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'Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11'

Isn't that sort of. A self defeating statement?

No, there have been many dictatorships which managed to whip up support amongst the populace from time to time. But unless the population has the ability to choose it's government through free and fair elections, then it's a dictatorship.
 
Hrrm, in that if support for the current government were to ever completely fail they may not be able to replace them, I can see your point.

Curiosity: Do you think Venezuela is a dictatorship?
 
Curiosity: Do you think Venezuela is a dictatorship?

Venezuela is tricky. Chavez was democratically elected initially, but since then he's gotten more and more authoritarian, and is rigging the systems in his favour. I think Chavez has ambitions to be a dictator, as he acts quite thuggish, so I wouldn't put it past him to become one. I don't know if I would categorize Venezuela as a dictatorship just yet though...
 
Venezuela is tricky. Chavez was democratically elected initially, but since then he's gotten more and more authoritarian, and is rigging the systems in his favour. I think Chavez has ambitions to be a dictator, as he acts quite thuggish, so I wouldn't put it past him to become one. I don't know if I would categorize Venezuela as a dictatorship just yet though...

rigging the system? examples plz? Thuggish? How?

Just want to know what you think, its been a while since I have read on him.

I would say Chavez acts to the extent of the authority he legally has, which he has acquired through legal means (as far as I know). Ill just put my cards on the table and say that in a world and country where one can choose no middle ground on the topic I am slightly Chavista. My family, is fervently anti-chavez.
 
rigging the system? examples plz? Thuggish? How?

Just want to know what you think, its been a while since I have read on him.

I would say Chavez acts to the extent of the authority he legally has, which he has acquired through legal means (as far as I know). Ill just put my cards on the table and say that in a world and country where one can choose no middle ground on the topic I am slightly Chavista. My family, is fervently anti-chavez.

Well he had the Constitution amended to take away the term limits on his Presidency, that's one example. I'd have to look up others but I know some stuff has happened.

Re: thuggishness: Chavez has been putting a lot of pressure on those TV channels and radio stations which are opposed to him. Putting them out of business in some cases, that doesn't strike me as something that a democratic person would do. Also, more recently, Chavez has put troops in the streets enforcing his price controls in stores and such.

Much of what he does just seems authoritarian and pseudo-dictatorial to me.

Don't get me wrong, when Chavez first came to power I was willing to give the guy a chance, see what he did and how he acted. I wasn't immediately set against him like many right-wingers were. But over time I have turned against him.
 
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AgentM said:
Agreed, talk is especially cheap when it comes from chest thumping dictatorships like Iran.

The US is just as guilty of it as Iran. There is sabre rattling on both sides.
 
'Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11'



Is Ahmadinejad being literal about some kind of physical military attack which would be suicidal if we had a president we could count on. Or is he making a threat about some economic plan he has in mind.

It could just be more talk or much more dangerous like setting off a nuclear bomb.

I know there is a lot of talk about about how long it takes for a nation to build their first bomb but it's BS because with the right amount of material any 8th grader could tell you how it works just from watching the History Channel program on the Manhattan Project.

7 days to live!:party
 
The US is just as guilty of it as Iran. There is sabre rattling on both sides.

What is the US guilty of? Not killing and jailing those who speak out against our government, forcing women to wear curtains, or putting a theocratic dictatorship in unchecked power? The US isn't like Iran, although the US isn't perfect (no nation is) we aren't nearly as bad as Iran, nor are we equals when it comes to "blame."
 
What is the US guilty of?

Sabre rattling and spreading paranoia and over the top rhetoric about Iran, like I already said...

Not killing and jailing those who speak out against our government, forcing women to wear curtains, or putting a theocratic dictatorship in unchecked power? The US isn't like Iran, although the US isn't perfect (no nation is) we aren't nearly as bad as Iran, nor are we equals when it comes to "blame."

You could ask the Iranians what the US is guilty of; their list is equally as long. In the end though this "who is the most guilty" contest is counterproductive and stupid.
 
The US is just as guilty of it as Iran. There is sabre rattling on both sides.
That's an odd view. "Guilty" of saber rattling. Which automatically assumes a negative and that it's unacceptable.
 
Sabre rattling and spreading paranoia and over the top rhetoric about Iran, like I already said...



You could ask the Iranians what the US is guilty of; their list is equally as long. In the end though this "who is the most guilty" contest is counterproductive and stupid.

It's not sabre rattling to stand up against a theocratical dictatorship that is lying to nuclear authorities and making war-like claims against one of our allies (Israel) and demonizes us as the great satan who is trying to prevent the apocalypse. If anything, I don't think we have been hard enough on Iran, they still continue to lie and pursue nuclear weapons.

The Iranians may accuse America of bad things, but that doesn't mean their accusations are true or rational.
 
Well he had the Constitution amended to take away the term limits on his Presidency, that's one example. I'd have to look up others but I know some stuff has happened.

Re: thuggishness: Chavez has been putting a lot of pressure on those TV channels and radio stations which are opposed to him. Putting them out of business in some cases, that doesn't strike me as something that a democratic person would do. Also, more recently, Chavez has put troops in the streets enforcing his price controls in stores and such.

Much of what he does just seems authoritarian and pseudo-dictatorial to me.

Don't get me wrong, when Chavez first came to power I was willing to give the guy a chance, see what he did and how he acted. I wasn't immediately set against him like many right-wingers were. But over time I have turned against him.

