, and regime change is impossible, as it is a theocracy, whose enforcers are the IRGC and Basij.
Israel is killing the leadership, it recentl announced it killed Lajaarni and thehead of the Baij, but not no avail, they have replacement ready to step up, not afraid of dying, because they means martyrdom and a easy pass to paradise. Westerbers don’t really understand Islam, because regardless of their faith, be they Haradi Jews, or fundamentalistic Christians, they aren’t sure if there is life after death,or whether they will go to heaven or hell (Which Haredi don’t believe in anyway)
Muslims do believe that they get an easy pass to paradise if they die a martyr, and martyrs are celebrated not mourned.
Thought provoking observations. It’s truly sad that the human race is still playing games like Stratego and Risk with humanity like the Indian ruling class once played chess with human players.
BTW I worked, grew up with Moslems who came to this country because they were dissidents at home. I had a law clerk who went back to Iran as a student and now works at DOJ. We've had Moselms in Congress.
Syrian Kurds told the Iranian Kurds, don't trust the Americans they have betrayed us, Iranian Kurds are standing down.
Yep there is a lot of Iranian discontent, and the Basiji wipe them out like they did at the last national uprising, estimates of 20,000 to 50,00- killed by the Basiji.
The Iranian civil war is like our civil war, only bloodier, and the religious regime has the guns and uses htem. The Basij are a civilian volunteer organization with hundreds of thousands. Israel killed it's 70 year old leader yesterday, but that doesn't decapitate it, a younger more ideological and hard liner will step up to take his place.
Joe Kent is not my rep. Joe Kent ran for the 3rd District, was beat out by Marie Guesencamp Perez, she is actually a DINO, a Democrat on abortion, a Republican on all other issues. Her diis south of Seattle.
Joe Kent is former Special Forces and a hard liner, MAGA, Trump appointed him head of NCTC (National Counter Terrorism CIA) he just resigned over Iran.
The Republican party is a strange coalition between hard core neo NAZI, antisemites and evangelicals, who are also antisemites, but back Israel in anticipation of the end times, when 240,000 Jews will convert and the rest destroyed. Evidently Joe Kent is of the Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson faction.
Looks like Tousi TV works with the CIA. Guppies shouldn't swim with sharks. The CIA is spending a huge amount of money on propaganda both inside and outside Iran. Take care who you believe. The older, experienced Kurds know exactly how unethical and unreliable the US is. They do not support working with the US. The CIA played the Kurds against both Saddam Hussein and the Shah my entire youth. The US will never support an independent Kurdish state anywhere. Kurds have been so easily played by the CIA and State Dept. this is a fool's dream. Don't believe any of it. Kurds are not stupid.
It's more about submission to God's will than paradise, though I'm not Muslim so shouldn't speak about this (nor should you). Please don't talk about virgins, either. That's Israeli bullshit. Israelis like their virgins really, really young. The important thing is removing the Western presence from the entire Middle East and dismantling the godawful Zionist entity. Many Iranians are willing die for this. I suspect quite a few Westerners would too.
Saudi-American, actually. Enjoy your reading, William. Are you saying you are Muslim? If not, you cannot be an apostate. And your ignorance is forgiven. You don't understand what is meant by "jihad". Also you are referencing an Islamic scholar who lived in the 14th century and was a Sunni. If you don't understand why this is relevant, keep studying. I know Saudi Arabia is working with Israel. That's why they're being bombed. They have more serious problems than the oil issue. They don't have enough water to raise crops to feed their meat animals. That's why they have been renting farmland in the U.S.--to grow alfalfa that they then ship to S.A. It's a mess.
I do understand Jihad, and Muslims consider me Muslim.I have studied the Qu'ran, the hadiths and biography of Muhammad by ibn Ishaq.
The rest of your comment I am aware of the cooperation between the Kingdom and Israel, their lack of water. Saudi Arabia tapped into the 10,000 year old aquifer, to become independent on rice and grain, but they pumped so much water the soil subsided, sothey gave up and switched to desalinization, big scale.
