[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Trump posted an upbeat music video last night where the lyrics are

Quote

Bomb Iran,
Bomb bomb bomb
Bomb bomb Iran

Our country's got a feeling, really hit the ceiling,
Bomb Iran

Went to a mosque,
gonna throw some rocks,
tell the Ayatollah
gonna put you in a box

Bomb Iran,
Bomb bomb bomb
Bomb bomb Iran
Bomb Iran

Old Uncle Sam's
getting pretty hot
time to turn Iran
into a parking lot

Truth Details - Truth Social

It's a parody of a joyous golden oldies song.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 25 June 2025 - 11:16 AM

[worry]

Brought to you by the same folks who have a conniption any time some random civilian anywhere on earth says "Death to America".

[Tiste Simeon]

worry, on 25 June 2025 - 12:40 PM, said:

Brought to you by the same folks who have a conniption any time some random civilian anywhere on earth says "Death to America".

It's almost as if the entire MAGA and Republican movement is some brain dead, hypocritical and fascist thing. Weird.

[Tiste Simeon]

I'm... I'm struggling guys. I'm trying to switch off a bit but the constant death of children is filling me with despair because I'm so helpless to do anything about it.

And yes, me a westerner in my nice comfy home with my family, I know these problems are nothing compared to what the Gazans are going through. I get that. But the thought of children the same age as my own living in abject terror and confusion is really hurting my soul. I don't know what to do but I'm going to hug my kids extra tight tonight.

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 03 July 2025 - 12:30 PM, said:

I'm... I'm struggling guys. I'm trying to switch off a bit but the constant death of children is filling me with despair because I'm so helpless to do anything about it.

I feel you. Way back when all this started (this time anyways) there were videos of kids crying with dust/rubble covered faces, or women holding shrouded small bodies doubled over in grief and it absolutely fucking broke me. Like something deep inside just cratered.

My kids came home that day and I dropped to my knees and hugged them and I sobbed for a good five minutes. I don't think they knew what was going on, but the parent in me just broke seeing kids in the middle of a war zone and no one seemingly caring who could do anything about it, and worse, actual western govt's just shrugging their shoulders about it...even my own.


And now it's been years and it still hasn't stopped, and I had to distance myself from it for my own sanity because witnessing it (which I felt was my RESPONSIBILITY as a human) was a trauma I could not bring on my self day after day....and I'm not even involved. I pay attention and I support what I support still and reject the Western war-washing of the whole thing...but I can't dive in too deeply or I get lost myself.

[amphibian]

Tiste Simeon, on 03 July 2025 - 12:30 PM, said:

I'm... I'm struggling guys. I'm trying to switch off a bit but the constant death of children is filling me with despair because I'm so helpless to do anything about it.

And yes, me a westerner in my nice comfy home with my family, I know these problems are nothing compared to what the Gazans are going through. I get that. But the thought of children the same age as my own living in abject terror and confusion is really hurting my soul. I don't know what to do but I'm going to hug my kids extra tight tonight.

You are not alone. This is incredibly soul damaging.

There are four things helping me deal with this:
1) I do work that helps many people directly and help train many, which provides a channel for the need to help people.
2) I donated to World Kitchen, which appears to get food into Palestine as often as possible and for me, this skips the insane verification process necessary because enough scammers have set up Gazan fake identities that it drowns the real Gazan begging for food and money.
3) I have been fully present for my family and friends. I've talked occasionally with some of them about this wide range of horror, which has helped me feel not as alone andv they also feel not as alone.
4) I don't stay around people who think this is ok or cheer it on. That means avoiding some people in real life, happily sticking to my decision to delete my Twitter account (bc it's a bigoted place now), paying attention to very smart writers/talkers like Jamelle Bouie, Reb Masel, and Tressie McMillian-Cottom, and retaining some strength to look at what is happening without burning myself too much.

I hope you can find a path to heal even as you burn alongside so many others, even at a distance.

(I also refuse to use block lists because they always end up in some weird drama that I had no part in. My list isn't that big, but it's mine and there's a certain satisfaction in clicking that being away.)

