Admitting Defeat?

We clearly lost the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, and I would argue we've lost the Ukraine proxy war and the war with Iran. We should cut our losses and minimize the chaos, death, and destruction that has become the US trademark and make some sort of peace. However, our ego (and Zionists and MIC handlers) won't allow it. No, we're going to play out our role as the black knight, and go down swinging.

(2 min)

Have you seen the movie "The Apprentice" about Donald and his mentor Roy Cohn? (it is streaming on both Prime and Netflix). One of the rules Roy taught Donald is never admit defeat, always claim victory. That mentality is going to be problematic for our country and the world as we are losing two (more) wars, and seem incapable of admitting it to ourselves. Reality doesn't change when you live in a fantasy world, and the circumstances on the ground will force us face up to the conditions we've created at some point. I suspect it will be the coming economic hardships across the US and world which will finally cause us to capitulate.

So here we are... in an on again, off again ceasefire with Iran. We seem to be following the Israeli approach to ceasefire, "you ceasefire while we bomb you". Provided the meeting between Trump and Xi takes place, I fully expect and new round of bombing Iran afterwards. That's my speculation for what it is worth.

Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (Lyrics under the clip)

I respect Chas Freeman...both his many accomplishments and his analysis of our current situation.
In this interview with Glenn Diesen he compares and contrasts maritime power with land power, as well as air and space war.
Chas Freeman: US-Israel Divorce, End of NATO & Sea Power

(52 min) Ambassador Chas Freeman discusses how the relevance of sea power decline in terms of controlling transportation corridors and energy, while the relative decline of the US will result in the end of NATO and US-Israel divorce.
Ambassador Freeman was a former Assistant Secretary of Defense, earning the highest public service awards of the Department of Defense for his roles in designing a NATO-centred post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defence and military relations with China. He served as U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

He continues the discussion with Nima
Amb. Chas Freeman: Israel’s Agenda Is Falling Apart (59 min)
They discuss the current exchange of fire between the US and Iran.

Larry Johnson continues the discussion with Nima...

(64 min) Larry Johnson: Iran Fires on 3 US Ships – US Bombs Qeshm – FLAMES OF WAR IGNITE
Larry's recent article, The Gulf Separating the US and Iran is Too Wide to Bridge explains the difficulty to a path of peace...

The US position rests on a number of false assumptions. First, Iran is not the leading sponsor of terrorism and has not been engaged in plots to destabilize it Gulf Arab neighbors. Second, there is no rift between the political leaders of Iran and the IRGC… the President, the Foreign Minister, the Head of the Iranian legislature and the Ayatollah all fought and served with the IRGC during the war with Iraq. Third, Iran’s economy is beginning to revive thanks to support from Russia, China and Pakistan and from the high price of oil. Fourth, notwithstanding Trump’s claims to the contrary, the Iranian navy, air force and ballistic missile, cruise missile and drones are intact and able to continue exchanging blows with the US and Israel.
Donald Trump faces several dilemmas… The US economy is beginning to falter with growing public anger over the surging price of gasoline. There are no viable military options to effect a regime change in Iran or to compel Iran to agree to US demands. The US supplies of critical weapons systems will be further depleted if the US renews its aerial and missile attacks on Iran, and Iranian retaliation on US and Israeli targets will inflict significant damage. As long as the US continues to attack Iran, its relations with Russia and China will deteriorate.
The real threat to the US is not military, it is economic. The continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran confronts the world with an unprecedented economic threat. US attempts to block this will only worsen what will become a global economic catastrophe.

No wonder blocking the strait will precipitate a world economic tragedy.
His other recent article:
Russia and China are Serious About Replacing the US as the Persian Gulf Power Brokers
is also worth a read.

Col. Douglas Macgregor: The Next Phase of Iran War, Famine & $200 Oil
(50 min) Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Colonel Douglas Macgregor to the show. Mr. Macgregor is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a decorated combat veteran. In this in-depth discussion, Macgregor provides a critical analysis of the current geopolitical situation, focusing on the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf and its profound global economic implications. Macgregor argues that the current war has created a catastrophic disruption in global maritime trade, with commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz down by over 90%. This disruption is causing severe economic challenges, including potential famines, skyrocketing energy prices, and significant supply chain disruptions.
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:40 - Iran Campaign Prediction Review
00:00:40 - Iran War Phases Clarified
00:03:02 - Strait of Hormuz Closure
00:04:41 - Resource Sovereignty Essential Now
00:06:53 - Markets Manipulation and Warfare
00:09:00 - Revolution in Warfare
00:10:33 - Concealing War Strategic Disaster
00:13:00 - Trump's Strategic Dilemma
00:16:43 - Commodity Investments Shift
00:20:26 - Gold Reserves De-Dollarization Trends
00:24:00 - War Duration and Oil Disruptions
00:30:10 - China & Oil Refining
00:36:43 - Western Reindustrialization
00:40:30 - US Reorganization Critical Minerals
00:44:20 - Reindustrialization and Direction
00:46:04 - Strategic Metal Concerns
00:49:35 - Concluding Thoughts

