Jay Hubbard | Facebook - "TRUMP: “A whole civilization will die tonight.”
HIS CRITICS: OMG. He's going to kill everyone in Iran tonight!
ME: He's referring to ending the evil civil structure forced upon the innocent Iranian civilians by their theocratic dictatorship. He's not referring to murdering civilians. That's why he ended his statement with "God Bless the Great People of Iran."
I really don't get the difficulty in understanding Trump. Don't get me wrong, go back 10 years and I used to take everything he said literally and get bent out of shape just as others did, but then I learned how he communicates. I'm fairly socially awkward, so if I - of all people - can learn to translate "Trump-talk" after 10 years, I think other mature adults should be able to as well. Another set of examples are his many comments on the Strait of Hormuz, where his critics pretend he's making "incoherent and contradictory" points. He isn't, though.
• Does our military require the assistance of other militaries in order to complete an objective? Absolutely not. Not only that, but claiming otherwise would project weakness and vulnerability, which is something Trump believes a leader should never do in public.
• Should other interested parties contribute towards an end they'd directly benefit from, however? Yes. There's no reason our citizenry should be 100% responsible for securing trade routes which benefit others. It's a shared benefit and therefore should be a shared expense. That's an argument based on responsibility, NOT based on "need".
• Additionally, should countries who hide under the protection of our defense umbrella return the favor of our alliance by assisting us when requested? Again, absolutely. This is an argument of loyalty and decency, not one of necessity.
My point is that it's not usually difficult to understand what Trump is saying. It just requires three things:
1. Acknowledge that his remarks are contextual. (He's often riffing in response to something previously said, or pressuring a hostile party by reflecting back to them the hostility they showed him.)
2 Don't take him literally, take him seriously. He communicates like a salesman speaking to the dumbest person in the room. He is directionally accurate while routinely being inaccurate on the finer details. Why? Because he's rhetorically communicating the bottom line. That requires glossing over finer points that we might debate online for months.
3. He believes in maximum pressure campaigns during heated negotiations as to potentially leverage capitulation, while simultaneously offering off-ramps so that the enemy can save face. That's not a contradiction of principles, by the way, that's a core concept taught in "The Art of War".
The people who routinely hyperventilate over Trump's remarks act entirely unaware regarding the aforementioned. What bothers me is these same people will never admit fault after the fact. Tomorrow, when it turns out that Trump didn't LITERALLY "end an entire civilization in one night" will any of his critics step forward to say "gee, maybe I got that one wrong"? Of course they won't. They never do. They never will. They don't care. They just want to hyperventilate about the next Trump statement as to score cheap political points."
Meme - NCCM: "An important message from MP Iqra Khalid. Canada must call loudly for accountability and act further to align with international law and human rights."
Igra Khalid: "As Prime Minister Carney stated today international law must always be prioritized. History has shown us that the path to peace is built through diplomacy and respect for international law. Threats to annihilate an entire civilization betray the most basic principles of human decency, and must be rejected"
"I don't understand... this page seems pretty comfortable with threats to annihilate an entire civilization if it's Israel. Anything Israel does to defend itself is immediately being called out as "genocide." Where's that diplomacy and respect?"
"I agree with the sentiment. Iran has repeatedly threatened to exterminate Israel and has been developing weapons to do so. It is not possible, much as we wish it were so, to negotiate with a government intent on your destruction."
Amnesty International USA on X - "A threat to wipe out “a whole civilization” may amount to a threat of genocide. We urge all parties to respect international law. Those responsible for atrocities can and must be held accountable."
Joo on X - "Khamenei (dead) described Israel as a “deep cancer,” a “lethal, dangerous, cancerous tumor,” a “malignant cancerous tumor,” and a “deadly cancerous growth” that “must be removed,” “eradicated” Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad said Israel should be “wiped off the map.” Hezbollah’s Nasrallah (dead) stated that “Israel is a cancer” with the “ultimate goal” to “remove it.” Former Jordanian PM Rawabdeh called Israel “a cancer that must be eradicated.” Kim Jong-un threatened to “annihilate” and “turn the U.S. into a sea of fire” Amnesty cucks never seem that fussed about such threats of genocide or holding these loons accountable."
Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 on X - "Let’s flip the scenario for a moment. Imagine Iran killed Trump in the first 5 minutes of the war, established air superiority over the US mainland, wiped out the entire US Air Force, US Navy, killed half the Cabinet, flattened the US military industrial complex, then started building runways in Missouri to land Iranian troops without losing any casualties. Would you say it was a US victory if the US managed to keep the Panama Canal closed throughout this all?"
🇺🇸 Ronald Carter on X - "I just got off the phone with someone who works in defense policy in Washington. What they told me should end every "Trump is reckless" argument permanently.
"Every single president since Clinton received the same intelligence briefing on Iran's nuclear timeline. Every single one was told the window was closing. Every single one chose to kick it down the road because the political cost of acting was higher than the political cost of waiting."
Trump got the same briefing. 60kg of 90% enriched uranium. 4 weeks to breakout. Material for 2 bombs. He chose to act knowing it would tank his approval to 35%. He chose to act knowing his own base would split. He chose to act knowing NATO allies would refuse to help. He chose to act knowing gas prices would spike. A senior analyst I know at a major think tank put it this way: "The difference between Trump and every president before him isn't intelligence. They all had the same data. The difference is courage." Read that again. Every president had the same file on their desk. Only one opened it and did something."
Bonchie on X - "When Trump doesn't nuke Iran tonight, all the people screaming he's about to commit genocide will seamlessly shift to posting "Taco Tuesday" memes and claiming he chickened out. It's all a game to these people."
The same people who mock Trump for "TACO" get very upset at the things he does do.
Gator Gar on X - "“Now pivot all at once from criticizing his decision to bomb Iran to calling him a chicken for not bombing Iran. Perfect.”"
Ethan Levins 🇺🇸 on X - "Wait, did Trump just threaten to jail the journalist who reported there was a missing pilot in Iran? "The person who did the story will go to jail" This is becoming a military junta real fast..."
Left wing logic: if you crack down on the leaking of classified military information during a war, that's fascism and a violation of the First Amendment
Possum Reviews on X - ""It's worth it to shut down all of society, keep kids out of school, and refuse to let people visit dying loved ones in the hospital if it saves even just one life, but it's ridiculous to sacrifice two planes to save one airman from a war zone. I am a liberal.""
Legal Phil on X - "People who thought it was no biggie to leave $7 billion in equipment in Afghanistan—and thus in the hands of the Taliban—due to poor planning sure are exercised about the loss of three aircraft in a successful operation to save an American pilot."
Daniel Foubert 🇵🇱🇫🇷 on X - "Lose all this to rescue 1 pilot and call it your greatest military success of all time."
Lee (Greater) on X - "I’m noticing a lot of foreigners who seem to not understand why we’d risk hundreds of lives, spend millions of dollars, and sacrifice several aircraft to rescue one guy. And the reason they don’t understand is also the reason people can’t be made American by a piece of paper."
ثنا ابراهیمی | Sana Ebrahimi on X - "As an Iranian watching this rescue mission unfold, I was praying the American pilot would make it out alive, not just for him, but so the Islamic Republic could not use him as a bargaining chip or claim some twisted “victory.” At the same time, I felt a deep envy. Your government sent elite special forces, million-dollar aircraft, and moved heaven and earth to bring one American home. No hesitation. No excuses. In Iran, the regime uses human shields and recruited child soldiers to clear minefields during the Iran-Iraq war. They treat their own people like disposable tools. They are now recruiting child soldiers as we speak. The Islamic Republic has zero regard for human life. That’s the brutal difference. One side risks everything to save their own. The other sacrifices their own to stay in power. This hits hard when you have lived under both realities."
Calvin Cheng | Facebook - "Nincompoops keep claiming Israel and the US started this war, that the Strait of Hormuz was wide open before the February strikes, and that it will magically open the moment America and Israel stop attacking. Ayatollah Iran isn’t having a temporary meltdown. This is their decades-old playbook. In the 1980s Tanker War, they attacked neutral shipping with mines, speedboats and missiles. Flag didn’t matter. In 1987 they fired a missile into the Singapore-registered tanker Sedra, turning it into an inferno and killing seven crewmen — including Singaporeans. In March 1988 they hit the Singapore-flagged Havglimt with rockets and machine-gun fire, killing two Singaporean crewmen and wounding others while even shooting at rescue boats. They attacked the Neptune Subaru, another Singapore-flagged tanker, multiple times in 1988 with no regard for neutral flags. 2011-2012: Sanctions squeezed their oil? Iranian leaders threatened to close the strait. “Not one drop.” Speedboat swarms, constant harassment, insurance premiums went through the roof. In 2026, it’s the same playbook. People just have short memories. They see any US or Israeli pullout as victory, not a reason to hand back control. Choking the Hormuz is core Ayatollah Iranian doctrine — their favourite asymmetric weapon against stronger navies. The idea that the strait was peacefully open before the strikes and will reopen the second the attacks stop is pure bullshit. If the Ayatollahs are not taught a lesson, Iran will forever keep the Strait of Hormuz hostage. They have done it since 1979, and Singaporeans have been killed by them. Know what our interests are."
