Iran Test-Fires 9 Missiles to Show 'Might'

[kelpdiver 2]

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When the President of Iran continuously makes threats to obliterate Israel, do you expect Israel to stand idly by and wait to be obliterated?

And when the president of the united states continuously says iran is a global threat and currently sitting on top of the "axis of evil", what do you expect iran to do?

You have the order wrong there.

[JohnnyD 0]

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Hey Bill what the heck do you think Rush is talking about?

Easy to figure out.... just go to the Lush Rimjob Show and to the EIB website......an you will know what they are thinking on any given week.

You know, "Facts".

The ones that have "truthiness"

[billvon 3,114]

>If you live in Tel Aviv, are you going to wait to be #1?

Nope. Conversely, if you live in Tehran, are you going to (as another poster put it) "roll over and see if Israel will scratch your tummy?"

[jcd11235 0]

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Before the US took a lead role in foreign policy for the world, there were frequent wars that killed tens of millions of people. Since then, none.

I'll take the Cold War and its proxy wars over WWI and II anytime.

WWI&II were a single war with an intermission. It's not realistic for the US to take credit for there not being a world war since WWII,

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[Gawain 0]

It was a rattle...big deal.

Let's look at reality for a second.

First off, if Iran were to be struck, they wouldn't know it until it was over.

Second, regardless of "who" did it, their natural assumption will be that it was an Israeli/US joint effort.

If I were Iran, I'd be acting worried too, their defense systems are not all that unlike Syria's and we know how effective they were against Israel last September.

Having said that, do I believe an all-out war with Iran is likely, no. Highly unlikely in fact. Iran's leadership isn't all that popular, and time and pressure will hopefully squeeze what's left of the 1979 revolution out of there for good.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[wmw999 2,587]

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who Britney Spears is going out with.

Whoa -- Britney is dating again

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[kelpdiver 2]

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>If you live in Tel Aviv, are you going to wait to be #1?

Nope. Conversely, if you live in Tehran, are you going to (as another poster put it) "roll over and see if Israel will scratch your tummy?"

And the difference, which hardly needs to be pointed out, is that only one of these countries has called for the destruction of the other. Israel's only goal would be the destruction of the nuclear facility, though with this rocket waving, might have to add some additional military targets to the list.

[billvon 3,114]

>And the difference, which hardly needs to be pointed out, is that only
>one of these countries has called for the destruction of the other.

Actually, both have threatened to attack the other. (Needless to say, the only people lately to carry out such threats have been the USA.)

Saber-rattling (of which both threats and military tests are part of) has been going on for decades. Russia threatened to "bury us" - fortunately we were not so stupid as to think that indicated an imminent attack. Likewise, Iran's current blowhard should be taken no more seriously.

[kelpdiver 2]

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>And the difference, which hardly needs to be pointed out, is that only
>one of these countries has called for the destruction of the other.

Actually, both have threatened to attack the other. (Needless to say, the only people lately to carry out such threats have been the USA.)

Don't distort the facts. One has threatened to attack military targets. The other has threatened to anniliate the entire country, following on multiple other attempts by Arab nations to do so.

It's not an equal plane.

[idrankwhat 0]

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That poster merely challenged the bullshit claim that Iran was legally/properly pursuing a nuclear energy program. It's clearly false. And anything Israel has done has no bearing on that determination.

To be fair, the argument presented was that Iran was violating UN resolutions. Responding that Israel also violates UN resolutions is a reasonable addition to the discussion. If UN violations are the standard, then apply them equally.

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This isn't the schoolyard with the teacher (god) looking on. The powerful can get away with a double standard. The meek cannot.

Might makes right?

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If Iran merely pursued a nuclear program for self defense, just like North Korea has done, it would be bad for US interests, but so be it. But Iran is hardly an innocent, and if Israel decides to take them out, good for them. Iran is the one causes the problem here. They're not defending themselves, they're threatening others.

Iran is indeed probably interested in pursuing nukes for self defense. If you were them, wouldn't you? When you have nukes you get respect/preferred trading/foreign relations status.

[idrankwhat 0]

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First off, if Iran were to be struck, they wouldn't know it until it was over.

Second, regardless of "who" did it, their natural assumption will be that it was an Israeli/US joint effort.

Probably a reasonable assumption given our historical record of providing targeting assistance.

[idrankwhat 0]

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Having said that, do I believe an all-out war with Iran is likely, no. Highly unlikely in fact. Iran's leadership isn't all that popular, and time and pressure will hopefully squeeze what's left of the 1979 revolution out of there for good.

By the way, I wanted to thank you for looking at the bigger picture. Many think that the majority of the Iranian people are in lock-step agreement with their Blowhard in Chief or that they're neanderthals in need of a little "liberatin'".

[jcd11235 0]

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Millions? Can you please provide credible sources to back that up?

It was Rush Limbaugh.

Let's just say it was many thousands (I'm shooting low here so not to disturb you) and all the mass graves have not been discovered yet. So, have you forgotten about those innocent lives?

Nope. Nor have I forgotten all the innocent lives lost during Desert Storm, the lives lost due to economic sanctions in the intervening years between Desert Storm and OIF, or the civilian deaths caused by our invasion and occupation. I also haven't failed to consider the amount of time it took US foreign policy to take those lives in comparison to the amount of time Saddam was in power. (Incidentally, how do you think the Baathists came to power?)

