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War Lasts Forever
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Darrell Castle talks about the war in which Europe currently finds itself as well as the seemingly inevitable war against Iran and its affiliates.
Transcription / Notes
WAR LASTS FOREVER
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 25th day of April in the year of our Lord 2025. I talk of war today as we are about two weeks away from May 8th which is the 80th anniversary of the German surrender in WWll or what became known as victory in Europe Day. I speak today not of the German surrender but of the war in which Europe still finds itself as well as the seemingly inevitable war against Iran and its affiliates.
It is very easy to get into a war and so very hard to get out of one. The efforts to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia have become more difficult because neither side has been defeated. They have killed each other and invented new technological methods of warfare but neither is in a position of absolute defeat. Many seem disappointed that the war might end and they look for ways to make it continue. The only way it can continue is if the United States and Europe remain committed by supplying the money and hardware the Ukrainians need to continue the struggle.
Even if the U.S. decided to continue the supply chain the Ukrainians are running out of bodies. Even U.S. money and weapons might not be enough and so some are urging the use of U.S. and European troops to continue the fight against Russia. France seems to be seriously considering the idea. I have read that the usual argument in favor of U.S. commitment is that China is supplying Russia and some Chinese officers have been captured inside Ukraine where they were apparently learning about the incredible drone warfare campaign Ukraine has developed. I guess you don’t need so many bodies if you can fight each other with robots.
The situation in Ukraine reminds me of the U.S. efforts to extricate itself from Vietnam. Once again it’s easy to get into but hard to get out of. The U.S. was never defeated militarily and U.S. troops were not defeated on the battlefield but neither did the U.S. win and so by not winning it lost. History is filled with examples of committed guerilla forces fighting and winning against technologically superior forces. The American colonists against the British Empire for example. The more powerful force, usually with long supply lines, grows ever more exhausted and the war appears unwinnable so they simply look for a way to quit, but sometimes the guerillas will not allow them to quit and keep their dignity.
President Trump now finds himself in the position of fulfilling his promise of ending the war but the war is a lot more important to Ukraine and Russia than it is to the United States. The stated reasons for U.S. involvement, i.e. to weaken Russia have failed and it appears Russia is more resilient than previously thought. It appears to be the same situation the U.S. found itself in as it tried to leave Vietnam. The Viet Cong achieved their goals of uniting their country under their rule and the U.S. finally decided to accept that and just go.
The Ukrainian situation has similarities because Russia occupies Crimea and several provinces in the Eastern border region of Ukraine proper, while Ukraine still occupies some positions inside Russia although not many. Ironically, this Kursk frontier is the exact same region where the Russians fought invading Nazis during WWll. Not much changes except technology because human nature never changes.
Vice President Vance conveyed the President’s thoughts about efforts to end the struggle in that if his final offer is rejected the U.S. might simply abandon the process. If the U.S. went away and took its bombs and bullets with it then Zelensky and Putin could resolve matters on their own. The U.S. negotiating team seems to be growing weary as Secretary of State Rubio has stepped back from it, according to J.D. Vance.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians and its time for them to either say yes or for the U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy.”
Trump expects Ukraine to agree to U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia but apparently not the Eastern Provinces which are in Russian hands after 3 years of war. Ukraine would be barred from joining NATO but could join the European Union. All sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 would be lifted and the U.S. and Russia would pursue greater economic cooperation. Ukraine would receive a “robust security agreement” from Europe but the details of that agreement were sketchy. Ukraine would receive money to help rebuild but again the details were unclear. I raise an eyebrow at that but again the costs of peace are cheaper than war. A summit was scheduled in London yesterday to hopefully reach an agreement, but the summit has already failed because Zelensky rejected Trump’s “final offer.”
Meantime, the U.S. is involved in another war currently raging in the Middle East. What we are seeing now could be a precursor to an even bigger war coming soon or maybe not, if sanity prevails. President Trump has made many statements toward the Houthi tribes in Yemen as well as the Mullahs in Iran. For example, last month he told the Houthis that “hell would rain down on them” if they did not stop their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The attacks have not stopped and in fact have intensified. Hell has been raining down now for several weeks.
The U.S. has deployed another Carrier Battle Group to the area to support the continuous air strikes. The logistics of constantly supplying ammunition, bombs, food, and fuel to so many ships so many miles away has to be taking its toll on the navy. Why do it at all. Does it make any sense at all for the U.S. Navy to accept responsibility for keeping sea lanes open for others. Very little of the shipping passing through those lanes benefits the U.S. with most of the cargo going to Europe. Once again, the U.S. has gotten into something that is hard to get out of. History could reveal to the President that air power alone is rarely decisive against a determined foe. The bottom line is that a full-scale ground assault will be necessary to completely destroy the Houthis ability to cause trouble and I doubt if even that will work.
