Warlike Parakeet 3

War news and aesthetics

[warllikeparakeetiii]

If You Want To Help The World, Focus On Fighting The Empire

We live in a civilization built of lies and abuse, powered by lies and abuse, and defended using lies and abuse. Even the most kindhearted and well-intentioned among us struggle to bring about positive change, because the very fabric of our society is stacked against truth and kindness.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Thanks for watching! Subscribe to my Substack at caitlinjohnst.one for email updates on all my new stuff.

[fuck-all-governments]

[icecreamwithjackdaniels]

Joseph Wolf (German, 1820–1899), "The Iceland Falcon" and "The Greenland Falcon"

[closet-keys]

Israel has deliberately and systematically destroyed the means for people in Gaza to sustain their physical health. 94% of hospitals are destroyed, and none can operate at full capacity. Life sustaining medications are blocked from entering and stocks are running out.

[warllikeparakeetiii]

Bombshell study: World sees USA as biggest threat, instead prefers China

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

A flailing Trump lies about Iran peace agreement, presides over spectacle on White House lawn.

June 15, 2026

A flailing Trump lies about Iran peace agreement, presides over spectacle on White House lawn.

June 15, 2026

Robert B. Hubbell

As the grotesque mixed-martial arts fights took place on the White House lawn to mark the aging of the president, there was some sort of agreement that allegedly ended hostilities against Iran by the U.S. The absence of the actual text of the three-page memorandum of understanding has not stopped gullible media from repeating Trump’s claims about the agreement. A few media outlets—like the NYTimes—had the decency to couch their reporting as “claims made” by Trump. See, e.g., Trump Claims Strait Will Be ‘Permanently Toll-Free’ Under Agreement With Iran. Iran appeared to contradict the premise of Trump’s claim on Sunday, saying that the Strait would reopen “under Iran’s administration.”

Even as Trump’s claims about the agreement shifted inexplicably on Sunday, Iran contradicted Trump. So, the only prudent thing to do is to say what we don’t know about the agreement. A good example of such reporting can be found in The Guardian, What do we know about the US-Iran peace deal – and what questions remain?

As explained by The Guardian, the following items are subject to competing claims on Sunday evening:

The timing of the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, Trump said the Strait would open “immediately,” but then changed position to say it would open by Friday of this week “to allow for clearing of mines.” The intermediary who helped broker the agreement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, said that “the agreed memorandum of understanding calls for the reopening of the strait within 30 days.”

Control of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump says the Strait will open “toll-free.” Iran’s Prime Minister said the Strait would reopen “under Iranian arrangements.” Whatever “under Iranian arrangements” means, it appears to be something different than “toll-free.” Per the New York Times, the agreement says only that Iran agrees to “suspend tolls in the strait for only 60 days.”

Ceasefire in Lebanon. An Iranian negotiator said, “A permanent and immediate end to the war has been declared on all fronts, including Lebanon.” Trump made no mention of Lebanon in his remarks. Israel is not a party to the agreement; Israel and Hezbollah (in Beirut) exchanged strikes on Sunday, an hour before the agreement was electronically signed. See Axios, Trump to Axios: Netanyahu has “no ******* judgment” but Iran deal still on. In short, the inclusion of Lebanon in the ceasefire seems to be a disputed question as of late on Sunday.

Iran’s nuclear program. Trump claims that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” but if it develops one, the US will recommence hostilities against Iran. So, a real lack of clarity on this point, even from Trump. Per The Guardian,

The president repeated on Sunday his promise that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon” but senior Pakistani officials told the Associated Press that nuclear talks would continue over the next 60 days. Trump himself told the New York Times that if Tehran failed to reach a nuclear deal, it could come under fresh attack by the US military.

While administration officials (like JD Vance) are saying that the agreement will “fundamentally reshape the Middle East for the next 50 years,” the unreleased agreement seems to reduce to the following:

The Strait of Hormuz will resume its prewar status, except that Iran may charge tolls; and

The US and Iran will continue negotiations over Iran’s uranium enrichment program.

