This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
- No food fights.
- No running with scissors.
- If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
We have some interesting but powerful trinkets today. Gird up thy loins.
(1) How about the top 15 discoveries make *by* AI as of 7 months ago? That’s right – things that were discovered or figured out *BY* AI.
(2) Are you ready to let a white chick with blue-black hair and green eyes show you three colors that can’t physically exist as hues of real things, but that you can trick your eyes into seeing? This actually works! They’re called “impossible colors” – and you can see them.
Explanation HERE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_color
(3) The 5 biggest stars in this universe, that we know about. They’re so huge, it’s almost hard to imagine.
OK, that’s it. Back to placeholders, mostly. TTYL!
W
New Schlichter —
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/04/23/what-do-immigrants-owe-us-n2674773
Terrorism isn’t working too well, so they’re considering vandalism….
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2026/04/22/iran-just-reached-for-another-piece-of-levrage-n2674898
“BREAKING: The IRGC warns of cutting the seven submarine internet cables that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which would trigger a “digital catastrophe” for Gulf states that depend on them for over 90% of their internet, banking, and cloud services, per Tasnim.”
_______________
No problem.
Elon’s Starlink satellite Internet service is:
A) impervious to islamo-fascists
B) available and ready for duty
So, I guess all their ‘leverage’ are belong to us now.
I doubt that they can actually put vehicles deep enough to work on these cables — not that there aren’t a whole lot of ships down there, but their crews aren’t as effective as they once were.
Those cables have to come up out of the sea somewhere in Iran. Guessing pretty close to the beach.
If I was the islamo-fascists, I’d probably start cutting the cables there. Wouldn’t even have to get their sandals wet.
Unless America blew up their overland Internet connection that goes through Turkey.
Then the islamo-fascists would have to do some hard thinking about whether to cut the cables going through the Hormuz, and in the process, cutting themselves off from the Internet for the remainder of the war.
Which would also give DJT one more leverageable choke point.
Say ‘how high’ when I say jump, or we’ll blow up your only remaining connection to the Internet 😁
A lot of those cables might go between, say, UAE and India. There’s no reason to surface in Iran or Pakistan.
You are correct:
Brave AI:
Overview of Undersea Cables in the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global chokepoint, not only for oil and gas shipments but also for undersea internet cables that carry vast amounts of international data traffic.
These submarine fibre-optic cables lie on the seafloor and connect regions including the Gulf countries, Asia, Europe, and Africa.
While the strait itself is a narrow and shallow passage — as shallow as 200 feet — the cables passing through it generally remain submerged and do not “come up to the surface” within Iranian territorial waters in an operational or accessible way.
Cable Landing Points Near the Strait
Undersea cables must make landfall at designated cable landing stations to connect to terrestrial networks.
These stations are heavily secured and typically located in coastal facilities equipped with repeater power feeding and network infrastructure.
In the Persian Gulf, most major cables avoid landing in Iran due to geopolitical tensions and regulatory challenges.
Instead, they are routed through and land in neighboring countries such as:
• Oman (especially on the eastern side of the Strait)
• United Arab Emirates (e.g., Fujairah)
• Saudi Arabia
• Bahrain
• Qatar
Do Cables Land in Iran?
There is no public evidence that major international undersea internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz make landfall in Iran.
According to analyses from TeleGeography and reports from Rest of World and India Today, cables are deliberately laid through Omani territorial waters to bypass Iran entirely.
This routing decision stems from long-standing concerns about regional instability, access restrictions, and security risks.
As a result, Iran is not a hub for international cable systems, and no major global cables surface within Iran along the Hormuz route.
While Iran has its own domestic and international cable connections (e.g., to India or via the Caspian Sea), these do not involve the primary cables transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Key Cable Systems in the Region
Several major submarine cable systems traverse or near the Strait of Hormuz, including:
• AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Europe)
• FALCON (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Clock)
• Gulf Bridge International (GBI)
• Tata-TGN Gulf (TGN-Gulf)
• SEA-ME-WE (South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe)
These systems are vital for data connectivity in Gulf countries, supporting banking, cloud services, AI infrastructure, and communications.
However, they do not surface in Iran — they are designed to bypass it.
Geopolitical Risks and Infrastructure Vulnerability
Although the cables do not land in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued warnings about potentially targeting undersea infrastructure in the Persian Gulf.
This raises concerns about sabotage, even if cables do not physically come ashore in Iran.
