Iran declares U.S. citizens, personnel 'legitimate targets' after strike on nuclear sites
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No, but they can certainly kill the Ayatollahs, and I don't think they're willing to die for the cause.
You know that there is a concept known as "martyrdom", right?
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You know that there is a concept known as "martyrdom", right?
I'm aware. Do you think these guys want to be martyrs?
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You're speaking like you have a functional government.
The funding comes from Congress.... So either they approve it or are forced to approve it which they would have to recognize they no longer exist as an entity if the executive branch can write their checks for them.
So to save face, they would have to approve or impeach. Or completely give up the guise that it is a Republic. Their votes are public record. So the executive branch could make them up, post them and threaten them not to say anything.. but I doubt many of them would go through with that and not vote to impeach unless they are truly pro dictatorship. Some of them think they are pro dictatorship, but when you gather hundreds of people spending their lives/career trying to work their way up in power and someone says they are going to dissolve their positions/power and their chances of rising or having any say plummet.. they would be powerless if they chose to follow... Greed and self preservation would make them not want it.
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wrote on last edited by [email protected]That's how they've viewed US citizens since about 1979. Trump is an asshole, but going after the Islamic Republic of Iran is not in the top 100 worst things he's done.
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Or Ukraine's civilians. Or the 500k--2M dead civilians during the war against Iraq. Oh, sorry, those were "collateral"...
Usually citizens are not considered fair targets. They're just targeted all the same.
Iran does not have the military capabilities to fight off Israel, let alone the USA. So they will most likely use terrorist attacks, targeting civilians, because that's the best hope they have to end the war: when the people back home get serious about ending it as they're taking losses.
Unfortunately, and as usual, the very important people who decide to keep going or stop are also the least likely to see their life at risk. And in this case, they also happen to not give a flying fuck about civilians lives.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]So they will most likely use terrorist attacks, targeting civilians, because that’s the best hope they have to end the war: when the people back home get serious about ending it as they’re taking losses.
Remember what happened the last time a major terrorist strike happened in USA? That's the number one way to get ordinary civilians of a democracy to support an actual war almost 100%. It's the kind of strategy that makes Pentagon say "yeah lol be my guest let's see what happens".
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I'm aware. Do you think these guys want to be martyrs?
The leaders know their time is running out (especially Chamenei, which is an old man by now), and I sincerely believe that in his perspective it is much more favourable to go out on the prospect of being worshipped by his followers for a long time to come instead of doing a Saddam.
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My best guess is that they'll use biological warfare. Our culture has already demonstrated that this is a huge weakness. They could also get us with a cyber attack, shutting down important infrastructure that way.
I don't think they will. We as a species still suffer from diseases where shit comes into contact with our mouth. If we can't solve fecal-oral diseases, any bioweapon you deploy will infect your own population. It's why we terminated our bioweapons program. It's about as discerning as chemical warfare.
On a related note, I'd fucking love bidets with dryers to be mandatory at all farms, hospitals, food handling facilities, markets, and restaurants. It would minimize the impact of fecal-oral diseases, especially with improper handwashing and food handling (eg, not wearing gloves).
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As if the US have ever given a fuck who they blew up...
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Americans are always about how we hate the government of a country but not the people, at least this American is and all the Americans I know are, I know it’s not literally universal. To say “I hate the Iranian government but not Iranian people” seems pretty reasonable if you hate the Iranian government but for them to turn around and basically say “well I consider all American entities, including completely powerless civilians free game” is fucked I’m no matter how you look at it. Like wtf more do you want from me? I vote against this, have for decades, I protest against this have been since W was in office, I donate money and energy to war torn countries, I’m absolutely against bombing any country why exactly am I considered fair game?? Fuck anyone who lumps entire countries of people into a single hive-mind that serves its leader, a fraudulent one no less
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My best guess is that they'll use biological warfare. Our culture has already demonstrated that this is a huge weakness. They could also get us with a cyber attack, shutting down important infrastructure that way.
Iran isn't known for it's cybersecurity divisions. Right wing states generally aren't good with technology. So I'm not worried about a cyber attack.