Back to Jihad, since 911 the public line has been that Jihad is a personal thing, to wage Jihad against one's baser instincts, but that is only one aspect of Jihad. Jihad is also a holy war, against infidels (kufr).
And if you don't believe me ask Wajeed Lion, he has his own substack. He ha memorzied 10 chapters of the Qu'ran and is an expert in Sharia law.
"Sharia law" is redundant. You ought to know that. Wajeed Lion is American--not Saudi--working through his national, ethnic, and cultural identities. Call yourself what you want. Spiritual belief is not Halloween. Jihad is spiritual struggle and striving and has nothing to do with holy war. You sound Zionist.
Jihad is both a spiritual striving and a holy war. Grand Ayatollahs Naser Makarem Shirazi, Hossein Nouri Hamedani, and Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, declared jihad
I smell more than a little taqigyyah from you.
And Wajeeh Lion or Abdulrahman Alkhiary. Born around 1992/1993, he is widely recognized as the first openly gay Saudi man. he is Saudi and was granted asylum in 2018
More Taqiyyah on your part, taiyyah and misdirection.
Based on your obfuscation you are not to be trusted and are disreputable, I doubt your name is even Paker, perhaps something like Abdullah.
I will talkabout Islam. I have studied the Qu'ran, hadiths, and even the biography of Muhammad by ibn Ishaq. I have had Muslims call me an apostate. If you die for Islam you are a martyr. If a mullah or mufti calls a fatwa in a war, and you die in it you are a martyr.
And it is not Israeli propaganda that a martyr gets 72 Virgins
The specific number of "72 virgins" is not mentioned in any Quran verse. The concept comes from Hadith (narrations). The Quran describes "houris" (pure, white-eyed companions) for believers in paradise, including in Surah Al-Rahman 55:72-74 (describing "damsels sheltered in pavilions") and Surah Al-Waqi'a 56:22-35.
: The number 72 is found in a Sunan al-Tirmidhi Hadith, often referenced by scholars like Ibn Kathir, which states the lowest reward for a believer is 80,000 servants and 72 wives.
You can't "dismantle the godawful Zionist entity without committing genocide, so you advocate genocide of the Jews. Nice of you
No Iranians are not willing to die to genocide the Jews, however the devout like the IRGC and Basij, will die for their faith and if their mullahs issue a fatwa, which four of them already have. and if a Jihad is declared against the kufr (infidel), Kattie bar the door.
So far none of the ayatollahs has issued a jihad fatwa.
The war is won, but the Strait of Hormuz is not. We won; we don't need your damn help! Why aren't you helping us?!
Welcome to the world that TRump makes up from one minute to the next. It is hard to imagine how anyone serving this country feels about what they are told to do.
Reagan was a double-dealing treasonous scum. He was never brought to justice, but people exposed Iran/Contra. Bush/Cheney were not either, and people exposed them too. To hell with whether we can convict, we have to impeach.
I like Jim Acosta's byline: Don't Give In---Hold On To The Truth. Tell it, friends. See you in the streets.
Trump will contradict himself in the same sentence, but MAGAts, hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest. They have no problem with inconsistency and hypocrisy as long as the author is their lord and savior.
Did you know that you can't use the word MAGATs on Daily KOS? It demeans humans according to them. Just wanted to give you a chuckle for the day, William.
I really do wonder if psychopaths and sickos ARE human or just living life based on their worst instincts.
I think, a long time ago, I checked out Daily KOS. I found it not worth my time, just a lot of whining and now political correctness.
I consider myself a progressive, but I would never pass a political purity test.
P.C. can go only so far, until it really becomes fascist. P.C. and so called cancel culture is one of complaints that powered MAGA and created MAGAts.
A segment of the population, not necessarily extreme right has been stewing and building steam out of frustration, because their speech was monitored, suppressed and punished, then along came Trump and the dam broke.
I am not one to let other people define me. And that childhood taunt about sticks and stones is me.. I really don't care what others call me or say about me, my feelings can't be hurt
I actually like unfettered, unrestricted speech, because it lets me know what others really think, who they really are without the mask.