There is another reason for doing it, of course, besides keeping shipping lanes open. The real reason is to degrade all of Iran’s proxies in the Middle East and thereby deprive Iran of allies. Since the attacks of October 7th by Hamas against Israel the Israelis have been at war in Gaza. Dennis Kucinich tells us that in an area the size of Detroit, the Israelis have dropped over 100,000 tons of bombs. Most of those bombs are U.S. made by the way. The point is that Hamas, another Iranian proxy, has been degraded to the point that it is no longer much of a threat or of much help to Iran.
Israeli air attacks in Syria and the overthrow of the Syrian regime of Bandar Assad has destroyed or severely damaged Hezbollah the other Iranian proxy terrorist group. The fall of Assad deprived Iran of the ability to resupply Hezbollah and left them without many obvious allies in the area. The Iranians apparently recognized their predicament and have publicly abandoned the Houthis. Trump seems to want peace instead of war, but it is difficult when the one who wants war is Israel.
Apparently, during Netanyahu’s second trip to Washington he told Trump that he was going to attack Iran with or without U.S. participation. To me, if I had that decision to make it would be one of the easier ones. I would just say that I hope you don’t do that because if you do it will involve the immediate end of all U.S. military and monetary aid to Israel. Trump didn’t take my approach but he did say that he wanted to resolve the matter diplomatically if possible. When asked about Israel’s postponement of its attack he replied, “I wouldn’t say that I postponed it, but I’m not in a rush to do it.”
Trump has a Middle East trip coming up and one of the stops will be in Turkey to meet with Erdogan. The Turkish newspapers are full of stories about the upcoming meeting and how it can help resolve the Iran matter peacefully. By the way, folks Google has given us access to newspapers all over the world. If you want to read inside information from Turkey or Israel, it used to be difficult because of language but now you just click English and the articles are automatically translated.
Well, Turkish newspapers tell us that Trump gave Netanyahu what they termed a historic reprimand by telling him “You should be reasonable too.” Trump, himself, confirmed that Netanyahu went to the White House with a plan to attack Iran. The Turkish paper suggests that Trumps decision to negotiate instead of fight did not please Netanyahu but since it was the President of the United States he had no choice but to accept the decision.
Trump and the people he has assembled understand that his real fight is with China and it’s a fight for leadership of the world. That’s why he wants the Russia-Ukraine War to end and he wants the U.S.- Israeli war against Iran not to start. The talks are coming along nicely according to Turkey and involve supervision of Iran’s nuclear activities and lifting of sanctions against Iran. Both are fiercely opposed by Israel and that’s a problem.
In conclusion, involving your country in foreign military adventures is insane. The U.S. doesn’t have to do what it has been doing for the past 85 years. It should instead rethink its place in the world because fortress America sounds a lot more sensible than wasting blood and treasure on foreign battlefields when there is no national interest involved.
Finally, folks, in addition to the military aid provided to Israel during times of crises such as now, the U.S. provides 4 billion each year that has no known purpose except a kind of welfare which decades of administrations have seen as a kind of moral duty. The Israelis need that money because they recycle it into the U.S. Congress and other key defense decision makers. In other words. The Israelis have figured out a way to buy the U.S. Congress and make us pay for it.
At least that’s the way I see it,
Until next time folks,
This is Darrell Castle,
Thanks for listening.
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Threat Assessment
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Darrell Castle discusses the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community just issued and signed off on by the office of the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.
Transcription / Notes
THREAT ASSESSMENT
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Good Friday on the 18th day of April 2025. I will be talking about the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community just issued and signed off on by the office of the Director of National Intelligence who at this moment is Tulsi Gabbard. This report gives the assessment of threats the U.S. faces from each country in the world where a threat is perceived to exist and is the combined assessment of the 17 intelligence agencies that are under the authority of the national director.
This report, which is published annually, is hot off the presses, but I don’t recommend that you read all 33 pages as I have unless you have a high tolerance for being terrified. Yes, once you have read this report you will wonder how the people who deal with this information every day manage to sleep at night. I will take this opportunity to share the highlights of the threat assessment as determined by U.S, Intelligence with you so you don’t have to read it and risk being terrorized.
The forward to the report introduces us to what is about to be presented. Terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, and I suppose that means drug cartels and their national supporters directly threaten our citizens and are directly responsible for more than 55,000 U.S. deaths from synthetic opioids in the last year, a 33% increase over the previous year.. It is amazing to me just how destructive the scourge of drugs has been to America. Those who are addicted seem to have an uncontrollable desire for the drug which enslaves them. I suppose the drugs at first, promise a good time or relief from bad times, but deliver, instead, misery and death.
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Resetting the Order
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Darrell Castle endeavors to give his opinion on the subject of tariffs and what they mean for the United States.
