President Trump announces military strikes on Iran: Operation Epic Fury

271,588 Views | 4819 Replies | Last: 1 hr ago by ATL Bear
Oldbear83
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The_barBEARian said:

whiterock said:

Sam Lowry said:

whiterock said:

More on significance of today's deal with Indonesia....while we are blockading the Straits of Hormuz.
Strong work.



Of course it's all about China. But the American people never bought into that. When yesterday's conspiracy theory becomes today's grand strategy, you know your narrative isn't selling very well.

The admin isn't selling that as a narrative. Events themselves illustrate it. The effect of everything that has happened in the last year is to China's detriment.

-They lost their preferential access to our markets.
-US relationships with Japan have strengthened. (new defense & economic cooperation agreements).
-US relationships with Philippines have strengthened. (joint military drills currently underway)
-They lost control of the Panama Canal.
-They lost in Venezuela (losing discounted oil, trade, and military/intel relationships)
-Cuba hurt Russia more but was not helpful to China.
-They lost in Iran. No more cheap oil. (No oil at all at the moment....)
-Today, their tankers are being denied passage thru Hormuz.
-Today, their tankers now have to pass +300mi of US allied territory before passing thru Malacca

Wargame a China move on Taiwan 12 months ago, and wargame it again today. The game plays out a lot differently. And every single change is in our benefit.

It's a great modern day example Liddell-Hart's "indirect route." It's usually the shortest way to your objective (deter Chinese power in Asia). We didn't try to confront China directly; we took out a huge chunk of their foreign policy infrastructure. Ergo, China's position to move against Taiwan is substantially weaker and more costly They cannot count on cheap Iranian or Venezuelan oil to insulate their economy from sanctions, and they see their main adversary demonstrating ability to control Hormuz and Malacca with ease. And Chinese equipment has proven to be damned near useless against US forces. China is a dictatorship and needs not worry terribly about public opinion, but even the most brutal dictator does have to worry about keeping its population paid & fed. Our actions over the last 12 months have made a move on Taiwan an existential risk for China. Xi might not be dissuade by that risk. But make no mistake, that risk has been substantially elevated by Trump. We are at or near max deterrence possible.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
-Sun Tzu





Too bad you've made an enemy of Russia who can supply China with as much oil as they need.

Yeah, about that ...

Russian oil is different from American oil, especially West Texas Intermediate (WTI). Density and sulfur content affect how hard it is to refine, and what the oil can be used for.



Russia also produces most of its oil in Siberia, requiring long pipelines to get it to distribution points, while US oil is produced in a number of places close to multiple distribution points.

cowboycwr
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FLBear5630 said:

cowboycwr said:

FLBear5630 said:

This string goes back 4 to 5 pages...

I brought up new drilling. I know what I brought up and what was said. You may have misunderstood one of the 15 something responses, but I assure you we were talking new drilling because Trump is proposing new legislation that both DeSantis and Newsome are working together against. It is really not that big of a deal. A simple, "oh Ok" would have sufficed the first time it came up. Or, even I didn't get that. You guys seem to love trying to play "Gotcha".

Either you want to discuss the point or not. Deepwater Horizon was not a few months clean up that "nature" took care of by itself like some are implying. We need to think long and hard about what we do, because it does **** with people's lives when it goes bad.


No clearly you do NOT know what you brought up.

We were not talking new drilling at the time deepwater horizon was brought up.

I can go back and pull all of your posts if you like. In order.

I already have pulled your EXACT wording from some of them. But you ignore your own words.

You are the one who needed to say "oh ok" long ago as you are the one who is claiming something that never happened.

Jesus Christ, you people are ridiculous.

You take from it what you will. I even put a map and referred to the legislation prompting the comment, if you can't get it from there. It is a you problem. And we already know Oldbear's problems, well documented. Take from it what you will.

