cwericb Posted April 13 Posted April 13 5 minutes ago, cubsfan said: Haha - but we haven't bombed you yet! Wait till we get that Golden Dome. Don't know if it will keep those bombs out or in.
Gregmal Posted April 13 Posted April 13 I have very little personal knowledge of the ME public opinion. However we did used to have a few higher profile clients in places like Oman, Qatar and Dubai. And the general position these people conveyed is that the ME is very serious about being viewed as a modern power. They want to attract capital. They admire the status of the Chinas and US’s and want to be considered a peer. And throughout the region, they’re making great progress. Except for Iran, whom is widely viewed as the proverbial mosquito. Largely run by hardliners, they don’t exactly share the same aspirations as their peers, abrasive and isolationist. Word for word “they’re tolerated”. Would think if any of that sentiment is accurate, the current events are a perfect storm for regional change.
cubsfan Posted April 13 Posted April 13 7 minutes ago, Gregmal said: I have very little personal knowledge of the ME public opinion. However we did used to have a few higher profile clients in places like Oman, Qatar and Dubai. And the general position these people conveyed is that the ME is very serious about being viewed as a modern power. They want to attract capital. They admire the status of the Chinas and US’s and want to be considered a peer. And throughout the region, they’re making great progress. Except for Iran, whom is widely viewed as the proverbial mosquito. Largely run by hardliners, they don’t exactly share the same aspirations as their peers, abrasive and isolationist. Word for word “they’re tolerated”. Would think if any of that sentiment is accurate, the current events are a perfect storm for regional change. Damn, that seems totally right on. Think of the vast wealth that could have been created in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza - like the Saudis and UAE. Such a waste of aid & resources. I do think the Gulf States are still terrified of Iran, and now would be the time to change the direction of the Middle East. They need to be convinced that Israel and the USA will continue being there to pull it off. Pretty obvious Europe doesn't care about them.
Marco Van Basten Posted April 13 Posted April 13 17 minutes ago, cubsfan said: Damn, that seems totally right on. Think of the vast wealth that could have been created in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza - like the Saudis and UAE. Such a waste of aid & resources. I do think the Gulf States are still terrified of Iran, and now would be the time to change the direction of the Middle East. They need to be convinced that Israel and the USA will continue being there to pull it off. Pretty obvious Europe doesn't care about them. The wealth that could have been created in Iran would dwarf the Saudi and UAE. Forget for a second the fact that Iran has a much larger population, it has a great civilization, a tradition of scholarship, this was a great and civilized nation 2500 years ago. Its human capital is incredible.
Marco Van Basten Posted April 13 Posted April 13 3 hours ago, adesigar said: Short term memory The 1953 coup in Iran done by MI6 and CIA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d'état Support for Saddam while he was using chemical weapons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Iraq_during_the_Iran–Iraq_War There’s a long list. Just go read some history. You are the one with the short-term and selective memory. Iran has invaded Iraq, Pakistan, India, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Greece over the last 2,500 years. Iran kept attacking Christian Armenia, Georgia and parts of Russia and bringing back Christian captives for centuries. You want to go to 1953? See you, and raise you to 2500 BC. You would not have had this war had Iran not been pursuing nuclear weapons. It has ballistic missiles that have four thousand mile range, exactly for what peaceful purpose? Iranian regime is an existential threat to everyone on earth. This regime stated that it was worth the deaths of two hundred million Muslims to destroy little Satan, so how many Muslims would it be willing to sacrifice to destroy the US?
LC Posted April 13 Posted April 13 5 hours ago, cubsfan said: The fall of Europe continues Don't worry, Orban still has a chance if Mike Pence just does the right thing.
Parsad Posted April 13 Posted April 13 1 hour ago, LC said: Don't worry, Orban still has a chance if Mike Pence just does the right thing. ROFLAO! Cheers!
Parsad Posted April 13 Posted April 13 I guess it is the 1960's and 1970's again: Here's who is (and isn't) impacted by US military draft changes Remember everyone...bonespurs! Cheers!
Sweet Posted April 13 Posted April 13 45 minutes ago, Parsad said: I guess it is the 1960's and 1970's again: Here's who is (and isn't) impacted by US military draft changes Remember everyone...bonespurs! Cheers! Before all eligible males were supposed to sign up anyway. This just makes that automatic. It’s not really a change in policy, just a change in how it’s administered.
dealraker Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) We seem to have quite a few topics available to discuss in the politics thread these days. I was looking back a bit in the politics thread, found some intense demands that Trump be looked at as a peacemaker, that wars were a sign of presidential weakness; that the Ukraine/Russia war would end immediately upon his re-election; that domestic issues would be the focus of the Trump administration. What we discussing today people? Is the war over in two weeks? When was it to be opened? Oh...sorry...When's it to be closed? Then Angela said, "Have you seen Iran's social media posts?" Trump's met his equal? So with any of the above, which details - those things of Trump's choosing that we hotly debate - are actually relevant long enough to warrant our time to discuss? Flood the zone baby! Edited April 13 by dealraker
John Hjorth Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 13 hours ago, dwy000 said: Well there ya go @dealraker. You wondered what he would take on next to ensure the chaos and news continued? I guess hes taking on the Pope and the Catholic Church. Gonna be interesting how Fox spins this one to their base. HaHa! - And when he needs to take a deep breath under a break in the tantrums, he will likely give Kamala yet another 'spin'! Edited April 13 by John Hjorth
John Hjorth Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) Another of POTUS' wild lawsuits just toppled, at least interim : AP News - Politics [April 13th 2026] : Judge dismisses Trump’s $10B lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over reporting on ties to Epstein Edited April 13 by John Hjorth
TwoCitiesCapital Posted April 13 Posted April 13 "You can't block the Strait of Hormuz! I'm going to block the Strait of Hormuz!" Is very "you can't fire me! I quit" vibes. Absolutely takes away Iran's leverage....by shooting yourself in the foot. Buckle up boys. This ain't gonna be over anytime soon.