Transcription / Notes
RESETTING THE ORDER
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 11th day of April in the year of our Lord 2025. It’s difficult to leave the subject of war and talk about tariffs but I have been waiting for the wars to pause long enough for me to do it. The wars haven’t cooperated, but I have to pause them for this week since the subject of tariffs can no longer be ignored.
I don’t claim to be an economist but I do know something about economic history so, I will, therefore, endeavor to give an opinion on the subject of tariffs and what they mean for us. I used to study the marketing theory of one of the great marketers in the world today, Dan Kennedy. People would pay handsomely for Dan’s advice and they would often ask him, so what should I do, this or that, and his answer was, yes. In other words, he would advise them to implement all those ideas at the same time. President Trump seems to have adopted that shotgun approach to how he deals with the US economy and its relationship with the world.
The tariff seems to be the base of Trump’s economic program and he has announced the implementation of 10% baseline tariffs on all imports but he has now temporarily paused them for 90 days. My understanding is that all reciprocal tariffs are paused except China which stands at 125%. He said that “yippy” globalists and “queasy” skeptics fueled his decision. I guess that means people were getting nervous and that made him nervous.
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Peace with Russia – War with Iran
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Darrell Castle talks about efforts to end the war in Ukraine as well as the apparent military buildup in the Middle East for a coming US attack against Iran and its Nuclear Research Facilities.
Transcription / Notes
PEACE WITH RUSSIA—WAR WITH IRAN
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 4th day of April in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about efforts to end the war in Ukraine as well as a recent New York Times article which attempts to explain the war against Russia. I will also talk a little about the apparent military buildup in the Middle East for a coming US attack against Iran and its Nuclear Research Facilities.
Last Sunday, March 30, 2025, the New York Times published an extensive article by investigative reporter Adam Entous entitled “The Partnership: The Secret History of the War in Ukraine.” Mr. Entous claims to have interviewed many sources in various countries while working on the report which he says took over a year to complete. His report provides some answers to the question of how Ukraine was able to effectively keep Russia at bay and on the defensive for over three years.
You know my position by now that the Times has become nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Democrat Party so this article which started a year before the presidential election is puzzling. I suppose the idea is that it can’t hurt Biden now so why not publish and reveal what many of us have suspected all along. I certainly suspected it but I admit that I didn’t suspect the extent of US involvement alleged by the Times article. Mr. Entous would have had to talk to and probably clear his article through some very high-ranking individuals and the Russians were certain to see it right at the time when negotiations with Putin are at a critical stage.
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JFK’s Grave
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Darrell Castle talks about the recently released 80,000 files, so far, concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the immense power of the deep state.
Transcription / Notes
JFK’s GRAVE
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday, the 28th day of March in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about the recently declassified and released 80,000 files, so far, concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Those files remind us of the immense power of the deep state and how its members tend to close ranks when threatened because they derive great wealth and power from their membership,
I remember that day quite clearly because I was 15 years old and at a high school track meet when the news told the world what supposedly happened. The coach told us the track meet was over and school was closed for the day. It was scary and a sobering time for a 15-year-old trying to make sense of the world anyway, but this Report is not a rehash of the assassination but instead it is a look at what it all means for the world and how its aftermath still resonates in the world today.
That day was an eye opener for some people but for most of us it has taken decades for our eyes to fully open. Polls taken throughout the 1950’s revealed that over 70% of Americans trusted the government and believed that it would do what is right “most of the time.” A follow up question showed that most of the time meant “just about always.” November 22, 1963, began a long decline in the public’s confidence that is greater today than at any other time in our history. That former trust in government is gone and today’s polls show only about 22% still trust in government.
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The U.S. and Russia Have Common Interests
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Darrell Castle talks about the wars currently on-going in the world and how they are being used to form a new order of the world.
Transcription / Notes
THE U.S. AND RUSSIA HAVE COMMON INTERESTS
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday, the 21st day of March in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about the subject I hate the most, and that is war which seems to be almost everywhere. The partial ceasefire in Ukraine, the open fire now in Gaza, and the U.S. war in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandab against the Houthis.
War shapes the world order and I guess it always has. For example, the military defeat of Napoleon in 1814 led to the Congress of Vienna which cemented Great Britain as the leader of the new world order instead of France. I suppose since those countries controlled the world it would be OK to call that a world war resulting in the new order which existed until World War One or 1914. The victors in WW l set the order with the formation of the League of Nations which totally collapsed when Germany decided that it would be a better world leader than Britain. The victors in World War ll formed the new order with the United States as its leader and the United Nations to cement the order permanently.
