Originally Posted by ShyGuy (Post 4014434)

I absolutely agree with the bolded first 4 words of your post. So speaking of batpoop crazy religious zealots, let’s start with the U.S. and Israel.


And what Iranian put a vest on their wives or kids?

Originally Posted by ShyGuy (Post 4014429)

If Iran had zero intentions of pursuing a nuclear program for weaponry, they are going to be 100% committed now.

Originally Posted by at6d (Post 4014442)

Just checking—you feel the United States is full of religious zealots? And these zealots are conducting this war? You think Israel is fighting because of religion?Keep in mind there are Arab citizens in Israel as well, including Christians and other faiths. Which religion are they fighting under? Is Israel not responsible for defending all of its citizens from being annihilated (which Iran openly supports)?

Let’s remember it’s not called Iran. It’s the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic Republic has funded IEDs, vests, vehicle borne delivery, etc. They may not have done vests directly, but definitely by proxy. You cannot by default sidestep the religious context that Iran operates under.

Persia was not this way.

Originally Posted by ShyGuy (Post 4014434)

I absolutely agree with the bolded first 4 words of your post. So speaking of batpoop crazy religious zealots, let’s start with the U.S. and Israel.


And what Iranian put a vest on their wives or kids?

Originally Posted by OpieTaylor (Post 4014449)

You’re just arguing your own personal threshold wasn’t reached and that is ok.

Originally Posted by ShyGuy (Post 4014446)

Well we can’t go partisan here on the forum. But Im simply going by the openly Christian Bible quotes and commentary by the SecDef Hegseth during war updates, press briefings. This is not normal. As for Bibi, absolutely a religious zealot.

Religion is a driver for the problems in the ME, yes. That and land. It’s why you’ll never see a 2 state solution. Those hopes died with Rabin.

Originally Posted by ShyGuy (Post 4014454)

Nor was ours. Fact, according to our US intelligence agency.



Of all the issues we could possibly “solve,” bombing yet another ME country would be at the extreme bottom of my list. We have tons of issues at home here we could spend $$$ billions to fix first.

Originally Posted by Lowslung (Post 4014441)

Most likely explanation is that Israel knows it has a limited window to act vis a vis the Trump admin. They’ve likely calculated that chances are good the midterms in the U.S. will seriously constrain the administration’s ability to act & they want to accomplish as much kinetic effect as possible until that point.

With the current administration, Israel has been given far fewer red lights and is predictably doing what it feels is in its best interests. SOME of those interests align with ours, but certainly not all & even Trump appears to be frustrated with the extent of Israeli strikes so far in this war. Personally, I believe it was beyond foolish to cut the head off the snake & expect anything but equally venomous fangs to grow back.

We are paying a very heavy price in lives lost, lives forever changed, military capability being attritted (we lost seven tankers in a week, expending a metric f@%k ton of very expensive ordinance, and apparently F-35s are being shot up by Iranian air defenses that we were assured were zapped in the first days of the war). For what? When is it over? Hint: Middle East forever war hasn’t been over since 1990, & it won’t be over whenever we finally call this one “mission accomplished” which could be next week or ten years down the road.

In the meantime, the guys and gals that replaced me in mil cockpits will continue to waste half their lives in conex quarters that were built to last months, but will house troops for decades, we will continue to use up valuable equipment and countless taxpayer dollars (all while screaming about the national debt mind you), and China and other potential adversaries will continue to capitalize on our folly while building up military force and soft power in places we SAY are strategically important to us. This isn’t that hard folks. We’ve all seen this movie multiple times.

Originally Posted by OpieTaylor (Post 4014458)

Joe Kent wasn’t voted for by the people and his opinion does not govern.

Your fight attendant is your eyes and ears in the cabin, does their opinion govern over yours, because they say you are blind and deaf without them and they’ll quit if you don’t do what they say?

Rising taxes, filling in pot holes, or handing more welfare isn’t in the middle of a 47 years historic opportunity.

There is a reason Tel Aviv isn’t sitting right under a chlorine cloud, Assad is gone, and now was the time.

Iran let their foreign defense strategy fall into the crapper.

Originally Posted by at6d (Post 4014442)

Just checking—you feel the United States is full of religious zealots? And these zealots are conducting this war? You think Israel is fighting because of religion?Keep in mind there are Arab citizens in Israel as well, including Christians and other faiths. Which religion are they fighting under? Is Israel not responsible for defending all of its citizens from being annihilated (which Iran openly supports)?

Yes, there are Evangelicals in the USA that feel that Israel must be defended at all costs because of biblical interpretation. Catholics do not share that viewpoint as they differentiate the “people of Israel” vs the modern 1947 State of borders and country.

Let’s remember it’s not called Iran. It’s the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic Republic has funded IEDs, vests, vehicle borne delivery, etc. They may not have done vests directly, but definitely by proxy. You cannot by default sidestep the religious context that Iran operates under.

Persia was not this way.