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I would like to comment - respectfully - I hope. I do believe death to America is the literal intent. I think the author of the article below is somehow attem

by mattrp 7y ago

I would like to comment - respectfully - I hope. I do believe death to America is the literal intent. I think the author of the article below is somehow attempting to sugar coat the saying as a means of arming a sympathetic audience on social media. I wonder if those images in the article are even real (upon first glance I honestly couldn't tell). Personally, I am a free speech absolutist. If one feels more comfortable saying death to America, or bah to America, or good will, you idiots, I do not care as none of these sayings are offensive to me. I'd rather you be clear about your feelings than to sugar coat them. I also would say that over the years, my own stance towards Iran has moderated and become more sympathetic. I am ok with an Iran that does not agree with our priorities and I do not think regime change is the optimal outcome. Further, I don't think the killing of Soliemani was intended to signal we intend to change the regime. I think rather it was asking a question in a way that it couldn't be mistaken for anything else. And that question is simple -- "do you really want to do this?" I think Soliemani's funeral can be symbolic (if nothing else) in this respect: It's time for Iran's leadership to give this era of zero sum foreign policy a proper burial.

Udik 7y ago
> I would like to comment - respectfully - I hope. I do believe death to America is the literal intent. You're not respectful, as you're insulting 80 million people by saying they all want to murder you and other hundreds of million. You're not being intelligent either, because you're wilfully ignoring the fact that literal translations from one language to another are incorrect. Even Google translate is in fact smarter than you are: just paste مرگ بر آمریکا into it and see what it prints out. > Further, I don't think the killing of Soliemani was intended to signal we intend to change the regime. I think rather it was asking a question ... It's time for Iran's leadership to give this era of zero sum foreign policy a proper burial. Wait, wait. The Iran had an agreement with the rest of the world, all of it. It agreed to a very strict regime of inspections and halting its nuclear program in exchange for an increased freedom to commerce with the rest of the world. This was a win-win for all, the opposite of a zero sum game. Trump has reneged the agreement, against the opinions of everybody else, and imposed a complete economic embargo on Iran through sanctions on anybody who does commerce with it. It is chocking the entire country. This is a zero sum game. What the US is doing is strangling a country of 80 million- a bloodless death but death nonetheless. And if the dying country kicks and struggles, you say "enough with the zero sum game"? Really?

by mattrp 7y ago

Udik 7y ago

> I would like to comment - respectfully - I hope. I do believe death to America is the literal intent. You're not respectful, as you're insulting 80 million people by saying they all want to murder you and other hundreds of million. You're not being intelligent either, because you're wilfully ignoring the fact that literal translations from one language to another are incorrect. Even Google translate is in fact smarter than you are: just paste مرگ بر آمریکا into it and see what it prints out. > Further, I don't think the killing of Soliemani was intended to signal we intend to change the regime. I think rather it was asking a question ... It's time for Iran's leadership to give this era of zero sum foreign policy a proper burial. Wait, wait. The Iran had an agreement with the rest of the world, all of it. It agreed to a very strict regime of inspections and halting its nuclear program in exchange for an increased freedom to commerce with the rest of the world. This was a win-win for all, the opposite of a zero sum game. Trump has reneged the agreement, against the opinions of everybody else, and imposed a complete economic embargo on Iran through sanctions on anybody who does commerce with it. It is chocking the entire country. This is a zero sum game. What the US is doing is strangling a country of 80 million- a bloodless death but death nonetheless. And if the dying country kicks and struggles, you say "enough with the zero sum game"? Really?