CTV News Frames Hardline Anti-Israel Activist Faisal Kutty As Credible Voice To Discuss Al-Quds Day Hatefest - "Established in 1979 by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the last day of an Islamic holiday, Al-Quds Day has been an annual demonstration held, both in Iran and by its supporters around the world, as a call to destroy Israel. Unsurprisingly, Al-Quds Day protests in Canada have been characterized by hate speech, support for Islamic terrorism, calls for genocide, and more. And when an Ontario court rejected Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s last-minute injunction seeking a ban on the demonstration, CTV News interviewed Faisal Kutty on March 14, who was introduced as a “lawyer and an activist focused on human rights and civil liberties,” for his opinions. Kutty is not simply a lawyer; he is also a hardline anti-Israel campaigner who was characterized as a credible and unbiased voice, and interviewing him for his supposedly expert opinion is akin to seeking out a tobacco lobbyist to offer their thoughtful analysis on public health risks from smoking. In fact, in his opening remarks, Kutty admitted that he had just returned from attending an Al-Quds Day protest in Los Angeles, followed by him spreading the farcical claim that “calling for peace is not antisemitism.” Calling for peace certainly is not antisemitism, but no credible observer could possibly think that Al-Quds Day – where “death to Israel” is a common refrain among regime organizers in Iran – is even remotely resembling “calling for peace.” In Toronto, Al-Quds Day protests have become synonymous with hate speech, glorification of Islamic terrorism, and calls for violence against Israel, and either Kutty is woefully ignorant of well-documented examples of this, or he willfully misled viewers. Scandalously, Kutty’s shameless historical revisionism was never called out by the host, who allowed him to spout his nonsense without any challenge whatsoever, and instead continued to treat him as a credible commentator. Despite Kutty’s longtime anti-Israel activism, and his presence at a hate rally just the previous day, the host spoke to him as if he was a thoughtful and centrist observer, asking “how does the law balance” concerns about hate speech and freedom of expression. Organizers of the Al-Quds Day demonstration in Toronto have long histories of involvement in anti-Israel, and critics say, anti-Jewish agitation. Lawyer Shane Martinez has been a vocal proponent in attacking Jewish charities for their connections to Israel, and lawyer Stephen Ellis has long been involved in hardline anti-Israel activism. As for Kutty, even a cursory glance would have shown CTV News that they were not interviewing simply a legal observer for comment, but a radical anti-Israel activist who has downplayed the murderous threat of Islamic terrorism and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and who has attempted to rehabilitate the image of hateful anti-Israel protesters on university campuses, claiming they were simply engaged in “civil disobedience.”"
CG Idit Shamir 🇨🇦🇮🇱 on X - "🇨🇦 At Toronto's Al-Quds Rally, police laid a hate propaganda charge. Against a counter-demonstrator. For "inciting hatred" against the Islamic Republic of Iran. A designated terror regime. Canada's own list. The terror state as the named victim of hate. Meanwhile, Nazi-style antisemitic signs at Bathurst & Sheppard are still "under investigation." This is where we are. @ALCCAcanada"
The Story Yet Untold – The Islamic Regime is Now Being Treated as a Victim - "Canada severed diplomatic relations with this regime years ago and the Islamic Republic of Iran is formally listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act. The state agency, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force are both designated terrorist entities under Canadian law. Iranians themselves are an identifiable group based on their national origin, but it is stunningly obvious that an opponent of the Islamic Republic of Iran does not hate Iranians, incite hatred against the Iranian people or seek their destruction¹ – instead, such an opponent supports Iranians who seek to be free from the current murderous regime. The police undoubtedly sought advice from prosecutors before laying such a charge. Such advice can only be described as an exercise in appalling lack of judgement and understanding. This is especially so when too many charges laid by the police for hate-motivated crimes have been withdrawn or diverted by prosecutors, often because they fail to recognize hate crimes directed against Jews and Israelis."
