73 Reds

John, choking and starving a rogue regime seems like a pretty good strategy to me. No lives lost on our side and the other side eventually dies. This conflict has nothing to do with WWII or Viet Nam. We didn't start this "war", they did, many decades ago. We didn't provoke them; they provoked us. Their ideology has no place in a civilized World. The vast majority of Iranians support us yet remain fearful. Most Middle East countries support us. Greg is entirely correct, anyone who looks at this conflict as yet another excuse to pile on Trump and has no solution of their own is suffering from brain rot.

Well, no one could figure it out for 47 years so if there was another viable option either everyone from the past was supremely unaware or the time had come for military action. Me thinks the latter.

I agree, yet the more material question is who would even care about the price of oil if Iran was permitted to get its hands on a nuclear weapon?

I know. He does a standup job administering a bunch of bickering children.

Sorry you took it that way, Sanjeev. Don't think too many here would argue that what's posted here on the politics thread has almost nothing to do with any individual stock or investment yet this thread garners most of the attention on an investment board. Some have suggested alternatives which I agree would likely cut down on the number of silly comments posted daily.

An attempt at a solution (which has not been made before) is playing out. No one can accurately predict whether, when or to what extent it will be successful or for how long it might be. The underlying issue is not hard to grasp; a radical, religious ideology that does not value human life vs. a free, democratic society that has been subject to hate and persecution for its entire existence. Both cannot exist in the same place. The State of Israel has been under constant attack since the day it was founded in 1948. Iran and its proxies are merely the latest iteration of a present enemy and threat. Most of Israel's neighbors wisely gave up trying to attack and destroy it (because they always failed and failed miserably) and there are now good relations between Israel and Egypt/Jordan and the UAE. Israel would like to have good relations with Lebanon to its North but the Lebanese government has been completely powerless to rid itself of Hezbollah (an Iran proxy) which occupies much of Southern Lebanon near the Israel border. The irony is, Lebanon would very much prefer that Hezbollah disappear or be destroyed and unfortunately the Lebanese citizens in cities like Beirut and nearby towns and villages are often victims of the fighting. Without question, regime change is the best chance for a lasting peace and for the citizens of Iran. The US has expressly stated that regime change is not its goal but realistically it has to be an unspoken objective. Regardless whether Trump makes a deal with Iran or not, Israel is going to continue to protect itself and purse its stated objective of regime change in Iran. Because of the solid relationship between Israel and the US (and their present respective leaders) Israel is willing to sit back and allow Trump and the US to pursue some kind of "deal". Personally, I don't think any such deal will last but politics (i.e. short-term thinking) drives current decisions more than what is ultimately best for the region and humanity. Yet make no mistake; Israel has reached a point where it will no longer tolerate Iran and its proxies so with or without US involvement, it is absolutely intent on achieving its objective of eliminating the Iranian regime. Clearly Israel has the means and intelligence. Its only a matter of time and continued will of its people, who I believe are strongly united on that front. As an aside, a family member was a victim of Oct. 7. It doesn't get more personal than that.

You write as if Oct. 7 was the first such instance. It was the worst such instance but these acts have been going on for 50 years. I would encourage anyone here offering opinions to research a little history. Most of the opinions here reflect a clear lack of any understanding. Constructive and civil conversations can be had but not with those living in a bubble as to how and why we are in this place today. It is sad that people who obviously have never stepped foot in or near Israel seem to have all the answers and facts about a conflict that long outdates most of you and one in which you had entirely no interest until Trump decided to do something about it. To your credit you, Sanjeev seem the most grounded in terms of perspective even while allowing stupidity and worse to reign free here in this thread.

Right; any time the playing field is leveled you lose your advantage. Which is why it is usually much more fun playing on an uneven playing field.

Nah, and if you recall, I didn't/don't support any form of "takeover" of Greenland or Canada, though you guys really should try a little harder to recognize when Trump is speaking tongue in cheek just trying to get a rise out of you, particularly when it comes to Canada. You didn't answer the question, which is an answer in and of itself.