The shallow depth of the strait makes cables more vulnerable to damage from anchors, mines, or deliberate cutting.
Repair operations are also hampered during military conflicts, as specialized ships cannot safely operate in hostile waters.
Despite redundancy in global networks, simultaneous disruptions in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea could lead to significant delays and rerouting of data traffic, affecting internet speeds and reliability across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Conclusion
No, the undersea internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz do not come up to the surface in Iran.
They are intentionally routed through Omani and UAE waters and land in neighboring Gulf countries to avoid Iranian jurisdiction and security risks.
While Iran has the potential to disrupt these cables due to its naval presence, the cables themselves do not make landfall or surface within Iran.
This strategic bypass ensures that global data traffic remains resilient — though not immune — to regional conflicts.
.
.
Me: So how would the IRGC cut the cables as they have threatened to do? Do they have submersibles capable of severing cables on the sea floor at 200 foot depth?
Brave AI: Yes, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has the capability to cut undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz, even at depths of around 200 feet (60 meters).
According to multiple reports, the IRGC Navy possesses:
• Ghadir-class midget submarines, which are small, stealthy, and capable of operating in shallow waters.
• Combat diver units trained for underwater sabotage.
• Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or underwater drones that can locate and sever cables.
These assets enable Iran to conduct underwater interdiction operations against cables lying on the seafloor.
The shallow depth of the Strait of Hormuz makes cables particularly accessible compared to deeper ocean routes.
While no confirmed cable cuts have occurred as of April 23, 2026, the IRGC has issued explicit threats, and companies like Alcatel Submarine Networks have declared force majeure, halting repair operations due to the conflict.
This means any severed cable would remain unrepaired for the duration of hostilities — potentially months.
.
.
Me: Are these IRGC assets part of the Gay Ayatollah Brigade?
Brave: No, the Gay Ayatollah Brigade is not a real military unit.
It does not exist as part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or any other official Iranian military structure.
Iran has been a pariah for ~47 years. Running an undersea cable ashore in Iran, would have been monumentally ignorant.
Still was worth verifying, it didn’t happen.
they still have mines in the strait, they say. oh that’s right…they LOVE suicide missions. carry on.
“Iran relies on these cables for less than 40% of its internet, with the rest routed overland through Turkey. Gulf states have no comparable backup. IRGC described the cables as “strategic pressure points” alongside ports, shipping lanes, and energy facilities.”
_______________
Then it seems like a well-placed missile to deactivate the ‘overland’ Internet connection through Turkey would make the islamo-fascists 100% dependent on the undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz.
Thereby making the islamo-fascists much less likely to cut those undersea cables.
It’s like playing wack-a-mole where all the holes are plugged but one.
Good point.
A lot of those undersea “cables” are actually fiberoptic.They can carry fantastic amounts of data through what is known as “Wave Division Multiplexing”.
If you look at the cover of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album, there is a prism breaking down a beam of white light into colors.
Now just imagine if a separate transmitter was running red, then orange, then yellow, green and blue. You could be running five different channels of information in that single white line by combining them through a prism. At the other end, you could use a similar prism to take them back apart.
Mind you, the actual “colors” used in WDM on fiber lines are all invisible to the human eye, but the principle is much the same. Standard fiber has optical windows at about 1310 nm and 1550 nm where red is roughly 700 nm and blue is about 475 nm.
The “color” video was interesting, but I was only able to see the orange one, which was a very intense orange!
I could also see the last one, but only momentarily before it turned to black. The second one only gave me a white screen.
I only saw a white screen on the second one, too, and a black screen on the last one.
Orange came through. Tried red twice. No joy. Blue momentarily. Which I thought was odd. But the entire drill, is odd.
Serpent-head was never a moderate.
BREAKING: Secretary of the Navy John Phelan FIRED
Does anyone know why he was fired?
Grok
Multiple news outlets, citing sources familiar with the matter (including anonymous Pentagon and administration officials), report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired (or forced the resignation of) Phelan following months of infighting and policy clashes at the Pentagon. Key reported reasons include:
The firing occurred amid active U.S. Navy operations, including a blockade of Iranian ports and actions in the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and a fragile ceasefire—adding to perceptions of instability in Pentagon leadership during wartime. Phelan’s exit is part of a pattern of high-level defense departures and shakeups under Hegseth in Trump’s second term.
