Blizzard
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I don't know. That's one of the better pics I've seen of him. He was having a good hair day.
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Israel and Iran
- Thread starter TLDR20
- Start date
“Denial doesn’t stop the bleeding.”
Iran’s “’Tis Only a Fleshwound” Strategy • The Havok Journal | Military & Veteran News, Commentary, Culture
Iran’s “’Tis Only a Fleshwound” Strategy • The Havok Journal | Military & Veteran News, Commentary, Culture
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ThunderHorse
Verified Military
Ummm, interesting.
Back in the day, when people were here on visas and green cards and they did shit like Mahmoud Khalil they would be removed without fanfare and liberals wouldn't throw the kitchen sink to keep them. Assimilation used to be a thing.
Back in the day, when people were here on visas and green cards and they did shit like Mahmoud Khalil they would be removed without fanfare and liberals wouldn't throw the kitchen sink to keep them. Assimilation used to be a thing.
So negotiations fail, Iran sabre rattles, Trump closes the strait. Iran is now quitely changing their tone and looks like they wanna come back to the table.
China loses $400M/day, Iran losing $150M/day with the American Navy locking down the strait.
We took Maduro, got better oil deals with new Maduro, closed the strait, and now everyone is queued up in the Gulf of America for American oil.
"BUT BUT BUT the infrastructure isn't there for the ships!" ... yeah, got it. Obama and Biden killed keystone and American drilling during their 12/16 years in power. The democrats spent 16 years of time, 12 in power, telling oil and gas they were done cause windmills or something.
So, what if Chevron and Exxon go bonkers selling American oil to Australia, Japan, and other allies? They have an admin who just approved thousands of oil and drilling permits. Chevron and Exxon are actually supported and not the sacrificial lamb of the Green New Deal, and can now invest in their infrastructure, and now there's immense pressure on Keystone and American energy independence.
American oil, sold on the dollar, with a new infrastructure plan while China and Iran bleed and the world turns against them because people only care about outrage and gas prices. All the while, China puts pressure on Iran to cut the shit because they can't threaten Taiwan while their populace sits in gas lines and gets close to riots?
And you're blackpilling?
China loses $400M/day, Iran losing $150M/day with the American Navy locking down the strait.
We took Maduro, got better oil deals with new Maduro, closed the strait, and now everyone is queued up in the Gulf of America for American oil.
"BUT BUT BUT the infrastructure isn't there for the ships!" ... yeah, got it. Obama and Biden killed keystone and American drilling during their 12/16 years in power. The democrats spent 16 years of time, 12 in power, telling oil and gas they were done cause windmills or something.
So, what if Chevron and Exxon go bonkers selling American oil to Australia, Japan, and other allies? They have an admin who just approved thousands of oil and drilling permits. Chevron and Exxon are actually supported and not the sacrificial lamb of the Green New Deal, and can now invest in their infrastructure, and now there's immense pressure on Keystone and American energy independence.
American oil, sold on the dollar, with a new infrastructure plan while China and Iran bleed and the world turns against them because people only care about outrage and gas prices. All the while, China puts pressure on Iran to cut the shit because they can't threaten Taiwan while their populace sits in gas lines and gets close to riots?
And you're blackpilling?
The Strait of Malaca is responsible for 80% of Chinese oil imports. And who controls THAT now, too?
It doesn't have to be 7d underwater chess. I don't need Qanon to help me connect the dots here.
Zoom out, look at the signals objectively.
It doesn't have to be 7d underwater chess. I don't need Qanon to help me connect the dots here.
Zoom out, look at the signals objectively.
I question if China's the boogeyman we've made it out to be, but they can't become an actual threat if we cockblock them economically.
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China, Russia, and the Ukraine just exist to make the Lockheed's and Boeing's of the world rich. Without China the Navy is reduced to maybe 6 carriers and the F-35 purchase cut in half across the board? We'd never do that? Have you heard about the Peace Dividend?
People forget how important that little patch of sea is.
Here's the part I'm worried about. We've knocked off Venezuela and are choking off Iran. Those were two big places for China's oil. Oil is a vital national interest. Nations often go to war when they feel their national interests are threatened. So, what's China going to do about it?
The Quartermaster
Verified Military
Sounds like the art of the deal in negotiations time to me. Leave the Philippines and Japan alone, recognize Taiwan and make peace with, for starters.