The Soviet Union, which was one of the victors in WW ll didn’t accept the U.S. as world leader and that resulted in a 40 year long world order which became the cold war. The end of the cold war brought an end to the Soviet Union which dissolved into the Russian Federation. The global elite of the world had to find a way to continue the struggle to feed the eternal death machine so the conflict between NATO and Russia continued. We won’t move one inch closer to Russia Reagan told Gorbachev but later presidents reneged on that promise and the struggle continued.
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Resetting the Global Order
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Darrell talks about several things that taken together, in his opinion, represent an attempt by President Trump to reset the global order.
Transcription / Notes
RESETTING THE GLOBAL ORDER
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 14th day of March in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about several things that taken together, in my opinion, represent an attempt by President Trump to reset the global order. Some of those things include a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, along with the US and Europe’s special relationship and the attitude of the US toward Russia.
US national security advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukrainian officials about a proposal for ending the Ukraine/Russia war. It’s a very difficult thing to end a war unless you are able to raise your flag over the enemy capitol. Getting two warring sides to just stop fighting and stand in place is very difficult because one side or the other always has the advantage or momentum and wants to keep it.
This particular peace conference was apparently brokered by the Saudis who had several representatives in attendance. One important party missing from the meeting was Russia which will obviously have to be onboard if the ceasefire has any chance of working.
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Jefferson Was Right About Europe
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Darrell Castle talks about Europe, Zelensky, and the war in Ukraine as well as the President’s speech to Congress and the Democrat reaction to it.
JEFFERSON WAS RIGHT ABOUT EUROPE
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 7th day of March in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about Europe, Zelensky, and the war in Ukraine as well as the President’s speech to Congress and the Democrat reaction to it.
I will start today’s Report with a disclaimer. When I talk about Democrats and say nasty but always truthful things about them, when I refer to them in some disparaging terms I am talking about the politicians and their useful idiots in the media and not about individual Americans who identify as Democrats many of whom are dear friends or even relatives. So, I have no apology to offer for anything I have said or will say today about Democrat politicians because if I did not believe my position to be true I would certainly change it. In addition, there are some Republican politicians almost as bad as Democrats, almost but not quite because they know better but are simply reacting as the self-serving political hypocrites that they are.
The title of this Castle Report is taken from a quote by Thomas Jefferson offered more than 200 years ago but just as true today as it was then.
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The Theater of Tax and Spend
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Darrell Castle talks about taking on or contending with the deep state or permanent Washington and how that relates to money, debt, credit and taxes.
Transcription / Notes
THE THEATER OF TAX AND SPEND
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 28th day of February in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about taking on or contending with the deep state or permanent Washington and how that relates to money, debt, credit and taxes. Many taxpayers feel as if they have been and are being robbed by government officials and bureaucrats and that just might be because they are.
If you are like me then you know a lot of people who live on the edge barely making ends meet from week to week. I meet people literally everyday in my law practice who tell me they are one missed paycheck from the street. It is very distressing for those people when they find that much of the money taken from them as taxes was stolen by some invisible blob operating out of Washington D.C.
We are told during each presidential administration that the country has cast itself into penury by ceaseless efforts to care for its population as well as maintain a global security network to keep them safe and free. That statement is the opposite of truth as is normal for Washington. The recent theft, estimated at 4.7 trillion as is known so far, represents about two thirds of the annual national budget, but it disappears and is apparently impossible to trace. Nobody who should know does know and even fewer care where it goes.
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Rude American Offers European Independence
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Darrell Castle talks about the remarks of Vice President Vance at the annual Munich Security Conference and the European response to those remarks. In addition he discusses DOGE and its examination of the Military Industrial Complex.
Transcription / Notes
RUDE AMERICAN OFFERS EUROPEAN INDEPENDENCE
Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 21st day of February in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about the remarks of Vice President Vance at the annual Munich Security Conference as well as the European response to those remarks. In addition, I will talk a little about DOGE and its examination of the Military Industrial Complex (MIC).
Yes, J.D. Vance spoke to Europeans about their relationship with the U.S. at the annual Munich Security Conference which had as its main emphasis the U.S. role as the guarantor of European Security and the European and American roles in Ukraine. He called the Europeans out for censoring their people and for allowing third world migrants to destroy their communities. He seemed to indicate that these policies were not in the best interest of the European people and they also hinder our fellowship with them. I will point out that those have also been the policies of the United States for at least the past 4 years and in part for all the years since 9/11, but the European elite bought what the Biden administration was selling to them hook, line, and sinker.
I suppose he was telling Europe that that the new sheriff in the U.S. believes in free speech and in preserving the quality of life for the American people. The subjects that Vance discussed in his speech were, in my view, an admission that the empire is in trouble and changes have to be made right now to save a free republic for our children. The debt faced by the country will lead to ultimate collapse and chaos and something must be done to change or at least slow the process of that looming disaster. The content of his speech acknowledged that reality without really saying it out loud.
