Mastodawn

❄️SnowyIn🇨🇦❄️Feb 28

@madeindex but thinking about them is distracting you from the fact the US is once again needlessly attacking another country---they win!

@SnowyCA catch22, whatever we do, we lose ;)

❄️SnowyIn🇨🇦❄️Feb 28

@madeindex
You lose because you chose to give up.

Two things can be true at once. The leaders can be awful, but the war is still largely a necessity, frankly one that has been decades coming, and if had happened earlier, so much pain would have been spared.

@serge timing is the issue. Seriously wonder if they could have opted to pull a Maduro on the Ayatollah instead.

I've been looking at this very closely.

I want to be clear that I don't believe that either Trump or Netanyahu are good guys.

My feelings about this war are extremely complex. The way it's been executed is very suspicious, but at the same time Iran has been an extremely oppressive regime that's caused worldwide terror. It's a threat to peace not only in the middle east, but oppression of the Iranian people, and directly to Jews worldwide.

The timing issue is a bit complex because you're right that the timing is "convenient"- but it's also legitimately the best strategic time.

Iran's military complex took serious damage during the First Iran War with Israel. Iran can rebuild and is rebuilding, but it took serious damage - so did Israel, but Israel's damage was more from the prolonged proxy war conflict.

1/2

At the same time there have been uprisings in Iran, but especially now because of the intense drought, with the Iranian government under strain as it kills tens of thousands of protestors.

There has been time to work with forces both in and out of Iran to support opposition forces who could be in a position to take over post-Ayatollah.

And the situation in Russia shows they don't have the support they once had.

So you have:

- A weakened military
- A weakened allyship with Russia
- A food crisis
- Mass Anti-government protests

Now is genuinely the optimal time to topple the Iranian government.

That doesn't mean I agree with Trump or Bibi, but there are legitimately good reasons to act at this time and not even six months ago (or six months from now).

2/2

I want to say that I'm not thrilled about this war. Last night (which I guess is still technically now, since it's 5am) I spent about 45 minutes just sad in place not doing anything, too upset to move, thinking about my nieces and nephew and in-laws, about the way the building next to my BIL's work was completely bombed out, and how terrified I am not just for their physical, but emotional safety.

And I'm not happy Israel struck before the US. That's pure wrong.

But in terms of larger timing... this was right.

@serge
Very sorry to hear that, hope your loved ones are all OK. I totally get what you mean about emotional safety, my friends in Israel are not the same as they were a couple years ago. The worrying alone, the constant, waking up at night seeking shelter, hoping the others also made it to a safe place, is really eating at their substance.

1/2

@serge

2/2
I can see the military logic, however I would describe myself as a pacifist, so war is unacceptable to me. Any conflict can be solved (given enough thought and resources (which are definitely there if you look at the cost of a war) without violence (even old complicated ones like this) and in the end it's not the people at fault who suffer the most. I don't believe the majority of people in each country hate each other, rather the people in charge pitting them against each other.

As a third generation Holocaust survivor married to the child of refugees, I don't have the privilege of being a pacifist.

Elischeva Feb 28

@serge @madeindex

Some strikes were very close to our home. The smoke of a hit we could see from our home. Not even a Kilometer of distance. Within the area, where I'm walking the dog. Happily, we were near a shelter at the time of the alarm. I heard the ambulance multiple times, transporting people to the hospital.

Yes, I'm with you serge. I think the very same about
the strike.

As I'm writing it, a new alert is sounding.

CheriSwears Feb 28

@serge
Very well put, thank you.

TerryB Feb 28

@serge @madeindex All the local businesses that are Iranian owned ( that's most of them round Finchley) have their flags and posters out. Including the local restaurant we're off to tonight.
I've previously seen the odd Israeli flag with them and today a couple of American flags too. The Iranian expats here are clearly supportive.( And have never been anti-Israel, the supermarkets sell some Israeli products alongside the Persian stuff).

TerryB Feb 28

@serge @madeindex Update. Finchley Central (North London) is a party at the moment. Literally dancing in the street.

@terryb
@serge

Ayatollah Khamenei is reportedly dead!

@terryb
Most of the expats I met were living away for a reason :)
@serge

@AlexBlock has moved Feb 28

@madeindex Someone might have a huge tranche of the files : https://www.rawstory.com/jeffrey-epstein-2675360109

Massive trove of FBI ‘Epstein investigation’ data compromised in ‘cyber intrusion’: report

A staggering 500 terabytes of FBI data – including data that pertained to the agency’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein – appears to have been compromised in 2023 in a “cyber intrusion,” according to a newly unearthed file released by the Justice Department last month.The file in question appears ...

Raw Story

@madeindex - true

Torf und Schnee Feb 28

@madeindex I have no idea whether they are in Iran, but I've heard about another thing which has come from Iran. It is called "Shahed assault drones". These little assholes are used by russian scum against Ukrainian civilians, almost every night, already ca. 4 years. Sometimes obliterating whole families with kids in their beds. I don't know if that can help you to think less about the Epstein files (it actually should not help at all), but maybe it will add some extra context.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HESA_Shahed_136#Geran-2

@torf Yeah it's a horrible weapon. I think in the start they were mostly imported, but now #Russia is building those Shahed #Geran #drones themselves (under license).

HESA Shahed 136 - Wikipedia