The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere agrees.
Box
Verified SOF
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That will always be the razors edge for ANY nations leaders to do their balancing act.
How far can you go one way or the other...
...do you let EVERYONE take advantage of you, slowly depleting the public coffers
...do you let the world encroach on your buffer zones because you don't want to risk antagonizing a response
...do you look inward and put the weight back on your citizens
...do you look outward and break a few windows; daring anyone to retaliate.
Bullies and Opportunists are ALWAYS going to take advantage of any given situation. Maybe it's OK to acknowledge and just look the other way to keep then happy in the name of peace an quiet.
...but when does one say "enough is enough"
China has been exploiting our trade practices for a loooong time now. Poor trade polices (done under the mask of peaceful trade) have allowed them to expand their global influence to a dangerous level.
While the US sat quietly and did little.
So, I ask everyone - seriously - when comes the adverse of that question after decades of the USA footing everyone's bills, surrendering to everyone else's trade practices, watching communism (communism and socialism are bad folks - really - they're both bad - in spite of what everyone on the left keeps telling us) creep into our backyards, our schools, and our national governance...
"Nations often go to war when they feel their national interests are threatened."
So, I ask, what is the USA going to do about it?
We the people allow our Selected leaders to treat foreign policy like fucking pop tarts. This year its the "Frosted Cherry" foreign policy - then after the midterms, we'll go with "Protein Boosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon" then as soon as the next political party takes the White House, we'll shift to the "Frosted Chocolate Fudge" foreign policy...
...all the while, wondering why we are constantly dealing with some sort of fucking crisis.
Here's why:
It's because our shitty, corrupted, bought and paid for leaders are more worried about their bottom line than they are about "we the people"
It's the same reason we have continued to pretend that NATO is helping to save us from the boogey man after 50 years of NATO living rent free in our fucking basement, eating all of our god damn Pop Tarts without ever going to the mother fucking grocery store.
NATO had a very specific itch that needed scratching. The itch got scratched but those "in NATO" benefiting are just like any other mutt that curls up at your feet. Scratch them enough, and they dont want you to stop. You don't mind scratching him. It's a good dog. You want want your dog to be happy, but enough is enough, go lay down.
But the dog wants to be scratched. Then they begin to irritate you. They nudge your hand, they paw at you, they bark, they whine...
...its still a good dog, but it just seems to have forgotten who the "alpha" is in the house.
...its still a good dog, it just doesn't realize that YOU are the one feeding it and letting it sleep indoors on a cushion
...its still a good dog, but it needs to be put the fuck outside to sleep in the doghouse until it gets its mind straight again.
NATO is still a good dog. It just needs to get smacked on the fucking nose and put outside to learn to appreciate how fucking good life really is.
The problem is, that fucking dog has started acting WAY too playful with the fucking strangers that it was meant to help protect to against.
"No more forever wars" is an existential promise. It's also pretty hard to label what is going on as the start of "another forever war" based on EVERYTHING that we have seen from both parties over the last 75 years.
The idea that NATO is "worried" about "what is China going to do" is all the proof that I need that they need to be oput in the fucking dog house for awhile. They were supposed to be a guard dog. You brought him home to be a companion and a watch dog.
But he hasn't watched SHIT.
He isn't guarding you from shit.
When the Russians and the Chinese come knocking, they lick their fucking hands instead of chasing them off.
BAD DOG NATO.
BAD DOG
We have ALL gotten so used to empty actions meant to soothe our "allies" or build the investment portfolios of our politicians and their DefenseContractoCampaignDonations addiction that we lost sight of what the fucking preamble to the constitution means - or even says for that matter. As a result, we worry about "what if this makes the Russian and Chinese want to go to war instead of - "If those mother fuckers dont stop fucking us over, WE are going to war"
It's scary. It paints the picture of a bleak future. It is the opposite of "pursuit of happiness" - but it is reality - worrying about doing something that will give bullies a reason to go to war while letting them fuck us over by doing that very same thing - well - it's just my opinion but that is the definition of surrendering.
