Happy Father’s Day!

Humor 1 Minute

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there who had kids like me.  I never bought the tie or regular gift—I looked for something to make Dad laugh (cuz he always made me laugh).

Papa Bear Tumbler

Steak Timer Sign

Dad Joke Book

Pirate Bottle Opener

Mousetrap Cutting Board

Bullet Whiskey Stones

Whiskey & Cigar Glass

Personalized Cutting Board

Dad’s Ice Cream Bowl

Toilet Bowl Night Light

SOURCE: GIFTRABBIT.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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66 thoughts on “Happy Father’s Day!”

  1. Morning All!

    well it”s been a morning and a half again…lol.

    went to put the feeders out and as I was putting out the hummer feeders, an aggressive little male landed on my GLASSES and i dropped the feeder and sugar water went all over the deck. I took several pitchers of hot water out there and swept it off and the little guy kept flying around–the broom handle is red, my fleece jacket is red.

    So when that was done, i got the other 2 feeders for the side deck and the little guy landed on that one as I was hanging it up–but at least it didn’t startle me and i didn’t drop it.

    see what today brings…

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    2. Aggressive little buggers, aren’t they? LOL – glad you survived! Another cloudy, rainy day and cold at only 62! The east end of my patio is soaked! Jelly feeders were full of water, of course. As soon as I got the big one refilled, 4 Orioles flocked to it. There was a squirrel scarfing seeds from the ground under the seed block – as soon as I opened the door to go out on the patio, he hightailed it up a nearby tree. Fired off a few just to remind him! LOL

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  3. Eric Daugherty
    @EricLDaugh
    HOLY CRAP. Sen. Chuck Schumer just sounded the alarm that the SAVE America Act will REMOVE “25 MILLION PEOPLE” from the voter rolls 

    Keep in mind, the bill is for voter ID and proof of citizenship 

    If true, that means 25 MILLION people are illegals or not eligible citizens without ID!

    Chuck is either making crap up or HE KNOWS THERE ARE 25 MILLION ILLEGALS VOTING

    Which is it, Chuck? PASS THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!

    HOLY CRAP. Sen. Chuck Schumer just sounded the alarm that the SAVE America Act will REMOVE “25 MILLION PEOPLE” from the voter rolls

    Keep in mind, the bill is for voter ID and proof of citizenship

    If true, that means 25 MILLION people are illegals or not eligible citizens… pic.twitter.com/U1kI74sI44

    — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 20, 2026

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  5. Charlotte99

    June 21, 2026 7:08 am

    𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐌𝐀-𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐆𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐂𝐏-𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐎𝐃 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄

    For close to a decade under the Obama and Biden administrations, Microsoft used engineers with ties to the Chinese Communist Party to service sensitive Department of Defense cloud systems.

    The program had a name: “𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬.” The arrangement: CCP-associated Chinese coders, nominally supervised by U.S. contractors, performed hands-on work on Pentagon cloud environments classified at Impact Level 4 and 5 — the tiers that handle sensitive data directly supporting active military operations.

    The program was created to satisfy U.S. contracting requirements. It ran for nearly ten years.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth terminated it last August.

    His assessment of what the Obama era had built into Pentagon contracting:

    “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬.”

    What he called unacceptable was the basic arrangement itself — 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐂𝐏 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 touching the code and infrastructure of the American military’s digital backbone, year after year, because the Obama administration built it into standard contracting policy.

    Hegseth’s public statement left no ambiguity: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.”

    The DoD simultaneously issued a formal letter of concern to Microsoft, documenting what it called a “𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵,” and ordered 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 of Microsoft’s Digital Escorts program — including every line of code and every submission made by Chinese nationals over the program’s lifetime.

    Congress separately passed legislation requiring a full briefing by June 1, 2026, on all changes made to the program. That briefing has been delivered.

    Whether the audit finds evidence of data exfiltration or code compromise is not yet public.

    What is confirmed: CCP-associated engineers had access to the Pentagon’s cloud infrastructure for roughly a decade — not through a breach, not through espionage, but through a 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝.