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Care to expound on that. Perhaps listing the smaller military strikes that would make us out to be the great satan the left has painted us to be.

Remember our proxy war in Afghanistan? You probably don't recall that al Qaeda were our allies then, but we called them freedom fighters instead of terrorists.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[kelpdiver 2]

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Probably a reasonable assumption given our historical record of providing targeting assistance.

in the 80s the Mossad stole targeting information on Soviet sites from us.

[kelpdiver 2]

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To be fair, the argument presented was that Iran was violating UN resolutions.

No, the argument presented was that Iran had a legal nuclear power program. Israel has nothing to do with the disproving of this claim.

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This isn't the schoolyard with the teacher (god) looking on. The powerful can get away with a double standard. The meek cannot.

Might makes right?

You miss the point, just as Darius did. It's not about right. It's about what is. Bigger countries will play nice when convienent, then just play hard. Iraq tried to play the heavy when it rolled over on Kuwait, and then found there were bigger players that could return the favor. Iran is in a bad position to be playing the genocidal role. They don't have to power to back it up. And they certainly don't have 'right' on their side either.

[Gawain 0]

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Have we not forgotten the millions of innocents that lost their lives under the regime we removed?

Millions? Can you please provide credible sources to back that up?

Not a great source, but Iranian deaths alone are thought to be up beyond 1M. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_War#Casualties_on_Iranian_Side

Those figures include KIA from chemical weapon attacks.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[nerdgirl 0]

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Not a great source, but Iranian deaths alone are thought to be up beyond 1M. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_War#Casualties_on_Iranian_Side.

See post #57 for multiple sources (w/in Matt White's site, which is well-regarded source) for combatant deaths and another ref for estimate of civilian deaths.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[Gawain 0]

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Remember our proxy war in Afghanistan? You probably don't recall that al Qaeda were our allies then, but we called them freedom fighters instead of terrorists.

Al Qaeda did not exist in its form during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. bin Laden created "the base" after he was disowned by his family when he protested US protection of Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield.

The Mujahedin in Afghanistan were not an organized base or "al Qaeda" when ISI was supplying arms and training against the USSR.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[jcd11235 0]

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Have we not forgotten the millions of innocents that lost their lives under the regime we removed?

Millions? Can you please provide credible sources to back that up?

Not a great source, but Iranian deaths alone are thought to be up beyond 1M. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_War#Casualties_on_Iranian_Side

Those figures include KIA from chemical weapon attacks.

Those figures also include soldiers, not just innocent civilians. Of course, many of those deaths could have been averted, if not for the US supplying chemical weapons to Iraq in another manifestation of our misguided foreign policy.

Having said that, the intent of my comment to which you responded was regarding Iraqi civilian deaths at the hands of Saddam and at the hands of the US, especially with Bush, Clinton and Bush at the helm. Saddam was no Mother Theresa, but we haven't been any better to Iraqis.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[jcd11235 0]

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Remember our proxy war in Afghanistan? You probably don't recall that al Qaeda were our allies then, but we called them freedom fighters instead of terrorists.

Al Qaeda did not exist in its form during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. bin Laden created "the base" after he was disowned by his family when he protested US protection of Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield.

The Mujahedin in Afghanistan were not an organized base or "al Qaeda" when ISI was supplying arms and training against the USSR.

Al Qaeda was formed in 87-88. Their tactics were essentially the same then as now, as was their ideology.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[billvon 3,114]

>Their tactics were essentially the same then as now, as was their ideology.

. . . as was their made-in-the-USA weaponry and ammunition.

[warpedskydiver 0]

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Remember our proxy war in Afghanistan? You probably don't recall that al Qaeda were our allies then, but we called them freedom fighters instead of terrorists.

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Whoa there, you just made a statement that is absolutely false.

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[ErricoMalatesta 0]

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Let's go back 100 years of U.S. history:

WW1 - US lured into war. Among other factors, the sinking of the Lucitannia comes to mind.

The US were NOT lured into WW1 they willingly went to war AFTER manufacturing the consent of a pacifistic population.

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Korea - Defending an ally from a communist aggressor.

Vietnam - Defending an ally from a communist aggressor.

Hahahaha.

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Gulf War - Defending an ally from an invasion from an aggressor

Hahahaha again.

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Afghanistan - To remove the government that supported and aided the terrorist group that attacked us on our soil.

Hahaha.

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Iraq - First time we made the decision to invade. The reasons have been debated and still are. Some valid reasons for invasion and some not. Yes, innocent civilians lost their lives during this war. Have we forgotten the millions of innocents that lost their lives under the regime we removed?

Hahaha.

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I deliberately left out the smaller military conflicts we were involved in in the past century because they were not necessary to make my point.

Yeah like butchering tens of thousands of Latin Americans. Better leave that out. You were just defending an ally from communism. hahaha.

[warpedskydiver 0]

All those american made RPK's, AK's, GSu's T-34's T-62's, Mortars of various sizes, 122, &130mm Howitzers. and all the rest.

Chinese, and Russian made mines.

Wow you are quite the expert in that regard.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Yeah like butchering tens of thousands of Latin Americans. Better leave that out. You were just defending an ally from communism. hahaha.

Aren't you Spanish?