I've walked away from relationships, friendships because the person got angry and said something that was supposed to be hurtful.
They couldn't have said it,unless they were thinking it, so I thank them for telling what they really think, turn around and walk away, never to look back.
The treachery of these Republicans over the years has gotten us to where we are today; on a march to authoritarianism by another lying , scheming president.
Reagan , another totally corrupt politician prepped politics to be picked up by George Bush and now the contemptible Donald J Trump.
All of Trumps cabinet choices have been geared to allowing Russia to decide our demise as a Democracy.
He, Putin, knows exactly how to direct his hand picked candidate for president ( DJT) to destroy the U S A.
And it seems Trump is complying .
This latest disaster , attacking Iran , played right into Putins wish list.
Putin supports Iran against the U S A.
And Trump kindly repaid by lifting sanctions on Russia, allowing Putin to recover tremendous amounts of money, to continue its unfounded war on Ukraine and aid Iran against Trumps war in Iran .And so it goes.
The Republicans never could have done the things they have without the willing cooperation of the majority of the American public who are quite willing to believe the racist garbage the conservatives put out there and I note are happy to consume racist, violent TV and movie content. Fuck. They even pay for it. This is partly how they manage to do the things they do. Own it.
Thank you Thom for the real perspective. The narrative for the oil oligarchs has not changed in 100 years. The destruction of our railway system to force us to put tens of thousands of diesel big rigs on the road to transfer goods, contributing to the pollution. This was a precursor to the craven greed of these oil companies that we see now. They are evill. No question.
this entire right-wing republican maga ideology didn't just appear with tRUMP....we need to go back to Reagan who actually began this anti-government, christian coalition that has caused ruin in our country, starting with the fallacy of trickle down economics, that helped start the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle and low class to the wealthiest in the country.....
.....by cutting government social services and moving more and more money to the military industrial complex.....making huge tax cuts for the oil and gas industries.....and not stopping the reliance of importing foreign oil by moving to cleaner and renewable energies.
.....america not learning it's lesson from Viet nam and continuing to get involved in more foreign wars for regime change and.....oil.....
.....and here we are now....america starting another war for no sane reasons whatsoever by a man (and I use that term very loosely) ....whose only purpose is to grift and steal as much money from us as possible, along with staying in power forever.....american soldiers now dead and wounded for no fu*king reason other that the vile needs of this monster that has the world on fire......
.....didn't think about the SOH ? .....this imbecile couldn't find it on a map with its name and location written on it in big bold letters with a sharpie.......
This is a perfect example of how a small contingent of corrupt, powerful people can actually hold the whole world hostage and negatively change history to their advantage.
In this case it appears to be a group of politicians; however, it’s easy to forget how much money it took to influence such back alley deals and how much was really at stake, here.
People don’t just wave a magic wand for world-wide crisis to take place. This is what’s important to remember, powerful people with mega bucks were promoting these dishonest and manipulative deals for their own benefit and then hiding behind the puppet politicians and regimes paid to implement them.
I believe Carter was truly an honest person who tried his best to turn the tide by being an intelligent and decent politician with an honest vision in the midst of a dirty business.
And whenever power and money are at stake, especially on this level, there are crimes and casualties.
Carter was definitely a political casualty in this dirty affair, but in truth, we all were. It changed all of our lives, and the future, whether we realized it or not.
I wonder how much needless suffering and disasters have been set in motion in the last few months?
What's that they say? "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." Reagan's treason in 1980 is of a piece with Nixon's sabotage of the Paris Peace Talks in 1968.
Reagan should have been tried for treason, but why was his perfidy not made public, and Democrats contest the election - Oh, I guess because they were not Republicans.
Going back in history even further: The US and Britain succeeded in getting the democratically elected President of Iran overthrown because he had nationalized Iran's oil industry. The so-called "Shah" of Iran was installed as the head of government and was the puppet of the US and Britain.
To which I add, it was France that overthrew the Shah. They gave Khomeini refuge, and then used their diplomatic pouches to smuggle his tapes into Iran.
