Tea at Trianon: 'Final Blow' Options

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, March 27, 2026

'Final Blow' Options

From Newsmax:

The Pentagon is preparing potential "final blow" military options against Iran, including precision invasions of strategic islands and possible ground operations inside the country as President Donald Trump weighs how to end the conflict quickly while avoiding a prolonged war. According to U.S. officials cited by Axios on Thursday, the plans under discussion include seizing or blockading key Iranian positions such as Kharg Island — the country's main oil export hub — and islands near the Strait of Hormuz, including Larak and Abu Musa.

Other options involve intercepting Iranian oil shipments or launching large-scale airstrikes on nuclear facilities. Some scenarios also contemplate deploying ground forces to secure enriched uranium sites, though such operations are described by the White House as hypothetical and highly risky. The proposals reflect growing pressure on Tehran as diplomatic efforts stall and the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remains threatened. (Read more.)