Sanjeev, think about how you would feel if someone came on your site and openly supported terrorists sitting offshore and attacking British Columbia, raping and killing its citizens and screaming "Death to British Columbia".

Sanjeev, he supports a regime whose slogan is "Death to Israel, Death to the US. Are you living in a bubble? Tell me, what part of that do you not understand?

You are the worst kind of antisemite. Most readily admit their hatred and are proud of it. You hide behind circuitous arguments, all while supporting a terrorist, hateful regime. You're not fooling anyone.

There is no reason to debate "Death to Israel". Keep digging the hole you so very much enjoy occupying.

If your definition of honesty and stability is prior-day Iran then I'm afraid the joke is on you.

Just repeating the same old nonsense? Trump is more open than all prior politicians combined. What you see is what you get. You mistake form over substance. Those of us who voted for Trump understand the form very well. It makes no difference whether we like it. Substance is what matters. Meaning policies. I would vote for Trump 100 times over before supporting any current Democrat contender and their destructive policies. Every policy I support is being furthered by this administration. Learn a little history. Trump did not start any wars but he is successfully ending some. The World is going to be much better off whether you like it or not.

Nah, Trump got elected because the Democrats lost their way. Not one of the present batch would have defeated Trump.

Honesty and stability now are far better than the prior administration which operated in secrets and deceit that are finally being uncovered. Friends and allies support each other and are not a drag on one another. They share burdens; the burdens do not largely fall on only one of us.

The haters don't seem to have an original idea among them. That's one reason why they are in the position they are in.

Yeah. What do you stand for?

Most of us who voted for him are getting what we voted for. No one should be the least bit surprised. It is not as if he didn't serve one previous term and campaign very clearly about the disruption that was about to occur when he won. He has fulfilled at least 80% of what I voted for. Perfection is never a reasonable expectation and he has far surpassed any prior elected official with the possibility of my State governor. Here in the US it is no surprise that Red States are attracting new business and residents and Blue States are raising taxes. Maybe they'll learn something but given the present cast of characters I doubt it will be anytime soon.

Yet no one could envision where we would be (and be heading) had Trump not won. There are two sides to every position. Pick your poison. The one we have is far preferable to the alternative in many ways. More Americans feel that way than not.

For the average 401k investor it all comes down to time frame. One should not care at all what might happen in the next 10 years if they are just starting out or have many years/decades until retirement. If SPY or an equivalent is the most sensible investment choice, DCA as much as you can. One of the very worst decisions someone can make with a 401k (outside of either not investing, investing too little or withdrawing too early) is moving money into lesser diversified funds or ETFs (or even worse yet - cash) due to some perception of economic or geopolitical events. Very likely your timing will be bad both upon entry and upon exit and reinvestment into something else.

As I've explained many times, the vast majority of Iranians are victims of oppressive, heartless, ideologically bankrtupt "animals" which still rule the country and have to go. I don't think too many folks would argue with that. Some of us personally know Iranians who were forced to flee the Regime. They would whole-heartedly agree and use far worse language to describe the present regime than "animals".

Sanjeev, Iran was behind these attacks - directly and every other which way. These groups would not exist without Iran. Separating proxies from their source makes no sense and is not even worth discussing. But Oct. 7 was not the beginning; the Iranian Regime has been at war with Israel and indirectly with the US since 1979. That is what few today want to recognize. How much longer does a war need to last? Especially when it expands from the same aggressor to a war vs. nearly the entire free World? Yet most here want to chastise the US and Israel for trying to do the World a huge favor. That is what I don't get. Has anyone really considered where we would be if the current Iranian Regime got its hands on nuclear weapon. Seriously, someone please explain how and why whatever price we have to pay to prevent this is not worthwhile.

Your pathetic attempt to twist words is just that - pathetic. You're not fooling anyone.