Iran

[reefraff]

Hey, lets try to keep this a "friendly" political type thread.
Interesting stuff going on over there. I think Obama was a little slow in getting there but has set the right tone. Be supportive but not enough to allow the Iranian government a tool to distract the people. Iranian airforce is set to have exercises in the gulf. How much you want a bet they try to force an incident with the great Satan?

 

[ruaround]

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3069530
Hey, lets try to keep this a "friendly" political type thread.
Interesting stuff going on over there. I think Obama was a little slow in getting there but has set the right tone. Be supportive but not enough to allow the Iranian government a tool to distract the people. Iranian airforce is set to have exercises in the gulf. How much you want a bet they try to force an incident with the great Satan?
thats oxymoronic...

 

[geridoc]

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3069530
Hey, lets try to keep this a "friendly" political type thread.
Interesting stuff going on over there. I think Obama was a little slow in getting there but has set the right tone. Be supportive but not enough to allow the Iranian government a tool to distract the people. Iranian airforce is set to have exercises in the gulf. How much you want a bet they try to force an incident with the great Satan?
I wouldn't bet against it. The Iranian government desperately needs a distraction, and a showdown with the "Great Satan" would fit the bill perfectly. In the meantime, let's hope the Israelis don't decide to take advantage of the Iranian's distraction by attacking the nuclear facilities in Iran - that would be a juicy distraction.

 

[bionicarm]

I'll use movie quotes for this response...

Think of Iran and the Middle East as if they were the 'bugs' from the movie Aliens:
BURKE
Look, this is a multimillion
dollar operation. He can't make
that kind of decision. He's just
a grunt!
(glances at Hicks)
No offense.
HICKS
(coolly)
None taken.
(into mike)
Ferro, you copying?
FERRO
(voice over; static)
Standing by.
HICKS
Prep for dust-off. We're gonna
need an immediate evac.
(to Burke)
I think we'll take off and nuke
the site from orbit. It's the
only way to be sure.

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by GeriDoc
http:///forum/post/3069545
I wouldn't bet against it. The Iranian government desperately needs a distraction, and a showdown with the "Great Satan" would fit the bill perfectly. In the meantime, let's hope the Israelis don't decide to take advantage of the Iranian's distraction by attacking the nuclear facilities in Iran - that would be a juicy distraction.
Yeah, hopefully Israel doesn't jump froggy here. I've thought for a long time we just need to wait it out with Iran. Maybe the clerics will at least back off a bit even if this doesn't turn into a full blown revolution. At least the tide may be turning a little there.

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/3069643
I'll use movie quotes for this response...

Think of Iran and the Middle East as if they were the 'bugs' from the movie Aliens:
BURKE
Look, this is a multimillion
dollar operation. He can't make
that kind of decision. He's just
a grunt!
(glances at Hicks)
No offense.
HICKS
(coolly)
None taken.
(into mike)
Ferro, you copying?
FERRO
(voice over; static)
Standing by.
HICKS
Prep for dust-off. We're gonna
need an immediate evac.
(to Burke)
I think we'll take off and nuke
the site from orbit. It's the
only way to be sure.
About 15 years ago I first heard the phrase "It's pretty easy to drill for oil through glass"

 

[uneverno]

Perhaps, though not necessarily, too complex a question for an internet thread.
The history involved is ancient, ugly and largely not set up by us as much as it was our foremost allies - the English. At least recently.
On one hand - it's none of our business.
On the other hand - if we ignore it - it will become our business.
By the same token - whose fault is that?
We've treated the planet as our gas station and our supermarket. Perhaps we ought to rethink that position.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by uneverno
http:///forum/post/3070343
We've treated the planet as our gas station and our supermarket. Perhaps we ought to rethink that position.
You say that as if it were a bad thing. If the middle east didn't have oil, they'd look like Somolia right now... It wouldn't even be worth it for some despot to take over the country...
Originally Posted by uneverno
http:///forum/post/3070343
The history involved is ancient, ugly and largely not set up by us as much as it was our foremost allies - the English. At least recently.

Just like there is a reason India is a having an industrial revolution, and the rest of that area basically still has a primative economy... It couldn't have been the British...

