These latest sanctions are acts of war, under international law. And imagine this: the Iranian military-industrial complex is said to influential in Iranian society--nothing we'd know about here. Oh, and I continue to love the propagandistic names. Just as, in the last war, Iraq was said to have "Scud" missiles as versus the US "Patriots," so Iran has the Quds Force while we have the Navy Seals. (Thanks to Anders Mikkelsen.)

Further notes of the empire: Genghis Bush has pressured Mongolia to allow the US to stop and "inspect" its few ships on the high seas, and seize what the US says is contraband. (Thanks to Mike Knox.) That used to be called piracy. But as the pirate sentenced to death told Alexander the Great, according to St. Augustine: I harry a small area of sea, and am called a criminal; you harry the whole world, and are called an emperor. BTW, Alexander spared him.