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Well, if the girl trap is successful, you'll be told what to do. Problem solved!

Yes but... As usual, the USA has not proposed any plan, or perthway to a regime change. As usual, the old regime has a sucession plan to continue power. As usual, USA has no plan for what to do next. Just go in all gunz blazing and expect the locals to miraculously unite their mobs and create a whole new system of government. Never worked before, unlikely to now. P.S. With the present state of amazing intel, and amazing precision strike capability, why did they destroy a school full of kids?

Your sarcasm aside, you are being overly simplistic. The war powers act states that the president is required to inform congress within 48 hours of military action, and he is limited to 60 days without a congressional vote. Congress must vote to declare/fund military actions that go past 60 days. Obama could have been impeached for his 2011 Libya bombing actions by continuing the bombing beyond the 60 day limit. Congress could have cared less.

Iran is often grouped with Arab nations, but it is not an Arab country. Its people are largely Persian. The Persian civilization, originating in modern-day Iran, was a dominant ancient superpower (c. 550 B.C.E. – 651 C.E.) renowned for vast territorial expansion under the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian dynasties. Founded by Cyrus the Great, it was known for its bureaucratic efficiency, infrastructure like the Royal Road, religious tolerance, and cultural influence across Asia and the Middle East. The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B.C. to the 20th century A.D. In other words, the Iranians are not towel-heads.

Saw a video this morning of Hegseth saying this is not about regime change. He repeated it twice, regardless of what DJT has been saying. It's about getting their hands on Iranian oil.

I'm glad that Trump has done something to sort those crazy bas-rds out. They have been responsible for much of the grief and destruction in the world for the past 30 years. If only he felt the same about Putin, he would get serious helping the Ukrainians.

If the Euro's hadn't been so weak for the past 75 years, things may have turned out different. They enjoyed bragging about their free health care and enlightened point of views, but they let their militaries become nothing but little boys clubs. Look at the Ukraine for example. The Euro's didn't give a shit about the Ukraine until Putin actually sent the tanks in towards the capitol. They didn't do a single thing about Crimea. They didn't do a single thing about Ukraine's Donbas region. They all sat back and bitched about the USA for not stopping it. Every time the a Euro sovereignty/economy has been threatened................................they begged for American carriers. Look at Germany. It took a US president to stare down the Soviets and reunify their country. I'm not excusing the US for it's Iraq/Iran blunders, but the world would be a much more dangerous place without it. You said rogue? Iran has been at war with the USA for 47 years. They have been at war with various Arab neighbors for decades. They have been at war with Israel for decades. They financially support Hama, Hezbollah, and many other radical groups throughout the middle east. Iran supplies Russia with thousands of drones being used against the Ukraine. Let the liberals cry all they want about Iran. They are the ones that appeased these radicals to the tune of billions of dollars and made fools of themselves..

I accede. I'm not an expert on the complexities of US law. But the message sent out by critics has suggested that permission is needed before action is taken. Obviously that is not the case. The problem with the culture of the USAis that it is militaristic. It seem to me that teh World's Policeman has finally gone rogue.

What are the dimensions of a foxhole?

Hated to read that Rachael Carpani passed away. Beautiful lady, and I loved her as "Jodi" on McLeods Daughters.

I saw some footage of one rescued pilot being looked after by Kuwaitis. It said he was in an F-15 but don't know if that was accurate or not. If they are Airforce they would be F-15s, F-18s Marine Corps or Navy. Martin Baker seats in the F-18s, ACES II in the F-15.

Welcome to the forums, @Down East I pretty well agree with the sentiment of the above, except universal health care and enlightenment doesn't necessarily mean giving up sovereignty, which much of Western Europe have done, as well as a lot of the rest of the western world. If you're not a superpower, you have to forge alliances through more compromises than the superpowers.. Post WWII, and with the EU, Europe did have a chance to become a superpower, but they dilly-dallied. An old Chinese saying is that political power grows from the barrel of a gun. As much as we like to think it's not true, it is. Diplomacy works much better when you have a decent arsenal and those loyal who know how to use it.

I thought Willie Nelson cut his teeth on a $5 secondhand guitar.

Leave your ex in Sydney, stay where you are, extend your place and get a dog. 😊

You can be just as lonely renting somewhere else. If everything is pretty good where you are now, apart from the distance to a larger town, maybe it's being on your own too much that's the main problem?

There's enough HATE there to cover everything. Iranians are some of the Most educated People in the world. They didn't deserve the deal they got with the Mullah's who rule with an Iron Fist. Nev

The mere idea of this discussion is silly. Religion is a absurd abstract.

