Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

By All Means, Let the War Crimes Trials Begin!
American Greatness ^ | April 9 2026 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 04/09/2026 3:25:09 AM PDT by texas booster

The Left and some on the Right went crazy over a recent Trump tweet.

He warned that if the Iranian regime did not cease blocking the international Strait of Hormuz, he would hit its dual military-civilian infrastructure. He promised that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

His wording may have been sloppy, but Trump obviously meant that the murderous civilization/culture of radical Iranian theocratic Islam would cease to exist and wouldn’t come back once power plants and transportation systems crucial to the regime’s survival were cut off.

Why do we know that?

Because, unlike in most prior American wars, Trump has never targeted dual-use infrastructure—not in bombing ISIS, not in removing the Venezuelan thug Nicolás Maduro, not in the 2025 bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, and not in the present war—with the exception of a key bridge central to the regime’s efforts to reposition missile assets to avoid air strikes.

Ever since Trump announced that “help is on the way” to the Iranian people, the entire aim of the five-week war has been to selectively target the regime’s command and control and military assets.

The goal was to diminish its threats abroad, while weakening and humiliating the mullahcracy at home—so that soon the Iranian people might at last be able to overthrow the odious theocracy.

Trump’s critics knew all that.

But they see political advantage in tagging Trump as a Strangelovian madman, no different from the Nazi criminals in the docket at Nuremberg.

A few less unhinged people argue that his rhetoric nevertheless comes across as unpresidential.

Perhaps.

But it may be no accident that his Gen. Curtis LeMay-like bluster might have pressured the Iranians to reopen negotiations.

(Excerpt) Read more at amgreatness.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Foreign Affairs; Government; Hamas; Hezbollah; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Lebanon; News/Current Events; War on Terror; Yemen
KEYWORDS: hamas; hezbollah; hormuz; iran; irgc; irgcstraitofhormuz; israel; lebanon; straitofhormuz; vdh; victordavishanson; waronterror; yemen
Message from Jim Robinson:

Dear FRiends,

We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.

If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you,

Jim

Comment #1 Removed by Moderator

To: 5th MEB; 6ppc; agondonter; Alberta's Child; AndyJackson; Aria; artichokegrower; ...
Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

Perhaps we can reinvestigate Samantha Power, Hillary Clinton, and Susan Rice, the architects of the 2011 “unlawful” and Congressionally “unauthorized” seven-month bombing of a mostly inert Libya.

Yes, let's let the Left dig up the past, in their effort to stain our current President!

FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR

Town Hall: Victor Davis Hanson on Town Hall

American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness

His website: Victor Davis Hanson The Sword of Perseus

One of his sponsors' website: The Daily Signal

Please let me know if you want on or off this new VDH ping list.

As a reminder, Professor Hanson has asked that we do not post the full article of his writings. Thank you for following the link to finish his article.

Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience.

https://freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

2 posted on 04/09/2026 3:27:16 AM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: texas booster

R-for-R #4, paraphrased for Lefties:
“Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
while ignoring your own actions.


3 posted on 04/09/2026 3:34:02 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (The Democrats' official policy is now, “Hate, Violence and Murder". Change my mind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: texas booster

VDH always provides a direct hit upon the anti-Ameroican detractors.


4 posted on 04/09/2026 4:39:55 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: texas booster

OUTSTANDING article by Victor Davis Hanson. Thanks for posting. BUMP!


5 posted on 04/09/2026 4:45:29 AM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PGalt

He is the ne of the very few remaining voices of intelligent reason. We watch his YouTube videos as often as possible.


6 posted on 04/09/2026 5:03:24 AM PDT by navymom1 (God bless President Trump!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: sauropod

.


7 posted on 04/09/2026 5:31:41 AM PDT by sauropod
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: texas booster

“We are now prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely every productive enterprise the Japanese have above ground in any city. We shall destroy their docks, their factories, and their communications. Let there be no mistake; we shall completely destroy Japan’s power to make war.”
-President Harry S. Truman 1945


8 posted on 04/09/2026 5:45:25 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (This is the end of the Republic....because we could not keep it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: texas booster

His clarification helps. Yes, Trump’s language was sloppy on this- once my wife saw that quote from whatever media she reads from, she launched into a tirade about gas prices and food prices. PLUS the government shutdown. Sometimes she listens to everyone BUT me….in fact almost all the time.


9 posted on 04/09/2026 6:28:53 AM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: telescope115; texas booster
I pointed out on an investing forum that I frequent (who rightfully pay attention to every Trump post because it impacts USO oil markets and everything else), that the Trump post that contains:

"A whole civilization will die tonight..."

also contains:

"God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

If he meant both statements, then clearly his "civilization will die" comment wasn't about wiping out all of Iranians. Perhaps wiping out their 1st world infrastructure, or their theocratic regime.

10 posted on 04/09/2026 10:03:33 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Tell It Right

Agree.


11 posted on 04/09/2026 12:26:29 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson