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The shooter’s homeland of Senegal is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country. Iran is Shia. There being no love lost between the two sects historically, I’m prepared to believe he was motivated more by mental illness than righteous outrage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
The town I left behind in New Jersey is very, very diverse--always has been, but the Asian population has been growing steadily--it is now the majority. In our town we have Catholic and mainline Protestant churches, a couple of synagogues, a Hindu temple, a Buddhist temple, and a big, well-attended mosque.
I'm still on the township's email list for police notices, and I got one yesterday for all township residents to exert caution in light of the less-than-benign sentiments that might erupt in violence as an outcome of this war with Iran.
We think we can breathe a sigh of relief because all the action is "over there" but....
So, do we have a concept of a plan here?
Hardly. Concept of a plan. HA! hegseth is a joke.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
Every time I see trump giving an update, the timeline for this ending seems to get longer. News rumor was the some of the gulf nations are running low on defensive missiles.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
I feel we've unleashed hell...and this will end very badly.
Saw on the news today WE may not have all we need… ? And, yes, hell IS unleashed. Weird talks abound about armageddon…Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
Latest news I'm getting is that the most likely successor as leader is the Ayatollah's son. Another religious hardliner. It reminded me of the Who song, meet the new boss, same as the old boss. "We Won't Get Fooled Again"? I saw an interview with the Shah's son who is inexile in the US. He seemed like a very decent man and they implied he might be on the short list as the next leader. That's probably very optimistic. My friend from Iran spoke highly of the Shah and I think he came here to avoid the political turmoil when the Shah was deposed.
The Shah was not a kindly man…
Triggernometry podcast guys had two Middle Eastern experts give a good program about the situation in Iran with some details I didn’t know, but in the overview, I can’t say that any big concepts came up that we don’t already know, and those seem to be:
1. The Khomanei regime was a bunch of bad actors. It’s good they’re gone, both for their own people and the people of the world. Theirs is an ideology that wants to blow up the world as a religious mission. it is a good goal to eliminate their nuclear capability.
2. Their absence doesn’t assure that the next regime will be much better for US and world interests
3. Iran’s neighbors, Muslim countries, dislike the destabilizing activities of Iran and they wanted Iran quashed. Iran funds many of the wars going on in the Middle East
4. Civil War in Iran could result from all of this, devastating for the Iranian people; massive refugee problem could result.
5. Many of the Iranian people and Iranian regions are poor because the country’s leadership spent billions of dollars funding terrorist and proxy wars
6. there’s no way this war will be over in 4 weeks.
These were subtle points i did not know:
*A majority of Iranians do not want the tight religious leadership that kept them constrained for decades; emphasis on this is a MAJORITY
* there is no one monolithic culture in Iran, it is a mix of various cultures, faiths, and tribal alignments. It will be difficult to bring that country together as one
*Many of the Iranian people and Iranian regions are poor because the country’s leadership spent billions of dollars funding terrorists and proxy wars; their economy is poor, inflation is super high
The biggest and scariest idea I came away with is:
* With the toppling of Khomanei, there is no one in charge to negotiate a peace with EVEN IF other factors seem to come into power.
Apparently the Ayatollah Komanei left instructions for each military unit with bombs to make their own decisions as to targets. Same thing with terrorist cells. So, there are dozens of independent military and terrorist units around the shooting off their weapons.
There are two sides to his legacy, but he could be viewed in relative terms to the Ayatollah as kindly.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
I think they would call the situation "fluid", but what I've heard is that the Royal Guard is still very strong and probably loyal. Possibly as many as a million strong? The ugly scene I've heard described is the majority tries to rise up and take control and the Royal Guard responds with some sort of civil war or slaughter. They are certainly better armed. I think trump was figuring once the Ayatollah was gone, they would flip. That's a mighty high gamble. It doesn't sound like they will have a free election where the majority would rule.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
I expect the scope of what the administration here considers who are suspect terrorists will expand.
I see where the CIA has been covertly arming and training American friendly Kurdish forces in northern Iran.
Rogar: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," ran though my head as well.
I wouldn’t consider it totally tragic to see a situation analogous to Libya after we toppled the regime. Multiple competing factions harmful mostly to one another.
Kristi Noem fired!
There are apparently a lot of things DJT will tolerate, but not being made to look bad.Quote:
Originally Posted by frugal-one
Where will the refugees go? There are over 100 million people forcibly displaced in the world. The US refugee program is on hold per executive order.
Yes, that was an interesting account of events.Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
Krugman's latest substack claims that the US is running out of the expensive Patriot missiles and has learning and operate to build the much cheaper interceptor drones ..from the Ukraine.
News today is saying Cuba is next. That would be a nice reward for all of Marco's hard work. I've noticed Hegseth has a remote resemblance to the host of Wheel of Fortune?
Oh, I wouldn't insult Seacrest with that comparison. I just finished reading an Atlantic article, "Pete Hegseth's Troubled Soul," which encapsulated exactly what I think about that man.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
AMERICA’S “SECRETARY OF WAR” doesn’t approach matters of war and peace, of life and death, with even the slightest bit of reverence or humility. All of his instincts are toward aggression; he appears to relish the destruction and death that he can now unleash.
We need people in government and in the military who can lead the nation to victory in times of war, but that is quite different than having people in leadership who indulge in bloodlust or who are wrestling with inner demons.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War II. Having seen the violence of war, he had a great aversion to it. He was deeply moved by the sacrifices of soldiers, whom he cared for and loved. Eisenhower had a profound understanding of the human cost of conflict; as president, he exercised immense caution in using military force.
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can,” Eisenhower said, “only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”
What can you say about a Secretary of "Defense" who loves war?
Fie on Goodness, fie!
Ah, but to burn a little town or slay a dozen men
Anything to laugh again
https://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/c...ongoodness.htm
You probably won't be able to read the article behind a paywall but here it is..
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...s-iran/686260/
I'm sure the Atlantic article has a much more correct analysis of Hegseth. I have thought of both he an Noem as being totally unqualified for their positions and are in some sort of cosplay or ego protective acting and was more suited in his role as a talk show host, and the Wheel of Fortune is what he is spinning since he has no clear objective for the end game in Iran. That's why I thought of it, but I do apologize to Seacrest. He seems like a decent sort.
Hegseth always looks to me like he is posing. Whenever I see a picture of him, I think' "you've been practicing that look in the mirror, haven't you?"