In fact, it's tough to say what Iran's military capacity is at all. We pelt them with drone strikes and long range missiles constantly and they seem like they can do nothing about it. We keep talking about all this enriched uranium they possess, but do they even possess the capacity to deliver the payload to our domestic soil before we thwart them?
They'll likely go after Israel first, so we'll soon see the extent of their armaments.
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Americans are always about how we hate the government of a country but not the people, at least this American is and all the Americans I know are, I know it’s not literally universal. To say “I hate the Iranian government but not Iranian people” seems pretty reasonable if you hate the Iranian government but for them to turn around and basically say “well I consider all American entities, including completely powerless civilians free game” is fucked I’m no matter how you look at it. Like wtf more do you want from me? I vote against this, have for decades, I protest against this have been since W was in office, I donate money and energy to war torn countries, I’m absolutely against bombing any country why exactly am I considered fair game?? Fuck anyone who lumps entire countries of people into a single hive-mind that serves its leader, a fraudulent one no less
Well, do yourself what you would expect other people in a rogue state to do. How many cries of "the Russians should overthrow the government!" were there?
Or to bring in a parable: What would you have expected from the average German citizen in 1939?
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tell that to all the civilians in Guantanamo and Gaza.
if the first aggressor doesn't give a fuck about rule of war, it can't complain about them
Putin has been doing it for nearly 3 years now
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Archive article: https://archive.ph/shFsv
And with how ICE is operating infiltration has become easier than ever.
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Not the citizens part
Since when?
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As if the US have ever given a fuck who they blew up...
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Never said they did, but that doesn't suddenly make it right now does it.
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Since when?
Since 1949
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Since 1949
wrote on last edited by [email protected]According to the British (during the Malayan Emergency) and Americans (during Operation Ranch Hand), indiscriminately starving enemy civilians by spraying Agent Orange everywhere was legal.
In more recent history, we of course have Captain Drone Strike's reign of terror against wedding parties and aid workers in Afghanistan.
The only thing that's changed since the Geneva conventions of 1949 is that when civilians are targeted, the rest of the world says "tut tut, that's a war crime" before it proceeds not to do anything about it.*
* Unless you're from Africa or the Balkans, apparently.
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The funding comes from Congress.... So either they approve it or are forced to approve it which they would have to recognize they no longer exist as an entity if the executive branch can write their checks for them.
So to save face, they would have to approve or impeach. Or completely give up the guise that it is a Republic. Their votes are public record. So the executive branch could make them up, post them and threaten them not to say anything.. but I doubt many of them would go through with that and not vote to impeach unless they are truly pro dictatorship. Some of them think they are pro dictatorship, but when you gather hundreds of people spending their lives/career trying to work their way up in power and someone says they are going to dissolve their positions/power and their chances of rising or having any say plummet.. they would be powerless if they chose to follow... Greed and self preservation would make them not want it.
There you go again.
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It used to be that non-combatants weren't considered legitimate targets. Ain't progress fun?
i mean true honest war does not have rules like that. the reason “rules of war” exist is so corporations can keep a labor pool and capital operating with minimal effect to profit. (“Ain’t no war but class war.”)
true honest realistic “war” is carpet bombs, famine, death, and capitulation.
stop expecting “war” to involve rules, you’ll only be surprised in the end.
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According to the British (during the Malayan Emergency) and Americans (during Operation Ranch Hand), indiscriminately starving enemy civilians by spraying Agent Orange everywhere was legal.
In more recent history, we of course have Captain Drone Strike's reign of terror against wedding parties and aid workers in Afghanistan.
The only thing that's changed since the Geneva conventions of 1949 is that when civilians are targeted, the rest of the world says "tut tut, that's a war crime" before it proceeds not to do anything about it.*
* Unless you're from Africa or the Balkans, apparently.
What does that have to do with civilians being legitimate targets in war?
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First sentence:
Iran announced Sunday that any American civilian or military personnel in the region are now considered legitimate targets
So yes, still not all Americans, but no, not just government employees, American civilians too.
But I suspect non-military people will be arrested, not treated as military targets to be attacked or bombed.
Based on that sentence, it even just says "in the region" so hardly "all" Americans
