4 ms·

I have no dog in a fight, in which you seem to really care about Iran, which is totally irrelevant, meaningless, and inconsequential to the USA or its national

I have no dog in a fight, in which you seem to really care about Iran, which is totally irrelevant, meaningless, and inconsequential to the USA or its national interests or national security; but the war machine relies on fools to fun smoothly. You do realize though that you are morally and ethically and spiritually culpable and responsible for the murder of the people that will die due to the support you provide to that end, you do realize that, right? Maybe tell your children tonight when you get home that "I support that children like you be blown up and their families and communities be destroyed". They may ask you "why would you support something like that, dad?" and you will only be able to say "because the colonial puppet Shah regime used to have good relations with the country founded by terrorists (the Haganah, the Irgun (ETZEL), the Stern and the LEHI) we call Israel today, you know, the ones that supported Epstein that liked raping children like you, which has manipulated me into caring more about killing other people children because I cannot think for myself or realize what awful things they have me supporting!" ... "Good night children. May there not ever be someone as awful as me in the world that decides to bomb you or your children in the future for others who have manipulated them to be awful."

thomassmith65 8mo ago
but the war machine relies on fools to fun smoothly There is nothing new under the sun. Interwar pacifists made these arguments 100 years ago. They have some merit, but they weren't then and aren't now the full picture. You do realize though that you are morally and ethically and spiritually culpable and responsible for the murder Inaction also results in death. colonial puppet Shah regime There is no point arguing from here on. To my liberal brain, it just comes off as Baader–Meinhof nonsense. We are not going to agree about anything.
- roysting 8mo ago
  I'm not at all a pacifist. If you knew something about me, you would realize just how wrong that is. I am merely opposed to being used, manipulated, played, conned, scammed, f-ed, and more colorful language I will retain for myself. And sure, inaction may or may not result in death, but inaction is not morally obligated, especially when I am not even remotely involved or it does not remotely concern me. If I am understanding your perspectively correctly, the irony is simply that you do not understand that clandestine action is actually orchestrating and instigating the supposed death you imply could be prevented through additional action you are being manipulated into taking/supporting. Yes, there is nothing new under the sun, including the very same playbook that is being used now that was used repeatedly over the lifetime of every very young children here, let alone anyone that has reached legal maturity. What else would you call that the Shah was thick with the CIA. et al. and his son basically lives across the river from the CIA in Potomac, MD? I am also liberal in many ways, but these are just true things. Have you ever heard of The Grayzone with Max Blumenthal and Aaron Matè. They provide a good introduction to current and recent events focused on this topic.
  - thomassmith65 8mo ago
    If you knew something about me, you would realize just how wrong that is. Yes, that dawned on me half-way down the comment, at which point I - maybe unfairly - put you in the radical box and gave up on communicating. I can tell we'd find each other's positions equally inhumane and naive, and the whole thing would be irritating for us both.
reliabilityguy 8mo ago
Man, you can’t use the word “colonial” in a serious discourse. This is not 2010, and we are not on campus. If we stick to this colonial term we will never find an end. Arabs colonized the whole Middle East and subjugated all natives: Jews, Kurds, ezidis, Assyrians, etc. Moreover, Iran itself was colonized and Arabized by force. So, I would say any anti-Muslim anti-Arab movement in Iran is anticolonial by nature. Where does it lead us? Nowhere. This is why this whole “colonial” vs. native etc is pointless — there was always some group of people living on a piece of land before some other group came. Edit: Also, I find it pretty hilarious that Shah was a colonial regime but Islamic Republic is not: France literally harbored Khomeini and the moment Shah fell they flew him back to lead the revolution. But since IRs rhetoric is anti west and anti Israel, the modern left completely forgives all the atrocities committed by IR: abuse of women, violent suppression of dissent, execution of rappers for a song, etc.

thomassmith65 8mo ago

but the war machine relies on fools to fun smoothly There is nothing new under the sun. Interwar pacifists made these arguments 100 years ago. They have some merit, but they weren't then and aren't now the full picture. You do realize though that you are morally and ethically and spiritually culpable and responsible for the murder Inaction also results in death. colonial puppet Shah regime There is no point arguing from here on. To my liberal brain, it just comes off as Baader–Meinhof nonsense. We are not going to agree about anything.

roysting 8mo ago
I'm not at all a pacifist. If you knew something about me, you would realize just how wrong that is. I am merely opposed to being used, manipulated, played, conned, scammed, f-ed, and more colorful language I will retain for myself. And sure, inaction may or may not result in death, but inaction is not morally obligated, especially when I am not even remotely involved or it does not remotely concern me. If I am understanding your perspectively correctly, the irony is simply that you do not understand that clandestine action is actually orchestrating and instigating the supposed death you imply could be prevented through additional action you are being manipulated into taking/supporting. Yes, there is nothing new under the sun, including the very same playbook that is being used now that was used repeatedly over the lifetime of every very young children here, let alone anyone that has reached legal maturity. What else would you call that the Shah was thick with the CIA. et al. and his son basically lives across the river from the CIA in Potomac, MD? I am also liberal in many ways, but these are just true things. Have you ever heard of The Grayzone with Max Blumenthal and Aaron Matè. They provide a good introduction to current and recent events focused on this topic.
- thomassmith65 8mo ago
  If you knew something about me, you would realize just how wrong that is. Yes, that dawned on me half-way down the comment, at which point I - maybe unfairly - put you in the radical box and gave up on communicating. I can tell we'd find each other's positions equally inhumane and naive, and the whole thing would be irritating for us both.

reliabilityguy 8mo ago

Man, you can’t use the word “colonial” in a serious discourse. This is not 2010, and we are not on campus. If we stick to this colonial term we will never find an end. Arabs colonized the whole Middle East and subjugated all natives: Jews, Kurds, ezidis, Assyrians, etc. Moreover, Iran itself was colonized and Arabized by force. So, I would say any anti-Muslim anti-Arab movement in Iran is anticolonial by nature. Where does it lead us? Nowhere. This is why this whole “colonial” vs. native etc is pointless — there was always some group of people living on a piece of land before some other group came. Edit: Also, I find it pretty hilarious that Shah was a colonial regime but Islamic Republic is not: France literally harbored Khomeini and the moment Shah fell they flew him back to lead the revolution. But since IRs rhetoric is anti west and anti Israel, the modern left completely forgives all the atrocities committed by IR: abuse of women, violent suppression of dissent, execution of rappers for a song, etc.