John Hjorth Posted April 13 Posted April 13 13 hours ago, cwericb said: ... Yup. Cubs and I often disagree, but pissing off your allies and neighbours is just plain stupid. You never know when you might need them. Yup, major fuck up. Oh wait... that seems to remind me of something ...... LoLz! Everything is opportunistic 'relative' and 'situational' in 'World according to POTUS', right?
cubsfan Posted April 13 Posted April 13 1 hour ago, TwoCitiesCapital said: "You can't block the Strait of Hormuz! I'm going to block the Strait of Hormuz!" Is very "you can't fire me! I quit" vibes. Absolutely takes away Iran's leverage....by shooting yourself in the foot. Buckle up boys. This ain't gonna be over anytime soon. Iran blocks the SOH - Iran has all the leverage USA blocks the SOH - Iran still has all the leverage Only on CoBF!
Libs Posted April 13 Posted April 13 9 minutes ago, cubsfan said: Iran blocks the SOH - Iran has all the leverage USA blocks the SOH - Iran still has all the leverage Only on CoBF! Blocking Iran's shipping through the strait will hurt them badly (it was absurd that the only country that COULD ship was Iran). As their revenue craters, the regime can't pay anyone. Recruitment vanishes. Currency continues to crash. This is how regimes crumble at the negotiating table - or fall.
changegonnacome Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 5 hours ago, TwoCitiesCapital said: "You can't block the Strait of Hormuz! I'm going to block the Strait of Hormuz!" Is very "you can't fire me! I quit" vibes. Absolutely takes away Iran's leverage....by shooting yourself in the foot. Yep! Put it this way - if a naval blockade was a panacea for regime change/capitulation why didn't we do it a month ago? Because it's not a particularly bright or good option its just that we are getting a little desperate now. The reality is we've run out of good options for regime change— not to be confused with options, we have plenty of those, all terrible. The asymmetry is simple math: Iran is a country of 90 million people with significant leverage (still) over a region that affects the economic and calorie consumption prospects of 8.3 billion people. Whatever pain you deliver to the Iranian economy has the potential to boomerang back on the globe x100. You like Pyrrhic victories this looks like a textbook case in the making. If Captain Chaos thinks Iran is just going to sit there as it slowly collapses under a blockade he's deluded. The last days of an Iranian regime being strangled to death would see desalination plants across the Gulf destroyed, 20% of the world's energy and 30% of its fertilizer taken offline for years, and the SOH flooded with mines that would take months and months to clear. The Iranian regime on its way to obliteration has quite the nasty sting in its tail. You think Japan had any delusions about what would happen as it planned to attack Pearl Harbor? They knew full well they we're signing their own death warrant. But the oil and steel blockade (sound familiar?) made them willing to try reckless things that had little chance of working just to see if it might change the reality of their situation.....lucky for us Japan was located in the Pacific......Iran, well we all know where Iran is located now, what do they say in real estate location, location, location! Turns out that rule can apply in geopolitics too! The Iranian regime, pushed to near extinction, will do deeply aggressive and seemingly reckless things like Japan did. In a game of who takes their hand off the boiling stove first - nobody likes to hear it but Iran is a non-existential threat to the US while for Iran this is existential (Israel, I agree, can argue differently). Anyway this blockade looks like theatre to me on the way to signing a deal that looks an awfully lot like the one on the table Feb 27th before the missiles started flying. The question, in this conflict, remains fundamental and basic > who has the higher pain threshold? The country on an "excursion" in the Middle East or the country/regime in the Middle East for 2,500 years fighting for its very existence? In setups exactly like this one - the US is an 800 lb gorilla with a glass jaw. Edited April 13 by changegonnacome
Buckeye Posted April 13 Posted April 13 17 minutes ago, adesigar said: From a now deleted post Wow, so a fake Christian posting a picture depicting himself as a make believe guy who lives in the sky is a bridge too far for these people?! They are the new Snowflakes! So sensitive. Hopefully Charlie Hebdo doesn’t make into a cartoon.
Maverick47 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 12 minutes ago, adesigar said: From a now deleted post Okay, we all know Trump’s not big on reading lots of text….so I suppose we can cut him some slack for not knowing the later commandments, such as not stealing, or not committing adultery….but for Heaven’s sake, this image apparently violates the first commandment, to have no other gods before Me. Didn’t he at least read the first one? At least he’s an equal opportunity offender, slighting Moslems, Catholics and Protestants with his posts over the last few weeks. Not sure why he is going after groups who’ve tended to support him politically, but I’m beginning to wonder whether the only person who really has Trump Derangement Syndrome is the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
John Hjorth Posted April 13 Posted April 13 31 minutes ago, adesigar said: From a now deleted post @adesigar, Was it posted, and deleted, today?
adesigar Posted April 13 Posted April 13 I'm sure there's a scapegoat who will be blamed and fired for posting that image.
adesigar Posted April 13 Posted April 13 5 minutes ago, John Hjorth said: @adesigar, Was it posted, and deleted, today? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-posts-ai-image-jesus-christ/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/13/trump-ai-image-christ-like-figure-backlash
aws Posted April 13 Posted April 13 6 minutes ago, John Hjorth said: @adesigar, Was it posted, and deleted, today? He posted it last night, got criticized, and deleted it this morning after saying he posted it because he thought it portrayed him as a doctor healing people.
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