The map was AFTER what you originally posted. AFTER you were called out and then tried to backstep and say you meant something else.
cowboycwr
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FLBear5630 said:

cowboycwr said:

FLBear5630 said:

cowboycwr said:

FLBear5630 said:

Realitybites said:

cowboycwr said:

FLBear5630 said:

cowboycwr said:

Sam Lowry said:

D. C. Bear said:

Sam Lowry said:

D. C. Bear said:

FLBear5630 said:

Realitybites said:

The Price Jump Is Coming: Why You Need to Stock Up on Food & Consumer Goods This Week

"Here is what I need you to understand: this ceasefire does not change anything in the analysis below. The ceasefire may already be dead. But even if it somehow survives, the damage is done:

The diesel that is already at $5.62 a gallon is already on the trucks delivering your food. The fertilizer that wasn't shipped for 40 days isn't arriving this week. The planting decisions that farmers already made shifting away from crops that need nitrogen fertilizer aren't reversing. The 40-day threshold that the United Nations warned would trigger structural crop reductions was crossed yesterday. Oil at $95 is still 43% above pre-war levels. And the physical crude that refineries already purchased at $141 per barrel is already in the pipeline.

The ceasefire announcement will make people think the crisis is over. That is exactly when you should be buying while everyone else relaxes.

If the ceasefire holds, prices come down slowly over months, not days. If it collapses and Iran's Parliament Speaker just called it "unreasonable" prices snap back to $112+ overnight. Either way, the food price increases from the last 40 days of diesel and fertilizer disruption are locked in and arriving at your grocery store in the next two to four weeks.

Read the full analysis below. Then go shopping."

Just read an interesting article from economists at Moody's, that there is no going back to what we had price-wise on oil. Well, Trump gave Musk what he wanted higher priced gas making EVs popular again. Joe Biden and AOC will be happy.


I have heard similar analysis before, and it didn't end up that way. Is there a reason that I should expect this time is different?

I must have missed that analysis. Remind me what happened the last time a regional war decimated Gulf oil production and closed the Strait of Hormuz?


Oil was supposed to run out.
You don't remember this?

When was oil supposed to run out?

Which prediction do you want?

There have been many since oil first even started to be drilled.

There were some in the early 1900s that it would run out by the 1930s.

IN the 1940s there were more predictions.

1960s
1970s
early 2000s
2020
or even within the last year.

Of course each time the date is pushed back. Like right now the "prediction" seems to be on the 2050-2060s that we will not run out but will start producing less as demand drops and this is the only thing that will prevent us from running out completely for a little while longer.

Yeah, but how are we getting it and where?

Fracking is causing geotechnical problems. We are now being told the Gulf is open. I don't want to see oil derricks off Clearwater Beach. We are now opening Alaska. It is not as simple as the supply is good. There are tradeoffs.





So you would rather run out then see an oil derrick off shore?

You would rather run out than get it from places that don't impact you?

I'd rather have oil.

I don't mind the oil derricks when I am at the beach. It actually provided interesting views. You can watch the ships that go to them, see their lights or when there are storms coming realize it because the lights can't be seen.


Anyone remember Deepwater Horizon?

The population of Grand Isle, Louisiana is about a thousand people.

The population of the Clearwater-Tampa-Saint Pete is 3.4 million, and any incident is going to see oil entering Tampa Bay through its inlets, not just washing up on the barrier islands.

I don't want to see oil rigs off Clearwater Beach any more than I want to live next to a nuclear reactor.

The real question is what do we do about complete reliance on an energy source, a significant portion of which is halfway around the world under hostile sands.

Deepwater Horizon impacted Clearwater Beach. The whole area, they found oil in the Keys.

If we have to destroy the world we live in to get oil, don't you think there is something fundamentally wrong with where we are? We are now opening Anwhar and other park areas, drilling the Gulf (DeSantis is dead set against it), fracking to the point of earthquakes and to go with the standard cancer clusters, drinking water contamination and wildlife destruction.

I agree with you that we are dependent and cold turkey is a non-starter. But, a systematic shift to other sources where we can do them is not unreasonable.

But, of course they do make for interesting land scapes at the beach there is that.



Deepwater Horizon was a horrible tragedy. But again it was one incident on one rig when there are thousands out there. All operating 365 days a year for years with no incidents. So basically a hundred thousand total days of incident free days.

So your argument is complaining about the .0001% of days.

Not really a solid argument.

That is the point, the failures are catastrophic enough you don't do them... Using your logic we can have a failure a year and still be a very low percentage. Yet destroy millions of acres.




Here you go Florida bear.

Here is the entire original thread.

No where do you distinguish between new drilling and current.

When I specifically say run out of oil versus drill you don't deny that you want to do away with drilling or say that you only want to limit new drilling.

You simply say "the failures are catastrophic enough you don't do them."

No qualifier that it is for new drilling only. No qualifier that it allows for current oil wells to keep operating.

Admit you have been proven wrong. These are your own words proving you wrong. Take the loss and move on.


You are really sick, you need some help. What loss??? It is my opinion. I determine what it is not you. You can misunderstand, i can clarify as i have at nauseum. But there is no contest, scoreboard or prize. It is a discussions, a dialogue. And you are wrong i said numerous times it has to be a combination including oil and LNG. Now just admit you misunderstood and we are done.

You know normal people just ask, get clarification and move on. You and Oldbear are obsessed with gotcha on subjects there is no gotcha. The whole State of FL is against off shore drilling. Anyone who makes their living on the water, tourism and shrimping is dead set against it. Leave the Gulf off FL alone ...

How do you survive in the real world?

LOL.

You made a claim. Then you started backstepping and saying you didn't make that claim and meant something different.

IF that is what you mean now just admit you worded it wrong to start with.

Just admit it and move on.
boognish_bear
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boognish_bear
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whiterock
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The_barBEARian said:

whiterock said:

Sam Lowry said:

whiterock said:

More on significance of today's deal with Indonesia....while we are blockading the Straits of Hormuz.
Strong work.



Of course it's all about China. But the American people never bought into that. When yesterday's conspiracy theory becomes today's grand strategy, you know your narrative isn't selling very well.

The admin isn't selling that as a narrative. Events themselves illustrate it. The effect of everything that has happened in the last year is to China's detriment.

-They lost their preferential access to our markets.
-US relationships with Japan have strengthened. (new defense & economic cooperation agreements).
-US relationships with Philippines have strengthened. (joint military drills currently underway)
-They lost control of the Panama Canal.
-They lost in Venezuela (losing discounted oil, trade, and military/intel relationships)
-Cuba hurt Russia more but was not helpful to China.
-They lost in Iran. No more cheap oil. (No oil at all at the moment....)
-Today, their tankers are being denied passage thru Hormuz.
-Today, their tankers now have to pass +300mi of US allied territory before passing thru Malacca

Wargame a China move on Taiwan 12 months ago, and wargame it again today. The game plays out a lot differently. And every single change is in our benefit.

It's a great modern day example Liddell-Hart's "indirect route." It's usually the shortest way to your objective (deter Chinese power in Asia). We didn't try to confront China directly; we took out a huge chunk of their foreign policy infrastructure. Ergo, China's position to move against Taiwan is substantially weaker and more costly They cannot count on cheap Iranian or Venezuelan oil to insulate their economy from sanctions, and they see their main adversary demonstrating ability to control Hormuz and Malacca with ease. And Chinese equipment has proven to be damned near useless against US forces. China is a dictatorship and needs not worry terribly about public opinion, but even the most brutal dictator does have to worry about keeping its population paid & fed. Our actions over the last 12 months have made a move on Taiwan an existential risk for China. Xi might not be dissuade by that risk. But make no mistake, that risk has been substantially elevated by Trump. We are at or near max deterrence possible.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
-Sun Tzu





Too bad you've made an enemy of Russia who can supply China with as much oil as they need.

Ergo why Trump has been so vocal about getting Ukraine to settle.

Russian pipeline infrastructure to China is not robust enough to handle all of China's needs. Will require massive new investment.
whiterock
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Oldbear83 said:

The_barBEARian said:

whiterock said:

Sam Lowry said:

whiterock said:

More on significance of today's deal with Indonesia....while we are blockading the Straits of Hormuz.
Strong work.



Of course it's all about China. But the American people never bought into that. When yesterday's conspiracy theory becomes today's grand strategy, you know your narrative isn't selling very well.

The admin isn't selling that as a narrative. Events themselves illustrate it. The effect of everything that has happened in the last year is to China's detriment.