That’s it. Despite all of the posturing and preening that will follow, Trump got nothing in exchange for an illegal war that costs hundreds of billions of dollars, inflicted global economic injury, increased inflation in the US, and resulted in the deaths of 14 US soldiers and thousands of Iranian citizens, including much of its moderate civilian leadership. The Middle East and the US now face a newly emboldened Iran with more militant leadership.

Trump again asks Republicans to abolish the filibuster

In another sign of Trump’s desperation to implement voter suppression measures ahead of the 2026 midterms, he posted on Sunday that he would oppose the extension of Section 702 of FISA unless the SAVE Act is attached. Axios, Trump won’t back FISA renewal without SAVE America Act voting bill.

Not to be lost in the detail below is this simple fact: Trump is asking Republicans to override the filibuster, once again. The request is another sign of Trump’s desperation and weakness heading into the November midterms. Republicans will once again refuse Trump’s request because they know their existence depends on the continuation of anti-democratic measures like the filibuster in the Senate and gerrymandering in statehouses.

Section 702 authorizes intelligence agencies to engage in warrantless interception of communications by foreign nationals. Section 702 is controversial because such electronic communications frequently involve US citizens. See Brennan Center for Justice, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): 2026 Resource Page.

To no one’s surprise, Section 702 has been abused by politicians eager to use US intelligence capabilities against their opponents. Per the Brennan Center,

To give just a few examples, the FBI has conducted warrantless searches of Section 702-acquired information to access communications of Black Lives Matter protestors, U.S. government officials, journalists, political commentators, and 19,000 donors to a single congressional campaign.

Because Section 702 has been abused by use against Americans, even GOP hardliners like Reps. Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, and Sen. Mike Lee have attempted to impose a warrant requirement for any communication involving an American citizen.

The statutory authorization for such searches expired last Friday, but existing court authorizations extend warrantless searches through March 2027.

Republicans are keen on re-authorizing Section 702, as is the intelligence community. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune sent the Senate home on Friday despite Section 702’s expiration. Democrats and a handful of Republicans opposed the extension of Section 702 because of Trump’s nomination of Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence.

Two points:

As noted above, warrantless searches have been authorized by court order through March 2027, so Trump’s threat not to sign a bill re-authorizing Section 702 is empty.

Second, Trump’s demand to attach the SAVE Act to the FISA reauthorization is simply another attempt to pressure Republicans into overriding the filibuster—something Senate Republicans have refused to do on multiple occasions. Most recently, they refused to add the SAVE Act to the reconciliation bill funding ICE and Border Patrol. It is doubtful that they will do so to extend Section 702, especially when warrantless searches are authorized through March 2027.

Concluding Thoughts

Well, I have hit the wall with jet lag, so I will stop here. But the events of Sunday would not be complete without some recognition of the depths to which Trump’s insecurity and vanity have plunged the once dignified Office of the President.

First, Trump has left a tarp in place in front of the Kennedy Center to conceal the memorial’s official name after his name was removed, per court order. See CNN, Kennedy Center exterior remains covered after Trump’s name is removed. What a petulant little baby! What his fragile ego prevents him from understanding is that keeping the name covered makes him look weaker and smaller with each passing day.

Second, Trump’s grotesque mixed martial arts display on the south lawn of the White House was an embarrassment to everyone who participated—including attendee Mark Zuckerberg, whose own insecurity rivals that of Trump. See HuffPo, Trump Celebrates ‘America 250,’ Birthday With Bizarre UFC Spectacle.

Despite the enthusiastic bloodlust of those in attendance, the event was popular with a tiny minority of Americans. See Reuters, Few Americans back Trump’s White House cage match plan, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds. Per Reuters,

Just 16% of Americans said it was appropriate for Trump to hold the Ultimate Fighting Championship event, scheduled for his 80th birthday, while 46% said it was inappropriate and the rest didn’t offer an opinion.

Joe Rogan attended and interviewed some of the fighters, one of whom blurted out that “Michelle Obama is a man,”—confirming everyone’s intuition about the intelligence and political views of fighters who are repeatedly punched in the head with bare fists.