The purpose was to get Total S.A., their oil company, the concession. It failed, Iran first contracted with China, then created the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is the state-owned oil and gas entity, founded in 1951, that holds a monopoly on the exploration, production, and export of Iran's oil resources. Controlled by the Ministry of Petroleum, it is one of the world's largest oil companies
Total S.A. had big plans, to overthrow the Shah, and only created a monster. That's what happens with nations become tools of corporations and other nations, like the current situation, where Bibi planned this all along, and brought Trump on board when he had dinner with him at Mar a Lago on Dec 28,25
The war started with Israel launching its strike to decapitate the Iranian Regime, followed shortly by Trumps fellator Hegseth launching missiles.
A major point of attack by the 1980 Reagan campaign was to portray Carter as weak and accuse him of "negotiating with terrorists". The campaign proclaimed how he would "never negotiate with terrorists". In the only presidential debate of 1980 he declared to the entire nation, "No negotiations with terrorists of any kind!"
We all need to see and remember how that worked out!
For me this has confirmed him as the Traitor and Liar he and the Republicans are to this very day, and it remains to me the most consequential LIE ever told by a president.
(Sure, Trump's lying put him on a different scale entirely.)
An important history lesson. Just imagine where we would be if Carter had served two terms.
Just another reason why I will never vote for a republican!
Me too!
273590
Tom’s post today should spread far and wide. Coupled with the Powell memo of 1971, they clearly show how disgusting and treasonous the Republican establishment and leadership has been for 50 years, how they screwed the American people and gave enormous wealth to 1% of American ms and screwed the east of us.
Yes, this newsletter was a real eye opener (thank you Thom)! What is even more disgusting is that the republicans have somehow rewritten history to portray Reagan as the best president we've ever had and Carter as the worst....
I smiled when I read your reference to the Powell Memorandum 1971. My friends roll their eye because I refer to it all the time. In honor of Doris Haddock (Granny D) when I was 81 in 2014 I walked from Sarasota to Tallahassee for campaign finance reform. At every stop I talked about the Powell Memo. Sadly things have only gotten worse. Time for a pendulum swing.
Well said.
The "what-if" list is getting so long, we could imagine an entire alternative history of the last 50 years. Carter is a two-term president, and renewable energy use reaches 50% by 2000, exceeding his stated goal. Clinton doesn't feel the need to follow suit on Reaganomics and instead listens more to Robert Reich than Robert Rubin. Al Gore beats Bush II and doesn't ignore clear warnings about Osama bin Laden or Hurricane Katrina. Hillary Clinton beats Donald Trump and doesn't dismantle the framework for identifying and preventing a pandemic. Think how much better our lives would be!
Sigh….
Dream on.
An excellent summary of an untold aspect of how Reagan can help the hardliners in Iran get control. Another aspect that should be mentioned in this context is that the Arab oil embargo in 1973 was a response to the US helping Israel in the Yom Kippur War. This embargo was a major factor in creating stagflation, which caused governments to look to neoliberalism as a solution
And OPEC arbitrarily has undermined our economy via fixing prices since then.
At one time, this was a bipartisan issue.
Stood on a bridge in Vienna and gave them the finger. Childish but fun. Now we have a leader 10 times worse with his frigin' tariffs.
The Repube party is the party of destruction.
Destruction of democratic norms, the destruction of the freedoms of our masses, the destruction of the property rights of the younger generations who will shortly comprise the majority of our population, and the rights of the great majority of us to pursue our own happiness.
What could possibly be worse for us?
(WWII, answer)
I have suffered , deprived of all you mention except property rights - and many are trying to deprive me of that- aided by surveillance for more than two decades of 24/7 - a private citizen whose rights are violated everyday by the military which is unconstitutional.
Every time I note infractions, the guys at the Coronado military base roar their engines back at me for having the hutzpah to note it and complain- too much of a pattern to be wrong.