Celente: Buffett Warns Dollar to “HELL”– Scariest Times Coming
A stark warning from top voices like Warren Buffett and Gerald Celente highlights rising debt, global conflict, and a widening gap between Wall Street gains and Main Street struggles. “It’s the death of the dollar… inflation’s skyrocketing, and the damage is incalculable.”

Pepe Escobar: China JUST Humiliated Trump’s Sanctions – Iran NOW Controls Hormuz

(61 min) Pepe's recent articles:
Trump Goes to China, But Iran Holds All the Cards
Will he make it to China, and if so will it be productive?

A new West Asia order is in the horizon

Let’s start with a false flag.
Iran attacked the UAE port of Fujairah – its oil export Holy Grail – with more than a dozen ballistic and cruise missiles.
No, it didn’t. The IRGC vehemently denied it. UAE media – a ultra-censored bunch – started spinning that the attack came from Saudi Arabia.
Fog of war. Nobody can reveal where the false flag really came from. Quite easy to do the math on who would profit from it.
Then Saudi Arabia and Kuwait cut American access to their airbases (now restored) – quite angry because the Pentagon totally downplayed the attack on Fujairah (echoes of false flag, all over again).
So for the clownish U.S. Secretary of Forever Wars, missiles over Fujairah did not qualify as breaking the – fragile – ceasefire.
Barbaria was furious with Riyadh’s counterpunch. The result was that much-lauded “humanitarian” Operation Freedom, Liberty or whatever – to “unblock” the Strait of Hormuz – duly vanished in less than 48 hours.
The official reason was “great progress in negotiations.” There’s less than zero progress. And the real reason was not exactly operational impasse caused by Riyadh blocking its airspace. It was a stunning firepower demo by Iran which left the Pentagon literally speechless. Nothing officially confirmed, of course. Fog of war.
Immediately afterwards the Americans attacked Iranian tanker Hasna close to the Strait of Hormuz, disabling its rudder with a Super Hornet’s cannon.
The Iranian response was harsh: a combo of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, kamikaze drones with high-explosive warheads, and fast attack boats. The victims were three U.S. destroyers – Truxtun, Mason, Rafael Peralta – attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf of Oman.
The destroyers literally ran away begging for their lives. The IRGC Navy’s op was so hardcore they had to deploy their last-resort defense systems, such as CIWS guns.

Epstein Fury is over and now we have Operation Freedom. TPTB love their project names.

What about the Ukraine Proxy War?
Most of the news this week centered on the Victory Day celebration yesterday. Ukraine swarmed Russia with over 250 fixed wing drones on Friday. Russia warned again of their intention of hitting Kiev if the celebrations were targeted. It appears Trump brokered a three day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine just in time to avoid escalation.

The Duran lays out the situation prior to the ceasefire announcement
Russia Hawks Take Control, Victory Day Stakes Are High. Most Dangerous Moment of the Conflict

Russia has just issued its most serious military warning of the entire conflict and the world should be paying close attention. On The Duran, Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris break down the explosive situation unfolding around Russia's Victory Day ceasefire, after Ukraine launched a massive wave of 260–300 drones deep into Russian territory in direct defiance of Moscow's ultimatum. The Russian Defense Ministry not Putin, not Lavrov, but the military itself has formally stated that a Ukrainian attack on the Victory Day parade in Moscow will trigger a retaliatory strike on central Kiev, with Western diplomats explicitly warned they are not safe. Zelensky appears to be gambling that Russia is bluffing, while Germany and NATO back his play, but inside the Kremlin, the hawks in the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and intelligence agencies are now firmly in control, leaving Putin increasingly isolated in his pursuit of diplomacy with Trump. Is this the moment the Russia-Ukraine conflict spirals into something far more dangerous and is Zelensky deliberately trying to force an escalation that pulls the West back in?
00:00:00 - Introduction: Russia's Victory Day Ceasefire Announced
00:02:17 - Why Ukraine Was Never Going to Honor the Ceasefire
00:03:11 - Zelensky's Phony Counter-Ceasefire Explained
00:04:37 - Ukraine Drone Escalation: Baltic States Overflight Confirmed
00:05:22 - Russia's Unprecedented Threat to Strike Central Kiev
00:07:35 - Is Zelensky Trying to Drag NATO Back Into the War?
00:10:52 - Was Zelensky's Ceasefire an Attempt at a Face-Saving Offramp?
00:13:00 - The West Calls Russia's Bluff: Germany's Dangerous Gamble
00:16:26 - The Two Scenarios: Russia Looks Weak or NATO Goes to War
00:22:09 - Red Square as Sacred Space: Why Moscow Is a Red Line
00:24:06 - Why Did Russia Telegraph Its Warning? The Deterrence Logic
00:27:37 - Ushakov's Message: Ukraine Must Make a Move on Donbas
00:30:23 - What Was Really Agreed at Anchorage? The Trump-Putin Deal Theory
00:33:36 - Who Are the Doves Left in the Kremlin?
00:37:45 - Putin Isolated: Defense, Foreign Ministry and Intel All Hawkish
00:39:45 - Russia Officially Threatens Western Diplomats: A Historic First

