Matthew Bracken (@Matt_Bracken)

What Now After Losing the Iran War? Elbridge Colby’s nuclear threats against China are beyond psychotic https://www.unz.com/bhua/what-now-after-losing-the-iran-war/ A good friend on Substack told me a Greek joke, in his comment about my essay on Nolan’s film The Odyssey. An Athenian was looking at a painting depicting a battle where Athenians were defeating and slaying Spartan warriors. The man exclaimed, “Brave, brave Athenians!” “Yes,” a Spartan standing nearby dryly interrupted him and said: “– in paintings”. Anyone who have read Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War knows the Spartans kicked the Athenians’ ass in battle – they “obliterated” Athens. The story is a classic “laconic wit” – the dry, blunt humor the Spartans were famous for. It is recorded in Plutarch’s Sayings of Spartans. The joke reminds me of how the US military is “invincible” – in Hollywood movies. As the Athenians, the US performance in the real world differs somewhat from Hollywood. One human characteristic that I am tickled with is the crazed zealotry of a gambler doubling down after losing his shirts. I hold grudging respect and amused disbelief for the high roller willing to proceed to lose his shorts. The US empire today, with its “banana republic” finance and leadership, looks more and more like such a gambler who go all-in after a losing streak. The US doubling down with China [rest at the link]