My family was living there at that time. Glad to read coverage of this part of the story as it's pretty rare for Americans to talk about it. Most people I knew in Iran then (Iranians) knew this--it was common knowledge on the street. The CIA took out any moderates who might play a role in Iran's future. The State Department also knew the hostage-taking was going to happen and contacted every American registered as a permanent resident in the country on the Thursday before the Sunday it happened to stay away from the embassy because "there will be an action on Sunday, November 4th, at the embassy". They knew beforehand; therefore most of the people there were either required to be there because they were military grunts scheduled to guard the gates OR because they were required to be there by the CIA to destroy records. I watched news coverage of the names of hostages and most of the ones I read about were in CIA-cover jobs. The two women were the director and deputy-director of the Iran-American Society, a cultural organization (theater, music, visual arts, dance, even Margaret Mead spoke there) that included the Abraham Lincoln Library that was run by USAID where I learned that the top three vice consuls at all American consulates are CIA cover jobs, FYI). Those positions were CIA covers. The one "innocent" at the embassy that Sunday was the headmaster of the international school in Islamabad who was there by chance. So the students were right.
The stupid "October Surprise" was the only reason Carter didn't have a second term and Reagan-Bush-Bush began the technosurveillance state we are facing today.
The CIA "disappeared" all competitors for power after the Revolution, FYI. It
About time someone in the US media establishment (can I call you that?) wrote honestly about this.
.Europe is playing it smart, for certain they will be back to kissing Trump's arse, but they know that Iran will cut off any of their ships if they join Trump. They have said that all ships not belonging to the US or Israel can transit the SOH.
Trump most certainly has plans to invade Kharq Island, if he does it will be a disaster for the Marines and/or 82nd Airborne. It will be Iran's Wake Island, and once occupied it will be under fire from the Iranian mountains which overlook it.
The best that can happen is take the island at great loss of American lives, then leave declaring victory, which has been an M.O. last time used in Afghanistan.
Trump may think that he can unmine the SOH and invade Kharq Island, but he is delusional, such an invasion would happen with a great loss of life for the Marines or 82nd Airborne, and even if captured, the Island is under the sites of the Iranians who will be lobbing missiles at it from the Mountains that overlook the Island, and it is only one of many, they also use Lavan, Sirri, Qeshm and Kish which is a is also a key facility for bunkering, storage, and oil products, while Kish Island operates as a free trade zone and oil bourse
This is a war that cannot be won, and regime change is impossible, as it is a theocracy, whose enforcers are the IRGC and Basij.
Israel is killing the leadership, it recentl announced it killed Lajaarni and thehead of the Baij, but not no avail, they have replacement ready to step up, not afraid of dying, because they means martyrdom and a easy pass to paradise. Westerbers don’t really understand Islam, because regardless of their faith, be they Haradi Jews, or fundamentalistic Christians, they aren’t sure if there is life after death,or whether they will go to heaven or hell (Which Haredi don’t believe in anyway)
Muslims do believe that they get an easy pass to paradise if they die a martyr, and martyrs are celebrated not mourned.
Thought provoking observations. It’s truly sad that the human race is still playing games like Stratego and Risk with humanity like the Indian ruling class once played chess with human players.
The real "winner" is Putin.
BTW I worked, grew up with Moslems who came to this country because they were dissidents at home. I had a law clerk who went back to Iran as a student and now works at DOJ. We've had Moselms in Congress.
According to Tousi, therte's an ongoing civil war in Iran. Massive defections. https://www.youtube.com/@TousiTV
According to the NYT, Kurds are eager
IMHO Trump may not have a handle on it, but it has to play out. Was Joe Kent your rep?
Syrian Kurds told the Iranian Kurds, don't trust the Americans they have betrayed us, Iranian Kurds are standing down.
Yep there is a lot of Iranian discontent, and the Basiji wipe them out like they did at the last national uprising, estimates of 20,000 to 50,00- killed by the Basiji.
The Iranian civil war is like our civil war, only bloodier, and the religious regime has the guns and uses htem. The Basij are a civilian volunteer organization with hundreds of thousands. Israel killed it's 70 year old leader yesterday, but that doesn't decapitate it, a younger more ideological and hard liner will step up to take his place.
Joe Kent is not my rep. Joe Kent ran for the 3rd District, was beat out by Marie Guesencamp Perez, she is actually a DINO, a Democrat on abortion, a Republican on all other issues. Her diis south of Seattle.