You have to take alot of what Chavez does with some consideration over the countries monetary class situation. Redistributing unused real-estate and farms, when there are millions with no farms or who live in shantys, cracking down on television stations, who interpreted illegal coups against him as glorious people's revolutions, imagine fox news celebrating an illegal coup against obama, it'd be gone. I do hear he is trying to crack down on television stations that don't air his speeches. But articles dont make it clear whether they are inherently anti-state stations or whether they are being punished for not airing speeches and soley for that reason. You've got to take northern hemisphere media on him with quite a grain of salt. He represents the dark and poor people who are voiceless,(i dont know how else to put it) so youre not going to hear much support for him from most media.
 
You have to take alot of what Chavez does with some consideration over the countries monetary class situation. Redistributing unused real-estate and farms, when there are millions with no farms or who live in shantys, cracking down on television stations, who interpreted illegal coups against him as glorious people's revolutions, imagine fox news celebrating an illegal coup against obama, it'd be gone. I do hear he is trying to crack down on television stations that don't air his speeches. But articles dont make it clear whether they are inherently anti-state stations or whether they are being punished for not airing speeches and soley for that reason. You've got to take northern hemisphere media on him with quite a grain of salt. He represents the dark and poor people who are voiceless,(i dont know how else to put it) so youre not going to hear much support for him from most media.

Well, maybe, it's true they are pretty biased against him. But still, I just don't like what I'm seeing. We'll have to agree to disagree on Chavez.
 
The Iranians may accuse America of bad things, but that doesn't mean their accusations are true or rational.

What kind of things does Iran say about the US that are irrational or untrue?
 
What kind of things does Iran say about the US that are irrational or untrue?

Well, assuming they believe similar to what their government says... The US is a nation of immoral infidels who are trying to bar the coming apocalypse against all non Shi'ite Muslims. They are run by Shi'iah Islamic fundamentalism. The fact that we don't execute children (like they do) or the fact that we have equal rights for women (which they don't) qualifies us for being immoral and not following the words of Allah's messenger (Muhammad). There is also the propaganda being pushed in Iran as well. Things like saying that Jews run the west and pull the strings from Israel and that there is a grave zionist conspiracy to take over the world... Iran says many irrational and untrue things, especially about the US and Israel. They call the US the great satan as well and believe the US and Israel (the little satan) must be destroyed before the apocalypse can start.
 
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::strokes moustache::
[evil]Do you know... what the Israel Lobby is?[/evil]
 
It's not sabre rattling

The propaganda that comes out of the US regarding Iraq is sabre rattling.

to stand up against a theocratical dictatorship that is lying to nuclear authorities

First, Iran hasn't violated the NPT, and besides that's none of the US's business.

Second, you apparently haven't heard about the latest developments in Iran's nuclear program.

and making war-like claims against one of our allies (Israel) and demonizes us as the great satan who is trying to prevent the apocalypse.

Yes, rhetoric. Talk is cheap. We've already been over this.

If anything, I don't think we have been hard enough on Iran, they still continue to lie and pursue nuclear weapons.

So what?

The Iranians may accuse America of bad things, but that doesn't mean their accusations are true or rational.

The same can be said for the Americans' claims.

The US is a nation of immoral infidels who are trying to bar the coming apocalypse against all non Shi'ite Muslims.

And Iran is in the Axis of Evil...

Anyways, the rhetoric on both sides (you of course are spewing it from the American perspective) is counterproductive. You're contributing to the problem, not helping to solve it. What do you think the US policy towards Iran should be?
 
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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO5-3MKJgDI&feature=related"]YouTube- 2010 Iranian Revolution - 22 Bahman Let's Repeat History[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6GoHji6jGQ&feature=related"]YouTube- 22 BAHMAN 88 TRAILER - (February_11_10)[/ame]
 
Egyptian sources: Israel prepares to strike Iran from Gulf and N. Iraq

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 3, 2010, 10:12 PM (GMT+02:00)

Tags: Egypt Iran Israel US-Iran
Israel Saar-5 missile boat

Arab voices were fanning Middle East war fever Wednesday night, Feb. 3. debkafile's military sources report that not only are Syrian leaders beating war drums - Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem said in Damascus: "Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities" - but Egyptian military sources have put out information purporting to outline Israel's preparations to strike Iran.

They report that the Israeli Navy together with the US Fifth Fleet have for some weeks been charting Persian Gulf waters and Iranian shorelines in preparation for attacks by Israeli naval and special operations forces.

IDF intelligence and special forces officers, they also say, have been marking out routes for their air and ground forces to drive into Iran and hit its nuclear installations.

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security
 
Egyptian sources: Israel prepares to strike Iran from Gulf and N. Iraq

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 3, 2010, 10:12 PM (GMT+02:00)

Tags: Egypt Iran Israel US-Iran
Israel Saar-5 missile boat

Arab voices were fanning Middle East war fever Wednesday night, Feb. 3. debkafile's military sources report that not only are Syrian leaders beating war drums - Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem said in Damascus: "Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities" - but Egyptian military sources have put out information purporting to outline Israel's preparations to strike Iran.

They report that the Israeli Navy together with the US Fifth Fleet have for some weeks been charting Persian Gulf waters and Iranian shorelines in preparation for attacks by Israeli naval and special operations forces.

IDF intelligence and special forces officers, they also say, have been marking out routes for their air and ground forces to drive into Iran and hit its nuclear installations.

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security


This was only a matter of time. The Lunatics in Iran have long known that they will never be allowed to have nukes. Now Israel is about to put a foot in Iran's ass.

Iran had EVERY opportunity to cease nuclear experimentation. Now ... their toys will be broken.
 
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