    The lesson isn’t really about Microsoft. It’s about what happens when an administration normalizes CCP-adjacent access to national security infrastructure under the language of “contracting compliance.”

    That mindset produced a program that gave Beijing’s engineers a window inside DoD systems for ten years.

    Hegseth closed the window and ordered a full accounting. The question the audit will answer: what did they see?

    𝐂𝐂𝐏-𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞, 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚 — 𝐇𝐞𝐠𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬: 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭.

    https://nitter.net/MichaelARothman/status/2068503665787420826#m

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  6. Charlotte99

    June 21, 2026 7:24 am

    BREAKING: A 36-year-old white Scottish man is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Police after five people were stabbed in Edinburgh He said after his arrest: “I’m protecting the country from these fu*king Muslim bastards raping our young daughters”

    https://nitter.net/PolitlcsUK/status/2068377602146853325#m

    Cant blame the man

    Charlotte99

    June 21, 2026 7:25 am

    Reply to  Charlotte99

    Five men – two aged 22, and others aged 24, 27, and 39 – suffered a range of injuries in the attack last night. None are life threatening The Muslim Engagement and Development organisation said that several of those injured were Muslim

    Amazing how they report that it’s a white person but when a Muslim does things like this then they suddenly don’t see color

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  8. Sunday Strip: Merlin and the Golden BootFootball comes to the N. America (just don’t call it that)…

    Dr. Robert W. Malone, Jun 21, 2026

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  11. “It turns out that Turkiye got knocked out first (FIFA). Without making a single goal. And Turkish fans are not amused. But someone is…

    Then came Merlin – and I had to figure this out, cause I just didn’t “get” the memes…

    It turns out that a domesticated and very loved duck named Merlin somehow accomplished what entire marketing departments, FIFA sponsors, and government tourism boards, who spent millions and yet never achieved, Merlin became the face and the joy of the 2026 World Cup in the Americas.

    Videos of a little duck named Merlin waddling through Mexico City’s celebrations in a tiny Mexican national team jersey and duck-sized socks went viral almost overnight. Fans embraced him as Mexico’s unofficial World Cup mascot, proving once again that the fastest way to win the internet is to make it all about a cute little animal.”

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  14. Bummer!!!

    GP: “A historic church built in 1860 on Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, was engulfed in flames on Friday. The community is devastated after the landmark South Bushwick Church was destroyed by a fire. The steeple collapsed as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

    The cause of the fire is unclear. CBS News reported:

    A raging fire destroyed a historic church in Brooklyn on Friday.

    Dramatic video shows the moment the steeple collapsed.

    The FDNY said they got a call at 1:22 p.m. reporting heavy flames at South Bushwick Church near Himrod Street in Bushwick. It quickly escalated to a second, then a third alarm with nearly 200 first responders called to the scene.

    “Black and grey smoke going up, going up, going up,” witness Anthony Williams said, “and then the tower on the top just went up into flames.”

    Videos show the steeple of the church engulfed in flames, and another video shows the moment the steeple collapses, disappearing into a cloud of heavy smoke.

    “It seemed like there was a collective gasp, and then a moment of silence where everyone I think was just trying to figure out how to respond,” neighbor Chelsea Hightower said.

    One firefighter suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention.

    WATCH:

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  15. Yep – she returned yet again from Ireland!!! Definitely a bad penny situation!!!

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  16. Bill Maher Slams Obama’s Presidential Library: ‘It Looks Like Something Aliens Built in Dubai’ (VIDEO)

    GP, by Mike LaChance June 20, 2026

    Screencap of Twitter/X video.

    “Every once in a while, liberal TV host Bill Maher gets something right. Now is another one of those times. On his HBO show on Friday night, Maher slammed Obama’s hideous new presidential library, for its looks, the cost of the project, and more. Maher even insulted his own audience for applauding when he asked if anyone is even going to visit the center.

    Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

    BILL MAHER: So you guys were both at the Obama Library? Do we have a picture of the Obama Library? Because it looks like…

    [PICTURE]

    JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICO: The Death Star.

