The Cost of Trump’s War

[00:00:00]Salutations, fellow nerds. I'm Rick Y, and today is July 21st, 2026. Some of you seem to appreciate my little rant the other day, and I just got back home from the gym, and I'm feeling a little feisty. So, I figured I'd throw a little bit more red meat your way because at this point, I don't think repeating myself is enough when it comes to this.

[00:00:20]There are a few things that need to be addressed because I'm hearing the exact same loser energy now that I heard right before we sent our young men and women into the 20-year meat grinder that became the war on terror. We're at war, ladies and gentlemen. And I honestly cannot think of a more important subject to be talking about right now. So, let's get at it.

[00:00:46]>> A wise guy, a e. So before the goons come seeping out of whatever moonrise tower crevice that they hail from to pretend that I have any appreciation for the Iranian regime, let's retire that tired straw man right now. It's about as useful as carrying a stack of cement bricks into the deep end of a swimming pool. I'm not speaking from some place of ignorance or comfort like some people.

[00:01:14]You see, I served and I spent a decent amount of time in the very places we are now watching explode because of not in spite of the drooling, demented idiot rotting away in the Oval Office and along with thousands of others I sailed through the straight of Hormuz. We were harassed relentlessly by Iranian fast attack craft and they'd race alongside us, posture, try to intimidate us and test our reactions. They never opened fire and neither did we. Why? Because under my commander-in-chief, Barack Hussein Obama, we understood how to conduct ourselves in hostile waters. We knew that when you're operating near another country's coastline, discipline matters, restraint matters, professionalism matters. So, of course, we scrambled the gunners. Of course, we the Snoopy teams were out watching every move, and nobody was asleep at the wheel, but at no point were we ever living under the constant expectation that ballistic missiles and coordinated drone swarms were about to come screaming in because no, somebody in Washington decided that diplomacy was for suckers. When I criticize the US government, it comes from a place of respect for the seriousness of the situation, not admiration for the Iranian regime. I would love nothing more than to see the Iranian people determine their own future under a freer, more democratic, and more representative system, whatever form they ultimately choose for themselves.

[00:02:51]Anything would be preferable to the far-right theocratic regime that has ruled over them for decades. And at the same time, recognizing an adversar's capabilities or acknowledging when they exercise restraint is not an endorsement of that adversary. Serious analysis requires an being honest about what is happening, even when it complicates our preferred narrative. You don't make better decisions by pretending your opponent is irrational or incompetent or even incapable of measured choices. The fact that I can criticize the Iranian regime for its repression while also recognizing moments of restraint is not a contradiction. If anything, it's exactly the kind of objectivity that we should expect from people discussing matters that could determine whether more civilians and service members live or die. So, let's examine something.

[00:03:45]Based on the information released so far, it appears that roughly two of the approximately 10 ballistic missiles fired at the air base got through while about eight were intercepted by Jordanian and US air defenses. Full disclosure, the exact number of missiles in the Salvo remains uncertain because the commonly cited figure of roughly 10 comes from media reporting and open source analysis. But neither the Pentagon nor Jordanian government has actually released a detailed engagement log confirming how many ballistic missiles were actually launched, how many were intercepted, or how many ultimately struck the base. What does appear clear is that even if air defenses intercepted the vast majority of the incoming missiles, potentially 80%, it only took a small number of successful impacts to produce devastating consequences. And one of the missiles struck what are called contained housing units. For anyone unfamiliar with a CHU, it's essentially a small prefab living space used on military installation to house service members, especially at deployed or semi-permanent bases. This is what they look like. Now, if you've ever been to a public school here in the United States and you had to take classes in what's called a portable, it's essentially that. Some are more armored than others.

[00:05:08]Some are honestly, again, nothing more than just portables. Now, this next image is not yet verified, but I have it on good authority to understand that it's authentic. Here you can see the chus from above. The three service members who lost their lives were either trying to stay covered or they were asleep in their racks. And here is the image after the Iranians ballistic missiles struck the area.

[00:05:35]A few important things to note. Reports indicate that at least some of these missiles are capable of maneuvering during their terminal phase, which potentially allows them to evade defensive fire. Preliminary statements from officials have also expressed surprise at their apparent accuracy. So taken together, those two factors suggest that Iran is capable of targeting high priority military assets and penetrating sophisticated air defenses with alarming effectiveness regardless of what the executive bucket of Warhog afterbirth likes to claim on his little personal 4chan troential. Yet they're choosing to refrain from doing so at any large capacity for the moment.

[00:06:21]My biggest concern is the intelligence Iran may be receiving from China and Russia, including potential access to satellite imagery and targeting information, combined with our decision to place young men and women in concentrated areas for extended periods of time. That includes personnel aboard naval warships. Those ships are no doubt powerful, heavily defended, and built to survive damage, but they are not impervious, especially if their defenses are overwhelmed by a sufficiently large coordinated attack. If a mass casualty event occurs or cosmos forbid is deliberately exploited or orchestrated by people shopping for national unity around this war, I have a very difficult time imagining the public simply rallying behind them. In fact, I would go as far as to say that if anything happens to our service members, the responsibility rests with one human being, Jeffrey Epstein's former friend and Gileain Maxwell's personal toad.

[00:07:24]There's really no amount of spin, propaganda, or patriotic theater that's going to wash anyone's blood from his hands, just as they already are stained with the blood of the 18 service members who, as of this recording, have given their lives in service to this country.

[00:07:41]So, let me leave you with the reality of the war that we so recklessly dance around. The young woman who just lost her life was 19 years old. She just graduated from high school only last year. The young man was 25, a brand new officer, and was only weeks away from completing his MBA. Iranian munitions ripped through that base with such catastrophic violence that the military recovered unidentified human remains from the wreckage and spent days examining them to determine whom they belong to. Another soldier simply disappeared into the destruction. A phrase that carries implications too horrifying to ignore.

[00:08:26]This isn't a Hollywood set where an actor casually lights a cigarette before the screen fades to black and everyone goes home. These are Americans being mutilated and vaporized because of the ego and bluster of a draft dodger who can't accept responsibility for the war that he unilaterally set in motion after choosing to abandon an agreement that any future president can only hope to rebuild. So, at this point, I think we're in this one for the long haul because I don't see this ending ending anytime soon. Not until this administration is gone one way or another. I also see a American military influence in the region being pulled back while a new regional power arises from the ashes of what the current cesspool of toxic masculinity thought it had pummeled into oblivion. What concerns me the most is that recent events have demonstrated they don't necessarily need a nuclear weapon to inflict devastating consequences. If anything, I think they've been given every incentive imaginable to pursue one. North Korea has shown the world a credible nuclear deterrent dramatically changes how other countries approach direct military action.