Politics

[KJE81]

The U.S. Navy has much more effective with less risk mine sweeping tools. But they take time. Also, this blockade forces the world to engage. Even China.

In Trumps mind it says. “We tried to negotiate. We are forced to take over the straits for you, the World. We don’t need it. But hey, we are here for you. “

This article was a good read, even though I have been told that CNN is left leaning it seems quite objective: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/13/...z-blockade-minesweeping-explainer-intl-hnk-ml

It would seem to suggest that the US Navy would need at least six destroyers inside the Persian Gulf in order to maintain the blockade efficently.

This quote I assume are referring to the other methods you wrote about?

"The actual minesweeping work is more likely to be done by underwater drones, littoral combat ships equipped with a mine-countermeasures package and helicopters, Schuster said."

 

[mark-hunter]

I don’t need to watch it to be convinced. I believe the nuclear proliferation threat is real. The same reason the GCC needed the U.S. to defang Iran. It’s the deal we made long ago. If we protected them, they would use the US dollar and they would not seek nuclear weapons.

Trumps threats to NATO has had a positive influence. BUT. The U.S. will not withdraw from NATO. There are strategic advantages for the U.S. to belong. It would be a huge mistake to leave.

Great points.
But next video, I urge you to see.

As per US security strategy 2025, we have this concern:

Now, what are they talking about here?

You really need to see following video presentation. (15 minutes)
It makes you wonder about the future.

UK has a part of nuclear defense umbrella based on British warheads and American rental trident missiles.
But for how long?

If UK turns to muslim state of unknown future policy?
I will accept, any of your guesses.
But please, first, see below.

 

[WAB]

We can build anything that will technically work but at what cost?

Yes, nuclear power is the way forward.

The US has a terrible track record in nuclear power in non-military applications. Our aversion to regulatory oversight and nuclear power generation are not a good fit. The current push to install nuclear generation in data centers is frankly terrifying. Two nations have managed nuclear power well, Canada and France.

 

[mdwest]

This is a huge move by China. Reading between the lines. They are asking the international community to get involved. So, I’m guessing at the same time pressuring the Iranians to make a deal.

Also, I’ve seen Hillary and other career Politicians bemoaning that Vance walked away so quickly. She and others crying out loud. “ We took 5 years to make a deal with Iran”.

When there is a Red Line what is to negotiate for months or years.

Iran will be begging for a deal today or tomorrow or within the week. Iran doesn’t have 2 weeks to sit on their oil.

China Calls for Calm After U.S. Threatens Hormuz Blockade

China urges calm as U.S. threatens a Hormuz blockade after Iran talks collapse, raising fresh concerns over global energy security.

stratnewsglobal.com

Hillary - the same Sec State that screwed the world on the last Iran deal, who bungled Libya, etc… probably should sit on the sidelines for this one… her commentary just makes great memes and weakens any legitimate D response…

 

[AJ Peacock]

The US has a terrible track record in nuclear power in non-military applications. Our aversion to regulatory oversight and nuclear power generation are not a good fit. The current push to install nuclear generation in data centers is frankly terrifying. Two nations have managed nuclear power well, Canada and France.

Really?

By Capacity and Generation, the United States is #1, with France #2, China #3 and Canada #7th (SoKorea is #6). Of course this includes Military reactors. Canada has 19 total and the US has 94 total, with 54 non-military. France has 57 total. China is currently building 28 (so much for all the solar and wind that they are so happy to export). Canada, US and France are currently building zero.

AJ

 

[Altitude sickness]

Hillary actually bragged that deals take years to make. I understand that the final product and dotting i’s crossing T’s takes a while.

But Obama‘s team actually sat across the table from the Iranians for five years and got played by them. Iran dragged out every detail all the while they were buying the equipment and building it for enrichment.

So Vance sees through their BS in a few hours and he’s the idiot. Only in a liberal politicians mind does that make sense.

 

[RLD]

Koo-Koo for Cocoa Puffs.

Ah professor, at the first push back you reach into the bag of Grade 2 insults. You are as predictable a a trained seal.

 

[mdwest]

Hillary actually bragged that deals take years to make. I understand that the final product and dotting i’s crossing T’s takes a while.

But Obama‘s team actually sat across the table from the Iranians for five years and got played by them. Iran dragged out every detail all the while they were buying the equipment and building it for enrichment.

So Vance sees through their BS in a few hours and he’s the idiot. Only in a politicians mind is that makes sense.

Yep.. she was chief architect of JCPOA… she led the charge on the development of that agreement for 4 years before she left office…

And as the norm, the Iranians immediately began cheating.. ultimately getting caught… and also as the norm the US then backs out and starts sanctioning again…

But I suppose getting lied to and cheated on is the course of action Hillary prefers…

I mean Bill has been lying and cheating on her for decades… and she keeps hanging around…

See… easy meme bait… lol…

 

[RLD]

Here is another opposing opinion about the vaunted Texas data.

Here is an excerpt: "

Summary​

Academics and activists have been misusing data from the Texas Department of Public Safety to claim that illegal immigrants have lower rates of crime than the native-born or legal immigrants. On this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Jason Richwine, and co-author of the recent report, Misuse of Texas Data Understates Illegal Immigrant Criminality, discusses the flawed research, which has been relied upon by activists, media, and even litigators to claim lower rates of crime among illegal immigrants and to support unlimited illegal immigration.

The Center’s report reveals that while strong claims about the overall criminality of illegal immigrants are not possible with current data, prior research has understated it substantially by ignoring or downplaying that the immigration status of many arrestees and convicts is unknown at the time of arrest, resulting in an undercount in the data. ..."

