comments

Today’s News: America and Israel start a war with Iran “I expect this war will turn out to be just as inept, corrupt and half-assed as everything else Trump does”

Posted March 1, 2026 by Anonymous

Look at this fascinating map, showing the great variety and complexity of regional rug patterns in Iran — how many centuries of organized culture does it take for a people to develop such a sophisticated, distinctive and unique art? Iran has been an organized country for 3,000 years, with a population of 93 million.

I think Trump and Hegseth and Vance and Rubio and Gabbard thought America could quickly bomb Iran into cowering submission. Because wasn’t it easy to send a troop of soldiers into Venezuela to pick up Maduro and to order a few Navy ships to blockade Cuba.

But Iran has a military that can fight back.

So I expect this war will turn out to be just as inept, corrupt and half-assed as everything else Trump does.

View on Threads

Trump wanted to look like Obama in the Situation Room. Instead, he looked ridiculous in a curtained-off side-space at Mar-A-Lardo:

#AddleBrain in a makeshift Situation room at Mar-A-Lago as he launched the llegal war on Iran, right now he’s hosting a fundraiser there.
President Obama in a real Situation room to monitor the Bin Laden mission.

[image or embed]

— Pauline – proudly Antifa (@vixenreclaim.bsky.social) February 28, 2026 at 10:20 PM

On the map behind him, you can see the locations of carrier groups and military forces:

One, very pathetic that they’re still desperately trying to recreate the Obama situation room photo.
Two, Trump looks like he died last week and was badly preserved.

[image or embed]

— ArgellaStone (@argellastone.bsky.social) February 28, 2026 at 3:26 PM

Here are the attacks on both sides, from the New York Times (gift link):

The Canadian reaction – what Carney said:

“The system’s power comes not from its truth, but from everyone’s willingness to perform as if it were true, and its fragility comes from the same source. When even one person stops performing, when the greengrocer removes his sign, the illusion begins to crack”

– Mark Carney

[image or embed]

— Luke LeBrun (@lukelebrun.ca) February 28, 2026 at 10:37 AM

What I wish he had said:

View on Threads

Wesley Wark has this to say about Carney’s statement:

All of this is mostly fine, minus the paragraph of support for the United States. The stated purposes of that support, at their high level of generality, do not encompass the totality of US war aims as Trump himself has outlined them. But now we are now stuck with full support.

No one would argue with the position, fully established in international law, that Israel has the right to defend itself. Is that what we think Israel is doing in joining this US war against Iran?

One last point. When faced with a war, call it a war, not “Iran-related hostilities.”

You know, Mr Prime Minister, you could have just said nothing. That might have been better.

— Raywat Deonandan 🍁🇨🇦 (@deonandan.bsky.social) February 28, 2026 at 10:50 AM

Our former UN ambassador Bob Rae doesn’t criticize Carney directly, but he writes this:

….Both Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu have domestic tails to wag. That might explain the impulse. But in a world where consequences matter, it is hard to see through this current fog of war the “plan”. No one wants to see a nuclear armed Iran. But as recently as last week negotiations were underway in Geneva, with further “technical discussions” planned for Monday. There are many other ways of mounting effective pressure

I am always reminded of the three rules of Roy Cohn, Joseph McCarthy’s acolyte and Donald Trump’s mentor. First rule is “attack, attack attack.” Second rule is “never apologize”. Third rule is “whatever happens, declare victory.” We saw this strategy at work in the State of the Union speech. We shall see it again in this military adventure with the Israelis against Iran. Whatever happens in Iran, victory will be declared, just as it was in the last “obliteration”. Just remember that in the attack on Iraq, on land, sea, and air, hundreds of thousands died, and went on dying, in a brutal war. In the early days of that conflict, the US declared “mission accomplished”. That was untrue. The cost of that ill conceived attack is still being paid.

Canada needs to work effectively with many countries to ensure that sound policies are pursued in the interests of both peace and security. This is no time for “ready, aye ready”. This is not an argument about whether Iran is a dictatorship or a country that poses a serious challenge to the peace and security of the world. This should be a discussion about the most effective, and enduring, ways to achieve common objectives.

The conduct of foreign and military policy is not about listening to our “impulses” or our “instincts”. It is about constantly understanding the consequences of our behaviour, and what others can do in response to our own decisions. It is not about how we all feel on day one. It is about how we’ll feel as time goes on. As Shimon Peres said “so what happens on day two ?”

This evening, Rae added these comments:

Earlier this evening, Iranian State Radio confirmed the death of the Supreme Leader. His 37 year rule was marked by great cruelty. He was a vindictive and destructive man who did terrible things to his own people, and to millions of others. The issue at the political level is still “what’s next.?” It is one thing to kill a strongman, or a group of them. But deep statecraft requires a plan beyond telling the Iranian people to “rise up”. A strategy without resources and the means to execute it is better called hallucination. There are 93 million people living in Iran. It is a vast country with many different regions, religious and political traditions. “Regime change” is not a matter of spontaneous combustion. It cannot be exported like a car or a refrigerator. Iran has lost millions of talented people over the last half century. It is true that Iran cannot be built from the outside. But it is not clear what, exactly we have learned from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria: civil wars close to Iran that have cost millions of lives and trillions of dollars. This is no time for triumphalism or quick fixes. Premature self congratulations are not in order. But that seems to be what is on offer.

– Bob Rae

Read on Substack

Benjamin Parker at The Bulwark gives some support for what Carney said:

…LET’S START WITH WHAT we don’t know: Was there some secret exigency that required a decision at this point? Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said within the last week that Iran was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bombmaking material.” Witkoff isn’t an expert in nuclear weapons or international relations; there have been no other reports corroborating his statement; and it directly contradicts open-source intelligence about the state of the Iranian nuclear program, to say nothing of the Trump administration’s own claim that the air strikes U.S. forces conducted as part of last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites.

Then again, if Iran had made some secret breakthrough in its nuclear weapons program, the Trump administration would have had every reason not to announce it, given those claims of “obliteration” last year. It’s possible, but unlikely, that Witkoff slipped up and accidentally told the truth.

Then, too, the Canadian and Australian governments—both members of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership, along with the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand—issued statements expressing support for the operation on the grounds that it would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. (The U.K. released a slightly more ambivalent statement about the strikes that nonetheless emphasized that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nukes.) Maybe our intelligence partners know something the American public doesn’t….

When thinking about how long a war with Iran might last, and how bloody it might be, I remember this cautionary tale that I first read some 22 years ago.
2004 was also a time of US scare-mongering about Iran, because some in the Bush administration were pushing to widen the War in Iraq. This article is an old column from a publication called I, Cringely: The Pulpit, written by journalist Mark Stephens under the pseudonym Robert X. Cringely. It is long out of print, but I found it on the Wayback Machine.
The excerpt was nominally about the 2004 re-election of Bush, but it also featured Stephens’ description of a horrific 1986 incident in the Iran-Iraq War:

If the experts are correct, the 2004 election results mean we now live in a country where morality is apparently the major concern of people. Am I wrong, or is the same thing not true in Iran? And if our morality is in fundamental conflict with their morality, which side will be willing to sacrifice more to obtain what they view as their just end?
I can tell you it ain’t us.
Back in 1986 I talked Penthouse magazine into giving me an assignment to write the story: “How to Get a Date in Revolutionary Iran.” The premise was that hormones are hormones, and those wacky kids in Tehran, most of whom could still remember the Shah, had to be finding some way to meet members of the opposite sex. So I headed off to Iran to find out the truth. If you are interested in such stuff, the only time a single man and woman not from the same family could be together in private back then was in a taxi (he being the driver), so all the teenage boys who had or could borrow cars turned them into taxis. This, of course, put all the power in the hands of the woman since she could see him but he had to take pot luck.
I eventually finished the piece and decided to go see the war since I had been in Beirut and Angola, but had never seen trench warfare, which is what I was told they had going in Iran. So I took a taxi to the front, introduced myself to the local commander, who had gone, as I recall, to Iowa State, and spent a couple days waiting for the impending human wave attack. That attack was to be conducted primarily with 11-and 12-year-old boys as troops, nearly all of them unarmed. There were several thousand kids and their job was to rise out of the trench, praising Allah, run across No Man’s Land, be killed by the Iraqi machine gunners, then go directly to Paradise, do not pass GO, do not collect 200 dinars. And that’s exactly what happened in a battle lasting less than 10 minutes. None of the kids fired a shot or made it all the way to the other side. And when I asked the purpose of this exercise, I was told it was to demoralize the cowardly Iraqi soldiers.
It was the most horrific event I have ever seen, and I once covered a cholera epidemic in Bangladesh that killed 40,000 people.
Waiting those two nights for the attack was surreal. Some kids acted as though nothing was wrong while others cried and puked. But when the time came to praise Allah and enter Paradise, not a single boy tried to stay behind.
Now put this in a current context. What effective limit is there to the number of Islamic kids willing to blow themselves to bits? There is no limit, which means that a Bush Doctrine can’t really stand in that part of the world. But of course President Bush, who may think he pulled the switch on a couple hundred Death Row inmates in Texas, has probably never seen a combat death. He doesn’t get it and he’ll proudly NEVER get it.
Welcome to the New Morality.

