Iran can now hit Europe?

[widebody911]

Iran has received a first shipment of missiles from North Korea that are capable of reaching Europe, Israel's military intelligence chief was quoted on Thursday as saying.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-04-27T082608Z_01_L27159331_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-IRAN-MISSILES.xml&rpc=22

[legion]

So...will Europe do something or just hide their heads in the sand?

Anyone want to make a bet?

[widebody911]

Well, color me French, but what exactly do you do? Lob a nuke in that general direction because you read somewhere on the web the Iranians bought some missles from a bad Elvis impersonator?

[legion]

So you let them have their missles and hope they don't use them on you?

You do things like repeatedly point out how the Americans are somehow worse at every opportunity in a cowardly attempt to refocus blame?

You maintain a diplomatic dialogue, despite the fact that it is really just a stalling tactic for the aggressor?

[Rick Lee]

Europe can do a lot of things. But they probably won't. Remember that we do not buy anything from Iran, but Europe buys a lot from them. They could sting Iran very badly with economic sanctions. They could let Iran know that they will be 100% with us when it comes time to get tough on Iran. They can stop bashing Israel at every turn, maybe increase military cooperation to send a signal to the mooooooollllaaahhs that the whole civilized world is against them. They can shake some sense into China and tell them to be sure to bet on the right horse. Lots can be done. We let the Europeans take the lead on this one, they got the agreement and then went home. Iran promptly ignored the agreement and then began threatening anyone who dares refer Iran to the Sec. Council or IAEA for sanctions. They need to stop getting rewarded for bad behavior. That might be the first thing that slows down such behavior.

[kumma]

Why is the USA the only country in the world that has a right to arm and defend itself? Id be suprised if contries like Iran were not stocking up on weapons. We would be better off worring about our selves instead of telling everyone else how to run their lives.

[techweenie]

Are you all so brainwashed that the raw ability to lob an unguided missile constitutes a "threat?" This is a replay of the nervous nelly talk about Saddam all over again. How did you guys sleep at night in the four decades the USSR had ICBMs pointed at us?

Iran has nothing to gain by striking Europe.

[Rick Lee]

That's right Tech - they have nothing to gain by actually doing it. They have everything to gain by having the ability to do it. Nukes were never designed to be used. They are designed to be hanged over one's head.

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by techweenie
How did you guys sleep at night in the four decades the USSR had ICBMs pointed at us?

Duck and cover

Home fallout shelters

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by techweenie
How did you guys sleep at night in the four decades the USSR had ICBMs pointed at us?

The USSR was never led by irrational or unpredictable people. Mutually assured destruction is a great deterrent on folks who aren't bent on suicide or getting 72 virgins, etc. The same can't be said for Iran.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
The USSR was never led by irrational or unpredictable people. Mutually assured destruction is a great deterrent on folks who aren't bent on suicide or getting 72 virgins, etc. The same can't be said for Iran.

Rick pounded the nail on the head.

[techweenie]

LOL.

Some of you guys were definitely born yesterday.

Every Soviet leader up to Gorbachev was a "madman" and Communism's unholy goal was "the destruction of our way of life."

And even when there were reasonable leaders in power, "rogue generals" were a threat.

Same old fear tactics; new, gullible citizens.

[Rick Lee]

Yup, you got me. I was born yesterday.

[Jim Richards]

you're wet behind the ears, too.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Yup, you got me. I was born yesterday.

One of the best things to come out of the 50s was Ike Eisenhower's farewell speech. Worth reading.

http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html

Few listened, and now, what he warned us about in Section IV, paragraph 5, has come to pass.

[914GT]

Originally posted by techweenie
LOL.

Some of you guys were definitely born yesterday.

Every Soviet leader up to Gorbachev was a "madman" and Communism's unholy goal was "the destruction of our way of life."

And even when there were reasonable leaders in power, "rogue generals" were a threat.

Same old fear tactics; new, gullible citizens.

I wonder how things would have worked out during the Cuban missile crisis if Khrushchev's mind was like Ahmadinejad's.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
The USSR was never led by irrational or unpredictable people. Mutually assured destruction is a great deterrent on folks who aren't bent on suicide or getting 72 virgins, etc. The same can't be said for Iran.

Bottom line, men go insane when there's no women around to boink. USSR had/has millons of fantastic women and the national beverage is vodka. You do the math.

[Jim Richards]

Absolutely the most lucid point to this whole discussion. Nice work David!

[Rick Lee]

David, you're right and that spells bad news for China too. Their military is twice the size of ours and they have 119 men for every 100 women. Worse yet, a lot of their women won't ever marry a Chinese man. And that country has lots of nukes.

[StevoRocket]

No problem - bring it on - the Germans failed and so will they.
We like a good scrap.