Trumps antics are devoid of Principle. morality and ethical considerations and are only useful as an EXAMPLE of what shouldn't be done by anyone in a Decent world. Trump wouldn't cop what HE dishes out to others and no-one else should have to cop it either. A Lawless world is safe for NONE. Nev

And that shows how a well intentioned movement can be developed into a ruthless system of mass control. Every religion is discriminatory. It has no place in any government. Spirituality is a personal thing and any attempt to corporatise it is bad for society, in my opinion.

Do Jews accept the New Testament? Islam accepts Christ as a prophet. The 3 religions are Abrahamic.. Nev

Only Congress has the constitutional ability to declare War on an American enemy - but the President has full authority, as the U.S. military C-in-C , to attack any enemy of America, who is believed to be plotting any terror attack against America. Trump has long railed against any effort by Congress to control his decision-making, believing he alone has complete control of the major decision-making in America. What we should be all concerned about is the religious fundamentalists in America and Israel are the ones driving all this Middle East war activity. Not a lot different to the extreme religious fundamentalists in the Middle Eastern countries. Hegseth is on a par with an Ayatollah, believing he has the God-given power to decide who lives or dies in the region. And he's a raging drunk, along with his Christian Fundamentalist beliefs. Plus, many U.S. military leaders, or former military leaders, including Mark Kelly, believe he doesn't have the mental capacity for the job he's been given. https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2026/can-president-go-to-war-without-congress-iran-strikes/#:~:text=Article I%2C Section 8 of,when Franklin Roosevelt was president.

The Dept of Defence is now the Dept of WAR. Nev

The wife of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died from injuries sustained in the bombing which killed her husband. Social media in America is calling for Barron Trump to be enlisted in the military and sent into battle. However, he has a medical out. He is 6ft 9in tall, and the height limit for military recruitment is 6ft 8in. He is too tall to fit in confined spaces like tanks and aircraft.

I don't doubt this for a minute., but Iran has one of the world's largest known reserves of oil.. and el Chumpo would love for the USA to have first dibs at knockdwon prices, if not control the reserves. Since he meeds to find a supply his sponsors can use (cf. Venezuela), then, I bet there will be large contracts to be had - by US firms.

Haaaa, bloody classic. Most of the still married guys say stuff like that , cracks me up. Been awhile l forget all that part of it but talking to ex just the other night actually and coincidently all that stuff came flooding back right there. Doesn't this wants that needs to this must do that eat this don;t that man, on and on and on, forgot what it was like. And that was just all her ideas coming out for herself , while we're talking but, got off the phone thinking jezuz thk God she's not running my show too- back to my bliss, ahhh. Actually ,,while she was at it though, she did tell me what to do too 🤣🤣 - just stay there, extend your place, who cares. She lives in the middle of Sydney now, she use to come over to the cabin here with me back in the day though, we'd tidy up and stuff.

The latest reports are saying the aircraft were F-15's.

The post regime plan put up by the crown prince would be the most workable in my opinion, except for one thing. It could only work if what's left of the military swung behind it. The people are diverse but most just want to live in peace. The problem will be the hard liners and how much control over the arms they have. They've had a lot of power for a long time and won't want to give it up.

Lust for oil has been the root cause of many wars over the last 80 or 90 years - but in this case, I'm not so sure it plays as big a part in the attempted removal of the regime. But Trump and Americans in general nurse a long-held and extremely bitter grudge against Iran, largely due to the constant chants of "Death to America", the 1979-81 hostage crisis, the bombing of the USS Cole and the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon. Netanyahu nurses a bigger grudge than America against Iran and Islamic terrorists, because they killed his brother at Entebbe. He burns with anti-Islamic hatred. And Irans constantly repeated aim of "wiping Israel off the face of the Earth" only feeds Bibi's hatred of them. So, a big Yes. I would not say 100% subservient, but he's very happy that the Israelis aims, and his aims, align. Plus, he can see major gains for Trump Inc in beachside resorts, hotels, deals, etc, in a Middle East that he can move into, without a lot of opposition. Many Iranians want to be free of religious terror, but many hard-liners still exist in the country. Whether the former can subdue the latter without external support, seems dubious at this point. Civilians always suffer the most in wars. I can tell you this much - Trumps claim that the "war will be finished in 4 weeks", holds about as much value, as his claim that he would end the Ukraine War, in 1 day. I would have to opine this war is going to incur many civilian casualties over many months, maybe even years. I agree completely. I doubt Iran will get "better" for a long time to come, perhaps 20 or 30 years. Islamic hardliners will keep coming to the fore, and continue to gather up more adherents, after losing their initial adherents. That is the vexing question. Many world leaders and senior politicians seem to be quite happy that the Ayatollah is gone. But "justification" can only be measured by the eventual outcome, which is very unclear at this point in time.