Misusing Texas imigration/crime data.


AJ

Oh, Jason Richwine? The Bell Curve's bastard son? I am supposed to take him seriously?

 

[Altitude sickness]

Another easy meme is this Epstein debacle.

Democrats help human trafficking coyotes bring hundreds of thousands of innocent children into this country. Simultaneously did nothing about Epstein for 8 years of Obama and 4 of Biden. But since they think Trump might be involved, they pretend to care about sex trafficking and there are people that actually buy it.

 

[AJ Peacock]

Oh, Jason Richwine? The Bell Curve's bastard son? I am supposed to take him seriously?

OK, don't take him seriously. How about countering his arguments?

I guess it's just easier to say something like "RLD, really! I am supposed to take him seriously?"

That adds a lot to the discussion.
1) Are arrestees mis-characterized at time of arrest? YES
2) Are the deported illegals ignored in your stats? YES
3) Are these studies 'guessing' at the denominator in their calculations (total illegal population) ? YES

Oh well, you can refuse to take me seriously too, that is a nice easy approach that I see with toddlers all the time (put your hands over your ears and scream that it's not fair).

AJ

 

[mdwest]

I’m not a particular fan of Richwines work… but… the guy is no dummy…

PhD from Harvard in public policy… then time spent employed at not one, but two of the most prominent conservative think tanks in the US (American Enterprise Institute, and Heritage Foundation)… those organizations don’t just hire anyone.. they only hire the most brilliant and often most well known and established conservative minds in the world… Paul Wolfowitz, Mike Pence, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Newt Gingrich, Paul Winfree, etc are all alumnus of those organizations…

He does indeed know how to research and analyze information… unlike another PhD we have that hangs around here a bit..

 

[Aaron N]

Really?

By Capacity and Generation, the United States is #1, with France #2, China #3 and Canada #7th (SoKorea is #6). Of course this includes Military reactors. Canada has 19 total and the US has 94 total, with 54 non-military. France has 57 total. China is currently building 28 (so much for all the solar and wind that they are so happy to export). Canada, US and France are currently building zero.

AJ

Canada is actually in the beginning phase of a possibly 10(?) unit plant in Ontario.

 

[AJ Peacock]

Canada is actually in the beginning phase of a possibly 10(?) unit plant in Ontario.

As the US is also in the beginning phase of several/many smaller plants.

AJ

 

[Aaron N]

As the US is also in the beginning phase of several/many smaller plants.

AJ

That’s a good thing

 

[RLD]

OK, don't take him seriously. How about countering his arguments?

I guess it's just easier to say something like "RLD, really! I am supposed to take him seriously?"

That adds a lot to the discussion.
1) Are arrestees mis-characterized at time of arrest? YES
2) Are the deported illegals ignored in your stats? YES
3) Are these studies 'guessing' at the denominator in their calculations (total illegal population) ? YES

Oh well, you can refuse to take me seriously too, that is a nice easy approach that I see with toddlers all the time (put your hands over your ears and scream that it's not fair).

AJ

I know his work very well, and it simply follows a whole bunch of the fallacies first found in the Bell Curve. I literally do not have the time to type our a proper refutation of both his work and the theories he buys into.

If you like I am happy to point you to some of the books that have undercut his work time and again.

It has nothing to do with you personally, but I have followed these IQ debates for years and his work has no standing in any credible scientific community.

You may as well use Velikovsky for a source in interplanetary physics.

 

[RLD]

I’m not a particular fan of Richwines work… but… the guy is no dummy…

PhD from Harvard in public policy… then time spent employed at not one, but two of the most prominent conservative think tanks in the US (American Enterprise Institute, and Heritage Foundation)… those organizations don’t just hire anyone.. they only hire the most brilliant and often most well known and established conservative minds in the world… Paul Wolfowitz, Mike Pence, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Newt Gingrich, Paul Winfree, etc are all alumnus of those organizations…

He does indeed know how to research and analyze information… unlike another PhD we have that hangs around here a bit..

Oh yes, the Heritage Foundation did hire him, and were more than happy when he resigned as they distanced themselves from his work.

 

[Betterinthebush]

Five days ago;

If US loses Africa’s minerals, it loses the AI race | Opinion

American supply security ultimately rests on infrastructure.

www.newsweek.com

Five minutes ago;

https://news.usni.org/2026/04/13/carrier-uss-george-h-w-bush-operating-off-southern-africa-as-iranian-blockade-begins

With everyone focused on Iran, the next pieces for energy and mineral development and mining are already in motion.

 

[deewayne2003]

So California is trying to pass the "Stop Nick Shirley Act" which would effectively criminalize investigative journalism......

The bill was sponsored by the state attorney generals wife!

 

[mdwest]

Oh yes, the Heritage Foundation did hire him, and were more than happy when he resigned as they distanced themselves from his work.

He left there and went to an immigration specific think tank.. the Center for Immigration Studies, which is linked to the lobby organization FAIR… it’s not like he has stepped away from globally recognized think tanks… they clearly continue to seek his services out… he is still at CIS today… his focus is figuring out methods for lowering/slowing immigration rates..

Again, I’m not a particular fan of his work..

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t in demand as a thinker and a researcher… and that a lot of people actually respect and believe in his work… he certainly hasn’t had any problem getting hired by some of the most relevant think tanks on the planet..

Southern Poverty Law Center hates CIS… they have declared them “racist” (among other things)… but I would imagine CIS wears that as a badge of honor since most conservatives believe the SPLC is a gathering of left wing moon bats with a quasi communist agenda…