Discussion and Debate Community Thread

**Abdülmecid I** · November 06, 2019, 04:43 AM

The history of inter-Jewish conflict in Taliban-dominated Afghanistan.

**mishkin** · November 06, 2019, 07:41 AM

Part of the article reminded me of the case of the cell mate (a "preso de confianza", a veteran prisoner who is assigned to a new one to facilitate their integration) of a Catalan independence prisoner (Jordi Sánchez) who refused to share the cell with him because he did not stop with his nationalist rants.

**Prodromos** · November 10, 2019, 12:02 AM

Now this is the Ben we all know and love. Very energetic. Brings back memories of the old him from 2013-2015.

He's still too Trumpist for my taste, but great speech nonetheless. He really wiped the floor with those neo-fascists.

Skip to 9:46 and watch the whole thing.

**~~swabian~~** · November 18, 2019, 09:10 AM

Les Allemands est sorti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U10ON2aau3g

**Prodromos** · November 19, 2019, 03:35 AM

The stupidity of mankind

**Aexodus** · November 22, 2019, 03:08 PM

It’s sad to see Turkey descend into the grip of religious nuts like Erdogan.

video: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7n1czr

original google translated article: https://translate.googleusercontent....MHOKkzv1ctr_Vw

**PointOfViewGun** · November 22, 2019, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by Aexodus

It’s sad to see Turkey descend into the grip of religious nuts like Erdogan.
video: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7n1czr
original google translated article: https://translate.googleusercontent....MHOKkzv1ctr_Vw

Of all the things awful about Erdoğan, what's the problem/new thing there? Regardless, your links are not what you'd stumble upon...

**Prodromos** · November 28, 2019, 05:34 PM

I Believe in America - Shay Khatiri

“Don’t tell your friends we just had breakfast.”

That was my Dad. I was in first grade and he was dropping me off at school.

We lived in Iran, it was Ramadan, and everybody had to fast during the month. Technically, I didn’t have to fast, because of my age, but my parents did. And if somebody had found out that they had breakfast and weren’t fasting, they could get into trouble.

When I entered high school, I had to fast too. I wasn’t actually Muslim—my parents are atheists, and they’d raised a miniature atheist in me. But that didn’t matter. In Iran, you had to pretend you were Muslim, full-stop. This wasn’t a joke.

Before I’d been born, both of my parents had spent time in prison because of their politics. My Dad had been tortured. I didn’t want them to ever have to go back.

I grew up, went to college, and became, myself, involved in anti-government protests. Which got me kicked out of school. Realizing that I could never go back to college, I decided to leave.

First, I went to Hungary.

Despite the growing political authoritarianism in Hungary, it was more open than Iran. By a lot. I spent a couple of good years there before I realized that the Hungarian sense of nationhood is based on ethnic background. And since I wasn’t Hungarian by either blood or soil, I was never going to be an equal member of their society.

So I left, again. This time I arrived in Arizona, USA. And it was a crazy, almost unimaginably different world. The only people who cared that I didn’t grow up in the United States were the people curious about my story. Being an immigrant wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. Because being American had nothing to do with land or heritage. It was about nothing less than an idea. If you are American in your heart, then you can become an American.

It’s been five and a half years since I adopted America. Or she adopted me. I’m not sure which it is. Probably both. I don’t have American citizenship—yet—but I am American in my heart, and so people treat me like an American. Like we’re all confederates in love with the idea that makes our country special.

America isn’t perfect, obviously. Nothing is. There are problems. Three times I’ve been subjected to some xenophobia, and I remember each of these instances. But that’s the point: It’s happened so rarely that I can keep count. Three occasions!

And even though I’m not a citizen, I get to participate in politics with no fear of persecution.

Nobody minds that I don’t attend religious services. Well, that’s not true. I have a handful of friends who, out of love, want to drag me to church with them. But only because they want to save my soul—I have nothing but gratitude for the care they show for my wellbeing. No one is calling the Guidance Patrol.

I was treated like a third-class citizen in my country of birth.

In America, I’m treated as equal even before I’ve become an actual citizen.

