We still have about 8 posts with NO KINGS pics – shall I keep posting them today or spread them out over the week with one or two a day?
Other than that question, totally open thread.
Squishable Sunday Morning Open Thread
Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out there!
I’ll be visiting my dad later with a bag of Checker’s fries — his favorite. We’ve butted heads all my life. But over the years, both of us mellowed, and we developed appreciation and a grudging respect for each other. We’ll talk about fishing and boating and Kids Today. We won’t discuss politics.
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The No Kings protests gave me a lot of hope.
This probably doesn’t look like a big protest if you’re in a city, but in a very red small town in FL on a Saturday morning? BFD! #NoKings
— Betty Cracker of Florida (@bettycrackerfl.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Unfortunately, it did not enhance my skills as a cinematographer. (Sorry for the bug guts on the windshield.)
We had a couple of rolling coal assholes who drove by repeatedly. One of them called me and the other white people standing on the sidewalk with me the N-word, but other than that, it was a peaceful and positive experience.
I see in the backroom there are posts queued up to share photos from commenters on their No Kings day activities. I look forward to seeing them!
Open thread.
War for Ukraine Day 1,026: Oy Vey!
Air raid alerts went up for all of Ukraine between 2:oo and 2:30 AM local time in Ukraine/7:00 and 7:30 PM EDT:
Ukraine is under russian missile and drone attack right now ‼️
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
And, fortunately, as of 2:45 AM local time in Ukraine/7:45 PM EDT, the air raid alerts have come down except for Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast and Russian occupied Crimea, which are under 24/7/365 air raid alert.
Lately it’s been quiet in Kyiv at least – no air alerts since Wednesday afternoon, and the number of Russian/Iranian Shahed drones attacking the country as a whole has been in the 50-60 range. That’s going to change tonight, however.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Drone situation in Ukraine as of about an hour ago: Russian/Iranian Shahed attack drones swarming into north-central Ukraine.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Oy vey:
Yes, Happy Flag Day – just not sure which flag, or which nation, right?
— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 6:34 PM
DoD Twitter
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM
“Hey, did you move some of your counter-drone systems from Ukraine to the Middle East?” And I said, “Yes, we did. We’re using all assets available to protect our people in the region.” – Hegseth
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 11:59 AM
I do not think he is clean on OPSEC!
Zelensky told Newsmax that Putin will eventually deceive Trump, and the whole world will see it. He stressed that sanctions are effective—if loopholes are closed, Russia won’t get missile components.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
Virginia No Kings Rally from Elizabellle
Some great signs in Virginia!
Note from Elizabelle:
Great turnout! Police will not give me an estimate, but one said it’s the biggest protest that they’ve seen. And it has gone so smoothly. Resolute and good energy here.
Virginia No Kings Rally from ElizabelllePost + Comments (32)
No Kings Day Open Thread: Random Pics From Around the Country
NEW: In the city where US troops are turning on US citizens, an uprising.
This is LA right now. Thousands protesting against Trump, authoritarianism and fascism.
“These numbers are absolutely overwhelming downtown Los Angeles.” – MSNBC
#NoKings #50501Movement— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM
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We can be PROUd!
Jacksonville, FL No Kings Protest #nokings #protest #arresttrump #arrestrepublicans #jacksonville #florida
— butterflygirl24 (@butterflygirl24.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 3:41 PM
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The most Los Angeles sign ever. And it’s true.
— Victor Shi (@victorshi.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 2:57 PM
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A veteran who fought for our freedoms.
A mother with two toddlers who wants to see them enjoy those same freedoms.
A former Republican county committee member who values country over party.
Just three of the thousands of Americans who showed up proudly for the No Kings protests in Troy, Michigan.— Mallory McMorrow (@mallorymcmorrow.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 3:33 PM
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Thousands rally peacefully at "No Kings" rally at City Hall in Houston, Texas… #NoKings
youtu.be/6If7q6bAZHk?…— Fighting Liberal Texas Dem????????Congress Switchboard 202-224-3121 (@fightingliberal.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM
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Best view yet:
— David Pepper (@davidpepperoh.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
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No Kings Day Open Thread: Random Pics From Around the CountryPost + Comments (65)
War for Ukraine Day 1,205: Indirect Effects
Joint Publication 3-60: Joint Targeting defines indirect effects as:
Indirect effects are the delayed and/or displaced second-, third-, and higherorder consequences of action, created through intermediate events or mechanisms. These outcomes may be physical or behavioral in nature. Indirect effects may be difficult to recognize due to subtle changes in system behavior that may make them difficult to observe. For example, an indirect effect of destroying a communications node or capturing a terrorist cell courier may degrade the effectiveness of the fielded enemy force’s C2 structure. Effects such as this have real benefits but may be more difficult to assess and measure individually or in the short-term. Although a factor for consideration, difficulty of assessment should not be the primary factor for choosing to create direct or indirect effects.
Regarding Shahed drone production used against Ukraine, today’s strikes in Iran are unlikely to have a direct impact. Russia has not only localized production for some time now, but has also modernized and improved the systems to make them more resilient to countermeasures
— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) June 13, 2025 at 4:48 AM
From The Kyiv Independent:
Kyiv on June 13 expressed concern over the security situation in the Middle East after Israeli air strikes against Iran, but stressed that Tehran remains a “source of problems” in the region “and beyond.”
The statement follows what Israel called a “preemptive” strike against Iran overnight on June 13, targeting the country’s nuclear program and reportedly killing top military officials.
“We would like to remind you that the Iranian regime supports Russia in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and provides Moscow with weapons to kill Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Kyiv nevertheless also warned that further hostilities could destabilize the region with “negative consequences for international security and global financial stability, especially in oil markets.”
Israeli strikes were quickly followed by a surge in oil prices, Russia’s key export commodity, with Brent and Nymex crude prices jumping by more than 10%.
“We are convinced that restoring peace and stability in the Middle East will serve the interests not only of the region but also of the entire international community,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
Back to JP 3-60:
(b) Cascading Effects. Effects can ripple through a target system, often influencing other systems. This most typically occurs through nodes and links that are common and critical to related systems. The cascading of direct and indirect effects, as the name implies, usually flows from higher to lower levels. As an example, destruction of a headquarters element or capture of a terrorist senior leader will result in the loss of C2 and thus degrade the effectiveness of subordinate organizations. A nonlethal example could be if counter threat finance (CTF) actions are taken against a threat network and a significant portion of the threat group’s funds are seized and financiers are arrested by law enforcement, the cascading effect could be a loss in the ability to pay enemy.
(c) Unintended Effects. Effects often spill over to create unintended consequences, which may be counterproductive or may create opportunities. An example of a counterproductive consequence entails injury or collateral damage to persons or objects unrelated to the intended target. Conversely, some unforeseen effects may create opportunities the joint force can exploit to help accomplish objectives. Unintended effects may also occur if the pre-strike analysis was incorrect and the enemy’s reaction differs from what was expected, complicates operations, or causes a change to operations (e.g., the enemy as expected to withdraw, but they counterattacked with their strategic reserve instead). The pre-strike analysis may also have miscalculated the local civilian population perceptions/reactions and international public opinion, ultimately resulting in more restrictions on target selection or engagement timing. Planners and targeteers should consider second-, third-, and higher-order effects, especially political-military effects, during planning and assessment. While estimating outcomes is rarely an exact process, estimation becomes increasingly difficult as effects continue to compound and cascade through targets and target systems. In addition, the impact of a single event can often be magnified over time and distance that greatly exceeds the span of the direct effect associated with that one event.
Another potential cascading and unintended effect is that Israel’s attempt to decapitate Iranian military and civilian leadership has created an opening for the Paydari Front to accumulate even more power.
The Paydari Front, or Front of the Stability of the Islamic Revolution, are Shia supremacists who oppose any kind of compromise with anyone inside or outside Iran. They deride their critics as atheists and counter-revolutionaries and want to turn Tehran’s parks into mosques. They consider any kind of reconciliation with the West such anathema that some of their ilk burnt the text of the JCPOA, the deal Iran signed with six world powers in 2015 limiting its nuclear programme, in parliament. They liken “strategic patience” in the face of Israeli attacks to appeasement.
