An Intriguing Matchup

San Antonio will face the Knicks in a championship series that could be an instant classic. New York has been playing phenomenal defense. They have relatively balanced scoring and a superstar in Jalen Brunson. The Spurs have the dominant young center in the league, and likely the face of its future in Victor Wembanyama. I think the Spurs will ultimately prevail, but time will tell, and I have known to bet my heart rather than thinking through the contests. 

Absolute and Uncompromising

I really thought Trump might take any deal with Iran to clear the decks for the midterms, but he will not. The master negotiator is insisting on what amounts to unconditional surrender by the Islamic Republic. No "art of the deal" here but victory or death. 

Degree of Peace?

If the Islamic Republic remains essentially a theocracy after the conflict, the war achieved little. If the mullahs still have "nuclear dust" to weaponize, you have gained nothing. If Iran has operational centrifuges to construct atomic weapons, the attack by America was not worth the effort. At the end of the proverbial day, the Ayatollah may hold his grip on the People with weapon-making material and technology in place. 

Why Trust Iran?

The Islamic fanatics that enslaved the Persian People set up an order of succession where anyone who came to power following them shared the same beliefs, at least until the regime in its entirety is completely uprooted. If you could not make a deal with the original Ayatollah, what makes you believe that any agreement with his replacement or the one after him will be kept by the lunatic Shiite regime?  

Must Exercise Care

We should all be reminded that there are volatile substances in every community, if not in each house, and tragedies like the chemical explosion in Washington State could happen anywhere. When dealing with chemicals that might be dangerous or when mixed with another substance or even exposed to air might become so, caution must be taken. There are cleaners in our homes right now that if mixed together can kill us. 

Really the Worst

While Iran is a unique threat, North Korea, Red China, and Putin's Russia are quite bad as well. Myanmar is also a totalitarian nightmare. Only the Islamic Republic though commits evil acts as the will of Allah, while the other tyrannies are just out to preserve their own authority, without the Lord Himself demanding it. 

kill, Kill, KILL

What differentiates the Iran regime from the other tyrannies in the world is the fact that the mad mullahs believe the bloody oppression they inflict is divinely commanded. The murderers who run Red China and North Korea may be as bloodthirsty out of a desire to maintain power but not because their sincerely held belief that if they die in the service of Allah that they will be bestowed bevies of virgins as sexual playthings in service of bringing forth a long-hidden Messiah from a well. What separates the Ayatollah theocracy from other despots is not hypocrisy but fundamental reverence. Treaties with fanatics are never kept because whatever they sign does not erase their fanaticism.