Josh Patt

During the 1950s and 1960s, it was often said by Israelis that "we don't know which Arab country will be the first to make peace with Israel, but Lebanon will be the second." Israelis always wanted peace with Lebanon. The Palestinians, Syrians and Iranians occupying Lebanon have prevented it.

To those in #Israel who believe in peace, who respect Lebanese Christians, and who want a different future for our region: I ask for your support. I have been facing targeted harassment, mass unfollows, and attacks on my account because I speak openly about wanting peace, sovereignty, and a better future for #Lebanon. I know there are many Israelis who do not hate Lebanon, who admire its beauty, its people, and especially the Lebanese Christians who want to live in freedom and dignity. Please stand with those of us who believe that our countries do not have to remain enemies forever. Support voices that reject extremism and choose dialogue, coexistence, and hope. Lebanon deserves peace. Israel deserves peace. And perhaps one day, both our peoples can have a brighter future together.

RE: Islamic Culture in the Middle East and Central Asia I sense that too many Americans do not understand the public face-saving that is integral to Islamic culture in the Middle East and Central Asia. I recall numerous times I dealt with government or military officials in the region where they let me know that what was being said publicly was in no way related to what was actually going on. A leader or politician in these countries will never, ever publicly say the truth if the truth suggests weakness or vulnerability. Never. It just does not happen. They will lie publicly with outrageous bombast, knowing full well that what they are saying is untrue, because their culture demands it. Additionally, they respect the strongman. The strongman who speaks with ferocity and then backs it up with deeds is always respected (or feared, depending on the situation). These are vital concepts to understand when analyzing the public pronouncements of the Iranian regime and the Truth Social declarations of President Trump. The Iranians must save face no matter what. Literally none of their public pronouncements can be trusted as being accurate or truthful. At the same time, when Trump posts things like “ending a civilization,” he is NOT TALKING TO YOU. He is talking to the mullahs in the only language they understand. In fact, as the Democrat/Media Complex derides Trump as an idiot for such pronouncements, HE is the one who is culturally attuned in a very profound way that totally flies over the heads of his critics. These are vital concepts that must be understood to accurately interpret the very public exchange of declarations between Trump and the mullahs.

Interesting take. He could be correct. There is so much disinformation and so little real information about what is happening in Iran that it's hard to be sure of anything.

I studied Islam at Columbia University because I needed to understand what it says in the Quran that forced my family to flee Iran under gunfire after the Islamic revolution. I’ve read the Quran. I know what it says to do to Jews. And no one can deny it to me because I studied it. And here’s the truth: Sharia Law is not compatible with the West.

Amazing. Ancient wine grape varieties have been revived as well. One part of the return to our homeland.

Interesting comparison, but it's not that simple to say that "China is communist and India is capitalist". China's growth only started when Deng Xiaoping introduced "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" which is really a mix of capitalist economics with communist government. India has a lot of regulation which holds back its growth. Its economy is still growing steadily. It just looks slow compared to China's growth. It's a bit like comparing growing muscles with steroids to without. The steroids produce faster growth, but introduce long term health issues. For China this includes a crazy real estate bubble, but even more significant China's horrible demographics, which boost per capita GDP now but will be a disaster in 20 years from now.

@PattJosh @HotSotin What happens when China is communist and India is capitalist?

Crazy idea: Let's split a country in socialist and capitalist halves and check in on them in 75 years.

@Hmm1978Minar @HotSotin Interesting comparison. Two points to keep in mind: 1. Vietnam is starting from a very low base, so it's easier to grow. 2. Vietnam has introduced capitalist methods into its economy, similar to what China did a decade earlier.

@PattJosh @HotSotin Funny, those people who are incapable to grasp the impact of sanctions and bombings on countries. Now lets do communist Vietnam:

Norway and Sweden are a mix between socialism and capitalism. There is some optimal balance between pure capitalism and pure socialism that will give the best outcome for the average person. This optimal balance may be different for different countries and different time periods. So what works best in Norway might not work best in the US. Having said that, I would definitely say that the US could use a functional public health system, which would be a small step in the socialist direction.

@PattJosh @HotSotin Capitalism definitely makes more money than communism. But now look at actual socialist countries like Norway and Sweden.

@NatComist Venezuela's GDP rose in the years that you focused on because the price of oil rose sharply in those years, going from under $25 in early 2002 to over $90 by the end of 2007. Oil was going up faster than Chavez could steal the profits.

@Kevin_Tava @HotSotin Poland has benefited because wages in Poland were lower than in Western Europe, but the gap is closing. That's how free markets work. Before 1990 Poland was integrated with the Warsaw Pact countries and the Communist bloc, why wasn't their economy booming then?

@PattJosh @HotSotin Poland’s boom is due to EU integration and cheap labor. Horrible comparison

If you don't understand the point @SpencerGuard is making, then you don't really understand the war in Gaza. I know everyone is thinking about Iran now, but Hamas is still in half of Gaza.

I envy the Israeli left. Not their politics. Their freedom. They march through Tel Aviv calling their own country an apartheid state. They go on CNN and call the IDF war criminals. They write op-eds in Haaretz comparing Israel to the worst regimes in history. They join NGOs funded by hostile governments to produce reports designed to delegitimize the Jewish state. And then they go home. Sleep in their beds. Send their kids to school the next morning. No one threatens their family. No one disappears them in the night. No one drags them from their home. Zero consequences. Now imagine, just imagine, if Iranians had 1% of that freedom. If an Egyptian columnist could criticize Sisi the way Gideon Levy criticizes Netanyahu. If a Palestinian in Ramallah could call Abbas corrupt on live TV and walk home safely. If someone in Gaza could have held a sign saying "Hamas does not speak for me" without being executed. The Middle East would be unrecognizable. The great irony is that the people who enjoy more political freedom than virtually anyone else in the region use that freedom to paint Israel as a tyranny while the actual tyrannies they're silent about would imprison or kill them for doing the same. You're not brave. You're spoiled. You mistake comfort for conscience. You scream "genocide" into a microphone the state itself protects, then sleep soundly in a democracy you spend your days trying to destroy, while millions across this region would trade everything they have for five minutes of the freedom you use to spit on your own country.

🔹️Republic of Somaliland: "We never trusted the United Nations🇺🇳 and we were right not to. When Republic of Somaliland saw its sovereignty being usurped by the UN, we kicked them out. Clear message: this land answers to its own people, not foreign suits playing “babysitter.” After 30+ years and tens of billions burned in Somalia/Mogadishu, what’s the result? Same chaos, recycled “solutions,” more terror. A whole UN industry of failure. Meanwhile, Somaliland? Peace built from scratch. Militias disarmed. Institutions standing. Elections held. No UN. We were proven right to kick them out!"

As an Iranian watching this rescue mission unfold, I was praying the American pilot would make it out alive, not just for him, but so the Islamic Republic could not use him as a bargaining chip or claim some twisted “victory.” At the same time, I felt a deep envy. Your government sent elite special forces, million-dollar aircraft, and moved heaven and earth to bring one American home. No hesitation. No excuses. In Iran, the regime uses human shields and recruited child soldiers to clear minefields during the Iran-Iraq war. They treat their own people like disposable tools. They are now recruiting child soldiers as we speak. The Islamic Republic has zero regard for human life. That’s the brutal difference. One side risks everything to save their own. The other sacrifices their own to stay in power. This hits hard when you have lived under both realities.

This is a great question: Where are the Jews? H/T @DangerousThinkg

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅-𝟏𝟓𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 The picture is getting clearer — and it's extraordinary. The downed F-15E has been identified as belonging to the 𝐒𝟒𝟗𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐧, 48th Fighter Wing, out of RAF Lakenheath in England (Air & Space Forces Magazine). These are America's forward-deployed Strike Eagles in Europe — now confirmed in the fight over Iran. Here's what happened to the weapons systems officer after he ejected. According to an officer involved in monitoring the CSAR operation, the WSO 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗮 𝟳,𝟬𝟬𝟬-𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 with Iranian forces chasing him all day (DropSite News). Alone. Behind enemy lines. In the mountains of southwestern Iran. With a regime that put a $60,000 bounty on his head and sent state TV calling on civilians to hunt him down. And he kept moving. Defense analyst Babak Taghvaee reported 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 between U.S. Army Special Forces and IRGC Ground Forces in the Milas mount area of the Rig Mountains in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province — right where the CSAR teams were operating. This wasn't a quiet extraction. This was a fight. The Iranian side tells the story from the other end. Reports from locals speaking to Iranian media say the IRGC is transferring 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 troops from "Black Mountain" to Dehdasht Hospital (HotAir). Plainclothes 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐣 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 sent to find the American were k!lled — Iranian officials confirmed at least 𝟒 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 during recovery operations in the region. The IRGC has now warned its own civilians to stay away from the area. Let that sink in. Iran sent its Revolutionary Guard and Basij militia to capture one American — and they got wrecked. As of this update, journalist Jack Murphy — a former Green Beret with deep special operations sources — reports the WSO has been 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 after a massive firefight at the recovery site (DropSite News). Multiple Special Forces community sources say he is safe and back in American hands. The Pentagon has not officially confirmed the second rescue. But here's what IS confirmed: the United States military sent its most elite operators into hostile Iranian mountains, fought through IRGC ground forces, and brought their people home. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚.

Tonight, people around Dehdasht provided an important help to the American pilot. By showing up in large numbers on the roads, they effectively blocked the ONLY POSSIBLE ground route for the Islamic regime’s forces to reach to the area the pilot had ejected on. I am so proud of these noble people❤️. With empty hands and their lives in their hands isolated with NO INTERNET FOR 36 days now, they are doing everything they can to support this military strike as it is the ONLY opening they can have to GET RID of this terrorist regime, which they can never get rid of unarmed AS THEY ARE. #FreeIran‌ #IranRevolution2026‌ #LongLiveIran_JavidShah

Gives some perspective. These were the same people who supported the "Leave the South alone" movement in 1861.

How can you possibly support Israel? Westerners who adopt the Palestinian cause from a place of distance and comfort struggle to understand people like me; people who come from the Arab world and have walked away from it. Some of us didn’t just walk away. We chose a side. I am the daughter of a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father. My mother is a child of the Lebanese Civil War—a war in which militias, backed and fueled in the name of the Palestinian cause, tore Lebanon apart. Lebanese killed Lebanese. A country was destroyed, not to save Lebanon, but to serve a broader ideological project. My father is Syrian. I grew up watching what regimes and militias did in Syria and Lebanon while constantly hearing that all of it was Israel’s fault. That was the story. But it didn’t match reality. We lived humiliation, corruption, fear. We stood for hours at checkpoints, bribed officials for basic rights, feared prisons where people disappeared. We watched regimes claim to fight for Palestine while crushing their own people without mercy. And still, we were told to sacrifice more. For Palestine. At our expense. So yes, let me be clear: Do I stand with Israel against those who destroyed our countries in the name of that cause? Any day. Anytime. Because I have seen what they did to us. And when I went to Israel, I saw something I was never supposed to see: a functioning country—a society with rights, accountability, and dignity—something my own region denied us. That doesn’t mean Israel is perfect. It means the story I was told was incomplete—and dangerously so. So when you ask, “How can you possibly support Israel?” Understand this: Some of us are not speaking from ideology. We are speaking from experience. And no, we were not paid or manipulated. We changed our minds when we finally saw the full picture. #Israël #lebanon #israel #FreeIranNow