Robert Farley

March 5, 2026 | Kentucky Edition Some of Kentucky's federal delegation react to Kristi Noem’s firing as Secretary of Homeland Security, Kentucky’s General Assembly looks to make good on its promise to see nuclear energy sourced in th...

Did the KET thing... ket.org/program/kent...

"We're fighting to win the war"

We are a week in and absolutely nobody has any idea what the political aim we're attempting to achieve is. Win what? Literally what are we fighting to achieve at the moment.

I have absolutely no idea atm if we are close to winning because I have no idea what we want

YouTube video by Screen Themes The Thin Red Line (1998) - 'Welsh & Witt Talk' scene [1080p]

Among the most profound two minutes of any film ever. I explore the philosophical implications for a solid week and not exhaust the subject. Those who want a "Saving Private Ryan" may not appreciate this film, but I believe that is their loss. youtu.be/p_5AVdDUivw?...

A Reductress post features a photo of Kristi Noem with the headline, “Kristi Noem Put Down for Being Too Hard to Train”

Screaming

Denzel Washington-Starring ‘Hannibal’ Biopic —Directed by Antoine Fuqua —Set to Start Production in June for Netflix — World of Reel Antoine Fuqua’s Netflix-backed biopic of the legendary Carthaginian general is shooting soon. Furthermore, the DP is Robert Richardson, a three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer

Well, I do have one piece of amazing news today in the midst of *gestures to world* and that is that this will one day exist and I will one day teach with it. 🐘 ⚔️ www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/3/...

U.S. Denies F-15E Strike Eagle Went Down In Iran There are new risks as the U.S. expands its air campaign deeper into Iran, and meanwhile Iran has begun to strike Azerbaijan with drones.

U.S. Denies F-15E Strike Eagle Went Down In Iran www.twz.com/news-feature...

a woman stands in front of a sign that says sema on it ALT: a woman stands in front of a sign that says sema on it

like how bad do you have to be to get fired by this President?

The Reception of Confucianism in Early Modern Britain

We know that Voltaire and Locke were both aware of Confucius.

Similar mechanisms: Mandate of Heaven & conditional sovereignty?

intellectualhistory.web.ox.ac.uk/article/the-...

I was thinking precisely about this... Hobbes isn't exactly a Legalist but there's a lot of overlap. And as you say the generative conditions for each are sufficiently similar that there's doesn't need to be any cross-polination... but it would be nonetheless quite interesting if there were.

Trump Threatens Full Trade Embargo Over Spain's Refusal to Be Complicit in Iran Attacks | Common Dreams President Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over its refusal to let him use Spanish military bases for the US-Israel war on Iran.

“Trump openly threatens the territorial sovereignty of yet another NATO ally." @dylanwilliams.bsky.social comments in @commondreams.org on the administration's threat of a full trade embargo against #Spain over its refusal to support strikes on #Iran.
www.commondreams.org/news/iran-sp...

a person pouring a drink into a glass with a spoon ALT: a person pouring a drink into a glass with a spoon

I don't really drink to forget but it is a pleasant side effect!

What If America Invaded Iran? Why a War Would Not Be Easy. Regime change might work, but there’s little good reason to believe the chances of such are high. A war would incur serious costs on Iran, but would also commit the United States to the destruction of...

I'm going to be 100% straightforward and admit that I had completely forgotten that I had written this. Eight years ago! nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/wh...

Oh hey guest starring in today’s Matlock: Cal Hockley!

Anthropic’s AI tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud Anthropic’s AI tool Claude is playing a key role in the U.S. military’s campaign in Iran, amid a bitter fight with the Pentagon over the terms of its use in war.

Using Claude for target selection and damage assessment... www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Before you share that story about how troops were told the Iran War is for "Armageddon," read this The narrative is dramatic. The sourcing is thin. And skepticism matters, especially on something this serious.

Some skepticism about the Christian evangelical military story... www.friendlyatheist.com/p/before-you...

Updated: Israeli F-35I Shoots Down Iranian Yak-130 Over Iran This is the first time an F-35 has shot down a manned fighter jet. We will probably get more details throughout the day, but on Mar. 4, 2026, the Israeli

F-35 gets its first air-to-air kill... theaviationist.com/2026/03/04/f...

CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran, sources say | CNN Politics The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran and the Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish lea...

I have serious reservations about relying on Kurdish proxies... edition.cnn.com/2026/03/03/p...

Iran Update: Day 6 - Lawyers, Guns & Money I’ve been wondering for a while about a theory of victory that does not depend on ground troops. To have any realistic chance of toppling the Islamic Republic the US/Israel need someone on the ground,...

Iran Update: Day 6 www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2026/03/iran...

I don't think so.

The Trump Doctrine: Rogue State Elite Replacement in Venezuela, Iran, next Cuba Delcy Rodríguez, the new, sorta pro-American despot of Venezuela I put up some thoughts on Trump ending the war in Iran at 1945 magazine. We’re moving toward putting a pro-US stooge in the pl…

The Trump Doctrine: Rogue State Elite Replacement in Venezuela, Iran, next Cuba robertedwinkelly.com/2026/03/05/t...

How the US-Iran War Has Upended Pakistan’s Diplomacy Saudi Arabia, wary of further escalation, is unlikely to press Pakistan to deploy troops or join the conflict at this stage.

How the US-Iran War Has Upended Pakistan’s Diplomacy thediplomat.com/2026/03/how-...

The Humiliation of J. D. Vance Trump’s war with Iran shows that, within the administration, the vice president’s opinions matter less and less.

The Humiliation of J. D. Vance www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Operation Epic Fury, Regime Change, and the Collapse of Legal Constraint  - CIP Twice in two months Trump has launched military attempts at regime change, shredding international law while legal resistance remains absent.

"The powerful state finds itself not in a world it controls but in a world it has made ungovernable, one in which its own preferences can no longer be reliably projected, its own commitments no longer credibly made, and its own security no longer structurally guaranteed."

Bluesky should decide whether AI is slop or AI is Skynet because I don't think it can be both?

Before you share that story about how troops were told the Iran War is for "Armageddon," read this The narrative is dramatic. The sourcing is thin. And skepticism matters, especially on something this serious.

Just sharing this as some have raised questions about the credibility of this particular story (not to negate the many other things we should be worried about with respect to the war). #civmilsky

www.friendlyatheist.com/p/before-you...

Trump Puts Putin in an Iran Dilemma A would-be Kremlin partner helping kill a Kremlin ally feeds the Russian leader’s paranoia.

Trump Puts Putin in an Iran Dilemma foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/04/p...

California’s Deadliest Avalanche Turned on One Choice Why did a group of 15 skiers take a risky route on a dangerous day?

California’s Deadliest Avalanche Turned on One Choice www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...

So we’re just going to forget all about this and never ask Trump, Leavitt or Hegseth about it again after the first day because this is totally normal so who cares.

China no longer buys US exports: Drawing the right lessons for the next Trump-Xi deal China essentially stopped buying US exports in April 2025. President Donald Trump had started his second term by launching a new trade war that he headlined with steep new tariffs on China. When China...

Without Trump’s trade wars since 2017, US exports to China would have been nearly 60 percent higher in 2025, or roughly $90 billion annually.

www.piie.com/blogs/realti...