That's what Romney and you said, isn't it? Access to the Mediterranean.
Legolas Send a noteboard - 26/10/2012 11:30:55 PM
It is a big deal because it is a big deal to the Iranians. You have to remember the historical (look at a map of the Persian empire, they want it all back, and then some) it is more sociological and historical imperative than mercantile, though nobody in the Arab world ever really forgets the mercantile.
Saying that Iran is interested in Syria because it gives them access to the Mediterranean is something quite different from saying Iran is interested in Syria just because they're irredentists and they want all of their old empire back.
I may have the name (Hussein) of the king wrong (if so my dad will chastise me heavely). Major arabic empire (If I remember correctly he took a big chunk of it from the Persians), he dies with 3 sons, split the kingdom among the sons, 2 of the 3 sons bloodlines get waxed, only 1 remains today, that being Jordan. I could be mixing some stuff up in there.
You got the name right, but other details wrong, most notably the one that made you bring it up in the first place - he really didn't take any Persian land. All of the conquests he did were done in cooperation with the British (not sure which party did how much of the fighting, exactly), and they were all Osman (i.e. Turkish) territory, since the Osman Empire was on the German side in WW1 while Iran wasn't involved.
Muslims aren't expecting a second comiong of Jesus, they do not recognize him as the mesiah, just a jewish prophet. Like the Jews, they are still waiting for the mesiah, if they actually still believe in the mesiah figure, maybe it has been replaced by the Madhi... I can't recall right now, I need more coffee.
Erm, no, they ARE expecting a second coming of Jesus. Of course not as Son of God, as you say they consider him "merely" a prophet, but nevertheless the return of Jesus is an essential part of their eschatology. And really, the Mahdi is a Messiah figure, just with an Islamic twist obviously.
Between the ships, horses, bayonets, and lines about loving teachers...
- 23/10/2012 04:44:32 AM
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He loves teachers, but only so long as we are seen and not heard.
- 23/10/2012 05:07:15 AM
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Which might those be?
- 23/10/2012 07:25:24 AM
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Romney did a good job, ultimately.
- 23/10/2012 05:13:00 AM
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I think it's safe to say foreign policy doesn't interest either of them all that much
- 23/10/2012 05:30:53 AM
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They really need to get together with the Greens.
- 23/10/2012 07:02:18 AM
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are you familiar with that scene in "life of brian"?
- 23/10/2012 05:25:54 PM
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I am indeed, but I do not see how proportional representation would help much.
- 23/10/2012 05:38:27 PM
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because PR coupled with IRV gives voters a lot more choice than D vs R
- 23/10/2012 09:47:27 PM
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PR mainly seems to give the same choices more OUTCOMES (and meshes poorly with IRV.)
- 24/10/2012 12:38:29 PM
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The instapolls declared Obama victor in #1 too, Romney won this one
- 23/10/2012 06:00:26 AM
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*blinks*
- 23/10/2012 06:08:00 AM
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With you on the first part, but most people conceded Obama had the edge on foreign policy.
- 23/10/2012 06:24:24 AM
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are you sure you weren't re-watching the first debate?
- 23/10/2012 06:08:36 PM
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No, defintely watching this one
- 24/10/2012 04:02:44 AM
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romney should be hanging in the wind with the way he campaigned
- 24/10/2012 06:28:40 AM
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So your rebuttal is to call for Romney's death? Nice *NM*
- 24/10/2012 06:57:19 AM
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yes, way to misconstrue what i said without actually responding to any of it 
*NM*
- 24/10/2012 05:20:07 PM
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*NM*
- 24/10/2012 05:20:07 PM
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You said it, not me, but way to double down on it, very classy *NM*
- 25/10/2012 03:00:10 AM
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i see romney has taught you the ways of the douchebag asshole. you used to be better than that...
- 25/10/2012 05:42:38 AM
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In fairness to Isaac, the terminology used typically describes hanging a criminal
- 25/10/2012 06:55:43 AM
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i'm sure if it were not the end of the election cycle he would not have taken it that way
- 25/10/2012 05:52:25 PM
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I must agree with Isaac and Legolas; violent language like that is a (literal) trigger for nutjobs.
- 29/10/2012 07:00:53 PM
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I have agreed with the post mortems till now; no idea how anyone can score that a Romney win.
- 23/10/2012 06:01:22 AM
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My favorite gaffe of the night:
- 23/10/2012 06:07:19 AM
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Honestly, it was hard to miss: The Persian Gulf is named after Iran.
- 23/10/2012 06:28:25 AM
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I was wondering what Iran would see as weaker
- 23/10/2012 12:59:38 PM
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Hopefully America is wondering the same thing, but that presumes most of us can find Iran on a map.
- 23/10/2012 04:01:19 PM
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..and the folks poking fun at him hope we only look at the cropped map they provide. *NM*
- 23/10/2012 07:18:11 PM
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It was a poorly worded statement, the "sea" being referred to is the Med, but essentially correct.
- 23/10/2012 07:16:37 PM
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What is this, the 19th century? Why is the Med so important?
- 23/10/2012 10:20:11 PM
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Commercial, Iran doesn't have a navy worth mentioning.
- 24/10/2012 03:41:46 PM
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Okay, commercial, that narrows it down. How, exactly?
- 24/10/2012 06:02:01 PM
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Right family (Hussein of Jordan), wrong generation by a few hundered years.
- 25/10/2012 06:16:51 PM
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Hm. Curious who you mean, then.
- 25/10/2012 11:52:06 PM
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You are too hung up on a "port"
- 26/10/2012 03:13:59 PM
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That's what Romney and you said, isn't it? Access to the Mediterranean.
- 26/10/2012 11:30:55 PM
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Re: That's what Romney and you said, isn't it? Access to the Mediterranean.
- 29/10/2012 02:23:33 PM
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Commercial interests are the only relevant ones, but commerical shipping has the Suez.
- 25/10/2012 11:31:23 PM
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and one he seems to keep making - how many times do you give someone the benefit of the doubt?
- 23/10/2012 11:46:55 PM
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it is simply a standard descriptive line.
- 24/10/2012 03:54:49 PM
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What is?
- 25/10/2012 11:15:28 AM
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Not really my contradictions, Frankly I think most of the political enteties in the ME are nuts. *NM*
- 25/10/2012 06:23:51 PM
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I'm refering to the contradictions of your argument, not the region
- 25/10/2012 11:47:29 PM
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Irans route to the sea is "not being landlocked;" it must go through Iraq to reach Syria.
- 24/10/2012 05:45:41 PM
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It is not ships and military conquest through the Med, it is political and ideological/religious.
- 25/10/2012 09:57:18 PM
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Um, I am pretty sure that stuff travels by internet and radio, not by sea.
- 25/10/2012 11:27:17 PM
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It is sociological, political, and religous, it does not have to make logical sense. *NM*
- 29/10/2012 02:26:43 PM
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If Romney wants to be president, he should make sense, particularly when arguing a cause for war.
- 29/10/2012 06:46:06 PM
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Obama trounced him but he was always going to and by this point nobody cares anymore
- 23/10/2012 12:58:12 PM
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The election is a tossup. Could really go either way at this point. *NM*
- 23/10/2012 11:06:39 PM
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inexplicably a tossup. normally the proven liar (romney) would have no chance
- 23/10/2012 11:36:16 PM
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Pointing to one side of a political debate/campaign and yelling LIAR is the definition of hypocrisy. *NM*
- 25/10/2012 09:59:08 PM
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well then prove to us mitt romney is not a liar and i will retract my statements *NM*
- 25/10/2012 10:32:18 PM
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