Dear Folks,

Everybody and his brother, these days, seems to be talking about the progression of the Iran War Debacle. They watch in fear as leaders Climb the Escalation Ladder.

The vision brings to mind one of our favorite songs of all times: “Ladder to Heaven”

Do you recall this tune?

It goes like this….

Seems to me that the song originally spoke of some ladder to a figurative heaven.

Now, it seems, Yemen has joined the war.

And, are we now facing the closing of the Red Sea?

I hope that the WH will not tell us, once again, that this was something completely unexpected.

Here is a vid which addresses the question.

Strange how fast things seem to be spiraling out of control.

Did you ever think you would live to see chaos of this magnitude?

An excellent vid.

On the plus side, this certainly does put minor issues, such as AI Doom, and Global Warming,

Out of Mind. Such a silver lining, one must be thankful!

This is the best spin one can put on the Iran War, for now.

Perhaps we will become more optimistic about The War,

Tomorrow, if we can only become more delusional?

It won’t be long now, maybe, before we see a final conclusion.

Things cannot escalate forever, exponentially.

Sweet Dreams, and…

Best regards,

Gamma

Note: This climb really does feel like an inexorable climb......this time...

It’s quite something how a global geopolitical crisis, a seventies rock tune, a ladder metaphor, and a YouTube video all get woven together into one seamless narrative that takes us on a massive road to nowhere. One almost expects the next paragraph to include a recipe, a weather report, and a brief history of plumbing just to round it out. It’s less a topic and more a full season of No Reservations at this point.

8 hours ago, Alpha84 said:

It’s quite something how a global geopolitical crisis, a seventies rock tune, a ladder metaphor, and a YouTube video all get woven together into one seamless narrative that takes us on a massive road to nowhere. One almost expects the next paragraph to include a recipe, a weather report, and a brief history of plumbing just to round it out. It’s less a topic and more a full season of No Reservations at this point.

You know what they say....

Less rules, and much more chat, inside every single Topic.

This is the Pub Forum.

Important Note: Please watch the Diesen video. Diesen is a Christian, for sure. But, he is one of those Smart Christians. And, most of his guests are smart, but NOT Christians. So...very interesting and always honest. A breath of fresh air.

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Do you recall this tune?

Yep.

And as you "wind on down the road" ..... is "your shadow taller than your soul?"

Oh GG, of course it can escalate. So many more things "nobody could have seen coming". LOL.

While I'm not sure the Houthis can close the Red Sea, they certainly can send insurance rates soaring, which will be passed on to consumers the world over.

Then there's Iran's threat to hit desal plants in the GCC. To have no potable water in a desert would become an issue, given the population jump from the days of wells.

Oh, and let's not forget trump and bibi are threatening---and already hitting---energy production facilities and maybe storage areas of radioactive material. Toxins and radioactivity do not recognize borders, so as the winds blow, so does the fallout from war. Not only will that affect Iranians, it will affect neighbors and even move as far as Thailand. If you like lingering health issues like lung disease and cancer, Trump and bibi are your guys.

Trump is also just waiting for someone to convince him "boots on the ground" will boost his poll numbers and help the stock market. Lindsey might be the guy to foist that absurdity of the malleable demented Trump.

And a worldwide Recession/Depression is a virtual certainty, as prices skyrocket and nations like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and others default on dollar borrowings. That could lead to a banking crisis in places like Switzerland (lots of dollar loans to developing nations), other EU banks and the major Gulf banks. 401Ks are being smashed everywhere, with the Dow likely to fall back into 2024 levels, perhaps by close of business today, 30 March.

Of course one can always find a religious script somewhere that "foretells" all of this, because war and tragedy have always been and always will be part of the human condition, but this one from Hindu scriptures, noting the Kali Yuga, is as good as any:

Kali Yuga, the last of the four ages, is the one in which we currently reside. This epoch has been foretold to be characterized by impiety, violence, and decay. As written in the Vishnu Purana in 100 BCE:

Social status depends not upon your accomplishments, but in the ownership of property; wealth is now the source of virtue (Musk, Ellison, Zuckerberg, Bezos); passion and luxury are the sole bonds between spouses (Melania); falsity and lying are the conditions of success in life (Trump); sexuality is the sole source of human enjoyment (Expats in Thailand, OnlyFans); religion, a superficial and empty ritual, is confused with spirituality (Christian Nationalists, TPUSA)

— Vishnu Purana