Trump doesn’t get it either. Nor do Hegseth or Vance or Rubio or Gabbard.
Nor, apparently, the media:

View on Threads

Looks like Iran has decided on three types of targets: US military bases in the region (Bahrain & others), oil infrastructure (eastern Saudi Arabia) and, perhaps most escalatory of all, densely populated urban areas to maximise economic and political impact (Dubai).

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) February 28, 2026 at 11:22 AM

And on Saturday night, this was reported too

Pro-Iranian protesters also gathered outside the Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where the US Embassy is located.
Pakistan and then Iraq have the largest Shi’ite Muslim populations after Iran.

[image or embed]

— FujiiPonta (@fujiiponta.bsky.social) March 1, 2026 at 2:55 AM

Here is something to think about, isn’t it

I will give you something to consider.

If Tehran concludes that Washington intends not to punish, not to deter, but to end the regime, the calculus changes significantly.

Deterrence logic collapses.

And when a regime believes it is facing extinction, it stops playing for points and starts playing for survival.

What does that mean?

It means escalation across every asymmetric channel.

It means proxy war intensifies overnight.

Hezbollah

Hamas

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Houthis

American personnel in Iraq and Syria become targets. Israel faces coordinated fire. U.S. diplomats and contractors abroad face direct risk of assassinations.

It means maritime pressure. We saw this today and the Iranians didn’t even act yet. It’s the petroleum companies that acted. The Strait of Hormuz is closed (effectively). Now imagine Iran actively targets the shipping.

Renewed disruption efforts in Bab el-Mandeb.

Continued drone and missile attacks on Saudi and Emirati infrastructure.

Shipping insurance spikes.

Oil markets convulse.

Price of EVERYTHING spikes.

It means cyber operations.

Commerce systems are attacked.

Financial systems are attacked..

Energy grids are attacked.

Water and transportation networks are attacked.

Hospitals are attacked.

US military installations are attacked.

It means calibrated but visible retaliation against U.S. bases — the 2020 model, updated and expanded.

And beyond that?

If leadership believes survival requires it, nuclear restraint evaporates.

Enrichment accelerated.

Threshold status becomes declaration.

Possibly even a demonstrative test to collapse ambiguity and force a new deterrence equilibrium.

Here is the central point:

Since we have killed the Supreme Leader, Tehran could frame it not as retaliation but as regime war.

And when a regime believes it is fighting for its existence, it does not seek proportionality. It seeks leverage.

But even then, Iran would likely respond in ways designed to:

Spread pain.

Avoid triggering overwhelming U.S. retaliation.

Preserve deniability.

Maintain escalation control.

We hope this is not about theatrics.

It is about incentives.

If Tehran believes Washington intends regime destruction, the risk is not a single dramatic strike.

The risk is sustained, globalized, asymmetric warfare designed to make the cost of regime change intolerable and to destabilize the entire Gulf.

That is the strategic gamble embedded in decapitation.

That’s what you are watching unfold.

– Bryan C. Del Monte

Read on Substack

Chances are the stock markets will be jittery next week:

View on Threads

Finally, I liked this too:

Today is a good day to take note of all those telling you how swimmingly this is going to work out so you can stop paying attention to them forever

We have illegally and under false pretenses launched a war that in no way benefits us and isn’t going to ever truly end

A MISTAKE WE HAVE MADE BEFORE

– Seth Abramson

Read on Substack

Full Story »

0

comments

The Ones Who Walk Away

Posted February 28, 2026 by Anonymous

illustration from Sam Woolfe

So tonight I was reading some Rodger Sherman posts about sports – one of the American journalists I follow because of his wide sports knowledge – and his last Olympic newsletter was mentioned. People liked this part e…

Full Story »

0

comments

Here we go again — another Poilievre re-set

Posted February 27, 2026 by Anonymous

Here we go again. Another Poilievre “re-set” is underway.
This time, he’s Serious!!! Calm!!! Statesman-like!!! Thoughtful!!!
The occasion was a speech in Toronto to the Economic Club of Canada on Thursday. The At Issue panel starts talking ab…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: SOTU follow-ups, #ETTD, Epstein Scalp-watch, and the war in Ukraine plus other wars

Posted February 26, 2026 by Anonymous

State of the Union Follow-ups
I found some good posts today about that SOTU:
PM Carney about the State of Union address: “I didn’t watch it.” 😂🤣😅

I love this guy 😅🤣[image or embed]— 🍁🇨🇦Team Canada Forever🇨🇦🍁 (@teamcanadaforever.bsky.social) February 2…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Playing politics against refugees in Canada, the State of the Union and the state of the NHL

Posted February 25, 2026 by Anonymous

Poilievre and the Conservatives have apparently decided their fortunes could improve if they can convince Canadians to play politics against refugees: View on Threads

We’re back to the racist and MAGA scapegoating of immigrants and asylum seekers…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Some interesting stuff that isn’t politics, plus Olympic Wrap-up

Posted February 24, 2026 by Anonymous

The State of the Union is tomorrow and we do NOT plan to watch even a single moment.
In fact, I am mostly “politicked-out” for now. So I thought tonight it would be interesting to sample a wider range of interesting stuff.

Just as Cory Doctorow in…

Full Story »

0

comments

Sunday Funday: Olympics Catch-Up, this week’s funny posts, plus Carney Hat-trick, Epstein Scalp-watch, TrumpWatch, Animal Crackers

Posted February 22, 2026 by Anonymous

Olympic Catch-up
Hey everyone, if you google “olympics” you can watch Nazgul run across the bottom of your screen!

The Olympics are almost over — Canada’s Day 15 results here. For what is coming up on Day 16, click here.

Canada now has 19 medals at…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: That SCOTUS Tariff Decision, Poilievre Doom-Scrolling, Epstein Scalp-Watch, Olympic Catch-Up

Posted February 21, 2026 by Anonymous

First, a few tariff cartoons that I collected for everyone to enjoy:KABOOM! That SCOTUS Tariff Decision
How bullies always react when someone tells them to cut it out:
View on Threads
(On a side note, it always amuses me when reporters get s…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Danielle Smith demonizes Canada again; Poilievre’s failed leadership; Epstein Scalp-Watch; Olympic Catch-Up

Posted February 20, 2026 by Anonymous

Danielle Smith is demonizing Canada againAlberta premier Danielle Smith is desperate to rev up the Alberta Federal Grievance Industry again, in spite of Carney actually doing a lot of what Alberta says it wants. And she is grasping at any excuse to bla…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Carney wins, Poilievre loses; the Epstein files get hotter, Minneapolis is still ICEed; and Olympic Catch-up

Posted February 19, 2026 by Anonymous

Carney wins, Poilievre loses
Wow!
Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux has joined the Liberal caucus, making him the third Conservative MP to break with his party since November – a move that puts the Carney government on the cusp of a majority.

