Beware the Ides of March - Trump Thread #156

[Spandauer]

Do you think The Friend of Epstein is au fait with Roman history?

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5488504-name-a-better-trio-than-onion-garlic-ginger-trump-thread-155

re: the neck, all filming photos of him today seem to be from ‘the other side,’ also his hair has taken on that pink tinge again…

If you haven't had enough of the roasted turkey neck, there's more here:

here's another view of Trump's neck ailment today, along with three photos showing that the rash-like injury was also visible last Friday when Trump traveled to Texas

(photos via Getty and by Andrew Harnik, Mandel Ngan, and Roberto Schmidt)
bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mg46zr6uqk2l

I genuinely didn’t, until just now when I looked further at what you said, @DuncinToffee. Here, we are all convinced that Starmer has offered RAF Akrotiri as a base for the US to deploy missiles against Iran. The wording from Starmer has been very confusing and everyone I know here believes he has thrown us under an Iranian bus. I hope you’re right and we’re wrong!

So it was Kier Starmer who invaded Cyprus? And sent the drones?

I'm just home from an evening meeting and was just coming on to say, if you've managed to so far not see the rash, DON'T LOOK.

SAVE YOURSELVES!!

I've seen it so you don't have to.

Have a look and assess if this was your father, grandfather or partner. Would you not be concerned?

For the benefit of doubt, I intensely dislike Trump. I knew he would win in 2016, post Brexit (still angry) and also in 2024.

@walllaw

I looked. And admit I'm having some schadenfreude-ish pleasure because it really does look like it would be horribly painful.

But then again, Scrotus in pain might be similar to a toddler in pain. You know, screaming, inconsolable, and lashing out uncontrollably. Oh wait, never mind. That's no different than his normal behaviour.

It's probably Joe Biden's fault.

It's not a rash, it's a Democrat hoax

And interrupt the grifting and conning? Surely you jest

No. Why would I jest about a paedophile, rapist and a megalomaniac.

Working in care, I've had to wash and change racists.

A new rash on the right side of President Donald Trump’s neck is the result of a cream that he’s using as a “preventative skin treatment,” his personal physician told CNN on Monday.

In fairness, having military bases in another country puts the residents of that country at potential risk of you get in a war. So even if Starmer wasn't firing the drones, if we start shit with Iran and Cyprus gets hit it's our fault. Likewise, if you are going to have bases in a country which puts them at risk you have a duty to protect said residents from any issues caused by your bases (this is also why American complaining about other countries taking advantage is annoying.)
In this case though it looks like Iran was being quite indiscriminate - they have been firing on Dubai who have 0 military bases so I guess the Cyprus hit might have been just because (or from Hezbollah) rather than in response to anything Starmer did. Or maybe because, like us, Iran weren't/aren't sure whether the UK was letting America use it's bases so just went for it.
Now that the UK base is being attacked though, the UK probably needs to do something to defend it and the neighboring areas (see duty of care) which drags the UK and Cyprus by default further into the war.

I don't really think it's specifically Starmers fault. He seems to be playing as steady a hand as possible while surrounded by crazy people. To an extent the UK can't control what the crazy people do, only react in the best way possible. But I can also see why someone living in Cyprus has a right to resent the British base. If it wasn't there they probably wouldn't have things flying at them.

Like Northern Ireland?

Sure. And I've got a bridge for sale in Brooklyn if you're interested.

Hmmm, a preventative for what exactly? That big round lump in the middle of the rash?

@walllaw

I guffawed out loud at that. You made my day!

How like Northern Island? That was a civil war rather than another country firing missiles. Though the British army being there was a big factor in kicking it of (I don't know as much about the history as maybe I should and I wasn't alive when it started so if I'm wrong hopefully someone can correct me).

Well, I have limited news so I don't know if he has announced this or not, but my first thought would be to deploy air defence destroyers/ figates. .

Remember when the Houthi were firing missiles and drones at shipping in the red sea, a big deal was made about how our brit ships were shooting them down. These things are supposed to be able to detect and remove swollen gonads on seagulls. Or so they claim, sort of.

UK warship HMS Diamond shoots down Houthi missile - as Palestinian officials say five killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah | World News | Sky News

We spend billions and zillions on this stuff, so if I was Cyprus, the opposition, or the free press, I would be asking where are they ?

And if we don't have any available, the next question should be "why fucking not ?"