-They lost their preferential access to our markets.
-US relationships with Japan have strengthened. (new defense & economic cooperation agreements).
-US relationships with Philippines have strengthened. (joint military drills currently underway)
-They lost control of the Panama Canal.
-They lost in Venezuela (losing discounted oil, trade, and military/intel relationships)
-Cuba hurt Russia more but was not helpful to China.
-They lost in Iran. No more cheap oil. (No oil at all at the moment....)
-Today, their tankers are being denied passage thru Hormuz.
-Today, their tankers now have to pass +300mi of US allied territory before passing thru Malacca

Wargame a China move on Taiwan 12 months ago, and wargame it again today. The game plays out a lot differently. And every single change is in our benefit.

It's a great modern day example Liddell-Hart's "indirect route." It's usually the shortest way to your objective (deter Chinese power in Asia). We didn't try to confront China directly; we took out a huge chunk of their foreign policy infrastructure. Ergo, China's position to move against Taiwan is substantially weaker and more costly They cannot count on cheap Iranian or Venezuelan oil to insulate their economy from sanctions, and they see their main adversary demonstrating ability to control Hormuz and Malacca with ease. And Chinese equipment has proven to be damned near useless against US forces. China is a dictatorship and needs not worry terribly about public opinion, but even the most brutal dictator does have to worry about keeping its population paid & fed. Our actions over the last 12 months have made a move on Taiwan an existential risk for China. Xi might not be dissuade by that risk. But make no mistake, that risk has been substantially elevated by Trump. We are at or near max deterrence possible.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
-Sun Tzu





Too bad you've made an enemy of Russia who can supply China with as much oil as they need.

Yeah, about that ...

Russian oil is different from American oil, especially West Texas Intermediate (WTI). Density and sulfur content affect how hard it is to refine, and what the oil can be used for.



Russia also produces most of its oil in Siberia, requiring long pipelines to get it to distribution points, while US oil is produced in a number of places close to multiple distribution points.



Exactly. Russian has both heavy and light products. Same for Iran. So the cost is not only the new pipelines, but the refit of refineries tailored for PG crude products.

Change the product mix, you have to change the balance of refining capacity.
boognish_bear
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He's getting ratioed pretty bad...2,000 comments to 500 "likes"

The_barBEARian
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boognish_bear
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This is kind of confusing. Who is "we" in this statement?

boognish_bear
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boognish_bear
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J.R.
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boognish_bear said:



yo, what's up Beelzebub ?
boognish_bear
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Danielsjackson114
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***

unhinged lefty with TDS
J.R.
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Danielsjackson114 said:

***

unhinged lefty with TDS

Coward! Answer my questions mr big shot. Back to the School of Education. Bell just rung. get in there. What is TDS?
boognish_bear
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Porteroso
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J.R. said:

boognish_bear said:



yo, what's up Beelzebub ?

It's like the total return of American manufacturing dominance, reshaping world markets to America's benefit, all thanks to the genius move of reciprocal tariffs.... which, as we see, results in losing manufacturing jobs since.

These guys apparently have to be so flowery with their praise to keep their jobs. One requirement for being around Trump seems to be abdicating any sense of self respect. These guys are not as dumb as they sound.
BluesBear
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boognish_bear said:



Spoken like a true Jew...
J.R.
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Porteroso said:

J.R. said:

boognish_bear said:



yo, what's up Beelzebub ?

It's like the total return of American manufacturing dominance, reshaping world markets to America's benefit, all thanks to the genius move of reciprocal tariffs.... which, as we see, results in losing manufacturing jobs since.

These guys apparently have to be so flowery with their praise to keep their jobs. One requirement for being around Trump seems to be abdicating any sense of self respect. These guys are not as dumb as they sound.

bingo
Oldbear83
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Is a 'Stratovarius' some kind of instrument? I think he means the Stradivarius violin, but accuracy matters if you want to make the point.

Maybe Trump's playing a knock-off violin that kinda looks like the original.
boognish_bear
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boognish_bear
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Not sure if this is authentic

Realitybites
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boognish_bear said:

Not sure if this is authentic




"The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The nation, prompted by ill will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The government sometimes participates in the national propensity and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the liberty, of nations has been the victim. So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessionsby unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retainedand by exciting jealousy, ill will, and a disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld. And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils! Such an attachment of a small or weak towards a great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people to surrender their interests. The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible."