Joe Kent is former Special Forces and a hard liner, MAGA, Trump appointed him head of NCTC (National Counter Terrorism CIA) he just resigned over Iran.
The Republican party is a strange coalition between hard core neo NAZI, antisemites and evangelicals, who are also antisemites, but back Israel in anticipation of the end times, when 240,000 Jews will convert and the rest destroyed. Evidently Joe Kent is of the Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson faction.
Looks like Tousi TV works with the CIA. Guppies shouldn't swim with sharks. The CIA is spending a huge amount of money on propaganda both inside and outside Iran. Take care who you believe. The older, experienced Kurds know exactly how unethical and unreliable the US is. They do not support working with the US. The CIA played the Kurds against both Saddam Hussein and the Shah my entire youth. The US will never support an independent Kurdish state anywhere. Kurds have been so easily played by the CIA and State Dept. this is a fool's dream. Don't believe any of it. Kurds are not stupid.
It's more about submission to God's will than paradise, though I'm not Muslim so shouldn't speak about this (nor should you). Please don't talk about virgins, either. That's Israeli bullshit. Israelis like their virgins really, really young. The important thing is removing the Western presence from the entire Middle East and dismantling the godawful Zionist entity. Many Iranians are willing die for this. I suspect quite a few Westerners would too.
Here is a wake up for you nosey. Israel, Saudi Arabia and the gulf states are working together to coorinate air defense.
have an Hour? Learn something liste watch this: podcast https://malcolmnance.substack.com/p/day-22-us-iran-war-questions-and
Malcolm's guest is a Saudi.
Saudi-American, actually. Enjoy your reading, William. Are you saying you are Muslim? If not, you cannot be an apostate. And your ignorance is forgiven. You don't understand what is meant by "jihad". Also you are referencing an Islamic scholar who lived in the 14th century and was a Sunni. If you don't understand why this is relevant, keep studying. I know Saudi Arabia is working with Israel. That's why they're being bombed. They have more serious problems than the oil issue. They don't have enough water to raise crops to feed their meat animals. That's why they have been renting farmland in the U.S.--to grow alfalfa that they then ship to S.A. It's a mess.
I do understand Jihad, and Muslims consider me Muslim.I have studied the Qu'ran, the hadiths and biography of Muhammad by ibn Ishaq.
The rest of your comment I am aware of the cooperation between the Kingdom and Israel, their lack of water. Saudi Arabia tapped into the 10,000 year old aquifer, to become independent on rice and grain, but they pumped so much water the soil subsided, sothey gave up and switched to desalinization, big scale.
Back to Jihad, since 911 the public line has been that Jihad is a personal thing, to wage Jihad against one's baser instincts, but that is only one aspect of Jihad. Jihad is also a holy war, against infidels (kufr).
And if you don't believe me ask Wajeed Lion, he has his own substack. He ha memorzied 10 chapters of the Qu'ran and is an expert in Sharia law.
"Sharia law" is redundant. You ought to know that. Wajeed Lion is American--not Saudi--working through his national, ethnic, and cultural identities. Call yourself what you want. Spiritual belief is not Halloween. Jihad is spiritual struggle and striving and has nothing to do with holy war. You sound Zionist.
Jihad is both a spiritual striving and a holy war. Grand Ayatollahs Naser Makarem Shirazi, Hossein Nouri Hamedani, and Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, declared jihad
I smell more than a little taqigyyah from you.
And Wajeeh Lion or Abdulrahman Alkhiary. Born around 1992/1993, he is widely recognized as the first openly gay Saudi man. he is Saudi and was granted asylum in 2018
More Taqiyyah on your part, taiyyah and misdirection.
Based on your obfuscation you are not to be trusted and are disreputable, I doubt your name is even Paker, perhaps something like Abdullah.
I will talkabout Islam. I have studied the Qu'ran, hadiths, and even the biography of Muhammad by ibn Ishaq. I have had Muslims call me an apostate. If you die for Islam you are a martyr. If a mullah or mufti calls a fatwa in a war, and you die in it you are a martyr.
