[remarkEon]

Okay. My response to this is that this does not reflect reality. There is ample evidence that, of the countries out there, Israel exercises outsized influence and is in many ways a very toxic partner. But occupying? We should be reasonable and precise in how these things are discussed. The IRGC is not on "your side". They would kill you without thinking twice about it, unless you are muslim, and even then they're probably just ask permission. Words on the internet are one thing, but be mindful that active support for Iran is treason.

[sosomoxie]

IRGC is literally on my side, they are literally fighting my enemies. No money to Israel, no anti-BDS laws, no weapons to Israel, no political coverage for Israel, no media propaganda on behalf of Israel. If the IRGC wins decisively, these things will all become a reality.

I have many Muslim friends, they are some of the best people I've ever met in my life. I'm an atheist. Not one has ever had a problem with that.

[_DeadFred_]

You expressly stating IRGC is your side, not the Iranian people, is very telling.

IRGC caused more suffering/death, more starving of children, in the Yemeni civil war than Israel has in Gaza. If you care about military caused suffering/death, IRGC has to be on the top of your horrible people list.

IRGC is currently importing Iraqi Shia PMF to be enforcers of the Shia apartheid regime currently occupying Iran, because as a religious occupying apartheid regime they don't have enough organic internal support to draw from Iranians in Iran. If you are against occupation, you are against the unrepresentative Shia Theocratic regime (with many regime members born in Iraq) occupying Iran. Daring to dress like this (as a woman, men can dress as they want) will get you murdered by the Shia occupiers:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/16/woman-dies-custody-irans...

IRGC is currently recruiting 11-12 year old to man Shia apartheid enforcement checkpoints across Iran and to act as regime enforcers for future events like when the regime murdered 3000 (regime statistic) to 30,000 (civilian statistic) in two days because those people were tired of being ruled by Shia apartheid occupiers forcing Shia conformity (girls must wear hats or be punished, sometime via rape/murder). Again because as an theocratic apartheid occupying (not popular supported) regime they don't have enough manpower without resorting to children/foreign militia.

That is literally your side? Religious theocracies occupying nations without majority organic consent/support of the people? Segregation/lesser/modesty law treatment for women? Imported foreign militias on the streets to enforce unpopular theocratic oppression? Child soldiers? WTF is wrong with you if that is 'your side'.

[sosomoxie]

First of all, I fully reject Zionist propaganda. It's crystal clear that their mandate is to lie to Americans at all times. Secondly, yes the IRGC is on my side, they are attacking my enemies. The only state in the world to do so.

[_DeadFred_]

OK, but what about the points a rando on HN brought up?

The Iraqi PMF posted videos of their arrival and their meeting and stating their commitment to the IRGC, so not propaganda.

The IRGC has gone on state TV talking about recruiting 12 year olds, so not propaganda.

HRW has documented the murder of women from violating dress code, so not proganda.

The IRGC has stated that 3000 Iranian protesters will murdered by them in January, so not propoganda (though their admitted number is in question as being too low).

The Iranian regime/IRGC are very clear they are a repressive theocratic regime for Shia Islam, so not propaganda. The have religious/morality police that enforce Shia rules/requirements, with violations resulting in punishment up to rape/death.

The government/IRGC are made up of Shia regime loyalists. IRGC and the state own large amounts of industry in Iran, and promote loyalist Shia supporters making Iran an apartheid regime favoring Shia and disfavoring those that follow other religions (religion is often tribally based in Iran), so not propaganda.

Iran supported the Houthis in their civil war that resulted in over 200,000 dead children, so Iran is actively spreading war/death unrelated to fighting Israel (Israel was not in control of Yemen's previous government).

[sosomoxie]

Yeah and Saddam Hussein had WMD and unplugged incubators (something Israel actually did), and there were 40 beheaded babies and mass rapes, and Iran murdered 6 million protesters... You'd have to be a complete fool to believe Zionist lies.

[_DeadFred_]

And again redirecting and not addressing. Seem more like you are the one interested in spreading propaganda than having a HN discussion.

[_DeadFred_]

You cool with what your boys did to Salman Rushdie?

[sosomoxie]

I have to admit, I don't care. You cool with what your boys did in Gaza?

[_DeadFred_]

I have to admit that no I am very not cool with what either Israel or Hamas have done to Gaza.

[phs318u]

Israel is an apartheid regime. Palestinian Israelis are constantly discriminated against and have laws apply differently to them. You could also argue that there’s a significant theocratic element in the Israeli government (resulting from the alliances the corrupt war criminal has had to make to retain power and avoid prosecution). Eretz Yisrael anyone?

I think what a lot of Americans fail to understand is just how galling the rest of the world finds your government’s rank hypocrisy. Your current president and his enablers are mostly considered to be literal madmen. Judging by words, deeds and outcomes it’s hard to defend an opposing view.

[_DeadFred_]

'but Israel' isn't a response on the points I raised other than to say you don't actually care about apartheid regimes/points, they are just convenient talking points for you to justify your position.

[phs318u]

No offence, but you were banging on about the “Shia apartheid regime” and implied (EDIT: spelling) they are a minority when 95% of Iranians are Shia. There is more apartheid in Israel than Iran.

As for theocratic governments, the region is full of them and the biggest (Saudi Arabia) are supported by the US despite their similar practices of theocratic oppression to the Iranian regime (probably more so in SA than Iran), so please spare me the hypocritical handwringing.

[_DeadFred_]

You are wrong 95% of Iranians are not IRCG level Shia, and do not want to be forced to live under Shia rules. Iran assigns someone Shia depending on birth, not depending on the persons actual belief. Like medieval Europe used to do hundreds of years ago. State mandated registering of people at birth does not equal reality. So you believe that assigned/forced religion at birth is just? Is actually representative of people's beliefs?

You are you saying you are OK with Saudi Arabia's behavior then? That is the hypocritical handwringing is am pointing out. The hypocritical people who talked out against Saudi Arabia, against religious favoritism/laws in Israel, people who in the past criticized religion like Rushdie dared to but Iran attempted to murder him for. But things those people now overlook and call Iran their 'ally' in alignment with them.

Is Saudi Arabia good? If not, then how is Iran being the same good? That you can't see I was pointing out the hypocrisy of Iran supporters with my points is wild. They are all things they claim to care about, and would not be accepting of from other nations, but because they like that Iran has attacked the USA/Israel since 1979 they hand waive away as fine. My entire life I was raised with Iranians chanting for death to me as an American (resultantly fundamentally shaping my opinion of Islam), and that policy is what Iranian supporters say supersedes all bad acts Iran commits (excusing Irans regime raping/murdering young girls for not wearing hats, executing by regime numbers 3,000 people on the street over two days, repressive religious theocracy, murder contracts on people like Rushdie who speak negatively about religion).

[remarkEon]

"Decisively" means something specific in warfare, but you are describing a basket of political objectives that are in many, many ways totally unrelated to what happens on a particular battlefield. This is probably a result of your nascent Palestinianism, which is definitely clouding your ability to coherently observe these global phenomena and adjust your priors accordingly. If the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything looks like zionist conspiracies to you.