Iran - Israel - Gaza Conflict

[cubsfan]

^^^^ Will be sure to put you down as dubious..

 

https://www.heritage.org/defense/report/report-the-national-independent-panel-military-service-and-readiness

 

Specifically, evidence indicates that appointed Pentagon political leaders are dragging divisive progressive social justice ideologies into an institution that, for 248 years, has sought to remain apolitical and neutral.

 

In fiscal year (FY) 2022, the U.S. military had the worst year for recruiting since the advent of the all-volunteer force in 1973. FY 2023 is already trending worse still

 

According to the Ronald Reagan Institute’s November 2022 poll, the most frequently selected reason for decreased trust in the U.S. military was the “military leadership becoming overly politicized.”

 

Over two-thirds of active-duty military surveyed said they witnessed politicization in the military, and 65 percent of active-duty personnel are concerned about growing politicization of the military. Their most selected areas for concern were “An over emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs” (41 percent)

 

Moreover, 68 percent of active-duty military personnel stated that politicization of the military would impact their decision to encourage their children to join, which is particularly concerning given the role that military families play in recruiting.

 

One of the central organizing principles of the DOD has become to view all matters through the lens of DEI, which is inessential if not actively harmful to warfighting capabilities. 

 

One of the manifestations of the emphasis on DEI is training in postmodernist theories such as critical race theory (CRT), an ideology rooted in Marxism that claims that America is fatally flawed by systemic racism and ruled by white privilege. The concept of CRT is anathema to the core principles of the U.S. military, an institution that depends on a team approach, one where every member must rely on one another and not have to worry that his leader or his subordinates doubt their abilities or decisions based on considerations of race, gender, or ethnicity.37

Wood, “Caught Red-Handed: Critical Race Theory Taught at West Point.”

 Rather, CRT is inherently divisive as it sets out to categorize individuals into groups of oppressors and victims, which cannot be overcome unless the entire system is overturned.

[cubsfan]

 

V. Recommendations

While politicization of the military has dangerous implications for both the lives of servicemembers and U.S. national security, these problems can be solved by implementing policies that restore the DOD’s focus to warfighting.

 

Eliminate the DEI Construct from DOD.

• Congress (or a future Administration) should direct the elimination of the entire DEI construct within the DOD. Offices and staffs that were formerly titled as Equal Opportunity (EO) and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) should be restored in their stead to ensure that the military remains free from prejudice, bigotry, unequal treatment, and discrimination. These newly restored EO and EEO offices should be staffed at the level necessary to investigate complaints and provide necessary training but at a level no larger than 1:2,000 EO/EEO staff/military or civilian members to uniformed servicemembers.
• Congress should require a full audit of the current DEI bureaucracy in the DOD, including all staff, programs, and funding.
• Congress should pass legislation expressly barring the use of appropriated dollars to fund race-conscious selections, assignments, accessions, or promotions.
• Congress should require that fields of study at service academies be in fields traceable to military needs such as military history, leadership, nuclear engineering, personnel management, or software development. Because the U.S. government is fully underwriting the cost of this education, the list of available academic disciplines should be narrowly focused on the needs of the DOD.86

  U.S. Military Academy West Point, “The Home of Army Sociology,” https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/behavioral-sciences-and-leadership/sociology (accessed February 3, 2023).

• Congress should pass legislation prohibiting the instruction or propagation of critical theories such as CRT as part of military training. Rather than specifying “CRT,” which can often be challenging to find and prove, prohibit the instruction of any idea that:
  • Violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including that individuals of any race, ethnicity, color, or national origin are inherently superior or inferior;
  • Teaches that individuals should be adversely or advantageously treated on the basis of their race, ethnicity, color, or national origin;
  • Holds that individuals, by virtue of race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, bear collective guilt and are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, ethnicity, color, or national origin.87

    See, for example, news release, “Cotton Introduces Bill to Combat Racist Training in the Military,” Office of Senator Tom Cotton, March 25, 2021, https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-introduces-bill-to-combat-racist-training-in-the-military (accessed February 3, 2023).

