Open or Closed?

A billboard in Tehran, Iran,
 appears to show the sewn lips of President Donald Trump
 covered in a ribbon shaped to represent
the Strait of Hormuz.Vahid Salemi / AP

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The Sun came out yesterday afternoon. Finally. After almost three days of gray and rain, the sky turned blue for a few moments and the Sun shone. 

Finn was happy the sun came out. He does not like going outside when it rains, but he is a trooper and does his business even in the rain. 

I was happy last evening that I could watch the NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas via my digital over-the-air antenna! Comcast and Scripps are still wallowing around like two hippos in a small pond. I am seriously looking at dumping my Xfinity cable now that I have figured out how to get local channels. 

The big news of the day yesterday was that two US flagged ships were escorted through the Strait of Hormuz! I can't tell if it was a success or an abject failure. Two ships is far short of the total number, in the hundreds, that must transit the Strait daily to restore the critical flow of oil and other items to a starving world. Time will tell. 

So the question this morning is, Is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed to international shipping? 

Inquiring minds want to know. 

Apparently it is mostly closed unless escorted by a heavy US Navy footprint. 

Who says hostilities are terminated? 

The U.S. used attack helicopters to blow up the small boats and intercept the drones, according to Adm. Brad Cooper. He said in a call Monday that U.S. Navy ships were protecting U.S. commercial vessels transiting the strait, as part of President Donald Trump’s new mission to guide stranded vessels through the critical waterway. (NBC News)

Based upon the above, the War Powers Resolution should be enforced to bring this quagmire to a conclusion.

As for the image above? While we cannot stop the vitriol being spewed by the president, apparently the Iranians have found a way.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL