Tea at Trianon: The Iranians Ask Us To Surrender

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

Monday, May 4, 2026

The Iranians Ask Us To Surrender

From AND Magazine:

The Iranians have trotted out a new “peace” plan, which the United States says it is currently reviewing. The exact text of the proposal has not yet been seen publicly, but multiple press outlets, including those tied to the Iranian government, have made clear that the plan includes all of the following points:
An end to all hostilities within 30 days. This includes Lebanon.
The complete withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from the region. Understand what this means. This is a demand that the United States remove its military forces from the Middle East. This is a demand that we pull out of Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and anywhere else we have bases in that part of the world.
A guarantee of non-aggression from both Israel and the United States. We are expected not only to end hostilities and withdraw from the region but to promise that we will never again attack Iran. Ever.
An end to the naval blockade and all restrictions on Iranian ports and shipping.
The lifting of all U.S. and international sanctions. Iran will be free to buy whatever it wants, including components for advanced weapons, and to sell whatever it wants to allies and surrogates around the globe.
The release of all frozen Iranian assets. This means billions of dollars currently locked up in accounts all over the world will be handed over to the world’s number one sponsor of terrorism.
Reparations. As we leave the Middle East with our tail between our legs, we will be expected to pay Iran for all the damage we have caused, not just in the bombing but by virtue of the sanctions we have imposed for many years.
The creation of a new mechanism for control of the Straits of Hormuz. One must assume, from the overall tone of the demands, that this will boil down to a recognition that Iran controls this crucial waterway and will charge a fee to anyone who wants to pass through it.
(Read more.)