And it is not Israeli propaganda that a martyr gets 72 Virgins
The specific number of "72 virgins" is not mentioned in any Quran verse. The concept comes from Hadith (narrations). The Quran describes "houris" (pure, white-eyed companions) for believers in paradise, including in Surah Al-Rahman 55:72-74 (describing "damsels sheltered in pavilions") and Surah Al-Waqi'a 56:22-35.
: The number 72 is found in a Sunan al-Tirmidhi Hadith, often referenced by scholars like Ibn Kathir, which states the lowest reward for a believer is 80,000 servants and 72 wives.
You can't "dismantle the godawful Zionist entity without committing genocide, so you advocate genocide of the Jews. Nice of you
No Iranians are not willing to die to genocide the Jews, however the devout like the IRGC and Basij, will die for their faith and if their mullahs issue a fatwa, which four of them already have. and if a Jihad is declared against the kufr (infidel), Kattie bar the door.
So far none of the ayatollahs has issued a jihad fatwa.
Yes it is. No it is not.....
The war is won, but the Strait of Hormuz is not. We won; we don't need your damn help! Why aren't you helping us?!
Welcome to the world that TRump makes up from one minute to the next. It is hard to imagine how anyone serving this country feels about what they are told to do.
Reagan was a double-dealing treasonous scum. He was never brought to justice, but people exposed Iran/Contra. Bush/Cheney were not either, and people exposed them too. To hell with whether we can convict, we have to impeach.
I like Jim Acosta's byline: Don't Give In---Hold On To The Truth. Tell it, friends. See you in the streets.
Trump will contradict himself in the same sentence, but MAGAts, hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest. They have no problem with inconsistency and hypocrisy as long as the author is their lord and savior.
Did you know that you can't use the word MAGATs on Daily KOS? It demeans humans according to them. Just wanted to give you a chuckle for the day, William.
I really do wonder if psychopaths and sickos ARE human or just living life based on their worst instincts.
I think, a long time ago, I checked out Daily KOS. I found it not worth my time, just a lot of whining and now political correctness.
I consider myself a progressive, but I would never pass a political purity test.
P.C. can go only so far, until it really becomes fascist. P.C. and so called cancel culture is one of complaints that powered MAGA and created MAGAts.
A segment of the population, not necessarily extreme right has been stewing and building steam out of frustration, because their speech was monitored, suppressed and punished, then along came Trump and the dam broke.
I am not one to let other people define me. And that childhood taunt about sticks and stones is me.. I really don't care what others call me or say about me, my feelings can't be hurt
I actually like unfettered, unrestricted speech, because it lets me know what others really think, who they really are without the mask.
I've walked away from relationships, friendships because the person got angry and said something that was supposed to be hurtful.
They couldn't have said it,unless they were thinking it, so I thank them for telling what they really think, turn around and walk away, never to look back.
The treachery of these Republicans over the years has gotten us to where we are today; on a march to authoritarianism by another lying , scheming president.
Reagan , another totally corrupt politician prepped politics to be picked up by George Bush and now the contemptible Donald J Trump.
All of Trumps cabinet choices have been geared to allowing Russia to decide our demise as a Democracy.
He, Putin, knows exactly how to direct his hand picked candidate for president ( DJT) to destroy the U S A.
And it seems Trump is complying .
This latest disaster , attacking Iran , played right into Putins wish list.
Putin supports Iran against the U S A.
And Trump kindly repaid by lifting sanctions on Russia, allowing Putin to recover tremendous amounts of money, to continue its unfounded war on Ukraine and aid Iran against Trumps war in Iran .And so it goes.
The Republicans never could have done the things they have without the willing cooperation of the majority of the American public who are quite willing to believe the racist garbage the conservatives put out there and I note are happy to consume racist, violent TV and movie content. Fuck. They even pay for it. This is partly how they manage to do the things they do. Own it.
Thank you Thom for the real perspective. The narrative for the oil oligarchs has not changed in 100 years. The destruction of our railway system to force us to put tens of thousands of diesel big rigs on the road to transfer goods, contributing to the pollution. This was a precursor to the craven greed of these oil companies that we see now. They are evill. No question.
