Thoughts for the Day, March 27, 2025: On onion for me
Onion of the Day: Me. Yesterday I erroneously gave the Onion of the Day to Steve Witkoff, indicating that Witkoff was in Russia when he participated in the chat.
New information including a statement from Witkoff, indicates he was not in Russia when he participated in the chat and the only phone he had with him in Russia was a special government issued phone used for communicating when in hostile countries. Jeff Goldberg of the Atlantic indicates he only recalls Witkoff participating in the text on Saturday well after he left Russia.
I apologize for my premature reporting of this without verifying the data from multiple sources. Thank you to Michael D, a long-time subscriber, for bringing this to my attention.
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Tom Izzo
Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News wrote an outstanding article about MSU basketball coach supreme, Tom Izzo. As usual it was full of Izzo quotes not being bashful about things that bug him about the state of college basketball and how it has changed so much in the last 3 years with the transfer portal and NIL. Here is one of the gems from the article.
Quote of the Day: “I do enjoy the fight, and I do enjoy the stubbornness of trying to do it not the same way. If people don't think I can change with the times, I've changed with the times. If people think I'm gonna adjust to the principles, it'll be a cold day in hell. I’m gonna retire when I want to retire, unless they want me out. Or unless I can’t put up with the bull----. It’s either gonna be health or this stuff gets too ridiculous, and it’s getting close. I think I’m better off at 70 than a lot of guys are at 60. I’m more energetic because I’m stubbornly pissed off at the way things go in my profession.” MSU basketball coach supreme, Tom Izzo
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More on the Breach
After a few days thinking about the text breach, a couple things are bugging me.
1. In analyzing the texts, based on the accuracy of the texts with no typing and punctuation errors, it appears the details about the actual times and flight information indicated by Hegseth has been copied and pasted to the text. Most other texts include typos and punctuation errors as expected.
2. It bothers me to learn that the Signal App has an auto delete function of texts based on a predetermined date. This is contrary to my understanding of federal record retention laws. Based on Trump’s prior disregard for record retention rules, it feels the use of the Signal App is a deliberate way around record retention rules.
I am sure there will be clarification as more information comes out about the texts.
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Joyce Vance’s take on the breach.
Here are excerpts from Joyce’s Civil Discourse.
…Why use Signal in the first place when American leaders have some of the most secure communications technology in the world available to them? Is it just for convenience? If so, that’s sloppy, and they should be committing to do better, not arguing over whether the information was classified or not. (But if it looks like a duck…)
The truth is that by going to Signal, they avoided leaving a paper trail.
….As far as we know at this point, there was nothing improper about the attack on the Houthis. So why were high-ranking members of the Trump administration communicating off the books? How pervasive is the practice, and who knows/authorizes it? We are a government of the people. Transparency isn’t optional. There are rules about public records that have to be followed, and this president who likes to operate in secret and at the margins of our laws has frequently tried to skirt them.
It’s hard to imagine that the Signal chain for the Houthi attack was just a one-off, that they only went to Signal for this moment. Is this how this new government is operating routinely—off the books, in a hidden fashion designed to avoid scrutiny and accountability?
It may seem like a minor point with everything else that’s going on, but this is how autocrats work, not how a democracy operates. That’s the danger we are now facing, and this is another marker on the path to tyranny.
Calls are mounting for Hegseth and others to resign. Anyone who would engage in this kind of behavior and then argue that it was not improper rather than apologizing and promising to do better should leave government, whether voluntarily or not….
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Speak up and speak out
I emailed Congressman Bergman and Senator Slotkin about my concerns about the breach and asked them what they will be doing to get to the bottom of how this breach happened and what will be done to prevent it in the future. I will share the responses when I receive them.
Please call your members of Congress today. The U.S. Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. Tell the operator where you’re from and the operator will connect you to your representatives and senators. I tested this out today. It is very simple. They will ask for the congress member you want to contact. They will then switch you to that office.
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Quote of the Day: See above from Tom Izzo
Orchid of the Day: Tom Izzo. He is more than a basketball coach.
Onion of the Day: Me. See above.
Lyrics of the Day: I've listened to preachers. I've listened to fools.
I've watched all the dropouts who make their own rules.
One person conditioned to rule and control The media sells it and you live the role. Mental wounds still screaming Driving me insane.
If you think you know the answer, send me your answer in the comments section of the blog.
Answer to Lyrics of the Day for March 26, 2025: Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
Question of the Day: Will MSU and U of M win their sweet sixteen games and meet in the elite 8 for with the winner making the Final Four.
Video of the Day: I gave her the Orchid yesterday, here is why.
'Unimaginable And Shameful': Stansbury Torches House GOP For Pushing Cuts To Veterans' Healthcare
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Olivia D in Steele Magnolias
Re: the Signal communications spillage. Let's keep in mind this was a US strike against the Houthis, an Iranian backed terrorist organization. This event might to be a prelude to larger events in the area. Iran is the locus of almost all Middle East conflict. There is reportedly an assemblage of significant US forces in areas that could strike Iranian and Houthi resources.
Joe Biden reversed the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization one day after assuming office. Afterwards the Houthis in tandem with Iran conducted a build up that first reduced the opposition, there were three factions involved in Yemen civil war, and then armed the Houthis with modern missiles. Biden further attempted to reconstitute the insane Iranian JCPOA deal where Iran got nuclear weapons after 10 yrs. Biden also trashed the Saudis who were in a state of war against the Houthis and not doing well. Biiden completely stopped all diplomatic, military and economic connection with the Saudis to placate the NY Times. The Saudis backed away from the Houthi conflict after loss of US support under Biden. Loss of the Saudi Arabian alliance was a huge disaster and a strategic loss of a once reliable ally and we're still paying for what Biden and his goof-balls Jack Sullivan and Anthony Blinken have done.
I've been to this area many times. I know the Bab el Mandab area- sailed through it, communicated with shore operators there, there's a small island at the choke point, worked out of Djibouti many times before and after the Houthis became more dominant in Yemen. I've personally seen the weapons that Iran was smuggling to the Houthis, back in the day.they were using dhows, small boats, and now are more inclined to use commercial aircraft since they reliability controlled at the Saana and Aden airports after the Saudi war wind down (they use 4 airports to bring in Iranian arms and are trying to use shipping containers, while the centuries old fashions dhow smuggling is still in play).
The Iranian JCPOA that Obama and then Biden supported would give the Iranians free path to refine nuclear weapons grade material - originally around 2025. Most sane people believe that the Shiite Iranian mullahs would use nuclear weapons against Israel if they had the opportunity. Open source information indicates the Iranians have enough 60$ refined uranium to produce at least 8-10 nuclear weapons from added refinement, but we should expect they have more hidden reserves and would be able to ramp up to 2 or 3 dozen weapons. They have at least two delivery vehicles for nuclear warheads, the North Koreans gave the Iranians prototypes of liquid fueled nuclear capable missiles, Tapodong, and the Iranians have also since followed up on producing hypersonic glide missiles about the same time N Korea began producing them (Shabab-3 BM the Sejuil and Fatah HSGM). The Israelis' do not have the strike legs to carry out a protracted conflict against Iranian, but have shown their defenses to be a house of cards.
There's something snakey going on within our own intelligence resources regarding Iran and going back to the early part of the Obama administration.