We Have A President Again

Yes, Trump acted. That’s not really the debate. He tore up Obama’s deal, hit Iran with maximum pressure, carried out strikes, then stopped bombing and spent the last several weeks trying to get them back to the negotiating table anyway.

After all the talk, lies, bombing, and escalation, we still ended up right back where we started — trying to make another deal. Now Iran is no longer willing to negotiate just so Trump can find a way out and save face.

And now there’s an even bigger problem: they learned how much power the Strait gives them. They don’t even need a bomb to hurt the entire world anymore.

So yes, there were tactical wins. Iran took hits. Their economy suffered. Leaders were killed. But strategically, the situation became more dangerous, not less — with even harder radicals now running the show.

Winning battles doesn’t mean you’re winning the overall war. Our flag used to symbolize pride. Now most people are just tired, burned out, and don’t even care what the rest of the world thinks about us anymore.*We post memes trashing the left while pulling wool over our eyes…
 
Nothing gets reactions like good old memes trashing the left, hell we don’t even have to form a sentence, someone is already pumping the memes out so we don’t have to think for ourselves, lol
 
We really have not even targeted the infantry and internal security forces — the people actually beating, shooting, and mowing down Iranian protesters standing up against the regime.

Remember when Trump told the Iranian people “help is on the way”?

Well, in case people forgot, those protesters were not being slaughtered by ballistic missiles or kamikaze drones. They were being crushed face-to-face by boots on the ground enforcing the regime internally.

That’s another layer people keep ignoring.
 
Infidel 762 said:
That’s another layer people keep ignoring.
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As distasteful as it is, back in the day, common belief was that air and naval bombardment softens up the opposition, but the only way to take and secure the objective was boots on the ground and I'm not sure the American people are willing to support such a move today.

We are not privy to all the intelligence available to the powers that be, but I believe the mission has been successful in setting back Iran's nuclear ambitions for many years and deprived them of their navy and air capabilities. Taking full control of the straight will obviously come at a much higher cost, especially to Iran's neighbors and I'm sure that is one of the President's concerns. IMO, however Iran having nuclear capability was a much more immediate threat, especially to us, than the straight so there's that. Since the straight affects the rest of the world much more than the US, I'm sure that Trump expected more support from the rest of the world than we are getting. I'm sure glad that decision is above my pay grade.

Infidel 762 said:
And now there’s an even bigger problem: they learned how much power the Strait gives them. They don’t even need a bomb to hurt the entire world anymore.
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Obviously, mistakes have been made, but foresight is never as good as hindsight and in every conflict, the enemy always has a voice. I think the belief was that the downtrodden Iranians would step up and overthrow the regime, given the opportunity. Obviously we underestimated the tenacity of that regime and that has not occurred nor has support from those most affected by closure of the straight.
 
While the flow of oil through the straight may not hurt us in actual barrels that we consume, it is definitely hurting us at the pump with the price of fuel. That hurt is also passed on from the logistics companies to the consumers. We are getting screwed nonetheless.
 
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BREAKING: The White House shooting suspect has been identified as Nesire Best, according to law enforcement officials.

Best is deceased and had a documented history of prior police encounters as well as mental health issues.
Source: NBC

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Infidel 762 said:
Yes, Trump acted. That’s not really the debate. He tore up Obama’s deal, hit Iran with maximum pressure, carried out strikes, then stopped bombing and spent the last several weeks trying to get them back to the negotiating table anyway.

After all the talk, lies, bombing, and escalation, we still ended up right back where we started — trying to make another deal. Now Iran is no longer willing to negotiate just so Trump can find a way out and save face.

And now there’s an even bigger problem: they learned how much power the Strait gives them. They don’t even need a bomb to hurt the entire world anymore.

So yes, there were tactical wins. Iran took hits. Their economy suffered. Leaders were killed. But strategically, the situation became more dangerous, not less — with even harder radicals now running the show.