On that same "dog metaphor" - there is one side of the aisle that seems to think putting the dog outside is evil. There is a cross section of society that wants you to believe you are a monster if you don't give your misbehaving dog a fucking treat just because it sits down next to the treat jar and gives you the puppy dog face. It's ok to shit on the floor - because you're a good dog. It's ok to chew my slippers because you are a good dog. It's ok to bite the children because you are a good dog.
I'm done wondering "what the bad guys are going to do"
I'm actively asking "why aren't we punching someone in the fucking nose and telling them to sit down and shut up"
None of this should be taken seriously of course - I'm just a washed up biased, shamelessly partisan conspiracy nut with little actual knowledge of world events and their sociopolitical consequences.
CPL B USMC
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What keeps me up at night is the fact that after Trump is gone there will be no one with the stones to do any of what we have seen in the last year and 4.5 months. Get rid of money in politics and force the public servents to actually do what is in the best interest of the people to win elections and we might have a shot.
My biggest fear is that we fall back into the way it was before and nothing changes or actually gets more partisan. Unfortunately, this seems the likely outcome unless things change.
My biggest fear is that we fall back into the way it was before and nothing changes or actually gets more partisan. Unfortunately, this seems the likely outcome unless things change.
Box
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"Real" change is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and in some cases, even painful - Americans don't have the stomach for the discomfort.
"Lasting" change takes time - and Americans are just so fucking impatient that they cant even wait the three fucking minutes it takes to cook a Pop Tart the right way...
...we just throw that mother fucker in the microwave for ten seconds and complain that the filling is too hot.
Until "we the people" can stop treating our foreign policy like a microwaved Pop Tart - we will continue to rely on meaningless partisan bickering that gets us nowhere.
Helluva ride though
Blizzard
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So, here's the issue...people are cooking Pop-Tarts? Completely unnecessary.
Pop-Tarts taste great (great may be an overstatement...they're as good as they can be) straight out of the package and there's no risk of burning your mouth with filling that is 1 degree shy of the temperature of the sun. Sure, there's the added benefit of time saved, but this is the way pros eat them.
Devildoc
Verified Military
Microwave a pop-tart? How...gauche.
Box
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This is the very attitude toward policy and procedure that have us wringing our pearls and clutching our hands over the situation in Iran. We all know from the caution that Kellogs puts on the box - if our foreign policy is overheated, frosting and/or filling can become extremely hot and could cause burns.
...we also know that everything GREAT in this world comes with some degree of risk
Eating a Pop Tart "straight out of the package" to avoid the risk of burning your mouth is like giving the Iranians an airplane full of cash so they won't do international terrorism. Eating a Pop Tart "straight out of the package" to avoid risk is like letting Iranians take your Sailors hostage and use them in propaganda phots because you don't want to upset the Chinese. Eating a Pop Tart "straight out of the package" to avoid risk is like giving your worst enemies a green card and letting them live in the USA while they enjoy our freedoms and bash our lifestyles because you're afraid they'll block the Straights of Hormel and prevent the rest of World from getting canned chili with beans.
NO SIR. NOT ON MY WATCH.
Even Kellogs has made it clear in their marketing:
Preparation Instructions:
There's a word for people who eat untoasted Pop-Tarts®: Renegades.
Oy Vey, no one is above the law hermano. We make a choice when we eat a Pop Tart "straight out of the package" & we make a choice when we simply toss it in the microwave for a few seconds. We CHOOSE to do things right when we put it in a toaster oven so that we can enjoy the full experience. Just like our foreign policy choices we all have to make a choice between right and wrong.
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
Sure, we could do the VetBro thing and pretend to be Renegades - grab a Pop Tart and hit it raw.
We could toss it in a microwave for three to five seconds.
...and we could continue to clutch at our pearls and wonder why our foreign policy changes with the shifting winds.
Or, we could follow a decision making process.
-We could remove our foreign policy from the foil before heating
-We could preheat the Air Fryer to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit because this is still America and we don't have a King)
-We could place our foreign policy in the air fryer basket, or on a rack
-We could heat our foreign policy for two minutes or until warm.
-We could let our foreign policy cool and enjoy it
Maybe we were in a bit more of a hurry...
-We could just toast our foreign policy on the lowest setting
-Let our foreign policy cool before eating.
Or we could just eat our foreign policy "straight out of the package" to avoid risk - then continue to wonder why things are so fucked up.
It's all about choices.
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