GroovyGuru

@Hardkill Who cares about the Democrats. Both parties are controlled by corporate interests. And the Democrats have already proven how utterly useless they are. Complete embarrassment of a political party! Trump is worse, but I am totally done with "the lesser of two evils" bullshit. They are both evil and corrupt to the gills. We need new options.

I appreciate your thoughts but I just do not agree that Iran's military capability or its nuclear capability is nullified. I also don't agree with your characterization of Iran being fanatics (I take this comment as you meaning they are irrational). Iran can continue launching missiles at Israel every single day if they choose to, and soon Israel would be able to do nothing about it. Its cities can be destroyed and its people can continue going sleepless and running to bunkers every night. Not sure how this equates to being militarily nullified. Not to mention the ease at which Iran can hit US assets in the region. Them telegraphing the attack in Qatar to Washington demonstrates that they are in fact rational actors who can cause harm on their enemy but prefer non-violence because they know that they will be punished harder. Bottom line is that I don't see anything stopping them from enriching uranium, and the regime is fully in tact. The situation is fundamentally the same as no strategic objectives from any parties involved were accomplished.

If Iran is so weak and easily destroyable then why doesn't Israel go in and destroy them once and for all? If Iran gets a bomb why would they be destroyed? Is there a country that you can point to in history that had nuclear weapons and was destroyed? I truly don't understand how you think "Iran has nothing to do". Are they going to sit on their hands and just politely wait for their regime to be toppled then?

@Inliytened1 Your response does not make any sense to me. Why would Iran not just rebuild what ever was destroyed and continue enriching uranium? I would bet they have additional facilities and resources that are not even known. There are satellite images of tons of cargo trucks at the Fordow facility before the strike. Does anyone know where they moved everything? If they did nothing, that would just invite the US and Israel to continue behaving this way until they get what they want. So I just don't understand or agree with your logic about Iran not working to either build or purchase a weapon.

There are a couple things I'm wondering about and would like to hear input from anyone who has it. 1. Why would Iran agree to a ceasefire if they have Israel on the ropes? 2. Considering the actions of Israel and the US during the last 2 weeks, Iran now has no choice but to acquire a nuclear weapon. This will only solidify their position. Did the US miscalculate somewhere? If regime change is not accomplished efficiently and quickly, how do they deal with the new realities of Iran getting a weapon? This will only impede their long-term ambitions.

The average American feels threatened by the middle powers you mentioned having nuclear weapons because they are stupid, ignorant, and uninformed. They think that because that is the slop they've been fed by the media they consume. Now as for people in government, policy makers, lobbyists, propagandists, people in media, and anyone else who is fear mongering about Iran actually using nukes against the US, they are well aware this is a load of shit. They just rely on the "Iran having nuclear weapons is a threat to civilization" angle to sell regime change to the public. At the end of the day, an Iran with nukes is a threat to Israel and the US not in the sense that they would actually use them, but because it will make things harder for those countries to dominate the region and realize their long-term strategic ambitions.

I'm not necessarily saying it would lead to peace, I'm saying it would reign Israel in and make them think twice about every decision they make. There is no disputing that. If Iran well and truly wanted to nuke Israel and take them off the map, why don't they just build a weapon and do it already? Why haven't they done it? Instead of negotiating and trying to make deals, just make the bomb and take them off the map if that's what you really want. It's actually Israel that is trying to take Iran off the map right now, which just justifies to Iran why they need a nuke. Hello!!!

Israel has nukes. Do you not understand that Israel cannot be the only power in the region with nukes? If you want the middle east to be more balanced and stable, how would you achieve that by equipping the most expansionist and extremist country in the region with nuclear weapons, while not allowing the adversaries of that country to also posses weapons that will contain them and limit their ability to enforce their will with impunity. How does this possibly make for the best scenario?

@Raze Nice analysis

People worried about Iran using nukes are just not understanding the situation we are in. This is not a threat. What is ACTUALLY a possibility at this point is Israel and the US using nukes against Iran! At the very least, if things continue to escalate, they will use massive bombs against the Fordow nuclear fortress.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Islam. Making claims that Iran are crazy radical Islamic terrorists who are chomping at the bit to nuke Israel is just a low-IQ and ignorant take. These are the propaganda talking points that neo-cons and and war hawks use, and also people who just don't know ANYTHING about the situation. We live in 2025. Iran is a nation state that has relations with other countries and engages in trade, diplomacy, security and military interactions, other economic interactions, and so forth. All of this is to say, yes they are a theocracy, but that does not mean they don't operate like any other country, and that they have an ambition to blow up the world to reach paradise. Also, if Iran wanted to drop a nuke on Israel, they could have built one and done it already. Nothing is stopping them. Iran is the one who has been trying to negotiate this entire time, and seek a deal through diplomacy and without violence. You guys need to get this deeply ingrained propaganda about Islam out of your heads. The problem is, you have many types of Islam expressed throughout the Middle East, and ignorant people who don't understand the situation and context like to paint them all with a broad brush. I will say it once again, throughout this entire process, Iran has been the most level-headed and peaceful party involved in this conflict. Time and time again they have met at the negotiating table. It is the US who has backstabbed them, and Israel, a completely bloodthirsty country who will stop at nothing until this regime is deposed, who seek violence and escalation.