Winning battles doesn’t mean you’re winning the overall war. Our flag used to symbolize pride. Now most people are just tired, burned out, and don’t even care what the rest of the world thinks about us anymore.*We post memes trashing the left while pulling wool over our eyes…
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Trump didn't tear up Obamas deal, he shredded it in 2018, yet what did President Biden do about that, he unfroze millions in Iranian funds to apologize.
To show he was really sorry Biden ran from Afghanistan and armed ISIS with billions in US weapons and a well stocked airfield 300 miles from the China border, but not before killing 13 service members and leaving our afghan allies up shits creek without a canoe.
That sent a message to our allies in the region that they received loud and clear.
Been downhill from there until Trump was relected.
When the oil dires up in the middle east, where are all the countries going to buy oil from ?
Venzuela, Canada and the US, taking power away from the UAE and OPEC.
So you see there's a bigger plan being implemented than just taking out Iran, a much bigger plan.
Five moves ahead, putting America first with gas and food prices still lower than when Biden opened the border and used taxpayer dollars to fund the southern invasion.
SJC
 
I'm getting tired of these morons shooting, or attempting to shoot at My President.
I'm not talking about just Trump, I'm referring to all the POTUS, everyone one of them has been my POTUS even when I didn't want them in office, didn't vote for them is still my POTUS. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Me too!
It was once explained to me that you salute the uniform/rank, not the person wearing it. The POTUS is the commander in chief of the US and love him or hate him the office should still be respected and not have a target on their back because some sick moron/morons don't agree with his policies.
I know that I'm going to despise the next Democratic president if the party continues with their current agenda, which they probably will, but I'm certainly not going to try to change things by trying to assassinate them, nothing will change, they will just be replaced with a like minded Democratic president and it will be business as usual to the party!
Thought I'd add my 2 cents worth also! LOL!!!
 
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shoots100 said:
Trump didn't tear up Obamas deal, he shredded it in 2018, yet what did President Biden do about that, he unfroze millions in Iranian funds to apologize.
To show he was really sorry Biden ran from Afghanistan and armed ISIS with billions in US weapons and a well stocked airfield 300 miles from the China border, but not before killing 13 service members and leaving our afghan allies up shits creek without a canoe.
That sent a message to our allies in the region that they received loud and clear.
Been downhill from there until Trump was relected.
When the oil dires up in the middle east, where are all the countries going to buy oil from ?
Venzuela, Canada and the US, taking power away from the UAE and OPEC.
So you see there's a bigger plan being implemented than just taking out Iran, a much bigger plan.
Five moves ahead, putting America first with gas and food prices still lower than when Biden opened the border and used taxpayer dollars to fund the southern invasion.
SJC
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Keep repeating “Biden unfroze millions for Iran” while ignoring what’s being discussed right now.

Trump’s latest shart of the deal included unfreezing $25 billion in Iranian assets, letting Iran open the Strait while collecting “environmental” shipping charges, and pushing the actual nuclear dust to be discussed later.

If Obama’s deal was called surrender because Iran got sanctions relief first, what exactly do you call a deal where Iran keeps the leverage point over the straight, gets access to $25 billion in frozen cash, and the nuclear issue gets kicked down the road again? Plus, this weekend’s announcement that the war is over was just Trump talking again.

And pretending Biden “armed ISIS” is pure fantasy. The Taliban took abandoned equipment after the Afghan collapse. ISIS and the Taliban are enemies who literally fight each other.

Venezuela and Canada aren’t replacements for Gulf oil in any real sense—Venezuela is underperforming its massive reserves due to collapse and sanctions, and Canada produces higher-cost, slower-to-scale oil sands output.

U.S. shale adds supply, but it’s short-cycle and expensive compared to the Gulf’s low-cost conventional crude that still anchors global pricing. So the idea that OPEC just gets “replaced” ignores reality: different types of oil, different costs, and nowhere near the same scale or reliability.

American refineries are mostly configured for heavier imported Arab oil, not domestic shale light sweet blends—meaning crude slates still matter in ways you obviously do not understand. Global oil doesn’t shift power that easily—and the market doesn’t run on wishful substitutions.

If you think this situation is all part of some preplanned 5D chess Trump is running, I’ll offer you a bib for the Kool-Aid spilling out of your sippy cup—lol.
 
shoots100 said:
To show he was really sorry Biden ran from Afghanistan and armed ISIS with billions in US weapons and a well stocked airfield 300 miles from the China border, but not before killing 13 service members and leaving our afghan allies up shits creek without a canoe.
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Ending forever wars was a major Trump campaign message—so let’s not rewrite history depending on who’s in office.

