Charlie Stross4d ago

The Atlantic: Why Trump Didn’t Plan for the Strait of Hormuz

In wartime, the enemy always gets a vote.

(These people are deeply unserious. I mean, they *must* be old enough to remember the 1980-88 tanker war and the vital role the Straits of Hormuz played back then, right?)

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/hormuz-strait-iran-oil/686365/

Why Trump Didn’t Plan for the Strait of Hormuz

In wartime, the enemy always gets a vote.

The Atlantic
Show threadHighlandLawyer4d ago
@cstross
Part of the Christofacist Revelations cosplay is "The eagle will fall"; it's a death cult, after the wars, plagues, & famine, the ultimate collapse of the USA is part of the plan.
Show threadstingraz4d ago
@HighlandLawyer @cstross
I get the feeling that apocalyptic Christian extremism is basically Christianity-as-a-cargo-cult. They have a story of Rapture and Reward that they do not (are not allowed to) understand the deeper meaning of, being literalists. That story tells them that their savior and his kingdom will return after some series of events. Ergo, if they make these events occur, Jesus will come back and give them their due. It can't be a prediction, it has to be an instruction manual.
Show threadSpiritual Annie ☮️

@stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross

Being literalists, I like to hear them squirm when asked if the rapture is biblically correct and which verses they get it from.

Mar 14 at 11:47amWeb
Show threadCliff'sEsportCorner3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross Heh. What do they say? I am closer to Dawkins than literalists, but if I was roleplaying literalists I would probably say Revelations, so much tripping stuff there.
Show threadSpiritual Annie ☮️3d ago

@CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross

Actually, it's Pauline in 1 Thessalonians 4: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord."

Personally, I've never cared for Paul.

Show threadBrian Moe3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross
I think if Paul were alive today, he'd be a televangelist with a couple of private jets
Show threadCharlie Stross3d ago
@bdmoe @SpiritualAnnie @CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer Cueing up "He's got seven million dollars in his heavenly bank account" by Frank Zappa again ...
Show threadCliff'sEsportCorner3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross Eons ago, when I was managing a Cinema in a small town, after first 2 years of college before going back for BA, had a well to do Jewish couple stop in asking me for directions for people that had Arabian horses. They were looking to buy some and move to Israel because they thought end times were nigh. This was in the midwest, away from Metros. No such horses in region. Also didn't understand idea of taking such horse to Israel.
Show threadSpiritual Annie ☮️3d ago

@CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross

There are so many stories and myths that go with the rapture, I can't keep up. I don't even pay attention to predictive dates anymore because all of them are "imminent" but don't happen. But I don't remember anything about taking Arabian horses to the holy land. Maybe they want it to be one of the horses of the apocalypse?

Show threadCliff'sEsportCorner3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross No that was a Jewish couple, not Christians, just parallel end of times crazy IMO. I thought they were out of it for several reasons. They idea of buying horses in Midwest and transporting to Israel to start, and they were very clearly people that had no idea about taking care of horses, etc
Show threadCliff'sEsportCorner3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross I think they were just convinced the end was coming, and thought having horses would help somehow?
Show threadSpiritual Annie ☮️3d ago

@CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross

LOL I forgot the Jewish part. Yeah, not sure why they'd want to go to the holy land when it's in the war to end the world.

Horses don't need gasoline, so that's a plus.

Show threadCharlie Stross3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer Judaism doesn't believe in the New Testament apocalypse bullshit. Or Jesus, for that matter. I really doubt that couple were Jewish: if they were, they were several species of crazycakes rolled into one.
Show threadHighlandLawyer3d ago
@cstross @SpiritualAnnie @CliffsEsport @stingraz
Possibly one of the weird (nominally) Christian sects which self-describe as "the true jews/israelites" (see also British Israelism). So as you say, several species of crazycake.
Show threadCliff'sEsportCorner3d ago
@cstross @SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @HighlandLawyer Correct, but much of the Christian stuff was very loosely based & mutated on aspects of some sects of Judaism. I'm not up to date on current era Judaism doctrine & mythology, but there were apocalyptic and Messianistic sects historically.
Show threadRob Landley1d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @CliffsEsport @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross For Boomers the end _is_ coming. They just want to take it with them.
Show threadMikeStok3d ago
@SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @HighlandLawyer @cstross is the enshittified rapture the crapture?
Show threadHighlandLawyer3d ago
@MikeStok @SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @cstross
Bowing down to worship the Golden Bullshit.
Show threadMikeStok3d ago
@HighlandLawyer @SpiritualAnnie @stingraz @cstross they’re just lapping it up.