Politics

Hogpatrol said:

Foxi, we aren't Germany or any other European country. We have the military industrial complex. They don't want conflicts or wars to end. The goal is to maintain instability in certain regions of the world. That keeps the money flowing, the military bases open in each senator's state, people working in defense plants and the politicians in power. It's a system that's been in place since WW2. As far as the Persians? They'd fold in a week like the Iraqis. All you'd have to do is turn off their cell phones. It all falls back on "The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong". If you think the Persians are smarter than we are, I have some beachfront property in Arizona for sale, cheap.
For more on who's smarter, here's some info on Stuxnet.
http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/holloway1/

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Respect, that you are so honest,
Nobody in Europe can imagine that your arms companies (and all those who depend on them) should be interested in a peaceful world.
But you have not gained much in the last decades, am I wrong?
"you know how to win, but you don't know how to use victory" Livius to Hanibal.

What do you want for the square meter beachfront, would be more for me and my wife

Foxi said:

I'm glad you didn't, you would have died for sure and thousands of your comrades too.
Persians are a complete different housenumber than Arabs.
The wars of the USA often do not end with the desired result and do not guarantee to the official date.
Sometimes a victory is only a fata morgana, behind which the catastrophe already lurks.

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Our little game of proportionality has let us live with this incipient war-like terrorism for 40 years. I guess if you want to live with that...

Yeah, Persians are different. So are Marines.

Wheels said:

Don't believe all you hear from the MSM. They are just promoting fear mongering.

Remember how the MSM went nuts with Trumps "Short and Fat", "Rocket-man" and "My button is bigger than yours and mine works" comments? Remember how the MSM was concerned this was the end.

Remember how the MSM went nuts when Trump launched 50 cruise missiles into Syria while dining with Xi? Remember how horrible that was.

Remember how Trump putting tariffs on China was the end of the world financially and we would go into depression?

Remember how removing our troops from Syria was going to cause wholesale destruction to the Kurds?

Remember how Trump destroyed a battalion of Russians in Syria and that was the end of the world? Oh yea! The MSM refused to deal with that since Trump was supposed to be controlled by Putin.



The Iranian people are protesting in the streets. The Ayatollahs are hanging on, but their time is running out. Iran's involvement in Yemen with the Houthi's is waning. Have you heard anything about Hezbollah causing problems in Lebanon lately. No you haven't because Iran's influence and money is running out. Iran's sphere of influence is shrinking. Not increasing.

Trump has already said he will wreck destruction if Iran retaliates.

I don't know what will happen next, but I am sure you won't have to deal with WWIII!

Hakuna Matata!

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Well even if it ain't straight up WWIII, I assume we'll see at least a decent increase in friction between the U.S. and Iran. Whether or not that'll mean troops on the ground is anyone's guess.

tigris115 said:

Well even if it ain't straight up WWIII, I assume we'll see at least a decent increase in friction between the U.S. and Iran. Whether or not that'll mean troops on the ground is anyone's guess.

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Many world leaders underestimate Trump:

Russia underestimated Trump. He killed/maimed a battalion of Russians.

China underestimated Trump. He set up tariffs that changed the trading paradigm and their economy is foundering.

Canada underestimated Trump. Trudeau and Freeland thought they had things arranged with the US Chamber of Commerce and the Democrats in Congress. Finally with three days to go they realized USM was happening without them. Canada ended up worse off than if they had negotiated what is now USMCA in good faith from the start.

Turkey underestimated Trump. They thought they were getting a 20 mile buffer through the Kurds. The Kurds and Aasad couldn't come to an agreement. Trump forced their hand and an agreement was made between them overnight. The Syrians planted their flags along the Turkish border and overnight, Turkey is shut out from most of the area and the Kurds have a semi autonomous area within Syria since Aasad doesn't have the power to do anything to them. And America is theoretically out of Syria.

Germany underestimated Trump. It is still early, but their auto industry, Nordstream II, and Nato contribution rates are all exposed. Once USMCA and China round one are finalized, look for pressure to be ramped up.

EU underestimated Trump. See Germany above.

America/Obama Administration/Clinton campaign underestimated Trump. Trump is still in office. Watch what happens over the next five years.

Soleimani underestimated Trump. Did he feel safe in his ability to travel the ME and coordinate terror due to the blackmail he had on the Kerry's/Obama's of the world.

Iran................. Just look at the information/disinformation that has been distilled today.


The MSM has been wrong on all of the above items. The MSM stays in business by scaring people. Over the last three years, the MSM has been wrong virtually every time. Yet, many people don't have the cognitive ability to think for themselves and go around parroting the MSM's talking points like they were gospel.


Troops on the ground in Iran??? Not happening. There is a much greater chance that the Ayatollahs are gone and a secular government installed within the year than troops on the ground.


The days of Obama and appeasement are over. The world is wising up when it comes to Trump. He doesn't mess around. Trump is working to remove America from the world's entanglements. He is doing it through strength, not weakness. Look for America's footprint to be smaller in 2024, not larger.

tigris115 said:

Well even if it ain't straight up WWIII, I assume we'll see at least a decent increase in friction between the U.S. and Iran. Whether or not that'll mean troops on the ground is anyone's guess.

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What's your point?

Surely you aren't saying that killing a terrorist that was directly responsible for killing Americans isn't worth friction with a rogue and terrorist nation? Would you seriously rather appease them and let them continue to act with impunity for the next 40 years?

Royal27 said:

What's your point?

Surely you aren't saying that killing a terrorist that was directly responsible for killing Americans isn't worth friction with a rogue and terrorist nation? Would you seriously rather appease them and let them continue to act with impunity for the next 40 years?

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You are much more succinct than me. You must be an executive.

Wheels said:

You are much more succinct than me. You must be an executive.

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Yeah, but together the two of you are like peanut butter and jelly.

tarbe said:

Our little game of proportionality has let us live with this incipient war-like terrorism for 40 years. I guess if you want to live with that...

Yeah, Persians are different. So are Marines.

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Not to mention a couple little interesting tidbits.

Outnumbering Iraq somewhere between 3:1 and 5:1 in their 8-year war in the 1980s, they never could make headway against the Iraqis. Badly outnumbered Iraq held them off.

Point 2 - The Iranian military suffers the same shortcomings of most Asian militaries: the officers have authority but very little responsibility; and the NCOs have responsibility but no real authority. That only works when you have overwhelming numerical superiority. The USSR army used that tactic at battles like Kursk - they soaked up about 500,000 KIA while the NAZIs soaked up *only* about 50,000 KIA. Tactical victory for Germany, strategic victory for Stalin.

The MSM appears willfully ignorant on such things. Rest assured western militaries know it, and the Ayatollahs know it, too.

tarbe said:

Yeah, but together the two of you are like peanut butter and jelly.

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or

Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. But who is who???

Wheels said:

or

Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. But who is who???

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Depends on the day and topic I think.

Wheels said:

Felix Unger and Oscar Madison.

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Or Burt and Ernie......

Got a chuckle out of that one.

The MSM as they go after Trump.

Wheels said:

EU underestimated Trump. See Germany above.

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France continues to underestimate Trump. France is in an untenable position. This is no different than last century when they sat atop the Maginot Line. France has had a trade surplus with America for ages by maintaining higher tariffs than America has on French goods. I don't know exactly how this will be resolved but I do know that Macron will blink first. He can't win.

South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Southeast Asia get Trump and probably work out a better deal than those that rattle sabers. C'est la vie!


https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-...tent&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter


France warns U.S. against digital tax retaliation

PARIS (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warned the United States on Monday that any retaliation to France’s new digital services tax could “deeply and durably” damage relations.

FILE PHOTO: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire attends a news conference at the Finance Ministry in Paris, France, October 28, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
Washington has threatened to impose duties of up to 100% on imports of champagne, handbags and other French products worth $2.4 billion (1.8 billion pounds) after a U.S. government investigation found the French tax would harm U.S. technology companies.

“If the Americans decide to go ahead and impose sanctions against the digital tax ... in this case we would retaliate,” Le Maire told France Inter radio.

“If there were to be sanctions, and it is a possibility that we will take sanctions, we would immediately contact the WTO (World Trade Organisation)”, he added.


Le Maire said he had sent a letter on the issue to U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lightizer and was also going to discuss it with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin by phone.

“If the U.S were to decide to impose trade sanctions against the EU over the French Digital Services Tax, it would deeply and durably affect the transatlantic relationship at a time when we need to stand united”, the minister wrote in the letter seen by Reuters.

Le Maire also said in the letter that France was “in touch with the European Commission and other EU Member States on the subject” and that they were “contemplating the various options to defend our trade rights in a proportionate and determined manner, as we have in the past,” .

Paris has long complained about U.S. digital companies not paying enough tax on revenues earned in France.


In July, the government decided to apply a 3% levy on revenue from digital services earned in France by firms with more than 25 million euros ($28 million) in French revenue and 750 million euros worldwide.

The European Union has said it will stand by France in the dispute with the United States.

Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Mark Potter

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
MORE FROM REUTERS

tigris115 said:

Well even if it ain't straight up WWIII, I assume we'll see at least a decent increase in friction between the U.S. and Iran. Whether or not that'll mean troops on the ground is anyone's guess.

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Appeasement, it just doesn't work. It only makes things worse until you get to the point of having to finally fight back. Go back and read your history following the end of WWI through Hitler's rise to power. Focus on those last few years when Hitler moved through western Europe and that pansy Neville Chamberlain wanted to further appease the man with the Germans separated from him by a little bit of water. He too was afraid he may make the mad man angry.

An increase in friction between the U.S. and Iran was already happening, it's what led to Trump's reaction to kill this POS. Did you think for some reason it wasn’t? If so, please explain why. Also please explain what Soleimani was doing in Baghdad to begin with, I’m fairly certain it wasn’t for sightseeing.

I made the assumption that the U.S. and Iran were mostly in a cold war and this is gonna make it hot. Could be wrong though and if I am, whatever. I've been wrong many times before but I'm still fine.

Also yea, if I learned anything about the history of WWII (Besides that the Japanese owe China a HUGE apology), it's that appeasment only delays the inevitable, and not even that well.

Thirty two die in funeral stampede. Civilized in the word only. Like most of the Arab world, if it weren't for their oil and the West, they'd still be cooking over camel shit.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle...for-general-who-died-in-us-airstrike-1.613776

Its funny how all these liberal sh## bags are prazing iran if thats and over there for that fact why is it they just dont move there.just goes to show how dilusional this morons are.

Hogpatrol said:

Thirty two die in funeral stampede. Civilized in the word only. Like most of the Arab world, if it weren't for their oil and the West, they'd still be cooking over camel shit.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle...for-general-who-died-in-us-airstrike-1.613776

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