Does Iran have oil? That may provide the answer to Chump's ultimate goal, I would think. Does Iran pose a threat to Israel? I would suggest that is Netanyu's motivation, as well as keepong out of court. Does that make Chump subservient to Israel? Hmmm.. I will leave that one to the court ofpublic opinion. Do Iranians want to be free of the Sharia based regime? I guess that makes them at least partially supportive. Will the civilian deaths directly resulting from the offensive be more or less than those by the regime resulting from what looked like peaceful protests? We'll have to wait and see. Is there a good chance it will get worse before it gets better? Definitely.# Is there a good chance it will eventually get better (by that I mean restoring Iran to its political place or better than it was pre-1979)? Andiwhat time would that good chance take? That is subjective, but based on history of these interventions, especially in the region, I would not give it 50/50.. Is it justified?

I'm assuming there is some humour in the above, as there's been a fair share of slap-dash, if not shady mechanics in my pre-UK years. It has gone imnto the shop today, for the first time, I rolled up to a red light with both hands off the handlebars to relax them a bit. Blimey, the front wheel started oscillating right to left - not tank slapper terriroty as it steadied as soon as I my hands ont eh handlebars. So, I am guessing it is a balance issue - which will be done with the new tyres I decided to get. I have to admit, I am disappointed with the previous mechanic - he took over the business from the mechanic I used to use, who was a ripper. I didn't know, but all three motoircyclists in the village that I know used the same bloke, but switched to the one I took the bike to today because of hacing the same experience as me. I found that out afterwards of course.. should go to the pub more often, but I have all but given up drinking. Back onto the riding: Am now riding weekly into London. Apart from the heated grips, the bik performs very well and is comfortable. I would prefer it had slightly less fuel consumption, but, it is around 1/2 the consumption of the mini and a little less than that of the Volvo. Also, I am not spenging £24 for two days of travelcards (£10 on fuel and parking is free). Ride extensively with the son as we have an intercom set and he likes the company. Yesterday, the weather was OK and we did about 50 miles of just cruising around - windy country roads, which I don't like, and better A and B road twisties, as well as a stop for lunch. Nice continued bonding time. Son is prepping his license, which at 23 will give him up to a max of 47hp.. We love his little 125, which is quick for a 125, but he has already outgrown it. The plan is for him to do the theory test, which has two components - pure theory and an interactive threat awareness/avoideance test - the latter of which you cannot prepare for. Then he will do a 1 week course, which they book his test at the end of. When he has done that (and assumed he has passed), we will sell the 125 and look for a second hand Triumph Tiger Sport 660, Trident 660, or a Scrambler. If they are over 47bhp, then they can be restricted as long as they don't have a power rating greated than 94bhp.

It's a mixed up place, the Middle East. Just one example - in Saudi Arabia they don't watch The Flintstones, but the people in Abu Dhabi do.

Having said the above, I'm probably not the best person to be giving advice. I'm retired, own my own acerage property debt free, on my own these days and can live comfortable enough on the age pension. I live in a little slice of paradise and don't have any factors pushing me one way or another. For someone still in the workforce with a career, there would be a lot more things to consider than what I have to.

I'm no expert, but I think sometimes when it's really hard to decide, it's better to do nothing immediately and see how the thinking is later on. A lot of people sell up and regret it at a later date. I was nearly one of them. In 2021, I was selling up and moving interstate. I was at the stage of dealing with agents and almost ready to list the place when some medical issues came along and changed the whole plan. Now a bit over four years later, I'm still here and there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be, so I'm glad I didn't go through with the original plan. I'll never be rich living here but what it has to offer regarding lifestyle is worth it many times over. On the other side of the coin, a mate of mine sold up that same year and moved to a small country town in NSW and he's as happy as a pig in a poke. He doesn't miss his former home of 40+ years at all.

They still have old Tomcats and Phantoms left over from the days of the Shah. I wonder how many of them will be left after this is all over. Iran was the only foreign nation that received Tomcats. Their variant had the same engines as our F-111s. A big part of the reason none of our civilian air museums were allowed to have F-111 engines for display. The Amberley air force museum has a cut-away display engine, but that's under air force control.

I only ever rode an old Bonneville once and only for a few k's down the road. I remember the vibration was very noticeable after being used to the isolastic setup on the Commando. I also had a ride on a Norton SS and it was a beautiful handling bike. The only issue was that it had a very annoying vibration that kicked in around 55 to 60mph, right where you would want to sit on the speed limit. To have a comfortable ride, you had to slow down or go over the speed limit.

Not in the footage I saw, there were heaps of women and very few wearing head coverings. But that was footage taken by citizens and posted on social media, so it might have been from a prodominately anti-government suburb and maybe not representative of what you see in other areas.

Getting rid of Trump would be a massive improvement

The best way is to keep whittling them down until they fall apart in a mess, but does Israel and the US have enough readily available stockpiles of munitions to see the distance. The pace of things might depend on who runs out first.