So, how about that middle east situation

[Bob]

Because, proxy war against Russia has failed to start WWIII so far. Let's double down on Israel/Palestine.

Let me see if I can cover the high points, from my perspective;

1. Hamas are horrible terrible - I hesitate to say - people. Wayyyyyyy TF over the line. They need to go.
2. Israel is not innocent in the whole deal, although nothing deserving of the most recent effort by Hamas. See point #1
3. I believe Hamas wants to get everyone involved as a goal, and everyone else is doing a good job of helping them.
4. Hamas lies (Islamic Johad, Isis, etc). Israel lies. The US lies. Everyone doing anything over there lies. Can't believe a word from any of them. especially can't trust the media - they just want to instigate for ratings.
5. Nettin Yahoo is as much a power-mad, freedom taking, sociopath as most world leaders. In fact, if wasn't so busy colonizing the West Bank he might have been ready for this. If people would have shut that crap down like they should have, maybe this wouldn't have occurred.
6. The people of Palestine need step up and not support Hamas. In fact, help get rid of them. They might kill you. Israel will definitely kill them.
7. At the end of the day, this is never going stop. Unless a 3rd party steps up and enforces it. (UN - can you hear me talking?). We clearly are not. EVEN if a bunch of people occupying land were not forcibly removed from their land, none of these people get along anyway.
8. As the "United States" I'd be staying out of it. Especially if my border wasn't secure. There is no value there for us period. Except for weapon sales...maybe that. I have bigger problems. In fact, like most places, everywhere I try to fix something, it ends up more jacked up than it was to start with. Except I'm out money equipment and have ruined young mens lives.

My solution: A 72 hour note that Israel/Hamas/Palestine needs to pony up every US hostage or body. If after that time we do not have everyone accounted for bombs will start falling. That means Israel needs to turn the water and electric on and stop shelling/bombing crap. It also means Hamas/Palestine needs to get me my people.

After that, it means that I will scorch the earth so bad that from the river to the sea or the sea to the river, no one will ever ask to live there again, because you won't be able to for 1000 years.

And then I'm putting up all the combat air patrols, anti-missle defenses and everything else and I'd start by dropping bio, chemical and tactical nukes in the first wave. Before the first bombs I'd say "Everyone else needs to just sit down, and shut up, or you can get on the list"

And then do it. This is like parents who have just allowed children to beat the snot out of each other indefinitely, and they have escalated to the point where the only thing that will straighten them both out is an ass beating so bad that it will put the fear of Jehovah/Allah/Yahweh (Ironically - all the same God - sort of maybe) as well as anyone else watching, that they will be hesitant to hand a daily to someone too quickly for fear of retribution.

I have complete faith in my country to exactly what any failing empire will do in this situation. It just seems we can't get into crap fast enough these days.

[David]

Right now Israel is the new Ukraine and allows money for Israel to be funneled back to Ukraine. Biden doesn't care one wit about Israel but it's a good cover for their operations in Ukraine.

[Bob]

Interesting perspective...

Israel support bill had ~13 for Israel, and 60B for Ukraine.

I will say the last time I saw people this fired up and one sided, we ended up at war in the middle east/Afghanistan for 20+ years. And absolutely nothing to show for it. Of course...WWIII as an election distraction for Biden is not off the table.

American just can't stop fighting.

[Bmyers]

An article written back in 2020 stated that the United States has only not been at war 15 years at 244 years (others say 17 years). Yet, anyway you look at it, we have been at war more than we have not.

[Bob]

You know, I'll be as critical of Trump as anyone. But The Abraham Accords - Brilliant move.

Nice of Biden/Dems to undo that right away, making all of this foolishness possible...

[Bob]

ANyone want to put an over-under on how many days to a US-Iraq war?

[bdcochran]

1. If you are referring to US v. Iran, they have been fighting proxy wars for years.
Iran supported Iraqi shiite militias attacking US forces.
US supported the faction who originally took the US embassy staff hostage and then turned the captives over to the Mullahs and fled the country to Iraq. US provided weapons. After US largely left Iraq, the Shiite Iraqi government allowed Iranian forces to exterminate the ones previously protected by the US
I could cite other instances.
2. The problems for the US (unless it nukes the place-and the fallout doesn't leave the Iranian borders) are: lack of logistics to take on a country with a population of 70,000,000.
All the jazz about the US striking Iran's nuclear program:
a. it takes two bunker busters dropped within seconds of each other to have any affect on a subterranean nuclear facility.
b. the nearest US base to launch an air attack and return to base is in Germany.
c. the narrowest point on the Persian Gulf is only 20 miles across. No aircraft carrier is going into the Persian Gulf and expecting to come out again.
d. In September 2001, the US took about half of the Pacific fleet and moved it to the Indian Ocean because the PRC would not allow transit of US military across China. Now the ships have returned to the Pacific and a shrunken US navy there.
3. US Army size in 2022 - 461,000. Iranian Army size - 650,000 active duty, 350,000 reserves. US Army size in 1970 -1,300,000. I have a flak jacket, helmet, but I threw away my uniforms decades ago. I also don't walk fast anymore.

[David]

The bigger, more immediate concern is the number of 'military aged' men are flooding across the border. Chinese, Middle Eastern etc. While some are coming here for a better life, the majority are coming for nefarious purposes i.e. invade from within. And no, that isn't a conspiracy theory. I've know a man that was at one time part of a terrorist cell in this country. He turned good guy and now travels the country doing lectures to try to wake people up to the dangers. He travels with body guards because he has a fatwah that was placed on him (death sentence).

This year is when it's all coming to a head.

[tom mac]

This year is when it's all coming to a head.

one way or the other...

[bdcochran]

We live today and so this conflict is important to us. I recall being in western China decades ago and seeing the Buddhist carvings on hillsides that had been defaced by invading Moslem Arabs. Then seeing modern religious people on the news destroying historical hill carvings in Afghanistan. It part of the history of the world.

You can wonder why people set out to destroy rather than to create. 1000 years from now, today won't even be a blip in world stupidity.