General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI hope people resist the dramatics and escalations in this manufactured conflict with Iran.
The politics of this manipulation into war is so far quite different than the one with Iraq. To invade Iraq, BushCo sabre-rattled and came up with reasons for many months after having made the decision of the invasion.
This conflict, thus far, is nothing so "principled," but much simpler. It's just a tit-for-tat with huge jumps in escalation between steps. And it's a quick scale-up. It's what you often see when both sides in a conflict- stupidly- really want to fight.
It's also incredibly dangerous, and should be resisted. Those trying to stop this war must deny the legitimacy of the conflict itself. Don't accept that we are suddenly "in a war," and therefore must act as such- that's the intended escalation trap. Just as in WWI, this is awful leadership sacrificing the lives of the least powerful of their own citizens, for nothing but their personal political gamemanship. Don't let them pretend there is some kind of important meaning to this beyond that.
onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)coti
(4,612 posts)onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)There are so many soft targets.
coti
(4,612 posts)onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)Victory laps.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)ever concerned him, you haven't been paying attention.
He doesn't care.
We're talking about a man with NO moral compass, NO ethics, NO compassion. A man who rips babies from their mother's arms and locks children in concentration camps AND had no plan beyond that.
coti
(4,612 posts)if we want to do what we can to avoid it.
Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)coti
(4,612 posts)Your insistence that war must happen isn't helping anyone.
onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)And that is why I said we are past the point.
onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)coti
(4,612 posts)we could also, theoretically, swear off the dumbfuck actions of a President that led us to this point.
If we continue on this path, a whole lot of people could get hurt. Or even more than a whole lot. Few seem genuinely invested in avoiding that.
onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)Im sorry but there is zero evidence to suggest that dump would listen or care. He literally tweeted a fucking American flag. He thinks this is great. Hes saying it would be over quickly. Does that sound familiar. Id love to think the situation could be de-escalated. Its naive and contrary to what weve seen. Not to mention Bolton must be positively giddy right now.
coti
(4,612 posts)Trump could change his mind.
But, I think, more than that, I'm saying that it's our responsibility to not be a part of the escalation itself by playing along and agreeing with the inevitably of war with Iran, which- inevitably- will be Trump supporters' ultimate justification of these actions. Which could be absolutely devastating to millions of people.
onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)When Iran retaliates, and they will at the time and place of their choosing, those people will once again be blood thirsty. No one in the Republican Party has the intestinal fortitude to stop the reckless POS.
McKim
(2,412 posts)Lets leverage this event into another reason to IMPEACH!!!! Just turn this event around and use it to our advantage against the president. Dont get caught up in the drama, just use it against him.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)OldBaldy1701E
(5,162 posts)Other than endangering the lives of those who live/work over there, how is this going to affect us over here? Other than the oil that we are being forced to keep using and the profits that go with it, how? (We went from no ability to get near the atmosphere to a moon landing in ten years and yet we are still using fossil fuels and centrally located power supplies? Bullshiat, this is so because the oligarchs keep it this way). I want to know just what you think they are going to do during this 'retaliation' except attack oil interests, which would maybe force us to finally stop listening to the oligarchs that run this country and are about to get us into another foreign quagmire over their profits, profits that most certainly will not apply back to us. They cannot reach us militarily, so what are they going to do? I say it again, we need to stop playing god with the rest of the planet, and tend to our own knitting. Of course, that is not going to happen. Neither is the single fact that we need to worry about our own first. Until we have no homeless, hungry, hopeless people here at home, we don't need to be sticking our noses in others business. Especially when the need to stick it in there is superfluous at best, and usually initially caused by us in the first place at worst.
roamer65
(36,747 posts)onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)LudwigPastorius
(9,179 posts)In an al Jazeera article, Hillary Mann Leverett, who served in the State Department and National Security Council under three presidents said that killing Soleimani is equivalent to the Iranians assassinating the American Secretary of Defense or the commander of the US Central Command.
So, consider how we would respond in such an event, because I believe that is what we can expect.
coti
(4,612 posts)to fit with a nice "inevitable war" narrative.
onecaliberal
(32,902 posts)We damn sure would.
Mersky
(4,986 posts)At this point. Am hoping for countervailing efforts by the peoples living under the varying extremist/nutball leaderships who do not want war.
And if this was, as it seems to be, an unnecessary escalation carried out by the tRump regime, then I have to stay prepared to peg him for what he and his minions have done.
I cannot help but be hacked-off over the timing of Iran, Russia, and China conducting naval drills last week, followed by tRumps phone call with putin on Sunday.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212817085
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/29/kremlin-putin-calls-to-thank-trump-for-help-on-terrorism-090430
There has to be another way than letting tRump try to force conflict with Iran to get away from his impeachment trial in the Senate.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)Mersky
(4,986 posts)Going to war against Iran isnt acceptable. Is ridiculously horrendous against the backdrop of impeachment of the worst pResident ever.
ancianita
(36,137 posts)Mersky
(4,986 posts)Crowman2009
(2,499 posts)When he decided to attack Iranian militias.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)Remember him asking repeatedly, "If we have nuclear weapons why don't we use them?"
McKim
(2,412 posts)Resisting this war is our duty. I am going to a demonstration tonight in my city. I called my senators. After 17 years in the Peace Movement I know the drill. My brother in law died in Vietnam for a lie and I have seen this movie before and where it ends, in family tragedies for all.
Crowman2009
(2,499 posts)Sloumeau
(2,657 posts)duforsure
(11,885 posts)Turn against all media that let's trump change the news cycle to war by turning their channel away unless they continue covering his impeachment , instead of repeating his propaganda trying to redirect away from him being exposed. This war crisis he's instigated is just another phony ploy to play the media, and we can't let him get away doing that any more. Before long even republicans will be begging he be removed from office. He's no republican, he's no successful businessman, just a career con man and a liar and a criminal waiting for justice to finally give him what he's always deserved, consequences.