Obama says US must try talking to Iran

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by queequeger

Not to repeat after tw (which I seem to be doing more and more often), but that makes them different from whom, exactly? We're giving money and weapons as we speak to non-government militias in Iraq. Throughout the history of modern war, the US, it's allies, and it's enemies ALL seemed to have thought that paying some extremists who hate you a little less than the other guy is a viable option for war. We can't possibly condemn someone for following in our footsteps.

Well I guess it depends on whose side you want to be on. Thiers or ours?

[piercehawkeye45]

Merc-

The mujahideen were significantly financed, armed, and trained by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Carter and Reagan administrations,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujahid...of_Afghanistan

Tw pointed out that the US supported the IRA and UT refuted that, so I just gave another example. Obviously Iran sponsors terrorism, only a fool wouldn't think so because they almost have the same goal as the United States, to spread and gain influence throughout the region.

I don't think that Iran will give nukes to terrorists, it just doesn't make sense. Iran wants to the be the regional power and being blown back to the stone age by the US and Israel really hurts that goal.

[Undertoad]

Did they use terrorism against the Russkies or was it more sort of an ordinary uniform-wearing shootout in the hills?

[piercehawkeye45]

It was guerrilla style warfare.

[queequeger]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Well I guess it depends on whose side you want to be on. Thiers or ours?

'Theirs or ours' is the problem with all this bullshit. Honestly I'd rather not be on either side. In fact, as soon as I can, I'm growing a beard and moving somewhere with a nice beach.

The fact is, we latch on to crap like 'funding terrorism' as something that makes a state 'bad.' We take the following things in and of themselves to mean a state is 'bad:'
Supporting terrorist organizations
Working toward nuclear weapons
Suppression of human rights

We have done or are currently doing all of these things. I will not say we are the same as, let's say, Iran. But we take these actions as proof that a nation is somehow evil. It's the same bullshit as anti-gay republicans who are gay. It might not make them bad people, but they're certainly talking out of their asses.

Think of all the things that separate us from the enemy, and 95% of it can be attributed to where you're standing. VBIEDs = terrorism. Why? Welll, it's hidden so our forces can't see it coming. Claymore mines=...terrorism? If it were a buzz word back in the late 1700s, revolutionary fighters would have been labeled terrorist by the king of england. Are we an occupier or liberator?

Frankly, I'm so sick of everyone being so convinced of their righteousness that I won't be taking any part of it after May ever again.

[queequeger]

To clarify my last post (as I calm) I am not in any way anti-US. I think we have the potential as a nation to make the whole world a better place. I don't think our military is bad at all. In fact, it's just a group of folks like any other. I don't think that the things we do are terrible or evil (a lot of it is misguided, and I am very anti-bush administration), but I do think it's beyond stupid to claim we are righteous and they are evil, inately. I hold not respect at all for suicide bombers who kill civilians. I have NO hatred, however, toward any militias fighting for what they want, or any country doing it's thing.

All the action we've taken over the past 40 or 50 years has been in self interest, with a big middle finger to the rest of the world. We topple governments without any consideration to it's people or long term effects. We bomb people who we deign 'bad guys' and we fund a similar group and call them 'freedom fighters.' It's all so twisted around and chewed up that by the time we're done that we cause more harm than good. And frankly, I don't believe there WAS any good intent in most of our military actions. It was all for punishment and dick-wagging, and THAT'S what I'm against.