• Rather than present flawed academic theories that America is systemically racist, Congress should require the DOD to present military training that focuses on promoting opportunity for minorities and women and the significant role these groups and individuals have played in service to the nation. The history of segregation and unequal treatment should be confronted so that hard-won progress is celebrated and servicemembers understand how prejudice, racism, and sexism are intolerable and destructive to combat effectiveness.
• Congress should direct the service academies, to the maximum extent possible, to rely on uniformed military professors and Title 10 employees except when it is not possible to train a military member to perform those duties. Civilian professors from academia sometimes arrive at the military academies with agendas to advance orthodoxies associated with critical theories or DEI policies.
• Congress should explicitly prohibit non-merit-based criteria in selection for the military academies. Actively solicit more applications from more diverse communities but select the best applicants regardless of identity categories.

[cubsfan]

For the DEI lovers that think that a great institution like the US Military can't be impacted, as our Universities have been harmed:

 

 

[Gamecock-YT]

I'm not reading anything that's sourced from the heritage foundation or the Ronald Reagan Institute. Give me a break. Next you'll be citing the epoch times. 

 

[cubsfan]

^^^  Typical moronic response:   Shoot the messenger, since you can't make a coherent argument.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you.

[adesigar]

3 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

I'm not reading anything that's sourced from the heritage foundation or the Ronald Reagan Institute. Give me a break. Next you'll be citing the epoch times. 

 

Completely agree. Only morons read shit like that.

Edited June 18 by adesigar

[backtothebeach]

Haven't read this whole thread, but I have not seen this site mentioned here, with some interesting and differentiated polls of Palestinians:

 

https://www.pcpsr.org/

 

Looks legit, they work with Germany's Konrad Adentauer Stiftung, which is the non-profit foundation of Germany's CDU party.

[Xerxes]

7 minutes ago, backtothebeach said:

Haven't read this whole thread, but I have not seen this site mentioned here, with some interesting and differentiated polls of Palestinians:

 

https://www.pcpsr.org/

 

Looks legit, they work with Germany's Konrad Adentauer Stiftung, which is the non-profit foundation of Germany's CDU party.

I wonder how would a poll ran on the Israeli people would look like if it were ran on Oct 6th and then again Oct 8th. 
 

With the poll’ questions asking if they would like to see their nemesis eradicated. And for IDF to go “all in” and hold nothing back. 
 

Surely the desire for vengeance would have biases the results two days later after the first poll. 

[backtothebeach]

48 minutes ago, Xerxes said:

I wonder how would a poll ran on the Israeli people would look like if it were ran on Oct 6th and then again Oct 8th. 
 

With the poll’ questions asking if they would like to see their nemesis eradicated. And for IDF to go “all in” and hold nothing back. 
 

Surely the desire for vengeance would have biases the results two days later after the first poll. 

 

Sure. I thought these polls of Palestinians by a Palestinian think tank were interesting, once you read the pdfs.

 

Hard to interpret them without injecting bias.

 

---

 

Perplexity.ai summary:

 

Summary of the key findings from the PSR polls 91 (March 5-10, 2024) and 92 (May 26 and June 1, 2024):

• There has been a significant increase in support for Hamas and armed struggle, especially in the West Bank, accompanied by declining support for the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution.
• Support for Hamas rose sharply in the West Bank from 12% in September 2023 to 44% in the latest poll, driven by disillusionment with the peace process.
• An overwhelming majority of around 70% of Palestinians support Hamas' decision to launch the major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that sparked the ongoing Gaza war.
• 93% of Palestinians say Hamas did not intentionally kill civilians on October 7th, despite over 1,200 Israeli deaths. Around 85% claim they have not seen videos showing atrocities by Hamas fighters during the October 7th attack. Those who did watch the videos were 15 times more likely to believe Hamas committed atrocities.
• Most Palestinians (66%) expect Hamas to win the Gaza war, though expectations are more divided among Gazans themselves (51% expect Hamas win, 25% expect Israel win).
• The polls reflect a significant shift in Palestinian public opinion away from diplomacy and non-violence towards favoring Hamas' armed resistance against Israeli occupation, especially after the October 7th attack.

