So This One Time, In Iran …
A Lesson on Weapons of Mass Corruption
There have been two major US-sponsored wars during my time on this spectacular terrestrial sphere: Vietnam and Iraq. Both were presented as necessary reactions to serious threats to our safety and security.
They were not.
The Gulf of Tonkin and the "weapons of mass destruction” incidents, which were used to justify these wars, were merely fabrications of truth. And the result? An unnecessary loss of blood and treasure.
While accurate numbers are hard to identify, estimates show the total death toll during the Vietnam war came in at between 970,000 and 3 million people. And the total cost to taxpayers: around $168 billion - or the equivalent of around $1 trillion dollars today.
In Iraq, it has been estimated that this war resulted in around 700,000 deaths, and cost taxpayers as much as $5 trillion.
Just two wars, which were spawned from evil men telling lies, led to the depletion of trillions of dollars in stolen lucre (if you posit that taxation is theft) and the deaths of as many as 3.7 million people. That’s 3.7 million mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, cousins, brothers, sisters. Gone. And for what? For whom?
During Vietnam, it was Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Boeing (NYSE: BA), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Raytheon (NYSE: RTX), and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC). During Iraq, it was Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), and BAE Systems (OTCBB: BAESY). Not to sound crass, but only a fool would believe that war can’t be profitable.
Interestingly, I actually used to work with a guy who had a newsletter completely dedicated to profiting from wars and international conflicts. And he’s made a fortune. Now, while I do find it in poor taste to profit off the deaths of literally millions of innocent people, the fact is, this is a very common way for investors to make money. Personally, I could never do it. But that’s just me.
To be sure, I have nothing against this guy. While he and I never really agreed on politics and morality, I’m at an age now where I try not to judge others. I’ve been mildly successful except for when I feel the urge to shit on politicians who, for the most part, deserved to be shit on.
In any event, after last night’s bombing in Iran, it’s hard to feel confident that this act of aggression was born out of any measure of honesty. The Trump administration claims it was done to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. But how can I possibly believe what I’m being told? After all, we were misled about previous launched attacks on sovereign nations. But now I’m supposed to believe this one was legit? Moreover, I’m being told this was a necessary action by perhaps one of the most dishonest presidents we’ve ever had. I mean, this motherfucker stole money from his own charity and tried to illegally overturn an election he legitimately lost. But this he’s being honest about?
Truth is, I really don’t know if Iran posed any legitimate threat to the U.S. or our allies. But I’d feel a little less uncertain about it (not by much, though) if our president wasn’t a known criminal and trust fund thug.
What I’m reading …
Trump says US Intelligence ‘wrong’ about Iran not building nuclear bomb: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/20/trump-says-us-intelligence-wrong-about-iran-not-building-nuclear-bomb
Trump is open to regime change in Iran, after his administration said that wasn’t the goal: https://apnews.com/article/iran-trump-nuclear-sites-strikes-503eb17f991a8509604b4b3aaf93cb5c
War With Iran Could Create Millions of Refugees: https://reason.com/2025/06/20/war-with-iran-could-create-millions-of-refugees/