Though they now h…

Full Story »

0

comments

Roundup of comments on Canada’s Defense Industrial Strategy, those radical mainstream environmentalists, the Epstein conspiracy, and Olympic Catch-up

Posted February 18, 2026 by Anonymous

I found some good posts and commentary today on a random assortment of topics:Comments about Canada’s Defense Industrial Strategy
First, some background – in her February 17, 2026 newsletter on Tuesday, Heather Cox Richardson references the M…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Olympic Catch-up, plus Canada’s trade moves

Posted February 17, 2026 by Anonymous

Olympic Catch-up

Canada’s Day 9 results here, and our Day 10 results here. For what is coming up on Day 11, click here.

Gold!

Silver!

Gold in sports, gold in politics.

Congratulations Mikael Kingsbury🇨🇦❤️🥇. – #Francesk🇨🇦Read on Subst…

Full Story »

0

comments

Sunday Funday: Olympic Catch-up plus some funny and lovely posts, and Carney Hat-trick, TrumpWatch, Animal Crackers

Posted February 15, 2026 by Anonymous

Olympic Catch-up

Click here for Canada’s Day 8 results and click here for what is coming up on Day 9. Bronze

And some other achievements:
View on Threads

This isn’t a Canadian win, but I’m posting it anyway:…

Full Story »

0

comments

Round-up: Tumbler Ridge Vigil; commentaries from Coyne & Smith; observations about US-Canada relations; Olympic Catch-up

Posted February 14, 2026 by Anonymous

First, some posts about the Tumbler Ridge VigilCARNEY: “When you wake up tomorrow, and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you … Because Canada is a community that relies on each other’s grace. And may that grace ble…

Full Story »

0

comments

Weekly Wrap: Tumbler Ridge Strong, Minnesota is winning, the Trump administration is losing all over, and Olympics Catch-up

Posted February 13, 2026 by Anonymous

Tumbler Ridge Strong
Stories of courage will be comingStories of brave students, teachers emerging after Tumbler Ridge shooting, B.C. premier says[image or embed]— CTV News Vancouver (@ctvnewsvancouver.bsky.social) February 13, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Mean…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Mourning with Tumbler Ridge, plus Olympic Catch-up

Posted February 12, 2026 by Anonymous

The people of Tumbler Ridge gathered to mourn together on Wednesday night.Prime Minister Carney says “All of Canada stands by you”:

The BC Government has set up a Condolence Book in the Parliament Building in Victoria, with an online form posted …

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Carney deserves a medal for dealing with Trump, plus Tuesday Olympic catchup, and our tragedy at Tumbler Ridge

Posted February 11, 2026 by Anonymous

I think our Prime Minister Mark Carney deserves his own medal – gold, of course – for having to deal so often with Trump and his fantasies.

Prime Minister Carney on Trump’s bridge threat: “I explained that Canada of course paid for the constru…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Olympic Catch-up, Bad Bunny and the grasses, Trump take bridge, and the Epstein Tsunami

Posted February 10, 2026 by Anonymous

Olympic Catch-up

Megan Oldham bronze!

View on Threads

The family and friends reactions one of my favourite parts of the Olympics.

They’ve been on this journey too.

And they couldn’t be in Beijing for Megan Oldham’s debut. But they’re here…

Full Story »

0

comments

Sunday Funday: Olympic catch-up, lots of funny posts, Carney Hat-Trick, TrumpWatch and Animal Crackers

Posted February 8, 2026 by Anonymous

Congratulations Valerie Maltais – Bronze MedalCatching up with the Olympics:

So say we all.[image or embed]— Sister Golden Bear (@sistergoldenbear.bsky.social) February 7, 2026 at 4:53 PM
View on Threads

View on Threads

Reporter: Di…

Full Story »

0

comments

Friday night wrap-up: Stephen Marche on Canadians, Paul Krugman on Americans, plus Greenland, Olympic cheers & boos, ICE Gestapo, Trump racism, Minnesota brave, Ian McKellen does Shakespeare

Posted February 7, 2026 by Anonymous

Ken Danby – At The CreaseStarting tonight with some good news stories.