In summary, the polls capture growing Palestinian frustration and a major swing in support towards Hamas' violent struggle against Israel, abandoning hopes in the Palestinian Authority and negotiations.
 

Edited June 19 by backtothebeach

[cubsfan]

On 6/17/2024 at 11:53 PM, adesigar said:

Completely agree. Only morons read shit like that.

 

It will be essential for the Military to continue reading Dr Ibram X Kendi and his most famous quote:

 

"The only remedy for past discrimination is future discrimination"

 

That will do wonders for unit cohesion, a key tenet of the armed forces.

Edited June 19 by cubsfan

[Xerxes]

8 hours ago, backtothebeach said:

 

Sure. I thought these polls of Palestinians by a Palestinian think tank were interesting, once you read the pdfs.

 

Hard to interpret them without injecting bias.

 

---

 

Perplexity.ai summary:

 

Summary of the key findings from the PSR polls 91 (March 5-10, 2024) and 92 (May 26 and June 1, 2024):

• There has been a significant increase in support for Hamas and armed struggle, especially in the West Bank, accompanied by declining support for the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution.
• Support for Hamas rose sharply in the West Bank from 12% in September 2023 to 44% in the latest poll, driven by disillusionment with the peace process.
• An overwhelming majority of around 70% of Palestinians support Hamas' decision to launch the major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that sparked the ongoing Gaza war.
• 93% of Palestinians say Hamas did not intentionally kill civilians on October 7th, despite over 1,200 Israeli deaths. Around 85% claim they have not seen videos showing atrocities by Hamas fighters during the October 7th attack. Those who did watch the videos were 15 times more likely to believe Hamas committed atrocities.
• Most Palestinians (66%) expect Hamas to win the Gaza war, though expectations are more divided among Gazans themselves (51% expect Hamas win, 25% expect Israel win).
• The polls reflect a significant shift in Palestinian public opinion away from diplomacy and non-violence towards favoring Hamas' armed resistance against Israeli occupation, especially after the October 7th attack.

In summary, the polls capture growing Palestinian frustration and a major swing in support towards Hamas' violent struggle against Israel, abandoning hopes in the Palestinian Authority and negotiations.
 

thanks. 
 

as a side note, I got to start using Perplexity.ai

 

 

[cubsfan]

9 hours ago, backtothebeach said:

 

Sure. I thought these polls of Palestinians by a Palestinian think tank were interesting, once you read the pdfs.

 

Hard to interpret them without injecting bias.

 

---

 

Perplexity.ai summary:

 

Summary of the key findings from the PSR polls 91 (March 5-10, 2024) and 92 (May 26 and June 1, 2024):

• There has been a significant increase in support for Hamas and armed struggle, especially in the West Bank, accompanied by declining support for the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution.
• Support for Hamas rose sharply in the West Bank from 12% in September 2023 to 44% in the latest poll, driven by disillusionment with the peace process.
• An overwhelming majority of around 70% of Palestinians support Hamas' decision to launch the major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that sparked the ongoing Gaza war.
• 93% of Palestinians say Hamas did not intentionally kill civilians on October 7th, despite over 1,200 Israeli deaths. Around 85% claim they have not seen videos showing atrocities by Hamas fighters during the October 7th attack. Those who did watch the videos were 15 times more likely to believe Hamas committed atrocities.
• Most Palestinians (66%) expect Hamas to win the Gaza war, though expectations are more divided among Gazans themselves (51% expect Hamas win, 25% expect Israel win).
• The polls reflect a significant shift in Palestinian public opinion away from diplomacy and non-violence towards favoring Hamas' armed resistance against Israeli occupation, especially after the October 7th attack.

In summary, the polls capture growing Palestinian frustration and a major swing in support towards Hamas' violent struggle against Israel, abandoning hopes in the Palestinian Authority and negotiations.
 

 

At some point, when Hamas is defeated, the reality will sink in for the Gaza Palestinians: that Hamas alone destroyed their country.  The 66% that expect Hamas to win are not dealing in reality.

It's understandable for them to feel that way, given the 70% approval Hamas was given for the Oct 7th attack - but now they are seeing there homeland leveled - and they did not expect that reaction from Israel.

