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

That's complex. The USSR and the PRC were not talking. They were almost on the verge of war themselves. The USSR supported Vietnam. but the border was with China so supply issues. Then in 79 the PRC invaded Vietnam in support of Pol Pot. They also invaded and took over an island.

Vietnam and PRC are still not friends.

From memory.. so happy to be corrected.

I’m so behind on this thread due to work/life but I needed to post to say that the sight/sound of Hegseth thumping his chest in The Pentagon has put me right off my lunch.

He did the vocal equivalent of ripping off his shirt, chugging a beer, crushing the can against his forehead and chanting “USA! USA!” like a deranged Frat boy 🤢

Sky -

"Hegseth boasts: This was never going to be a fair fight

The joint-military action by the US and Israel on Iran was "never meant to be a fair fight", Pete Hesgeth continues.

As we reported at 1:10pm, Hesgeth said the US and Israel "will fly day and night", controlling Iran's airspace.

He adds air forces will be picking targets with "death and destruction from the sky all day long".

The secretary of defence says the US is "playing for keeps".

"It is not a fair fight, we are punching them while they're down, which is exactly how it should be," he said."

And where on earth did this come from.

"We killed leader of unit that tried to assassinate Trump, says Hegseth

Pete Hegseth, still speaking, says their forces have also "hunted down and killed" the leader of a unit that tried to assassinate Donald Trump.
"Also yesterday, the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed," he says.
"Iran tried to kill President Trump. And President Trump got the last laugh.""

And this

"In our post at 12:51, we told you about reports suggesting the US military carried out the strike that sunk an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka.
Hegseth says the warship "was sunk by a torpedo".
"The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two," he adds. "Like in that war... we are fighting to win.""

Ahem. There was the Belgrano of course. And the DPRK sunk a South Korean sub by topedo a few years back I recall.

I’m trying to be frivolous today as I watched the last episode of Bridgerton last night and now have nothing to take my mind off real life. So, from the famous Cypriot red potato village, Xylophagou, here is the latest Cypriot defence system:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/922627817181513

Texas primaries:
Senator John Cornyn, a four-term Republican, forced into a runoff with Ken Paxton to be held in late May.

Representative Jasmine Crockett issued a statement Wednesday conceding the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas to James Talarico, a state lawmaker and seminarian, in a contest that served as an early test of the party’s direction heading into the November midterm elections.

And talking of that very Senate...

The Senate is scheduled to take an initial vote today on blocking President Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, offering the first test of Congress’s support for a campaign that Trump launched without its consent. (WP)

However...
Republicans in the Senate are expected to reject a resolution backed by the Democrats that would prevent Donald Trump from continuing the Iran war, with the majority leader, John Thune, arguing the president was “acting in the best interest of the nation”. (The Guardian)

My mind has been in a whirl since the weekend (and not in a good way).

I understand that war is sometimes necessary, but the decision to go to war should never be taken lightly. It generally results in the deaths of a lot of people, many of whom will be innocent casualties. Not to mention the economic and environmental cost. I'm no fan of ruthless dictatorships (who is?) but I'm not convinced that the death of Khamenei will herald the advent of a peaceful democracy. It's more likely that he'll be replaced by an equally ruthless family member or supporter. Plus ca change.....

Trump's actions have already resulted in the deaths of military personnel and civilians in Iran. And it has unsettled the entire Middle East. Not to mention the damage it has done to the tourism industry. Would you book flights anywhere right now? Or would you hold off? And of course, we all face increased costs at the petrol pump and increased energy costs.

Best case scenario is that Trump gets bored after a few weeks and pulls out (sorry for that lovely image), leaving chaos in his wake.

@Jaichangecentfoisdenom I hope Cyprus will be spared any attacks. Do you live near the air base? You don't have to say exactly where you live, obviously.

@AcrossthePond55 thanks for the updates on the primaries.

@Jaichangecentfoisdenom

FFS. What sort of state is our Navy in.

From Sky-

"UK warship will not be deployed to Cyprus until next week, officials say

By Rob Powell, political correspondent

HMS Dragon will not leave the UK for Cyprus until next week, officials have said.
The Type 45 destroyer, which is moored in Portsmouth Harbour, is being loaded with ammunition before sailing for the Mediterranean next week, they added.
They denied the lack of an earlier deployment was down to cost-saving or budgetary concerns, saying the UK was balancing competing global priorities across the Middle East and the High North. Two Wildcat helicopters will arrive in the region before Dragon arrives.
Officials also said US warplanes would likely start arriving at UK bases in the coming days to launch missions into Iran.
The US has not yet used RAF Fairford or the military base at Diego Garcia after the decision by the prime minister to allow defensive missions to be flown from the sites."