Our "Afghan allies" had us arming, training, and fighting alongside them for two decades. At some point you either acknowledge the reality of an open-ended nation-building mission, or admit you’re arguing for forever wars by default.

Look up “blue on green” killings—one of the most persistent threats U.S. forces faced in the later years of the war. That’s what the ground reality had become after 20 years of shifting objectives and escalating insider attacks.

You can criticize the execution of the withdrawal (I do), but pretending Afghanistan was some stable, indefinitely maintainable commitment is exactly how you end up defending forever wars.

And at the very least, get who we were there to fight correct.
 
American refineries are mostly configured for heavier imported Arab oil, not domestic shale light sweet blends—meaning crude slates still matter in ways you obviously do not understand. Global oil doesn’t shift power that easily—and the market doesn’t run on wishful substitutions.
Many Americans do not understand that different types of crude require different types of refineries.
The Marathon refinery in Garyville, Louisiana, completed in 1976 with an initial capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, is considered the last significant greenfield refinery built in the United States thelensnola.orgthelensnola.org+1.
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Scheduled Completion of the Brownsville, TX Refinery Project​

The America First Refining (AFR) facility at the Port of Brownsville, Texas — the first new U.S. oil refinery built in nearly 50 years — is expected to be fully operational by 2029 KXAN Austin.

Key timeline​

  • Groundbreaking: Scheduled for the second quarter of 2026 BIC Magazine.
  • Major unit assembly: AFR anticipates having all large units on site and being assembled by 2028 KXAN Austin.
  • First full year of operations: 2029
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Luck, or part of the overall plan?

New refinery scheduled to come on line in 2029 is specifically engineered to process 60 million barrels of American light shale crude annually, reducing domestic reliance on energy imports.

America First Refining’s Brownsville, Texas Project​

The new refinery scheduled to come online in the late 2020s — specifically in 2029 — is the America First Refining (AFR) facility at the Port of Brownsville, Texas. It is the first new U.S. oil refinery built from scratch in over 50 years, marking a historic milestone in American energy infrastructure BIC Magazine+1.

Purpose and Design​

The facility is engineered to process 60 million barrels per year of American light shale crude — 100% domestic, high-quality shale oil — and is designed to produce gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel using commercially proven, low-carbon technologies BIC Magazine+1. This focus on light shale crude addresses a long-standing mismatch between U.S. shale oil production and refining capacity, reducing reliance on imported heavy crude BIC Magazine.

Strategic Impact​

  • Energy Security: By refining domestic shale oil, the project strengthens U.S. fuel supply resilience and reduces dependence on foreign energy imports BIC Magazine.
  • Cleaner Fuels: The refinery will leverage advanced refining technologies (e.g., naphtha and diesel hydrotreating, continuous catalytic reforming, isomerization) to produce high-quality, low-carbon fuels Hydrocarbon Processing.
  • Economic Growth: The project is expected to create thousands of high-paying jobs and generate billions in economic impact for South Texas PR Newswire+1.
  • Global Positioning: Located at a deep-water port, it will also support U.S. exports of refined products Hydrocarbon Processing.

Development Timeline​

  • Groundbreaking: Q2 2026 BIC Magazine+1.
  • Construction: Generational-scale buildout across the Gulf Coast BIC Magazine.
  • Operational Target: 2029 BIC Magazine.
  • Long-Term Commitment: A 20-year offtake agreement with a global supermajor to purchase and distribute American shale oil PR Newswire.

Partners and Technology​

  • Engineering & Design: Fluor Corporation is leading the front-end engineering and design Fluor Newsroom.
  • Technology Provider: Axens will supply advanced refining systems to optimize performance and reduce energy consumption Hydrocarbon Processing.
In summary, the Brownsville refinery is not just a new production facility — it is a strategic, technology-driven expansion of U.S. refining capacity tailored to the realities of today’s shale oil market, with the goal of boosting domestic energy independence, supporting cleaner fuels, and creating long-term economic benefits.
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*Cannot get hot link, quoted full article
 
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hm1996 said:
American refineries are mostly configured for heavier imported Arab oil, not domestic shale light sweet blends—meaning crude slates still matter in ways you obviously do not understand. Global oil doesn’t shift power that easily—and the market doesn’t run on wishful substitutions.
Many Americans do not understand that different types of crude require different types of refineries.