    MAHER: It looks like something aliens built in Dubai. It cost $850 million? I don’t understand why progressives like this. Couldn’t that, you know, money be better spent on something else? Who’s going to go to this? Why do we need a presidential library? Why does anyone need a presidential library?

    These monuments to somebody’s ego out of office. I don’t — YAnybody here in this audience planning to go to the Obama presidential library?

    [APPLAUSE]

    MARTIN: There you go.

    MAHER: Really? You’re a bunch of f*cking liars. You’re not going to the Obama library.

    [LAUGHTER]

    REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): At a time, Elon Musk is talking about sending people to Mars. You’re telling me that spending up to a billion dollars, one billion dollars commemorating the first and only African American who’s ever been president isn’t worth it?

    MAHER: First of all, we don’t need that building to do that. That’s in our hearts and minds. That already happened.

    KHANNA: But this is to inspire people. You know, Michelle Obama gave one of the greatest speeches. I’m telling you, don’t listen to me. Just listen to her, five minutes. And here’s what she said. Racism was hurled at Barack Obama. Insults were hurled at Barack Obama. And he never lost his cool. He never gave in to the temper. And he showed that hope, patience, and aspiration can overcome that.

    MAHER: What does that have to do with the building?”

    Here’s the video:

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  17. “Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool. It hasn’t looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didn’t work. Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before!

    What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly.

    We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible. What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass which was, by far, the least of it.

    They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete. They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool.

    The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago, even going back to 1922 when it opened. We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure, and we will get it repaired, quickly, to an equal level of Beauty. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” President DONALD J. TRUMP

    https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116785296448420208

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  18. EXCERPT: “Tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents gathered Saturday in Paris for a demonstration that was supposed to be filled with historic symbolism: a city synonymous with revolution and resistance hosting a massive call for the oppressive regime in Iran to be toppled.

    Instead, French authorities banned the march.

    The result was a confrontation that transformed the annual gathering of the world’s largest Iranian dissident group into a debate about France and whether the government of President Emmanuel Macron yielded to security fears or pressure from Tehran. 

    Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, one of the central speakers at the rally organized by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, better known as MEK, used his remarks to criticize France for making what he called a “tragic mistake” by canceling the demonstration, which was intended to be the first large-scale MEK gathering since the start of the Israel- and U.S.-led conflict with Iran earlier this year.

    “If the voices of freedom are to be heard in Iran, then we in the West must allow those voices of freedom to be heard in our capitals and around the world,” Johnson told attendees, adding that he was “shocked and disappointed” by the decision to cancel the rally. 

    Johnson brushed aside official French explanations that the rally was canceled because of extreme heat or possible counterdemonstrations, instead accusing France of “bowing cravenly and capitulating” to Tehran by preventing the opposition from holding the public demonstration organizers had been planning for months. 

    According to MEK officials, French authorities initially granted permission for the march, then withdrew it shortly before the start. Organizers appealed, but the court upheld the ban after what MEK said were as many as 50,000 participants had already arrived in the French capital, and thousands more were reportedly turned away at Paris’ airports…..”

    https://justthenews.com/world/paris-bans-rally-iranian-dissidents-accuse-france-bowing-tehran

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  19. Oh, great! This should be a doozy!! LIES, LIES, LIES all the way thru!!!

    EXCERPT: “…..Penn has been critical of Trump, having referred to him in a 2018 Time Magazine op-ed as “an enemy of Americans, Republicans, Democrats, Independents and every new child born. An enemy of mankind.”

    He also attended hearings held by the House committee investigating the riot. During those proceedings, he sat alongside Washington, D.C. Metropolitan police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges, who responded to the events and testified about their terrifying experiences.

    Fanone said he was beaten and tased while responding, suffering injuries that resulted in a heart attack. Hodges also recounted the violence he faced while attempting to hold back the crowd.

    At the time, Penn said he attended the hearings as “just another citizen” who wanted to see whether something would come out of it.

    He is coming off his third Academy Award win, for “One Battle After Another.”

     Cooper, has been nominated 12 times but has never won. Still, he is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars. A key role of his was in “American Sniper,” in which he portrayed Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who spent four tours in Iraq, becoming the deadliest marksman in U.S. history.

    Production of the new movie is expected to begin in mid-2027, with a potential release taking place before the 2028 election.”

    https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/sean-penn-direct-jan-6-inspired-film-bradley-cooper-talks-star

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  20. Wall Street Apes
    @WallStreetApes
    https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/svg/1f6a8.svg Gavin Newsom’s wife was laundering herself so much money from her NGO she was actually in the top 5% for pay from all charities in the entire nation

    But that’s not all, Gavin Newsom “bought his $3.7 million Sacramento estate, it was done through an LLC, but that LLC doesn’t seem to have appeared on his tax returns — There’s a lot of questions”

    “He’s released at least partly to journalists in closed-door viewing sessions, his tax returns. And if you look at that, his income, it’s about $1.2 to $1.4 million a year. And it just doesn’t add up for all of his expenses. He’s got massive mortgages, $625,000 in mortgage payments and he’s got at least $1 million in living expenses, and the two just don’t add up”

    “When I had a look at Jennifer Newsom’s charity, I found that she was paying herself since 2012, $3.7 million. And this is a lot of money when you look at the amount that the charity brings in. It’s sort of $1-$1.7 million a year. And she’s paying up to a third of that to herself and her own company—$300,000 a year. 

    Now, I did a bit of data analysis looking at what charities that size usually pay their executives, and she was in the top 5% of all charities in the nation for pay”

    In the video I included more instances where Gavin Newsom laundered money to his wife

    – $1 million to block a casino project
    – $5 million to an office for his wife that he created
    – He sent $300,000 from his donor PG&E to his wife’s NGO

    And more, it never ends. They need to go to jail

    Gavin Newsom’s wife was laundering herself so much money from her NGO she was actually in the top 5% for pay from all charities in the entire nation

    But that’s not all, Gavin Newsom “bought his $3.7 million Sacramento estate, it was done through an LLC, but that LLC doesn’t… pic.twitter.com/xCQNVtOuo3

    — Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) June 21, 2026

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      1. LOL – me too! That’s the main reason I use the self-check out lanes – I can package it the way it works for me.

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  27. Trey Yingst
    @TreyYingst
    “You close it and you won’t have a country.” President Trump said he told Iranian officials about the Strait of Hormuz. “You won’t even make it back to your fu*king country.”

    “We may take over the Strait, if we have to,” Trump said. “If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls.”

    Trump added the U.S. could become the “Guardian Angel” of the Strait, and take 20% of the oil.

    “You close it and you won’t have a country.” President Trump said he told Iranian officials about the Strait of Hormuz. “You won’t even make it back to your fu*king country.”

    “We may take over the Strait, if we have to,” Trump said. “If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect… pic.twitter.com/cErvdjCJmK

    — Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) June 21, 2026

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      1. They’ve been around here since I moved in – they hang out on the top of the power poles along the road.

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  29. Wall Street Apes
    @WallStreetApes
    WOAH https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/svg/1f6a8.svg Real report released from the Federal Reserve finds 30% of the cost of increase in home prices and 20% of rent increases ARE DUE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

    No longer a conspiracy theory. “We just saw a study from the Federal Reserve just last week finding that 30% of the increase in home values across the country in metropolitan areas are due to illegal immigration”

    Just think about that, you already can’t afford a home and now they’re 30% more expensive because illegals flooded America under Biden

    You already can’t afford rent but you’re paying 20% more because illegals flooded America under Biden

    Again, these are increases for the average metro areas from early 2021 to early 2024. Under Biden’s Presidency

    The second Democrats gain power this starts back up and rent and homes get even more expensive

    WOAH Real report released from the Federal Reserve finds 30% of the cost of increase in home prices and 20% of rent increases ARE DUE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

    No longer a conspiracy theory. “We just saw a study from the Federal Reserve just last week finding that 30% of the… pic.twitter.com/TOi4OgCbxN

    — Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) June 21, 2026

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  32. “Iran Walks Out for Kabuki Theater as the Peace Deal Stands on Shaky Ground — Iran spent Sunday in Switzerland doing what Iran always does at a negotiating table. It took the concessions, refused the photograph, and walked out the door.”