Alex continues the story explaining the Trump ceasefire...

PUTIN calls out NATO. Trump scores Russia-Ukraine ceasefire WIN. Starmer ready to CRUSH Status Quo
(42 min) Trump just scored his biggest diplomatic win yet brokering a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire on Victory Day 2026 that held through the entire Moscow parade, complete with a 1,000-prisoner swap from each side. Alex Christoforou of The Duran breaks down the full picture from Athens: how Putin's stark warning that Russia was fighting "the entire NATO block" set the stage, why the US quietly called off Ukraine's planned drone strikes, and what Zelensky's laughable spin about "granting permission for the parade" tells us about the information war being waged in real time. Beyond Ukraine, Alex examines Iran's Foreign Minister Arachi defiantly claiming missile inventory is at 120% not the 75% cited by the CIA as US Patriot stockpiles are reportedly burned through, the Gulf states sign $17 billion in arms contracts that won't be delivered for years, and Washington sanctions Chinese companies just days before Trump's Beijing summit. With Kier Starmer vowing to "break with the status quo" while promising more Ukraine funding and a deeper EU embrace, and the EU's "Europe Day" getting demolished in the comments for trying to upstage Victory Day, one question keeps rising to the surface: is the Western establishment so detached from reality that it can no longer see itself losing?
00:00:22 Introduction from Athens; Happy Victory Day
00:01:43 Victory Day parade in Red Square; Fitzo attends
00:02:19 Putin's key statement: Russia fighting entire NATO block
00:03:46 Ukraine drone strikes on May 8th; Russian ceasefire broken
00:05:10 Trump announces US-mediated ceasefire on Truth Social
00:06:56 Russia and Ukraine both confirm Trump's ceasefire
00:08:36 Analysis: who really wins from this ceasefire deal?
00:13:32 Trump the "neutral mediator" while still selling bombs to Ukraine
00:16:57 Zelensky's spin: "We gave permission for the parade"
00:20:03 US sanctions Chinese companies over Iran weapons aid
00:21:42 Iran FM Arachi: missile inventory at 120%, not 75%
00:25:11 US Patriot interceptor stockpiles depleted; Gulf arms deals
00:29:32 Pentagon UFO document release what's really in them?
00:33:09 Clown World: EU's "Europe Day" vs Victory Day
00:37:04 Kier Starmer defiant after Labour election disaster
00:39:50 Starmer's "break with status quo" more of the same

If you're interested in the progress on the front lines, here's a detailed article:
Brief Frontline Report – May 5th, 2026

In other news...
US Launches Its 63rd Airstrike of the Year in Somalia

US issues new Cuba sanctions as UN experts warn of ‘energy starvation’

No surprise here:
A scandal has erupted over covert NATO conferences with the Western entertainment industry. Leaked documents reviewed by The Grayzone show how NATO has sought to infiltrate film and TV for decades, with UK intel operatives taking the lead.

Let's circle back to Iran and let Prof. Marandi explain the situation from Tehran.

(40 min) Seyed M. Marandi: Iran Rejects U.S. Deal - War Is Likely Imminent
Prof. Marandi argues that the US has handed over a peace proposal to Iran that is not acceptable, and war is likely imminent.

My bet is Trump will wait till after his meeting with Xi before restarting his bombing campaign.

Like it or not, admit it or not, the fact is the US/NATOstan has lost both the Ukraine Proxy War and the Iran War. I doubt TPTB are capable of admitting their loss, but that doesn't change the facts on the ground nor in the Strait. Instead of cutting our losses and leaving, we intend to take the world into an economic disaster of our making. Of course they will blame Iran, but who started this war? The world will know who is to blame.

Y'all have a great Sunday. Happy Mother's day to all the mother's out there.