In the New York Times, Stephen Marche writes a brilliant opinion piece: We Are All Canadians Now (gift link)
…American aggression and American decline are of a piece. As Mr. Carn…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: The Olympics!!!

Posted February 6, 2026 by Anonymous

Canadian curler Brett Gallant (photo Carmen Mandato Getty Images)There was lots of actual news today — bitcoin crashing, Trump making a fool of himself at a prayer breakfast, Poilievre desperately trying to change his stripes, the CBC At Issue panel …

Full Story »

0

comments

Updates: Our Teflon prime minister, some Epstein updates, Elon’s despair, and admiring American courage

Posted February 5, 2026 by Anonymous

Just a random bunch of updates tonight.I think we can call him Teflon Carney
As Canadians get to know Prime Minister Carney, we’re seeing that he is becoming one of those Teflon politicians – negative news just doesn’t stick to him, he just shrugs it o…

Full Story »

0

comments

Epstein files reveal the scum who think they can do whatever they like

Posted February 4, 2026 by Anonymous

In a comment on my post yesterday, Cap writes:
Three Canadian billionaires have been accused of serial rapes of young women/girls in the last couple of years: Robert Miller, Peter Nygard and Frank Stronach. How many more are revealed in the lat…

Full Story »

0

comments

Today’s News: Building Capacity and Resilience

Posted February 2, 2026 by Anonymous

1942 mapI’m reading so much lately about how Canada and other countries are building military and economic capacity and resilience to withstand hegemon pressure, so I thought I would share a few of these tonight. And then I also found this map from eig…

Full Story »

0

comments

Sunday Funday: Poilievre’s win, Epstein’s pals, Melania’s movie, Trump’s blather; random funny stuff; Carney hat-trick; Trump Watch; and Animal Crackers

Posted February 1, 2026 by Anonymous

I can’t resist sharing these funny posts about Poilievre’s big win this weekend:
View on Threads

View on Threads

The Liberals already have a video out:

Next, some posts about US politics, starting with yes…

Full Story »

US Border Expands Facial Recognition for Canadians

Posted November 12, 2025 by Ben

Starting December 26th, Canadians travelling to the United States by air, land, or sea will no longer be able to opt out of having their photo taken at the border. The new rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, will make facial biometrics mandatory for all non-US citizens when entering or exiting the country. […]

Full Story »

Canadian Border Now Fully Open

Posted November 24, 2022 by Ben

On October 1st 2022, the Government of Canada removed all COVID-19 border measures such as required proof of vaccination, random testing, and mandatory isolation for high-risk travelers. For the first time since early 2020, the Canadian border is operating under “normal” conditions. For example: Americans interested in visiting Canada no longer need to download the […]

Full Story »

Pre-Entry COVID Test No Longer Required at Canadian Border

Posted April 2, 2022 by Ben

As of April 1st 2022, the Canadian border will no longer require a pre-arrival negative COVID-19 test from fully vaccinated travellers entering or returning to the country. Previously, a rapid antigen test or a PCR test indicating a person does not have COVID was required by border authorities. This rule change should encourage Canadians to […]

Full Story »

US Land Border Opens to Canadians

Posted November 8, 2021 by Ben

After being closed for nearly 19 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on November 8th 2021 the United States land border officially opened to all fully vaccinated Canadians. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced they will be staffing their border at pre-pandemic levels, but warns that wait times may be longer than in […]

Full Story »

When Will USA Border Open to Canadians?

Posted August 25, 2021 by Ben

On August 9th 2021, Canada opened its border to all fully vaccinated Americans allowing tourists from the United States to visit the country once again. The US border remains closed to Canadians, however, and American authorities recently extended the border closure until September 21st citing COVID-19 transmission rates south of the border as well as […]

Full Story »

Where Can Vaccinated Canadians Travel?

Posted July 1, 2021 by Ben

Most Canadians are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Consequently, Canadians are starting to think about international travel again, and are beginning to research possible vacation destinations. This leads to the question, which countries can a fully vaccinated Canadian visit? As of July 2021, Canadian citizens who have received two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or […]

Full Story »

The Latest

LATEST POSTS !

Categories

Tags

SEARCH

Archives