    JD Rucker, June 21, 2026

    “The setting was the Bürgenstock resort above Lake Lucerne, where the United States, Pakistan, and Qatar gathered for a quadrilateral meeting meant to advance the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed last week between President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Vice President JD Vance led the American delegation alongside special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The mediators arrived ready to praise. Iran arrived ready to leverage.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif opened by calling it “a great day that will lead to world peace” and thanking Trump for the diplomacy that produced the talks. Vance followed with his own tribute, crediting the president’s “leadership” and “willingness to see a Middle East that is much different 10 years from now than it was 10 years ago.”

    Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called the meeting “just the beginning” of a longer process. The choreography was seamless. The optimism was thick. And the Iranians would not stand in the picture.

    According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the regime’s delegation declined to join a group photo with the American side, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf refused to enter the room for the press conference, and the team eventually left the venue altogether in protest of Trump’s threats to resume strikes unless the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

    Tasnim is the mouthpiece of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, so the spectacle was almost certainly broadcast on purpose. This is not a delegation that lost its temper. This is a delegation performing defiance for an audience back home.

    Leverage dressed up as principle

    The walkout cannot be separated from the chokepoint. On Saturday, Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again, citing Israel’s continued operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and accusing Washington of failing to enforce the first clause of the agreement. The IRGC navy warned vessels that their security would be “at risk” if they approached.

    American officials disputed the closure outright, with CENTCOM insisting Iran does not control the waterway and reporting that 55 commercial vessels and more than 17 million barrels of oil moved through it Saturday. Vessel-tracking data, however, shows no tanker crossings since Tehran’s announcement, which means the threat carries real teeth regardless of who technically commands the strait.

    This is the entire Iranian strategy in one weekend. Sign the memorandum to lock in the benefits, then weaponize a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil to extract more. Ghalibaf made the posture explicit on X, warning that “the more they talk, the more we act” and that Iran’s armed forces were prepared to respond. A regime that wanted peace does not threaten to mine a shipping lane on the morning it sits down to negotiate one.

    A ceasefire that isn’t holding

    The administration’s confidence runs ahead of the facts on the ground. Vance told reporters the United States had “done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world,” and insisted that “despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there.”

    Yet dozens of Lebanese have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past two days, marking some of the worst bloodshed of the conflict, and an emergency session on the Israel-Hezbollah fighting had to be bolted onto the first day of talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, declared flatly that Israel is not bound by the US-Iran ceasefire and will keep military pressure on Hezbollah for as long as it takes. Neither Israeli nor Hezbollah representatives were even in the building.

    So the structure of this peace is plain. Israel will not be constrained by it. Hezbollah keeps fighting through it. Iran uses every breach as a pretext to choke global oil and stage walkouts. And the American vice president stands at a podium thanking the president for a moment that the other side openly refuses to honor.

    Editorial honesty requires admitting the deal may yet produce something durable over its 60-day window. Sober judgment requires admitting nothing about Sunday suggested it will.

    Scripture warned about exactly this kind of counterfeit. Psalm 28:3 pleads, “Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.”

    That is the Tehran regime in a single verse. It speaks peace into microphones and hides mischief in the Strait of Hormuz, and no amount of resort-summit goodwill changes the heart doing the negotiating.

    The men in Switzerland want a different Middle East ten years from now, and that is a worthy thing to want. But wanting it does not make Iran an honest broker, and a partner that will not stand for the photograph should not be trusted to keep the promise.

    The administration would do well to negotiate as though it already knows that, because Iran spent Sunday making sure everyone did.”

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  36. Talking to my daughter and SIL…they just dropped my granddaughter off at a college for a 2 week learning seminar sort of thing. For 3 days prior she’s been volunteering at the local fair–so daughter is feeling empty nester pangs…LOL. i said it’s only 2 weeks…lol

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