‘Disgusting’: Ford slams attacks on GTA synagogues, calls on Ontarians to stand up against hate : r/toronto - "So in terms of action items, he is going to..... crickets"
"What would you like him to do?"
"How about put together a team of experts that could draft a list of action items his government could take? He could even say "we are investigating ways the provincial government could help in this matter". Even that would be something."
"Actually take action to protect racialized, religious, and marginalized communities rather than deliver populist, empty statements and spend billions of our taxpayer money on Ontario Place??"
""Actually take action to protect racialized, religious, and marginalized communities" Ok, and what are the actions you are proposing?"
"A random person on Reddit should not be expected to have these answers. But it is more than fair to expect the leader of our god damn Province to have any kind of action plan."
"So basically just throw out "Doug Ford should so something!" without having any idea what should be done?"
"Exactly. Because it far above my salary and job description. But it’s not above Dougies. He should have a plan of action to ensure public safety. Or he should be using his resources/connecting with other government officials that can assist and advise on these matters. That’s not too much to ask from our Premier."
"I expect him to have a plan of action. I expect to him to look into resources and budgeting to ensure public safety is a priority."
"Like do what? Have cops stand around everywhere? The same cops this sub doesn't like and wants their budget cut?"
I've seen this line of "argument" before. It's just a way to hate on politicians you don't like. Elsewhere people were blaming "white supremacists". Of course.
Up to 1,000 Iranian 'sleeper' agents embedded in Canada: Gov't official - "As many as 1,000 former members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may be embedded across Canada — and posing an urgent security threat to the US, experts told The Post. Canada’s liberal government isn’t doing nearly enough to address the problem, Michelle Rempel Garner, a member of the opposition and the “shadow minister” for immigration, told The Post. “It’s a huge problem,” she said. “That’s not just a concern for our country, it’s a concern for our security partners and allies.” Regime-affiliated figures routinely exploit Canada’s lax immigration policies to gain entry, making them nearly impossible to deport... The Islamic Republic is known to have “sleeper cells” all over the world, and may have sent out an “operational trigger” to activate them after the war with the US and Israel began, according to an encrypted message intercepted by the US. The US Consulate in Toronto was attacked on March 10 when two gunmen allegedly opened fire at the heavily fortified compound. No injuries were reported, and it is not yet known if the suspects were connected to the Islamic regime. Royal Military College and Queen’s University Professor Christian Leuprecht said Canada will have to bear some of the blame should one of their immigrants commit a terrorist act in the US. “Canada presents itself as a beacon of human rights but we let people into the country who have blood on their hands,” he said. The Canadian government has identified 32 high-ranking Iranian officials living in their country and has flagged them for deportation, according to the Canadian Border Services Agency... Only one Iranian official, whose name has not been reported, has been booted from the country so far"
Clearly, the solution is to support the Islamic Republic so the sleeper cells won't be activated (and so the Liberals won't lose votes too)
Holly Dagres on X - "This bridge connects Karaj with the capital Tehran. It’s civilian infrastructure."
Mahyar Tousi on X - "This is bullshit. Very important: a lot of nutters who are against the war in Iran have today said ‘Trump destroyed a civilian infrastructure part of the nation’ This is a lie. This was a new bridge that wasn’t even complete or open to the public. But it was being used by IRGC."
What Happened in Dunkirk: a Royal Engineer Tells His Story - "The counterattack gave us extra time to prepare for the demolition of the many bridges spanning the La Bassée Canal in order to further delay the Germans. While the sappers laid explosives on the bridges, I was given the job of dispatch rider, carrying messages between the various army units as commanders attempted to organize a collective withdrawal before the bridges were blown... By holding back the enemy at Arras, the British Army had given us time to prepare 22 bridges for demolition around Béthune. The hordes of refugees trying to cross the bridges made the work difficult. Seeing the problems they caused and fearing fifth columnists could be in their midst, officers ordered that refugees be stopped from crossing the bridges. Turned away from one bridge, the civilians hurried north to another and another until they found one they could use to cross to safety to the east bank of the canal—a forlorn hope."