 

Defeat will be a very tough pill to swallow, but it's virtually assured for Gaza.

 

When the Palestinians realize the truth - that THEY alone violated a long standing ceasefire in place before Oct 7th, and therefore, they are not in any position to demand any ceasefire from Israel - perhaps they will jettison Hamas for good.

 

Until then, there will be no peace, and public opinion polls won't matter.

[Xerxes]

On 5/30/2024 at 10:15 AM, Xerxes said:

this I find to be a great analysis. Pure analytical work from Foreign Affairs.

 

The guest speaker is an Iranian American. so yeah I am bias !
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-foreign-affairs-interview/id1623855270?i=1000657277974

 

 

 

wow no comment on this great podcast episode. 
 

here is another one

 

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/carnegie-connects/id1568315057?i=1000659616225

[Castanza]

On 6/18/2024 at 12:53 AM, adesigar said:

Completely agree. Only morons read shit like that.

 

What do you read and what do you suggest others read for accurate, truthful information? 

[Eldad]

On 6/17/2024 at 11:53 PM, adesigar said:

Completely agree. Only morons read shit like that.

Have you ever listened to or read Victor Davis Hanson? It would be hard to do so a say he was a moron. 
 

Just an incredible level of blind bias. I don’t agree with Noam Chomsky politically, but I never call him or his adherents morons. And I would always listen to what he had to say. 

[Eldad]

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari “Hamas cannot be destroyed. Hamas is an idea. Those who think it can be made to disappear are wrong.”

 

I mean you could say that about anything. Organized Crime, Al-Qaeda, Nazism. Killing or imprisoning all current leadership has obviously proven to be more effective than this defeatist philosophy. 

[Xerxes]

47 minutes ago, Eldad said:

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari “Hamas cannot be destroyed. Hamas is an idea. Those who think it can be made to disappear are wrong.”

 

I mean you could say that about anything. Organized Crime, Al-Qaeda, Nazism. Killing or imprisoning all current leadership has obviously proven to be more effective than this defeatist philosophy. 

the good admiral is a good lad. I always liked him. Maybe that is why he is the spokesman. he is calm and steady. 
 

I think it is the Palestinian nationalism that is the driving force. And Hamas is just the latest manifestation. Molded and reinforced over decades. 
 

Solve the question of nationalism (however hard that is) and Hamas as an idea should wither away.  

 

[Eldad]

3 minutes ago, Xerxes said:

the good admiral is a good lad. I always liked him. Maybe that is why he is the spokesman. he is calm and steady. 
 

I think it is the Palestinian nationalism that is the driving force. And Hamas is just the latest manifestation. Molded and reinforced over decades. 
 

Solve the question of nationalism (however hard that is) and Hamas as an idea should wither away.  

 

Can you stop poison ivy and briars from growing in your forest? No. But a controlled burn every 5 years or so will give you a much nicer forest and fewer rashes and thorn pricks, and will make your trees grow faster. Sometimes you have to kill a lot of terrorists. This is one of those times. I hope they see it through. 

[cubsfan]

On 5/30/2024 at 9:15 AM, Xerxes said:

this I find to be a great analysis. Pure analytical work from Foreign Affairs.

 

The guest speaker is an Iranian American. so yeah I am bias !
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-foreign-affairs-interview/id1623855270?i=1000657277974

 

 

 

Here is what I heard on this great podcast:

 

-- They mentioned 2 state solution and ceasefire about 30 times

 

-- They never mentioned once - what about the hostages?   Really? - how disingenuous 

 

-- They mentioned that EVERYONE wants a ceasefire.  And reviewed country by country why a ceasefire was desired.  Of course, they NEVER asked what Israel required FOR a cease fire.

Totally avoided Israeli interests. Seriously?  Good luck with that. Israel holds all the cards.

 

-- They talked about what does the United States have to do to force a ceasefire, and how they have failed. No shit - it's Israel's war for survival. Imagine Canada dictating to the US what/when we should stop a war if we are being attacked.

 

-- They talk about why Iran wants "assurances" not to be attacked by Israel in Damascus or Iran.