Note that the official Pentagon statement framed it neutrally as Phelan “departing the administration,” but widespread reporting from outlets like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Reuters, and others consistently describes it as a firing driven by the above issues. No single “smoking gun” reason has been publicly confirmed by the administration itself.
just someone’s opinion at tcth:
Sunriver Patriot
April 23, 2026 12:58 am
The firing of Secretary of the Navy John Phelan earlier today was a sudden move by the Pentagon that appears to be the result of mounting internal friction and a specific strategic disagreement.
While the official statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell thanked Phelan for his service, several key factors behind his “immediate” departure have surfaced:
Shipbuilding Controversy: The most immediate trigger appears to be a “blunder” during a speech yesterday where Phelan signaled openness to outsourcing the production of U.S. Navy warships abroad.
This stance reportedly caused significant political blowback and was viewed as a strategic error by the administration.
Tensions with Defense Secretary Hegseth: Reports indicate that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was frustrated with Phelan for moving too slowly on domestic shipbuilding reforms.
Chain of Command Issues: Sources suggest Hegseth was irked by Phelan’s direct communication with the White House, which was viewed as an attempt to bypass the Secretary of Defense’s authority.
Pentagon Reorganization: This ouster follows a string of leadership changes, including the recent removal of the Army Chief of Staff and the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the administration continues a broader reorganization of the Pentagon.
The timing is particularly notable as the Navy is currently leading a blockade of Iranian ports during a fragile ceasefire. Undersecretary Hung Cao has been named the Acting Secretary of the Navy to fill the vacancy.
REPORT: Thousands of People in California Are Finally Getting Permits to Rebuild After the Wildfires – Now That Trump Has Gotten Involved
From the New York Post:
Why would anyone want to rebuild in a place where the government obviously hates them so much?
They have a Fiancee who won’t get with the program?
Nope. Earthquake, fire and the like has already been posted, Get Out Of Jail Free Card.
Ignorance. Lack of initiative. AFRAID.
Deleted. False rumor. 🙄
Which one?
Good point. There are too many to choose from. There’s one going around about various singers, saying that they have voiced the opinion that children should be raised naturally (i.e., not indoctrinated with LGBQ+ propaganda), and that leftists are boycotting their music because of it. Why someone would go to the trouble to invent such stories is beyond me. They’re just liars.
And just like that, Robert Plant concerts became a much better and more enjoyable experience, in the absence of any alphabet lunatics.
Hopefully other musicians will make similar statements to spark LMNOP boycotts.
Theme parks could do it too.
And schools.
Everyone!
I thought the same thing, but unfortunately, it’s fake. Someone is circulating this kind of rumor about various singers.
Kevin Sorbo:
He forgot one:
> Any foreigner found in violation will cause the nation of origin to have all H-1B visas suspended for a period of not less than 5 years
Give corrupt foreign governments a little incentive to prevent abuse on their end.
AW HELL…PERMANENTLY!
play to win!
> Prohibits the Federal Government from sponsoring or employing nonimmigrant workers
Nonimmigrant workers… that’s Americans, isn’t it?
Sounds like it means the federal government is prohibited from sponsoring or employing Americans, and can only sponsor or employ immigrant workers.
that confused me too…i thought it was a caffeine deficiency.
Nonimmigrant | USCIS
thank you!
STUDENTS? good!
This thread by Data Republican contains screenshots that I have omitted to save space.
I had forgotten some details about Unite the Right. Wiki says:
Data Republican:
Lol
If you have a spam caller, you schould install this:
Eric Daugherty
@EricLDaugh
HOLY SMOKES. The Biden DOJ didn’t only PARTNER WITH the Southern Poverty Law Center while the NGO funneled $3 million to white supremacists
“Then the banks flagged the fraud to the feds…”
“…and the Biden White House SHUT DOWN THE INVESTIGATION.”
SPLC aren’t the only ones who should be indicted.
INVESTIGATE BIDEN’S DOJ OFFICIALS!
I have not started this video yet (1 hr 45 min) but it looks interesting
https://rumble.com/v78tc3q-defcon-zerq-ep-040.html
DEFCON ZERQ Ep. 040: Rep. Tim Burchett on UFOs, DNA Harvesting & AI Wars
Interview starts at: 1145
Charlotte99
April 23, 2026 5:48 am
Alarm over popular new coffee chain invading the US… as experts warn of chilling secret behind its $1.99 brew
One of the world’s fastest-growing businesses could potentially send Americans’ private data to a government described as the greatest threat to US national security.