Note the bit " the High North. ". Don't tell me they are still sending ships to Greenland. If so... WHAT A CLOWN STARMER IS.

WE ONLY HAVE 2 HELICOPTERS TO SEND !

What happened to all the increased spending he promised months ago.

@RedTagAlanre the Belgrano - whatever the rights & wrongs if that conflict- I remember the UK asked for US support & were told to get stuffed. The 'special relationship' has only ever been special in one direction.

I’m sorry, I’m still doing my ostrich impression today, can’t grasp the serious for the moment. (And my three supposed best friends still haven’t enquired after our welfare, which has pissed me off disproportionately.)

US politics are a bit of a joke are they not ?

CNN

" The Trump administration appears divided on how to label its military action on Iran, with Republican Party lawmakers refusing to use the term “war” when pressed by CNN’s Manu Raju.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told Raju, “I think it’s an operation,” while Sen. Tommy Tuberville said “I wouldn’t call this a war as much as I’d call it a conflict.”

US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, have used the term “war” to refer to the military campaign, which they’ve officially called Operation Epic Fury.

The US Constitution states that only Congress has the power to declare a war, but the Trump administration launched military action on Iran without its green light."

So POTUS calls it a war. His Minister or War calls it a war, but.....

It's not me, I am Duncin with a C

RFK Jr. says he wants Dunkin’ to prove drinking its iced coffee is safe:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/nation/rfk-jr-kennedy-dunkin-sugar/

IIRC this will be the 3rd time the Dems have tried to get this through. Two previous times it's passed in the House but rejected in the Senate.

I expect the same result this time. But it will be interesting to see if the margin widens in the House and narrows in the Senate.

The problem is that certain GOP members of Congress bleat about voting one way but always roll over, piss themselves, and do as they're told when the vote takes place. And then there's Fetterman (D-PA), who plans to vote no. I don't know why he doesn't just switch parties.

It’s got the whiff of a ‘special military operation’ about it…

Boston Globe works for me but paywalled.

Alternate source here

RFK Jr. wants to ban Dunkin’ coffee - masslive.com

I think he has a point when one reads this :

"Dunkin’ recently began testing a 48 oz bucket of coffee, making the item available at a handful of Massachusetts stores. Based on nutrition information provided by Dunkin’, a 48 oz latte could include more than 1,000 calories and 180 grams of sugar, depending on the order."

A quick lookup, that's 43 1/4 teaspoons of sugar per cup.

But. I am a leftie (sorry), and he supposed to be a Republican, the Party of small government.

And I take my hot drinks black with no sugar. 43 1/4 teaspoons of Whisky is good for me though. :-)

Well if they did, they won ....

This is what I was posting about above. CNN

"Top executives from US defense contractors are set to visit the White House on Friday to discuss ramping up weapons production, a White House official told CNN.

President Donald Trump has sought to project confidence in US military capacity, saying Tuesday there was a “virtually unlimited supply” of US munitions and that “wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies.”

Earlier Tuesday, the president told Politico that defense manufacturers are operating under emergency authorities to accelerate weapons production."

They are short of ammo.

If they run out of ammo for the anti missile defences before Iran runs out of missiles and drone, then the US bases are left open to attack.

Before WW2 really kicked off, the British government bought up the worlds supply of tea.

Does this mean we should buy up the world’s supply of Dunkin’ donuts’ coffee?

I think it means if you haven't you aren't serious.

The other - less amusing thing - Britain did was to sink the French fleet - with crews - so the Germans couldn't use them. Deliberate and horribly effective friendly fire.

Being in Cyprus today is feeling a bit like being in the French fleet must have done at the time, to be honest. I’m being told not to worry, but that Iranian general apparently believing Cyprus is an American island covered with US military airbases, all of which need to be completely annihilated, along with the American inhabitants, has given me the heeby-jeebies.

I'm so sorry @Jaichangecentfoisdenom. It's such an awful and unnecessary situation.

Can I suggest 🍾?

No thanks. I will stick to tea. No shortage where I am :-)

On the a stopped clock is right twice a day theory, first time I've ever found myself in agreement with RFK (to some extent, anyway). That stuff is FOUL.

We were driving up the Taconic Parkway the last time we were in the US and all the services are Dunkin'. I ordered a white filter coffee with NO sugar, get in the car, take a sip, and I swear to you, it was saturated past solution with sugar.