Luck, or part of the overall plan?
New refinery scheduled to come on line in 2029 is specifically engineered to process 60 million barrels of American light shale crude annually, reducing domestic reliance on energy imports.
Click to expand...
It’s one refinery—and it’s not even scheduled to come online until 2029. That’s four years from now. Acting like that alone changes the current global energy equation is premature at best.

Do you really think it makes sense to try to restructure energy policy today around a single future facility that may or may not even operate at full projected capacity?

We’ve already been through this with the previous administration—trying to restrict or phase out domestic production through fracking in anticipation of green energy scaling up faster than it realistically has. The problem is timing. You can’t replace baseload energy infrastructure on hope and projections.

And even today, green energy still isn’t a full replacement for oil and gas at industrial scale in transportation, refining, and global trade.

So yes, expanding refining capacity is fine—but using one future project as proof of a completed energy transition is putting the cart way before the horse.
 
In 2008, I was working for one of the top oil and gas exploration companies pioneering horizontal fracking in the North Dakota Bakken. The wells came on strong, but it didn’t take long to see how quickly initial production (IP) drops off compared to vertical wells. Horizontal shale wells deliver high initial output, but they decline much faster over time.

It becomes a treadmill—you’re constantly drilling the next well just to hold production flat.

American shale producers understand this, and so do shareholders, which is why the industry tends to show capital discipline, especially given the boom-and-bust cycles that come with rapid production swings.

That’s fundamentally different from conventional Middle Eastern crude, where large reservoirs produce at much lower decline rates and can maintain output for far longer periods with far less continuous drilling.

Same commodity, very different production physics—and that difference is what drives global energy economics more than most people realize.
 
Infidel 762 said:
It’s one refinery—and it’s not even scheduled to come online until 2029. That’s four years from now. Acting like that alone changes the current global energy equation is premature at best.
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Actually, that is only 3 years, Jeremy ;), but you are correct, this is just one small step in the overall picture, but a very significant accomplishment & every journey begins with one step. It has been 50 years since any steps in this direction have been planned, yet alone taken. Three years from planning to production of a refinery is really a relatively short time frame from the ground up.

I was @ Union Carbide in 1980 when a major expansion was started which only added four columns to replace an older recovery system while doubling output and that took a year and a half to complete with all of the utilities already in place. Much smaller project than building from scratch.

Brownsville does have the advantage of being a seaport. One of the 125'x30' stills was fabricated elsewhere and transported via barge to site. I'm sure that will help expedite current project as well.
 
hm1996 said:
Actually, that is only 3 years, Jeremy ;), but you are correct, this is just one small step in the overall picture, but a very significant accomplishment & every journey begins with one step. It has been 50 years since any steps in this direction have been planned, yet alone taken. Three years from planning to production of a refinery is really a relatively short time frame from the ground up.

I was @ Union Carbide in 1980 when a major expansion was started which only added four columns to replace an older recovery system while doubling output and that took a year and a half to complete with all of the utilities already in place. Much smaller project than building from scratch.

Brownsville does have the advantage of being a seaport. One of the 125'x30' stills was fabricated elsewhere and transported via barge to site. I'm sure that will help expedite current project as well.
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I stand corrected—3 years is 3 years, and yes, building a refinery that fast is a significant engineering and permitting effort. No argument there.

But let’s not inflate what that actually means in terms of impact.

At roughly 60 million barrels a year, that’s still a tiny fraction of U.S. demand, which is over 20 million barrels per day. So we’re talking about marginal relief in a massive, global system—not a structural shift.

And yes, every journey starts with a step, but policy and energy markets don’t operate on inspirational timelines—they operate on scale, supply chains, and decades-long investment cycles.

On top of that, there’s real volatility baked into the system from the regulatory and political side as well. A lot of capital decisions in oil and gas aren’t just about geology or engineering—they’re about whether the rules stay consistent long enough to justify long-term investment. That uncertainty alone changes how aggressively companies can even plan ahead.

We’ve also seen how quickly assumptions shift in this space. Whether it was COVID disruptions or broader policy swings, “long-term certainty” in energy markets has not exactly been a stable bet.

So it’s not about dismissing the refinery—it’s about putting it in context. It’s one piece in a very large, very complex system where timing, scale, and volatility matter just as much as intent.
 
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