1945 - The Rhine Crossings in the Wesel Area - Targeting Wesel - "At the beginning of February 1945, Field Marshal Montgomery’s armies were poised to launch a major offensive to conquer area west of the Lower Rhine. Between Duisburg and Nijmegen/Arnhem the only bridges across the Rhine were those at Wesel. The town was regarded as the most important traffic hub in the Lower Rhine region. The bulk of supplies for the Wehrmacht - which was to defend the area west of the Rhine - had to go through Wesel and over its bridges. Thus, the city of Wesel became an important target. On February 1st, 1945, a force of 139 American bombers attacked the Wesel railroad bridge as well as the road bridge. However, their bombs also hit built-up urban areas. There were fatalities and numerous injured among the civilian population."
Left wingers are really clueless. Destroying bridges - even ones civilians may use - is common in war
planefag on X - "When Europeans tell you "there was no problems in the Gulf until you started a war," you must understand - they actually believe that. It's the perfect one-sentence summation of both their populations' and governments' sincere belief and foreign policy. They truly think the status quo was just fine, both as it was and with where it was heading. Europe, after all, was perfectly fine with the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, which everyone knew only slowed Iran's march towards nuclear weapons and did absolutely nothing to stop their decades-long campaign of regional proxy war, terrorism and genocide - in fact, it funded it. When the US changed course from this disastrous policy Europe created a special purpose vehicle (SVP) called "INSTEX" to evade US sanctions and continue trading with Iran. Nor is this new; the EU passed a blocking statute in 1996 to shield European businesses from US sanctions for trading with Iran and Cuba (and reactivated it after the US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018.) Nor do they care about the inevitable consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran. It's not like they don't know that a nuclear deterrent will embolden Iran to double down on their decades-long campaign of slaughter via proxy army in every neighboring state, because that's the exact situation with Russia. President Trump told them flat-out that buying Russian energy was collaring themselves and handing the leash to their enemies, and they sneered and laughed him out of the room - and now that Russia's four years into a major land war in Europe that supposedly threatens the security of western Europe, they continue to buy natgas without batting an eyelash. All while screeching at Trump for having the temerity to ask that Europe pay for the American weapons they want sent to Ukraine, of course. So it's not simply my opinion that Europe sees absolutely no problem with an Iran rendered effectively invincible by a nuclear deterrent holding both the strait of Hormuz and the strait of Bab-El-Mandeb (and thus the Suez canal) at gunpoint and extracting exorbitant fees for every ship that passes. It's not my opinion that they don't give a damn about China then having a stranglehold on two of the most crucial economic arteries on the globe, which they can leave open for themselves and strangle for others if it suits their goals in a fifth-generational war (or even a fourth-generational shooting war over Taiwan.) It's not my opinion that Europe has no qualms about what a nation that's pursued 47 years of regional bloodshed and destabilization *without* a nuclear deterrent will do once it's effectively invincible *and* has the coercive power to buck the sanctions limiting its operational funding. It's empirical truth, because the Europeans didn't give a single rotten damn about it as regards Russia, and now that Russia's raping, kidnapping and outright genociding the Ukrainian people, they still don't give enough of a damn to turn off the tap. I advance no argument here as concerns the justice, merit or wisdom of Europe's choices. After all, they're simply pursuing their own national interests. I simply want us all to stop pretending that America isn't doing the same thing by choosing *not* to be held at nuke and nozzle point by its enemies indefinitely. Anyone who wants to argue that a nation with eleven carrier battle groups should have chosen the exact same path as Europe is free to do so - but I feel they're obliged to actually do so if they wish to scold the United States without defending Europe's own choices in this matter."
Melissa Chen on X - "You described exactly what bothers me so much about the European mindset: The giant chasm between their stated preferences (peaceful diplomacy, human rights, stability, punishing Russia) and revealed preferences (actions that prioritize self-interest, ignoring nuclear threats, paying Russia)"
BuzzKi11 on X - "The goal is to never get their own hands dirty & they don’t. “Let’s get someone else to do it” or “let’s negotiate for it” while repeating lofty ideals as proof of their elitism. Their self interest always comes first. Always. We have our troops at risk & they’re obstructing. Surprise. Yes, I’m damn salty about it. They traded Crimea for oil & then preached climate change to everyone else. Hypocrisy."