Agreed! Reagan "the great ruinator"
with his mind halfgone - even that was more more mind than our present degenerate.
Thank you Steve - the more we know about US Constitutional history, the more we want democracy..and will fight for it~!
this entire right-wing republican maga ideology didn't just appear with tRUMP....we need to go back to Reagan who actually began this anti-government, christian coalition that has caused ruin in our country, starting with the fallacy of trickle down economics, that helped start the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle and low class to the wealthiest in the country.....
.....by cutting government social services and moving more and more money to the military industrial complex.....making huge tax cuts for the oil and gas industries.....and not stopping the reliance of importing foreign oil by moving to cleaner and renewable energies.
.....america not learning it's lesson from Viet nam and continuing to get involved in more foreign wars for regime change and.....oil.....
.....and here we are now....america starting another war for no sane reasons whatsoever by a man (and I use that term very loosely) ....whose only purpose is to grift and steal as much money from us as possible, along with staying in power forever.....american soldiers now dead and wounded for no fu*king reason other that the vile needs of this monster that has the world on fire......
.....didn't think about the SOH ? .....this imbecile couldn't find it on a map with its name and location written on it in big bold letters with a sharpie.......
This is a perfect example of how a small contingent of corrupt, powerful people can actually hold the whole world hostage and negatively change history to their advantage.
In this case it appears to be a group of politicians; however, it’s easy to forget how much money it took to influence such back alley deals and how much was really at stake, here.
People don’t just wave a magic wand for world-wide crisis to take place. This is what’s important to remember, powerful people with mega bucks were promoting these dishonest and manipulative deals for their own benefit and then hiding behind the puppet politicians and regimes paid to implement them.
I believe Carter was truly an honest person who tried his best to turn the tide by being an intelligent and decent politician with an honest vision in the midst of a dirty business.
And whenever power and money are at stake, especially on this level, there are crimes and casualties.
Carter was definitely a political casualty in this dirty affair, but in truth, we all were. It changed all of our lives, and the future, whether we realized it or not.
I wonder how much needless suffering and disasters have been set in motion in the last few months?
Carter had terrible advisors on the Middle East.
What's that they say? "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." Reagan's treason in 1980 is of a piece with Nixon's sabotage of the Paris Peace Talks in 1968.
Reagan should have been tried for treason, but why was his perfidy not made public, and Democrats contest the election - Oh, I guess because they were not Republicans.
Going back in history even further: The US and Britain succeeded in getting the democratically elected President of Iran overthrown because he had nationalized Iran's oil industry. The so-called "Shah" of Iran was installed as the head of government and was the puppet of the US and Britain.
To which I add, it was France that overthrew the Shah. They gave Khomeini refuge, and then used their diplomatic pouches to smuggle his tapes into Iran.
The purpose was to get Total S.A., their oil company, the concession. It failed, Iran first contracted with China, then created the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is the state-owned oil and gas entity, founded in 1951, that holds a monopoly on the exploration, production, and export of Iran's oil resources. Controlled by the Ministry of Petroleum, it is one of the world's largest oil companies
Total S.A. had big plans, to overthrow the Shah, and only created a monster. That's what happens with nations become tools of corporations and other nations, like the current situation, where Bibi planned this all along, and brought Trump on board when he had dinner with him at Mar a Lago on Dec 28,25
The war started with Israel launching its strike to decapitate the Iranian Regime, followed shortly by Trumps fellator Hegseth launching missiles.
A major point of attack by the 1980 Reagan campaign was to portray Carter as weak and accuse him of "negotiating with terrorists". The campaign proclaimed how he would "never negotiate with terrorists". In the only presidential debate of 1980 he declared to the entire nation, "No negotiations with terrorists of any kind!"
We all need to see and remember how that worked out!
For me this has confirmed him as the Traitor and Liar he and the Republicans are to this very day, and it remains to me the most consequential LIE ever told by a president.
(Sure, Trump's lying put him on a different scale entirely.)