Of course they avoid the key issue: Why did Hezbollah (Iran's proxy) attack Israel, before Israel had even attacked Gaza? Why did Hezbollah involve itself? Why does Iran continue to ship arms to Hezbollah and supply military advisors?

 

--  The clincher at the end was - when he asked the Iranian - Why does Iran want a ceasefire?

His answer: So that Hamas is NOT destroyed, and Israel will not be able to turn their attention to Hezbollah.

 

-- Not one mention about Hamas being a terrorist organization and what they perpetrated on Oct 7th.  Not one question from the interviewer about terrorism.

 

So it's a totally disingenous interview - where I fault the interviewer for avoiding the OBVIOUS questions:  Why is Iran involved when it was not attacked?  and What does Israel want? 

 

 

[Xerxes]

37 minutes ago, cubsfan said:

 

Here is what I heard on this great podcast:

 

-- They mentioned 2 state solution and ceasefire about 30 times

 

-- They never mentioned once - what about the hostages?   Really? - how disingenuous 

 

-- They mentioned that EVERYONE wants a ceasefire.  And reviewed country by country why a ceasefire was desired.  Of course, they NEVER asked what Israel required FOR a cease fire.

Totally avoided Israeli interests. Seriously?  Good luck with that. Israel holds all the cards.

 

-- They talked about what does the United States have to do to force a ceasefire, and how they have failed. No shit - it's Israel's war for survival. Imagine Canada dictating to the US what/when we should stop a war if we are being attacked.

 

-- They talk about why Iran wants "assurances" not to be attacked by Israel in Damascus or Iran.

Of course they avoid the key issue: Why did Hezbollah (Iran's proxy) attack Israel, before Israel had even attacked Gaza? Why did Hezbollah involve itself? Why does Iran continue to ship arms to Hezbollah and supply military advisors?

 

--  The clincher at the end was - when he asked the Iranian - Why does Iran want a ceasefire?

His answer: So that Hamas is NOT destroyed, and Israel will not be able to turn their attention to Hezbollah.

 

-- Not one mention about Hamas being a terrorist organization and what they perpetrated on Oct 7th.  Not one question from the interviewer about terrorism.

 

So it's a totally disingenous interview - where I fault the interviewer for avoiding the OBVIOUS questions:  Why is Iran involved when it was not attacked?  and What does Israel want? 

 

 

Cubsfan

 

The interview is less so about the Near East (Palestine) than it is of the greater Middle East. 
 

The guest is an American who happens to be of Iranian descent. He doesn’t speak on behalf of Iranian government. He is explaining how complex machinery that runs Tehran operates and what are its interest points. 
 

You are not wrong about your statements about what was missing, but that is not what the interview was about. 
 

Thank you for your feedback. 
 

ps: I thought it was a good interview because it shows he understands Tehran. That was his value add and expertise. 
 

 

Edited Thursday at 07:34 PM by Xerxes

[cubsfan]

@Xerxes  Thanks for the clarification. Seriously, I had more problems with the interviewer not being impartial than anything. 

 

[Xerxes]

2 hours ago, cubsfan said:

@Xerxes  Thanks for the clarification. Seriously, I had more problems with the interviewer not being impartial than anything. 

 

 

cheers ! Understood 

 

Ps: I would not be recommending if it was an opinion piece from the regime. 

[Spekulatius]

On 6/17/2024 at 11:19 AM, cubsfan said:

DEI is training in postmodernist theories such as critical race theory (CRT), an ideology rooted in Marxism

I fail to see any connection between critical race theory and Marxism. The two have nothing to do with each other, other than being both wrong.

[cubsfan]

8 minutes ago, Spekulatius said:

I fail to see any connection between critical race theory and Marxism. The two have nothing to do with each other, other than being both wrong.

 

Heck - at least you took the time to read it!  Cheers!

[Eldad]

2 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

I fail to see any connection between critical race theory and Marxism. The two have nothing to do with each other, other than being both wrong.

Critical theorists were definitely Marxists. See Frankfurt school. They added other sociological paradigms to Marxism. Where Marx was mainly economic (capitalist vs proletariat), the Critical theorists applied things like race, etc. to Marxist logic. 

Edited Friday at 01:04 AM by Eldad