Day: April 15, 2024

Closing thought–15Apr24

Today is tax day….get your paperwork in or pay the penalty….what better day to inform my readers about where some of their tax dollars go.

I bitch about the massive amount of money thrown at the War Department….well I do this for good reason….as you will soon realize….

The average U.S. taxpayer was forced to contribute more to militarized programs than to Medicare and Medicaid combined in 2023, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by the National Priorities Project.

Published ahead of Tax Day, the analysis sheds light on the extent to which the federal income tax dollars of ordinary Americans are fueling “militarism and its support systems” such as the Pentagon, which currently accounts for roughly half of the federal government’s total discretionary budget.

“Overall, in 2023, the average taxpayer contributed $5,109 for militarism and its support systems—including war and the Pentagon, veterans’ programs, deportations and border militarization, and federal spending on policing and prisons,” according to NPP, which is a project of the Institute for Policy Studies.

By comparison, the typical U.S. taxpayer contributed $4,308 to Medicare and Medicaid, $346 to K-12 education, $516 to nutrition assistance for low-income Americans, and $58 to diplomacy-related programs.

“Right now, millions of Americans are struggling to stay afloat—it’s become so expensive to live, eat, and have a home. Yet, instead of addressing the cost-of-living crisis or funding measures to address our communities’ needs, this year $5,109 of the average American’s taxpayer dollars went to fund the military and its support systems,” said Alliyah Lusuegro, NPP’s outreach coordinator and a co-author of the new analysis.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-taxpayers-funding-militarism

The Pentagon gets a budget that is pushing one trillion dollars and programs to help the American people scrambles for the crumbs that Congress gives them.

I wish the American people cared where their money goes….instead they fall for every lie the government tells them that is in their best interest….that is such bullsh*t!

This country always has enough money to piss away on some new weapon system but little to nothing for hungry children….why is that?

But I will keep bitching and complaining for it is what I do.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Here We Go! Once Again Into The Breach?

While most of us were trying to enjoy our weekend the whole fabric of the Middle East is unraveling….

After years of trying to provoke a response from Iran Israel has manage to get that act and in turn will most likely involve the US.

So here we go again….ass deep in the Middle East….our forays into the region accomplished two things….the death of Saddam and the creation of ISIS (more to come on this later)….

It began amazing enough on April Fools Day….with an Israeli airstrike….

Israeli airstrike leveled an Iranian consulate building that’s next to the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus, marking a significant escalation in Israeli attacks on Iranians in the region.

At least seven people were killed in the strike, including Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran has confirmed the death of Zahedi, who oversaw the IRGC’s Quds Force operations in Syria and Lebanon and is vowing a harsh response.

Then the war of words began….the threats the chest thumping….

Twelve days after the chest thumping….

Iranian commandos have seized a cargo vessel with reported ties to an Israeli billionaire, taking control of the ship as it sailed near the Strait of Hormuz. The incident took place amid soaring tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv, after Israeli forces bombed an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month.

The Portuguese-flagged container vessel, MSC Aries, was boarded by troops with the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday. The seizure occurred some 50 miles off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and was confirmed by a statement from the ship’s operator, MSC. It noted that 25 crewmen were on board at the time.

Iranian state media reported that the ship was under IRGC control and being “directed back to Iranian territorial waters,” though did not specify for what purpose. The ship is reportedly owned in part by Zodiac Maritime, a company operated by Israeli-born billionaire Eyal Ofer.

(antiwar.com)

Then late Saturday the horrible news flashed across my desk….

The Iranian military fired a massive barrage of drones and missiles targeting sites in Israel, with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) saying the attack was retaliation for a deadly Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

The attack was announced on Saturday afternoon in an IRGC statement carried by Iranian state media, which said that “dozens” of UAVs and missiles were “fired at the occupied territories and positions of the Zionist regime.” The elite military unit claimed to have struck “important military targets,” though shared few details about the results of the operation.

…

While the military claimed “most” of the Iranian projectiles had been intercepted by allied states even before reaching Israeli airspace, it acknowledged “minor damage to the infrastructure” of an unspecified military base in southern Israel, as well as “a few injuries.”

(antiwar.com)

What to do…what to do?

US officials have yet to announce any military response, congressional sources told the Daily Mail the Pentagon planned to deploy multiple warships carrying some 2,500 Marines to the Eastern Mediterranean. Washington has made similar shows of force throughout the ongoing war in Gaza, stationing aircraft carriers and other naval assets in the region since last October.

When asked whether Washington would directly intervene in hostilities between Israel and Iran during a press briefing earlier this week, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder declined to “get into hypotheticals,” only citing the US’ “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”

This is what those idiot warhawks like Sen. Cotton have been praying for….an excuse.

This is the trap that Israel laid many years ago it has just slowly developed….my money is on Biden walking into that dead end with eyes wide open (or should I say wallet wide open?)

The fallout has started….

Iran has conducted its much-anticipated revenge attack against Israel by firing hundreds of drones and missiles, nearly all of which were intercepted. The big question: Now what? How Israel responds could determine whether the situation escalates into a wider regional war, and an intense diplomatic push was underway.

  • The attack: Iran’s volley of an estimated 300 drones and missiles was unprecedented because it is believed to be the nation’s first-ever direct attack on Israel, reports the New York Times. However, Israel says it intercepted 99% of them with the help of the US and other nations, per the AP.
  • he US: President Biden said he will meet with G7 leaders on Sunday to coordinate “a united diplomatic response” to Iran’s attack, per USA Today. As the AP sees it, the language of the statement suggests the White House is trying to head off “a broader military conflict.” Biden also spoke with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, and the Times suggests the call helped ward off an immediate retaliatory strike.
  • Iran warns: Tehran warned that if Israel retaliated, its response would be “much larger.” Iran also warned the US not to get involved in any Israeli military response or it would attack American bases. Meanwhile, Israel’s war cabinet was to meet later Sunday, and Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, warned the confrontation was “not over yet.”
  • Nine nations: The BBC counts at least nine nations involved in the first round, a sign of how protracted the situation is. Projectiles were fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, while they were shot down by (or with help from) forces from Israel, the US, the UK, France, and Jordan. France, for example, provided tech support, including radar, reports the Washington Post.
  • A few landed: A relative handful of missiles landed in Israel, causing minor damage to an Israeli military base, per the Wall Street Journal. Israel also says a young girl was injured.

I am sorry but this, if it comes to a heavier response should be between Israel and Iran….the US should stay out of this situation completely.

Update…

President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US wouldn’t join Israel in any offensive action against Iran, multiple media outlets have reported.

I would applaud Biden’s statement if it we not bullsh*t….it is called ‘electioneering’….we are involved and we need to back away.

The US does not need another Middle East excursion….they seem to never pan out for us.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”