I’m honestly not too sure what Israel hopes to achieve here either. Obviously their true goal is regime change but that seems unattainable, even if US ground forces were sent in, which likely won’t happen (although you never truly know, all it can take is one domestic “terrorist attack” to change public opinion). Someone in here mentioned Iran trying to seek a ceasefire now. I could be wrong but I can’t calculate how this is possible given the circumstances. It seems the regime is fighting for its survival. Their options are either fight until the end, or be deposed and banished. The way I see it, a ceasefire request will have to come from Israel whose citizens surely won’t be able to handle continuous bombardment from Iran for too much longer. I can’t see any possibility of Iran returning to the negotiating table and discussing the nuclear stuff. This whole debacle just made it painfully obvious to them why they need to acquire the weapons. Even if all parties involved somehow find an off-ramp on this escalation ladder, this will only be a temporary delay in another inevitable confrontation in the future. That is, if Iran doesn’t build the nukes that they need. The question now is whether Iran’s ballistic missiles outlast Israel’s ability to shoot the majority of them down. If that is the case, I think Iran will be able to stomach and absorb the punishment longer than Israeli society can.

@PurpleTree Yeah it would be smart from the Israeli perspective but that’s the last outcome we want to see happen. If an authentic and organic uprising amongst the Iranian people emerges to topple the regime, like in 1979, then that’s fine. The people are exercising their will. But that is not what will be occurring within Iran at this time. Israel and the US know that they will not be able to remove this regime using just air power, and even ground troops, who likely won’t be deployed anyway. The toppling of the regime will come from within, probably by the CIA and Mossad funding and arming various factions. Classic USA style regime change, like in Syria. Don’t be surprised, depending on how things develop, if ISIS or other similar groups suddenly make a surprise return. Be on the look out for false flag operations to manipulate the public and distort the narrative. Unless you are an Israeli Jew, I don’t understand why anyone would want to see a US/Israeli puppet government installed that will loot the country if its resources and autonomy, and further cement US dominion over such a critical region. Plus, it seems to me that all this talk about the Iranian people being opposed to the regime and just itching to participate in its collapse is overblown. Israel has already killed dozens of Iranian civilians in these strikes. Who is to say this just won’t unite the people against a common enemy? We are a critical moment now, and Iran needs to re-establish deterrence before it’s too late. They failed to act and sat on the sidelines watching Hezbollah, their prime deterrence asset, get decimated. Now their backs are against the wall, and the only way they survive is by absolutely pummeling Tel Aviv with missiles, day after day. That’s the short term solution. The long term solution is building nukes.

@Breakingthewall If it wasn’t for Iran and the Shia block in the Middle East, the Palestinian cause would probably be non-existent, and the country of my parents and ancestors, Lebanon, would probably still be occupied by Israel to this day. You wouldn’t understand unless you’ve seen and physically been to the villages your parents grew up in, and have to endure the thought of one day those very lands being forcibly taken by foreign Jewish settlers.

@PurpleTree Nah, Israel can’t be the only nuclear equipped country in the Middle East. Also I wouldn’t characterize the Iranian government as “nutty” in the way you are. It’s obviously true that they are a theocracy and pretty authoritarian, but to suggest that this means they are irrational actors who would willingly ignite nuclear armageddon is pretty childish. This notion that Iran is going to destroy the US and Israel as soon as they get their hands on nukes is pure western propaganda. The Islam and ideology of Iran is not that of an Al-Qaeda or Islamic State. Whats more is that I would personally trust nuclear weapons in the hands of Iranians WAY more than being in the hands of Israelis. Ever heard of the Samson Option?

Not sure if you are being sarcastic, but literally nothing would stabilize the Middle East in our current circumstances more than Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

@Nito I can already tell you are too invested in this girl. When you get rejected and ghosted by enough women, you will eventually naturally stop getting so attached so soon. You can definitely build rapport over text and on the phone. You see, I myself am looking for a very specific type of woman that has the same nationality and religion as me. With limited options in my city, I’ve been forced to exclusively use specific dating apps and talk to women from all over the country. I’ve met up with several in person, but before that happens, I have to build a ton of rapport over the phone. This has become second nature to me. The trick is to keep it fun, light, playful and flirty. I always tease girls and make them laugh over text and voice notes and it comes off as very confident and socially intelligent. It takes practice though. But eventually trust and attraction is built, and we can meet up in person. With this specific girl though, if I was in your shoes, the next time she texts me I would have a bit of playful banter with her. I would then invite her out on a date. If she refuses or is wishy washy, I would say “no problem. Just reach out to me whenever you are free and we can find a time to meet up.” Then I would assume I’ll never hear from her again, I will never text her again, and I move on.

