"Trump is discovering what George Bush and Lyndon Johnson discovered, you can seem to be winning even as you are being defeated. Unlike his predecessors though he is perfectly capable of declaring victory and walking away from the mess he’s created without a second thought. After all he’s already ended eight other wars, right?That is about as hopeful as it gets." A thoughtful essay about winning a war, by Michael Goldfarb.

#war #IranWar #winning

https://frdhfirstroughdraftofhistory.substack.com/p/defining-defeat-in-the-age-of-asymmetric

The tragic story of a man having a mental health crisis, arrested, jailed, and abused by the Walker County Sheriff's office for 14 days.

"Mitchell had no pulse when he arrived at the hospital around 9:20 a.m. on January 26, 2023 — five hours after the jail nurse found him dehydrated and 'cool to the touch.' Along with sepsis, his cause of death was hypothermia. His body temperature was 72 degrees."

20 employees — almost half the jail's staff, including five health care contractors — have been indicted in the federal investigation.

The sheriff — who see himself as victim, not villain — is running for his third term.

Excellent reporting by #usatoday. #alabama #jasperal #walkercounty

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/03/08/alabama-jail-death-police-brutality-mental-illness/88867411007/

"The universe in its own unique way, was slapping me silly and asking me to stop. And just try and be happy with what I have. Not find happiness with what I can have next. After all, in the end, it is about knowing what I am seeking really.

"The pattern repeats. Objects are what change.

"Things that somehow add up and pile up. Another new pen. Another new nib, new notebook. It’s all a distraction. Things that seem to bring happiness, but in the end are nothing but distractions from life and the emptiness of it." — Om Malik

So true.

#Tanha #desire #emptiness #materialism

https://om.co/2026/03/13/tanha-our-modern-consumerism/

From a 2004! war game run by retired Air Force colonel Samuel Gardner: "After all this effort, I am left with two simple sentences for policymakers. You have no military solution for the issues of Iran. And you have to make diplomacy work."

Read James Fallows' reflections on the U.S.-Israeli initiated war with Iran, building on his long perspective dating from the Vietnam War.

#IranWar #War #FailedLeadership

https://fallows.substack.com/p/the-arrogance-of-ignorance

RE: https://indieweb.social/@tg/116086401953523135

Loving the reading experience on Current, an RSS reader developed with the unique goal of no guilt, unlike email. Reading should be immersive and reflective, not a race. The serif font complements the brain, the size kind to these aging eyes. On the iPhone, the swipes and haptics make Current magical, like a dance. Kudos to @tg.

#rss #rssreader

“The name says it all. Neo means a return to the generating principle. A machine rebuilt from what a machine needs to be, with full awareness of what came before. Not less. Not a budget compromise. A renewal.”

https://om.co/2026/03/10/the-essence-of-a-machine/

Another insightful conversation about the U.S. war with Iran, between David Frum and Tom Nichols, both advocates for the U.S. war in Iraq. Nichols, a professor emeritus of national security at the U.S. Naval War College, notes the U.S. lacks a strategy for the war. What's the objective motivating all the military strikes? Are we there yet? #IranWar #Iran #MiddleEast

https://youtu.be/8w7KOoD8sCs?si=stFAdKVk4oZQoY6X

Michael Goldfarb offers this thoughtful and insightful discussion of the U.S.-Iranian war. Journalist, author, and Beirut native Kim Ghattas says Iran's regime aims to survive and believes it will outlast Donald Trump's attention span and commitment. Going back to Carter, Iran has outmaneuvered every U.S. president. #IranWar #Iran #MiddleEast

https://www.goldfarbpod.com/iran-us-israel-lebanon-a-conversation-with-kim-ghattas/

I've been a fan of #SusanPiver for years, admiring her spirit and guidance on meditation and Buddhism. I just stumbled on her "new" podcast, Buddhism Beyond Belief, with a series on The Noble Eightfold Path. Back to the Path.

#buddhism #eightfoldpath #enlightenment #spiritualgrowth #spiritualjourney

https://susanpiver.substack.com/s/podcast

Hoping for Mercy

Alabama has made an industry of the death penalty, determined to use the punishment as retribution and a warning to the marginalized, particularly Black, population.

Sonny Burton’s case is quintessential. He is scheduled to be executed by Alabama on March 12. Can Governor Ivey see the injustice of executing Burton?

https://garylerude.blogspot.com/2026/03/naively-hoping-for-mercy.html