That last bit is a bit TIC, but seriously, I have not seen it mentioned on the news. So are our ships in port/drydock/deployed etc. Two weeks ago Starmer said he was sending a carrier to the Arctic, to defend Greenland against no threat. So now something is actually happening, where is all the stuff we have for when things happen ? So send a carrier group with it's air defence escorts, and our F35s with their advanced radar.

And it's the eastern med. A long way from Iran. Not a threat to anyone. Sure, it's crowded with EEZ waters, but send first, ask for permission as they are en route ?

Re the drone attack on Cyprus. My first thought was a sleeper cell local. Small drone and all that. Lebanon makes sense, but Iran no. Too far, has to go over too many countries with twitchy air defense etc.

I want to think aloud for a wee bit here. As I was reading the various and contradicting justifications for the different actions against Iran, it struck me that none of the politicos say why they think Iran is doing what they do.

Do they think it's religion, political ideology, regime preservation etc.

All we really get is " evil. hate the west", if we are lucky.

We discuss the various things on social media, but we never really hear the leaders thoughts on it.

For example. Shoplifting. A caring society should really look at root problems. Kleptomania, drug addiction, poverty, and take action on those issues if possible. We don't just mutter "evil", or "shop hater" as we chop their hands off to avenge the shopkeepers loss.

But with war, we are never really told why the leaders think they are bombing us. Not with wars anyway.

Or is my thinking way off ?

This post is not an opinion, but just an information share.

I am seeing a theme that Trump and Bush, Iran and Iraq, are totally not the same because Iran exports terrorism blah blah. But here is a Bush era Whitehouse archive that claims... Iraq was exporting terrorism.

Saddam Hussein's Support for International Terrorism (archives.gov)

My comment is... at least Bush tried to justify it etc.

But anyway, sorry if you good folk are aware of this doc. I thought I would share because it is often a feature of being in a controlled internet country, that some things can be easier to find. Not so much dross to wade through.

The document is from Sept 12 2002. 6 months before the invasion.

All hail the US presidential records act. That act that Trump hates, and that he breaks all the time.

.

I know they scrambled fighter pilots to shoot down incoming attacks over Cyprus. I have no idea if fighter pilots are the best method or not. I guess maybe you don't need an aircraft carrier to launch planes when you have an air base right there but I'm not a military expert. But they are defending with planes.

Good morning, on a bright sunny day in Cyprus. I am giving up on the news as I have absolutely no idea whether what I’m reading is real or fantasy. We have heard no sirens where we are. We know that the Cyprus government has no intention of participating in this war but whether Iranian leadership understands that there is a difference between the whole island of Cyprus and its inhabitants, and the UK Sovereign base at Akrotiri, is yet to be discovered.

I’m presently astounded that the three people I consider my best friends in England have not inquired as to how we are doing, unlike all the Athenians we know, who are insisting we pack our bags and leave for there immediately, for the foreseeable future! I shall concentrate on worrying about that, rather than on the possible imminent danger of Iranian missiles, or any and all things Trumpton.

That's really shitty! Are they the kinds of people to pay attention to the news? I did get off the phone to a family member and mentioned flights over the Middle East and she had no idea that any of the Iran-US stuff was even happening. Which is incredible but some people do live under a rock. That's the only excuse I can think of...

Cyprus is being played down in the UK news because it would involve the hard of thinking understanding the green line.

I am old enough to have had lots of friends who were Greenham Women.
we know about US weapons putting us at risk in the event of a strike.
Other friends used to follow the warheads around the country lanes when USAF did "exercises"

I mentioned the carrier because that is supposed to be headed to the arctic so should be ready to deploy, and the carrier should have a battle group of air defence. Although we struggle to have enough ships so usually ask NATO friends. What we do not have is enough RFA replenishers, but surely not needed for the med as it has so many friendly ports, inc our own.

Fighters perfectly capable of taking out drones. The argument against fighters is cost. That is using a million buck plane carried air to air missile against a 2000 buck drone. But thats a fecking stupid argument cos it's the value of the drones target that matters. And in this case the taget is an airbase. AND the people of Cyprus. So feck the cost I say. We have Mumsnet friends there.

The main thing a carrier can do though is get the radar and air defences over the horizon from the target, So detection, engagement and warning is all sooner. Get them leaving Lebanon ( if that is where), rather than approach Cyprus.

The US used carrier aircraft to intercept the Houthi missiles.