Luckin Coffee has surged to rival brewing giant Starbucks, opening more than 30,000 stores worldwide since 2017.
The vast majority are in its home country of China, but the brand has now opened 11 locations in New York City in a matter of months.
However, it is now raising eyebrows over its strict payment policy.
Even though a cup of coffee in US shops costs as little as $1.99, the chain does not accept cash and prides itself on not having any cashiers.
This means that the only way to get coffee is to download Luckin’s app, set up an account and pay digitally.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that American consumers are in danger of being spied on by a government deemed actively hostile to the US, citing that Chinese law specifically states that companies like Luckin must hand over their data whenever they are requested to.
https://archive.is/Ylz1Q#selection-1079.0-1115.291
I WILL not deal with any company that does not accept cash.
Someone ‘visiting’ from a VERY RED state should document NOT being able to pay with cash and then SUE in their home state.
https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title31-section5103&num=0&edition=prelim
The site includes the history of the law.
me too.
i like the anonymity of it. I don’t want anyone knowing what i’m buying. period.
this sounds just despicable enough to be true
Farm Girl Carrie https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/svg/1f469-200d-1f33e.svg
@FarmGirlCarrie
Ambassador Stevens was sent to Benghazi to secretly retrieve US made Stinger Missiles that the State Dept had supplied to Ansar al Sharia in Libya WITHOUT Congressional oversight or permission.
Sec State Hillary Clinton had brokered the Libya deal through Ambassador Stevens and a Private Arms Dealer named Marc Turi, but some of the shoulder fired Stinger Missiles ended up in Afghanistan where they were used against our own military.
On July 25th, 2012, a US Chinook helicopter was downed by one of them. Not destroyed only because the idiot Taliban didn’t arm the missile. The helicopter didn’t explode, but it had to land and an ordnance team recovered the missile’s serial number which led back to a cache of Stinger Missiles kept in
Qatar by the CIA.
Obama and Hillary were in full panic mode, so Ambassador Stevens was sent to Benghazi to retrieve the rest of the Stinger Missiles. This was a “do-or-die” mission, which explains the Stand Down Orders given to multiple rescue teams during the siege of the US Embassy.
It was the State Dept, NOT the CIA, that supplied the Stinger Missiles to our sworn enemies because Gen. Petraeus at CIA would not approve supplying the deadly missiles due to their potential use against commercial aircraft.
So then, Obama threw Gen. Petraeus under the bus when he refused to testify in support of Obama’s phony claim of a “spontaneous uprising caused by a YouTube video that insulted Muslims.”
Obama and Hillary committed TREASON!
THIS is what the investigation is all about, WHY she had a Private Server, (in order to delete the digital evidence), and WHY Obama, two weeks after the attack, told the UN that the attack was the result of the YouTube video, even though everyone KNEW it was not.
Furthermore, the Taliban knew that the administration had aided and abetted the enemy WITHOUT Congressional oversight or permission, so they began pressuring (blackmailing) the Obama Administration to release five Taliban generals being held at Guantanamo.
Bowe Bergdahl was just a useful pawn used to cover the release of the Taliban generals. Everyone knew Bergdahl was a traitor but Obama used Bergdahl’s exchange for the five Taliban generals to cover that Obama was being coerced by the Taliban about the unauthorized Stinger Missile deal.
So we have a traitor as POTUS that is not only corrupt, but compromised, as well and a Sec of State that is a serial liar, who perjured herself multiple times at the Congressional Hearings on Benghazi.
Perhaps this is why no military aircraft were called upon for help in Benghazi: because the administration knew that our enemies had Stinger Missiles that, if used to down those planes, would likely be traced back to the CIA cache in Qatar and then to the State Dept’s illegitimate arms deal in Libya.
Charlotte99
April 23, 2026 6:11 am
A person has been taken into custody after allegedly planning a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office says. “The OCSO was contacted by federal authorities in reference to a male from North Carolina being in our jurisdiction while reportedly heading to do a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana.
Our Bravo East Deputies located the male at a Destin hotel and he was taken into custody tonight without incident as a fugitive from justice. He will be extradited to Louisiana for his charges from state police there. Excellent work by all,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
https://nitter.poast.org/Osint613/status/2047185203345449230#m
i do not trust the rebirth of fetterman. this is how “rinos” make it into government. once elected, they revert back to their original leanings.
https://conservativeinstitute.org/politics/not-a-single-pennsylvania-house-democrat-will-back-fetterman-for-re-election.htm