 

[renogaw]

So... we've got Iran upset at us and Britain. We've got NK upset at us and SK. Who's going to become great allies against us? Two countries willing to do whatever despite the consequences... who thought they'd live to see WWIII and nukes destroying everyone?....i sure didnt

 

[rslinger]

i don't think his stance on the issue changed at all he is saying them smaething he has been saying. maybe a little harsher wording and amybe all in one speech but if you put together everything he said in the past put it together it is the same thing he said yesterday

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by Rslinger
http:///forum/post/3070690
i don't think his stance on the issue changed at all he is saying them smaething he has been saying. maybe a little harsher wording and amybe all in one speech but if you put together everything he said in the past put it together it is the same thing he said yesterday
I tend to agree. His foreign policy is that somehow his personality is so magnetic, and his "wisdom" profound that they will "see the light" and live in harmony and peace.
The problem is, you aren't dealing with sane leaders with the best interests of their people at heart.

 

[sickboy]

I think Obama did the right thing by not saying anything during the election campaigns (Iran's) to add fuel to a fire, but waiting to say something after it was done, or kind of.
But, it will be interesting to see how Iran ends up. Will they buck the older way? Even the reformist party is still pretty conservative by our standards, or so it seems, and they still won't like us.

 

[tru conch]

love the aliens quote. one of my fav movies.
the fact that the iranians (civilians) have had enough of the theocracy gov't and want to be more westernized (have the basic freedoms) will be interesting to see how it plays out. of course they (the ayatollahs and president) are just waiting for any excuse to jump on the US/Uk (the great satans) and turn it into their favor.
i do agree with prez obama's stand as of right now. maybe some harsher language could be used, but he has to be prepared to back that language up. and where is the UN in all of this? they like to meddle in everything.
We've treated the planet as our gas station and our supermarket. Perhaps we ought to rethink that position. Really? the US does more than treat the world as our personal 7-11. The US (mainly its military) does a ton of humaintarian missions around the world w/o anything expected in return. I dont get free gas or food after all the work i've done trying to improve other peoples lives in foreign countries

 

[oscardeuce]

Originally Posted by tru conch
http:///forum/post/3071283
The US (mainly its military) does a ton of humaintarian missions around the world w/o anything expected in return. I dont get free gas or food after all the work i've done trying to improve other peoples lives in foreign countries
Let's look at the top 10 most charitable nations.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16638810/
Oh, my! Look the "great Satan" is at the top of the list. We are followed by the lessor satans. We basically double #2. All the top 10 are "free" to some extent. It seems Liberty and Charity are directly proportional.
We ARE a giving people, yet we get no credit for it.
Anyone see anything lacking. Where are all those oil soaked countries? Why are they not giving?
Give me a break.
Sometimes isolationism looks good.

 

[tru conch]

thank you oscarduece!
and i agree, at times i feel we should fix the problems within our own country first by devoting the resources to inside our borders. but the US has the world police/helping hand mentality, and the countries that are helped often turn out for the better and as an ally/trade partner.
and nice pic of an ov-10 bronco

 

[stdreb27]

This is what I don't get, it is the general consensus amoung a lot of people that this other guy is somehow more "liberal" than the incombent. But the real power rests with the mullah and he appointed the candidates. You really think he sat there and chose two opposing view points to "run." I don't think even if the new guy got elected you see much if any change in Iranian positions.

 

[uneverno]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
http:///forum/post/3070509
You say that as if it were a bad thing. If the middle east didn't have oil, they'd look like Somolia right now... It wouldn't even be worth it for some despot to take over the country...
Yeah, exploitation is a bad thing. If the Middle East didn't have oil, would we even care what they did?
How exactly do we care about Somalia? Oh yeah, it's about the shipping lanes and piracy. Has nothing to do with the people.
Just like there is a reason India is a having an industrial revolution, and the rest of that area basically still has a primative economy... It couldn't have been the British...
Not sure how that's relevant, but ok.
Unless you mean that software companies can hire Indian engineers for less than half what they can American engineers, thus putting our own people out of work.

 

[uneverno]

Originally Posted by oscardeuce
http:///forum/post/3071306
Let's look at the top 10 most charitable nations.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16638810/
Oh, my! Look the "great Satan" is at the top of the list. We are followed by the lessor satans. We basically double #2. All the top 10 are "free" to some extent. It seems Liberty and Charity are directly proportional.
We ARE a giving people, yet we get no credit for it.
Anyone see anything lacking. Where are all those oil soaked countries? Why are they not giving?
Give me a break.
Sometimes isolationism looks good.
All valid points, except for the isolationism part. If we're going to promote isolationism, then we need to be self sufficient.