This post has been edited by amphibian: 03 July 2025 - 04:25 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

Thanks both just knowing there are others who feel the same helps a bit.

Like I'm not a violent person but if I had the opportunity to messily murder certain leaders I'm not I would hesitate that long...

And I don't like that about me, but thinking of the wider good it might do...

Sorry I'm rambling now, it's a little stream of consciousness...

[Tiste Simeon]

amphibian, on 03 July 2025 - 01:38 PM, said:

2) I donated to World Kitchen, which appears to get food into Palestine as often as possible and for me, this skips the insane verification process necessary because enough scammers have set up Gazan fake identities that it drowns the real Gazan begging for food and money.

Is it these guys: https://wck.org/

Also if anyone knows of ethical companies/charities that sell stuff to show support is Palestine badges/t-shirts or something, please point me in their direction!

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 03 July 2025 - 03:20 PM, said:

amphibian, on 03 July 2025 - 01:38 PM, said:

2) I donated to World Kitchen, which appears to get food into Palestine as often as possible and for me, this skips the insane verification process necessary because enough scammers have set up Gazan fake identities that it drowns the real Gazan begging for food and money.

Is it these guys: https://wck.org/

Also if anyone knows of ethical companies/charities that sell stuff to show support is Palestine badges/t-shirts or something, please point me in their direction!

In 2024, I ordered a handmade keffiyeh from a local company that used in-region seamstresses to produce their products and a portion of every order went to help Gazans (I wanted to make sure I got one from a place that was ethically making them and not just trying to make a buck on a tragedy).

They are Canadian based I think, but Arabic-run, and do ship worldwide and have some cool stuff and I THINK a portion of anything you order goes to help. They were really great. Easy to order, and then I waited a bit as they wait for shipments to arrive from the Middle East into their depot and then shipped out to me.

http://www.kuvrd.ca if you want to look. There may be UK-based ones that are similar, but I don't know about them.

[Tiste Simeon]

Yeah I found https://wearthepeace.com/ which appears to be British based.

Edit: your Canadian shop ships internationally but I'm not sure how much it would cost. Good stuff though!

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 03 July 2025 - 03:53 PM

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 03 July 2025 - 03:42 PM, said:

Yeah I found https://wearthepeace.com/ which appears to be British based.

Edit: your Canadian shop ships internationally but I'm not sure how much it would cost. Good stuff though!

For sure. A local one would be much easier if you have access.

[Werthead]

Complete scenes in Tehran and several other Iranian cities, where for four days now massive crowds have marched shouting "Long live the Shah!" Spiralling inflation costs have triggered massive protests against the regime, with people also yelling "We want the mullahs gone!"

You know it's bad because the regime tried to mobilise police and military containment, but got a desultory response, so they've switched to offering dialogue with the protest leaders. That didn't mollify them, and there was an attempt to break into the main government buildings in Tehran that was just about headed off.

Netanyahu has apparently been mooting fresh attacks on Iran, but Israeli and American security officials are trying to dissuade him, pointing to the massive protests in the spring that were gaining momentum but stopped during Israel's summer bombing campaign, which resulted in patriotic support increasing. This time the protests seem far larger and possibly capable of reaching an inflection point (though we've heard that before).

ETA: Some protests now heard yelling, "Death to Khamenei." Major clashes in Isfahan.

The Iranian Central Bank has issued emergency directives to other banking bodies and local branches preparing for worst-case scenarios, the collapse of central banking infrastructure, internet shutdowns and bank runs. 

[Werthead]

OSINT sources tracking the arrival of tankers and transport aircraft at US airbases in the United Kingdom. Some claims that Trump has given Netanyahu approval for Israeli strikes on Iran that the United States will back and might directly join in on. The targets this time would not be the nuclear sites (still shut down, surprisingly) or anti-air defences (still destroyed, promised Chinese and Russian replacements have not been deployed), but the backbone of the regime itself, including military bases, political prisons, apparatus of the regime and defensive chokepoints near the major cities (possibly inside, but that would risk civilian casualties).

The trigger is apparently large-scale repression of the protests by the Iranian government, possibly explaining the recent offers by the President's Office to talk to the protestors. However, the President, the Ayatollahs and the security services seem to be decoupling from one another, with harsher repressive measures being seen in some areas.

Perun's analysis of the water crisis in Iran is eye-opening. Tehran's main reservoir has less than 10% of its normal volume, with no significant rainwater to add to the levels and a whole ton of badly-designed dams put in the wrong place, resulting in some rivers and lakes drying up when they didn't have to. Even if the regime falls and Iran becomes a knee-deep ally of the west (doubtful) that doesn't change the fact that Iran is going to need some pretty massive help to avoid a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions in the capital.

[Mentalist]

Apparently the government/police forces in the Kurdish city of Abdanan (75% Kurdish, 20% Luri, total population 23k as of 2016 census) laid down their weapons and joined the protesters.

Is this a revolution yet?

[Werthead]

Ali Khamenei and his family have apparently been offered safe haven in Moscow. More analysts are saying that if the regime wants to reassert control, they need to do it quickly. The last major riots of early 2025 were almost as bad as this, but they didn't reach the tipping point of losing entire cities.

We're crossing the line to the point where the Iranian regime has never been closer to collapse. But they have an unbelievable survival instinct and it's not over yet by any means.

This would also be the worst possible time for Israel to start bombing the country and rally the people behind the government, so look for that to happen.

[Werthead]

The discontent in the country has now spread to regime strongholds Qom and Mashhad. There is no way those places should be tolerating protests, so either the President has told the security services to stand down, or the security services have lost all interest in suppressing them.

The regime's main hope here is that the protests seem to not being channelled systematically towards the downfall of the regime, and there isn't a strong opposition figure for people to rally around.

In the city of Ashkhaneh, North Khorasan province, protestors set fire to a military administration building.

Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of Iran’s last shah, has called on Iranians to rise up in nationwide protests on January 8-9. I'm not sure how much he's actually influencing events versus protestors mentioning him to annoy the regime.

This post has been edited by Werthead: 07 January 2026 - 11:03 PM

[Mentalist]

The regime shut down internet in Iran.

That's how you know they think shit's serious now.

[Werthead]

Some of the protestors seem to have satellite internet though, so news is still getting out.

The main radio and TV buildings in Isfahan have been torched. In Tehran several regime buildings are on fire as well. One Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters is on fire, it was torched after security forces opened fire on a protesting crowd.

In Khorramabad, a protestor raised the flag of pre-revolutionary Iran in the central square to widespread cheering.

One of the biggest crowds so far was in Mashhad, chanting for the return of Pahlavi.

Reza Pahlavi has said the Iranian monarchy cannot be restored, but a transitional government could be formed to see a transition to a democratic government.

Effectively an ad hoc general strike is underway in Iran, with shops closing and shopkeepers and staff joining protests in over 70 cities and towns.

The size of the protests is huge and getting bigger.

Someone pointed out the bazaars closing and the traders joining the protestors in 1979 was a key moment in the Revolution, so the shutting of the shops, markets and bazaars today and their workers joining the protests will be triggering panic with the Ayatollah and the older members of the regime.

Trump has just said that America will go full hogwild on bombing the regime to pieces if they try to shut down the protests with force, which I think is having some effect. IRGC forces seem to be using live fire, but the police and regular army are mostly staying out of it (and in some places have joined the protests due to delayed pay). President Masoud Pezeshkian is trying to negotiate with the protestors, and he is known as a reformer, possibly in place to placate the people. Pezeshkian might well be trying to separate his government from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

[Tsundoku]

Amazing how Trump appears to be willing to support "democracy" (read: Trump-friendly oil-rich regime) in any country other than his own.

"Trump has just said that America will go full hogwild on bombing the regime to pieces if they try to shut down the protests with force".
So by the same token can US forces also bomb ICE HQ, Project 2025 HQ, GOP HQ and the White House?

[the broken]

I feel like there are some relevant differences between Iran and the US.

'One person killed' v 'opened fire on crowd', for instance.