"In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish, that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations. But if I may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good, that they may now and then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotismthis hope will be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated."

- President George Washington
whiterock
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Realitybites said:

boognish_bear said:

Not sure if this is authentic




"The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The nation, prompted by ill will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The government sometimes participates in the national propensity and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the liberty, of nations has been the victim. So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessionsby unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retainedand by exciting jealousy, ill will, and a disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld. And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils! Such an attachment of a small or weak towards a great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people to surrender their interests. The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible."

"In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish, that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations. But if I may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good, that they may now and then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotismthis hope will be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated."

- President George Washington

Bad take. Bibi's statement is a classic good cop/ bad cop play. It empowers the USA in negotiations with Iran, because everybody knows the Israelis are not the least bit afraid to take unilateral action.
whiterock
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Israeli attacks on Hizballah have allowed Lebanon to start to take their country back.
boognish_bear
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Realitybites
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Leave it to the retired CIA guy on the internet to step to the founder of our country.

"Stand aside George, we know better."
Sam Lowry
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Realitybites said:

Leave it to the retired CIA guy on the internet to step to the founder of our country.

"Stand aside George, we know better."
But don't you see how much leverage we have in the "negotiations…" LOL
Porteroso
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Realitybites said:

boognish_bear said:

Not sure if this is authentic




"The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The nation, prompted by ill will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The government sometimes participates in the national propensity and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the liberty, of nations has been the victim. So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessionsby unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retainedand by exciting jealousy, ill will, and a disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld. And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils! Such an attachment of a small or weak towards a great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people to surrender their interests. The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible."

"In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish, that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations. But if I may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good, that they may now and then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotismthis hope will be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated."

- President George Washington

He had a lot to say about not playing favorites, trying to treat every nation fairly. He was such a wise leader.

But I do think this cannot be distilled down to such simple terms as favorite and enemy. Washington would not have wanted Iran to be a nuclear power, not when they hate us so much.
Porteroso
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George Washington did not have many bad takes.
boognish_bear
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Sam Lowry
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Porteroso said:

Realitybites said:

boognish_bear said:

Not sure if this is authentic




"The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The nation, prompted by ill will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The government sometimes participates in the national propensity and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the liberty, of nations has been the victim. So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessionsby unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retainedand by exciting jealousy, ill will, and a disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld. And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils! Such an attachment of a small or weak towards a great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people to surrender their interests. The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible."

"In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish, that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations. But if I may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good, that they may now and then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotismthis hope will be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated."

- President George Washington

He had a lot to say about not playing favorites, trying to treat every nation fairly. He was such a wise leader.

But I do think this cannot be distilled down to such simple terms as favorite and enemy. Washington would not have wanted Iran to be a nuclear power, not when they hate us so much.

He wouldn't have wanted them to be a nuclear power. That's why he would have negotiated an agreement instead of going to war.
EatMoreSalmon
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These same people who "know" George Washington would be using his name as an epithet had they lived during his put down of the "Whiskey Rebellion".

Some would have not liked his prosecution of that forever Indian War.

Some would have been telling him we should mind our own business while US shipping was militarily backed and protected while Britain and France were at war.

Lots of nuances in interpreting him. I am certain he would not have liked all of our treaty and alliance entanglements, but to say he would not have chosen military action against a threat to the country is a bit naive.
Oldbear83
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EatMoreSalmon said:

These same people who "know" George Washington would be using his name as an epithet had they lived during his put down of the "Whiskey Rebellion".

Some would have not liked his prosecution of that forever Indian War.

Some would have been telling him we should mind our own business while US shipping was militarily backed and protected while Britain and France were at war.

Lots of nuances in interpreting him. I am certain he would not have liked all of our treaty and alliance entanglements, but to say he would not have chosen military action against a threat to the country is a bit naive.

Let's not forget that Washington in all likelihood advised President Jefferson on how to deal with Mohamadan pirates seizing Americans and taking them for slaves.

Spoiler Alert - George would not have removed his shoes, faced Mecca and prayed to the pagan rock there.
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