Come on bruh. Of course this is not true

If this regime survives this onslaught, their number one priority should be to stop fooling around and start building nuclear weapons

Whether or not this Iranian regime falls, which would probably be good for the Iranian people but very bad for the Shia community in the ME and devastating for any hope of curtailing Israeli and American expansion and dominance in the region, I hope they are at least able to serve Israel a taste of what it deserves before all is said and done.

I don’t envy this extremely tricky situation Iran is in. Israel is never going to stop until this regime is gone and a friendly one is installed. Diplomacy is dead, and that is solely because Israel will not allow it. I think the only way Iran can protect itself is by having a nuclear arsenal. Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon (Hezbollah) all fell one by one and now pose very limited threat to Israel. That’s of course not even counting the puppet government of Egypt and Jordan who are already friendly. Iran is the final boss, the last man standing. We are seriously on the precipice of an end of a historical era in the Middle East, and another one beginning that will totally and utterly be dominated by the Israeli Jews. How many more hits can Iran take before responding in a very real way? Sooner or later, I think they will be left with no choice, and their hand will be forced. Either fight for your survival, or be toppled, and Israel will finally see through their great expansion project.

I'm looking for ideas on how to create additional revenue streams. I'm 25 and currently work as a software developer making 100k. I'm not looking for some gimmicky scheme. I'm intelligent and I'm willing to work hard, and I've been investing and building up my resources for a few years. I'm just not a super creative or entrepreneurial person by nature. I'm constantly ruminating about how I need to make more money, but I truly just don't know what are good/realistic options in 2024. I'm not really someone who is determined to own a business or become my own boss necessarily. I don't mind having an honest career. I simply want to figure out a way to make a few thousand extra a year to supplement my already decent salary. I'm hoping to learn from the perspective and experience from you guys.

@Yimpa Yes but it's all coming from only one source. I can lose my job or become replaced. Also in today's economy, 100k doesn't even feel like that much. I feel within myself I am capable of making more. I'm just lacking the ideas, and lacking some life experience that would probably otherwise present more opportunities and ideas.

I know this is a strange place to ask a question about investing but I trust this community and most people in the crypto realm are sketchy as hell. I’ve been starting to get into investing and personal finance the last couple months and reading some books, watching some videos etc about various investments and things of that sort. I set up a Roth, put $3000 into a Vanguard index fund, and mostly focusing on paying off school debt. Now that crypto is blowing up again I feel like I need to get educated on it so I don’t miss a big opportunity. But trying to research this stuff is so overwhelming, there’s a billion different people saying a billion different things and it seems nobody knows what the hell is actually going to happen with it. I obviously admit that I’m uneducated on it, but I just don’t understand how crypto is even an “investment”. Isn’t it just a medium of exchange? Why is it valued at what its at exactly? I don’t understand what’s driving it’s value besides people simply thinking it’s valuable for whatever reason and buying more and more of it. It seems empty. Should I commit some time to trying to understand it more? Where’s the best place to learn? I already learned my lesson when in 2017 I broke the #1 rule of investing (buy low, sell high.) I literally bought crypto at its peak, held for 3 years and eventually sold for a slight loss. I don’t want to make the same mistake.

So I'm 25 and up to this point I have not had much dating experience. I'm able to get a decent amount of matches with girls online but it usually never leads anywhere. Either we don't meet up, or the girls just stop responding, even though in the vast majority of cases I've done nothing wrong. I should also add that I'm rather picky. Because of my nonexistent dating life, and especially because my younger brother has now had a girlfriend for years, my parents are becoming concerned and are eager for me to start dating. I'm Middle Eastern, and in my culture it's pretty common for marriages and relationships to occur from word-of-mouth. Basically, somebody in the family knows somebody else that's single, and a connection is made. So they are encouraging me to start talking to a girl that lives in France. I initiated the other day and we really hit it off. She is 20, beautiful, really easy to talk to, smart (she speaks 4 languages), and we seem to have some things in common. Another important factor is that I'm almost certain she has never been with another man before, given her cultural and religious background. A part of me feels this whole situation is unrealistic because it's hard enough to get a girl in my own city. But I also don't want to pass an opportunity with a girl that at least on the surface seems like she can be wife material. She was also told that I was going to reach out to her, so the way she texts I can tell she is very interested and excited. I don't really know how to approach the situation. I mean she lives in another part of the world. Usually how this thing would go is that we would continue to talk for several months until I eventually go decide to meet her in France. And if we hit it off, I would probably just get engaged to her. This is wild to me because even though I'm Arab, I'm much, much more connected to American culture. So moving at that pace would feel weird. Another concern for me is that I am not religious at all, so I need to find out how important that is to her in a partner. How does this sound to you guys? Does it sound crazy or should I just keep an open mind and see where it goes like my parents are saying? The thing is, at this point I SERIOUSLY don't know where I'm going to meet a girl I deem girlfriend material, and who also likes me back. It's just not happening for me.