In short, Trump spent Sunday lying about his agreement with Iran, begging Republicans to scrap the filibuster to save him from humiliation in November, hiding the removal of his name from the Kennedy Center, and presiding over a classless event that appealed to his shrinking base. In other words, he is floundering and retreating as his party begins to look for an off-ramp from its toxic relationship with the man who destroyed it.

[hellgrub]

reminder that gazafunds is a great website.

each time you load the site, it shows one randomly selected, verified fundraiser that's low on funds.

extremely straightforward, & an easy to remember url. it's my go-to when I'm able to give; removes any room for procrastination or overthinking.

[ellewantsrevenge]

MASTER LIST OF WAYS TO HELP IN MINNEAPOLIS

(this list is mainly ways non-locals can donate but by extension offers a lot of resources and places to volunteer in the Twin Cities + there are specific ways to donate time under the cut which can be adjusted to your local neighborhood)

full credit to cataloo from r/minnesota [x]

🩵Immigrant support

Immigrant Defense Network – coalition of 90+ groups organizing rapid response and collecting evidence.

Immigrant Law Center of MN – free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees.

COPAL – advocacy, organizing, phone hotline. Focus on Latine community.

Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) – education and protest organizing.

Interfaith Coalition on Immigration – advocacy, aid, events.

Monarca MN – training and phone hotline.

Unidos MN – education, protests, advocacy.

Center for Victims of Torture – advocacy and mental health services for immigrants and refugees.

International Institute of Minnesota – refugee resettlement group that provides support and legal help to vulnerable new-to-country families.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota – offers services to refugees, including legal aid to non-citizens.

🩵Food support

If local, food donations are welcome, otherwise monetary donations help these types of orgs source what is most needed

VEAP

Second Harvest Heartland

Every Meal

The Food Group

Meals on Wheels MN

Find a local food shelf

🩵Mutual aid funds & community support

Community Aid Network

Twin Cities Trans Mutual Aid

Leo's Tow (Venmo @leostowingmn) is towing cars back to families if a car is stranded when someone is detained.

🩵More links

MN50501 Mutual Aid Linktree – well-organized list of various Twin Cities groups.

Mplsmutualaid Linktree – many neighborhood and individual GoFundMes listed here.

Mpls.St.Paul Magazine – see Food Drives and Fundraisers.

Stand with Minnesota – extensive list of organizations, mutual aid, and crowdfunding campaigns.

🩵Donate blood

Memorial Blood Center declared a blood emergency on Tuesday, Jan 13. MBC is the blood supplier for both tier 1 trauma hospitals in the metro area (Hennepin County Medical Center and North Memorial Health).

American Red Cross

🩵Donate food or other goods

Mpls.St.Paul Magazine – see Food Drives and Fundraisers.

Volunteer your time (under the cut)

🩵Mutual aid

Reach out to your neighbors – especially if you know they are staying home right now – and ask if they need groceries or toiletry items. Offer to pick up prescriptions, give rides, or shovel their driveway. If you know them well, bring them a treat that you know they'll enjoy. Or just ask them how they're doing and let them know you are there to support.

Connect with any of the orgs above and see if they are looking for volunteers.

Connect with a church or mosque in your area. From u/MuddieMaeSuggins: "I know a lot of regular Redditors are not religious (myself included) but like it or not this is a where a lot of community organizing happens, especially in immigrant communities."

Connect with your local school's admin office and/or their PTA. It's ok to reach out even if you don't have kids at the school. PTAs are organizing mutual aid for school families, safe rides, school observers.

🩵Activism

Find an official protest or other event via Indivisible, 50501, FREE AMERICA, or MIRAC. Students at many high schools are staging walk-outs; if your local school is doing this, reach out to school leadership or the PTA and ask how you can support as a community member.

