“We are up against an ideology that has given up— not only on the premise and promise of liberal democracy but on the livability of our shared world - on its beauty, on its people, on our children, on other species.
“The forces we are up against have made peace with mass death. They are treasonous to this world and its human and non-human inhabitants.”
— Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, 2/28/26
On this afternoon’s podcast, Susie and Jon discuss US/Israel Strike on Tehran, and the Ensuing DeEvolution.
What say you? Some references are below, and I’d love to add yours.
What We’re Reading
‘W.W.FU,” as I’ve dubbed it, isn’t about regime change, it isn’t about an Axis of Evil, or “terrorism” — This is a monstrous act for redrawing the world map, and a massive market manipulation. - SB
Sarah Kendzior, Always
“I’ve said since 2017 that Kushner is my litmus test of whether the US is an entrenched mafia state, and we keep failing. He is not an official member of the US government, but we are not really ruled by the US government: we are ruled by a shadow government, and he is a reigning member.”
I stumbled upon this market risk analyst the morning of the strike. He certainly has news that isn’t on the front page of the NYT —but then that’s a low bar, isn’t it.
His military, air, sea, and tonnage nuggets are eye-opening and he was the first I read who said, ahead of time, the Ayatollah was dead, a very surgical plan.
He has his fingers on specific data intelligence, and he discusses it like a “market guy”— But my human reaction to such events isn’t “Buy Gold!” My stakes in the world are not in the market. Or game theory. What do you think of this kind of analysis, philosophically?
When You’ve Lost Erik Prince:
Larsen’s morning-after is the Swiftian-noir S.O.B. you need to read at times like this.His run down will set your oars straight. Big picture, people.
Keep your eye on this man’s column.
Johan (pseudonym, naturally) is retired a US Foreign Service diplomat, and offers a well-written primer to open up the discussion. He is one of the dying breed of those who champion diplomacy and democracy. As he calls it: “19th century imperialism with 21st century weapons.”
“He opened his mouth and lies came out and bombs fell and people started dying”
And, It’s One Two Three, What Are We Fighting For?
Al Jazeera: What the Fuck is a Hexagon?
Netanyahu’s ‘hexagon’ alliance: Analysts call Bibi’s pitch a ‘fantasy world.‘
TMZ, of all pleces with the four-drunks-in-a-bar gossip ahead of the attack:
“I’m moving all of my gold out of Tehran…”
Max Kennerly on the WSJ story, “But We’re Almost Out of Bombs!”
Love how we spend >$850 billion annually on defense so that we can have a week’s worth of relevant munitions.
“As US and Israeli bombs fell on Iran this weekend, bettors on Polymarket — where $529 million was traded on contracts tied to the timing of the strikes — were cashing in . . .”
Josh Gondelman: American innovation" now refers to making a kind of atrocity cronut by combining insider trading with war crimes.
You Can Take the Word “Courage” Out of Your Mouth
Death Toll Hits 148 - Israeli Strike, Iran Girls’ Elementary School
Not one British paper covered the Girls’ School Murders, a UK friend reported. Al-Jazeera is probably your best bet for on the ground coverage at the moment. I’m also reading Le Monde and the Guardian.
Tim Mak, just started an Iran War Dispatch. I’d keep Mak on speed dial. You know him from his Kiev, Ukraine reporting— was once an investigative correspondent for NPR, and a former U.S. Army combat medic.
And Your Additions? . . .