Their opponents speak of state capture. Ebrahim Raisi, the hardline cleric who was elected president in 2021, has given them prominent positions in his government. His father-in-law is perhaps Iran’s most radical cleric; his sermons fire the Paydaris’ zeal. They tightened their grip on power in last month’s parliamentary elections after many people boycotted the vote. Paydari Front candidates trounced Mohammaed Bagher Qalibaf, a pragmatic former mayor of Tehran, IRGC commander and relative of Mr Khamenei’s. They are now seeking to oust him as speaker of parliament. They have passed new chastity laws. Against the advice of IRGC old-timers, they are seeking to reimpose the mandatory hijab after its de-facto suspension following widespread protests in 2022. On the same day that Iran struck Israel, they sent the morality police back on the streets after a year-long hiatus.
The Paydari Front’s clerics have also infiltrated the ranks of the IRGC. The most recent generation of commanders spent their careers attending summer camps run by Paydari clerics, many of whom are also posted to their units. “The new generation is more ideological and abrasive, less experienced and less pragmatic,” says Saeid Golkar, an expert on the IRGCat the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Unlike earlier generations, they have no memory of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. They use religious texts to devise strategy. “Those who don’t know war are more eager to fight,” he says, quoting an Iranian saying.
Now we watch and wait.
President Zelenskyy does not seem to have addressed the Ukrainian people today most likely because he’s on his way to the Canada for the G7. He did present awards to members of Ukraine’s military.
War for Ukraine Day 1,205: Indirect EffectsPost + Comments (10)
Friday Night Open Thread
So, super big day tomorrow with the No King’s protests- there are even ones that I think are going to be quite big for the area in Wheeling and Steubenville. I will probably not be attending either for a multitude of reasons, first of which is I can feel a ball of anxiety in my chest just thinking around being around all those people and the only options being public restrooms dear god I need to stop thinking about this. Another big reason is because it is going to be raining, and I know a bunch of you are going to say “But Cole, don’t be such a wimp” to which I have to say fuck you I am not in the army anymore I don’t stand in the rain under any circumstance. That fucking bullshit is over. I will stand under the awning for twenty minutes at the grocery store with a cart of paid for groceries waiting for the rain to die down that inevitably started when I was shopping. If I go to a public event like a picnic or something and it starts raining I do not stand under the shelter miserable hoping for the best or making the best of it. I wave to everyone and walk directly to the car and drive home. The fun was had then the rain started and I peaced the fuck out.
If you are curious, my mother always used to tell people that I was nine going on seventy (the nine obviously changed).
Oh, and I have no burner phone atm (actually, if someone knows how to get one legally tell me in the comments).
***
In other news, this happened:
BREAKING: US Marines deployed to Los Angeles have carried out the first known detention of a civilian, the US military confirms.
It was confirmed to Reuters after they shared this image with the US military.
— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) June 13, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Another sad milestone. The military also confirmed they are flying predator drones.
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This, on the other hand, is a delicious response to ICE:
Ah yes, nothing says “tough guy” like hiding your face behind a mask while bullying unarmed people.
But this response gives me life…
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) June 13, 2025 at 1:09 AM
If you are not from appalachia or the south, you are probably unfamiliar with what you just witnessed, but you just got a glimpse of what we call papaw vibes (or depending on your region, “peepaw”). He done said his piece and he’s not gonna put up with your shit and you know it so best go get backup or go on about your business elsewhere otherwise shit is gonna escalate and make the gossip at bingo something.
***
I’m watching Solo right now, and I have no idea why Donald Glover is not like Denzel level famous. He’s just so good looking and charming and smooth. He just has that thing. Some of these people just have a sparkle in their eyes and just instant “rizz” as the kids say, or were a couple of years ago. Ryan Gosling has it. AOC has it. I can’t describe it other than as a spark and you guys know what I am talking about I just can’t explain it.
At any rate, behave. Maybe I will feel ornery and go tomorrow.