Join the effort to stop Hilton from housing ICE by booking hotel rooms and then cancelling at the last minute. This action can be done from home! The effort is being organized by Sunrise Movement, who are telling activists to target specific hotels one-by-one. More info: SHUT DOWN HILTON

Find people in your area who are actively monitoring ICE and/or stationing themselves in high-traffic areas and ask how you can help. Check for local FB events where people are organizing and just show up.

At minimum, read the COPAL Handbook before you go out to observe. The DFL, Monarca, and other orgs have been hosting online trainings for constitutional observers (though these fill up quickly).

When you see ICE in action, start recording. Be as loud and as disruptive as possible: honk your horn, set off your car alarm, blow your whistle. Let people know that ICE is in the area. If you see someone being detained, try to get their name and a phone number to call their emergency contact.

If you do not feel comfortable observing ICE in person, there are ways you can support from home. Just ask the people who are organizing in your area. I have social anxiety, and I had never participated in any kind of political action before this past Saturday. If I can do it, you can!

Local organizers are requesting that people who help monitor ICE DO NOT participate in 1-to-1 mutual aid efforts, as these can put the families you are helping at risk.

If you have friends/acquaintances who are sympathetic but not politically active, reach out to them. Show them that they're not alone in feeling helpless. Pick a few low-commitment actions from this list and do them together.

[folklorespring]

If you want to support Ukrainians, DO NOT donate to Red Cross. Can't speak about their work in other countries, but they're useless in Ukraine. The only trustworthy international organisation I can think of is World Central Kitchen.

Donate to World Central Kitchen

And it's even better to donate directly to Ukrainian organisations. Here are a few good legit places:

hospitallers.life - "Hospitallers", Ukrainian paramedics on the frontlines

savelife.in.ua - "Come Back Alive", assistance to the army

prytulafoundation.org - "Prytula Foundation", assistance to the army, humanitarian causes

starenki.com.ua - "Starenki", helping elderly people

everybodycan.com.ua - "Everybody Can", helping disabled children, elders and hospitals

uanimals.org - "UAnimals", saving animals

[warllikeparakeetiii]

US and Iran Agree to Halt Near Four-Month War

[warllikeparakeetiii]

Sam Kiley reports from streets of Belfast as riots see refugees in UK under attack

[warllikeparakeetiii]

INTERVIEW: This isn’t the World Cup, it’s the Fifa-Epstein Cup

[warllikeparakeetiii]

Millennials, Gen Z & Gen X Will Die the Most Horrific Deaths in Modern History

[warllikeparakeetiii]

They Want Racial Holy War’ – The TRUTH About the US Military | Aaron Bastani Meets Matt Kennard

[warllikeparakeetiii]

Belfast Burns: Here’s The TRUTH - w/. Sarah Creighton

[meltygetswifi]

not to be a dirty commie or anything but i don't think any one person should have enough money to solve world hunger and then get to decide not to

[anarchistmemedistro]

reminder that the UN estimates it would cost only $93 billion per year to end world hunger, so elon musk could end world hunger for 10 years at his current net worth.

[anarchistmemedistro]

Ending world hunger costs less than 1% of military spending

Ending hunger by 2030 would cost just $93 billion a year — well under one per cent of the $21.9 trillion spent on military budgets over the

[manuciruja]

we're at a point where the united states illegally invaded venezuela, kidnapped its president and established their own leader, freely talks about how they want to invade cuba, and now new audio files have been leaked where they openly discuss organizing and funding a mass misinformation campaign to get their candidates in power in mexico and colombia AND NO ONE FUCKING BATS AN EYE I FEEL LIKE IM GOING CRAZY

[anarchistmemedistro]

Operation Condor - Wikipedia

Operation Condor - Wikipedia

The School of the Americas (SOA): Origins and Mission - Explaining History Podcast

The U.S. Army’s School of the Americas (SOA) was founded in 1946 in the Panama Canal Zone (Fort Gulick, near Fort Amador) as the “Latin Amer

Confessions of an Economic Hitman : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

School of the Americas: Training Torturers & Secret Police for US-Backed Dictators Since 1946 - Over 64,000 soldiers have been trained to oppress, smash dissent, and maintain American imperial order since the “school” first opened.