Why? Because that’s the fundamental premise of our nationhood.

A while ago, a friend of mine asked why it is that I’m always happy and cheerful. I told him that it’s difficult not to be if you grew up in Iran and are lucky enough to live in America.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the same thing I’ve been thankful for for the last five years: America.

For her promise and her imperfections, for her goodness and her struggles.

I love my home. I love you, America.

---

Shay Khatiri ... grew up in Iran and left the country in 2011. He is currently seeking political asylum in the United States.

Reminds me of something I read in Jonah Goldberg's Suicide of the West (highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand American conservatism):

**Lord Thesaurian** · December 05, 2019, 08:39 AM

In other news, Iran has been using its proxy militias to control key regions and set up ballistic missiles in Iraq. The Ayatollah may succeed in slaughtering internal dissidents, but will he succeed in establishing a permanent occupation zone in Iraq from which to launch attacks? Time will tell. It will certainly not win Iran any friends in the meantime, further undermining the regime’s victim narrative vis a vis US sanctions.

**Vanoi** · December 05, 2019, 09:19 AM

Considering the amount of unrest going on in Iraq i doubt Iran will be able to permanently establish itself.

**Lord Thesaurian** · December 05, 2019, 09:31 AM

At the same time, unrest in Iraq is how Iran is able to operate there to the extent that she has. Iran also has immense historical legitimacy as an actual nation and not a British colonial map doodle. It is interesting however to see Iraqi nationalism take shape in response to government corruption and Iranian meddling.

**Vanoi** · December 05, 2019, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by Legio_Italica

At the same time, unrest in Iraq is how Iran is able to operate there to the extent that she has. Iran also has immense historical legitimacy as an actual nation and not a British colonial map doodle. It is interesting however to see Iraqi nationalism take shape in response to government corruption and Iranian meddling.

Oh i agree. Iran uses unrest to their advantage all the time like in the wake of the 2003 invasion. However i think Iran overstepped. It has thrown its support behind the establishment. This is causing the protests to gain a distinct anti-Iranian element. Along with the corrupt government with its brutal handling if the protests (with the PMU helping out in that regard) this spells disaster for Iranian ambitions in Iraq.

**Lord Thesaurian** · December 05, 2019, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Vanoi

Oh i agree. Iran uses unrest to their advantage all the time like in the wake of the 2003 invasion. However i think Iran overstepped. It has thrown its support behind the establishment. This is causing the protests to gain a distinct anti-Iranian element. Along with the corrupt government with its brutal handling if the protests (with the PMU helping out in that regard) this spells disaster for Iranian ambitions in Iraq.

Fingers crossed. Maybe we’ll luck out even further and the Russians will overextend as well. Based on how things are going in the US, Syria and the Far East though, Putin has every reason to feel like a master of statecraft.

**Vanoi** · December 05, 2019, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Legio_Italica

Fingers crossed. Maybe we’ll luck out even further and the Russians will overextend as well. Based on how things are going in the US, Syria and the Far East though, Putin has every reason to feel like a master of statecraft.

Unless Russia bogs itself down in another conflict i don't see them becoming overstretched. Russia has the benefit of a working economy that can fund its ambitions. Iran's economy is in free fall and they just had to brutally suppress some of the worst unrest in all of Iranian history. Iran is hanging by a thread.

**Lord Thesaurian** · December 05, 2019, 11:59 AM

Russian population collapse ftw.

**Prodromos** · December 05, 2019, 12:17 PM

Socialist carrying Fight Bigotry sign: the Jews sure seem to have a lot of power which they use to manipulate society, don't they?

And the antifa guy who isn't actually interested in fighting fascism. Lmfao

Can't make this stuff up

**Cope** · December 05, 2019, 01:30 PM

We know that accusations of racism (just like racism itself) are often weaponized to serve partisan/in-group interests. From where I'm sitting, you're playing the same game as the anti-racist posers in the video.

**Prodromos** · December 05, 2019, 03:21 PM

Well then you need to sit somewhere else, because there's no games here. It's just a video. There doesn't need to be a hidden political message behind every post.

**Cope** · December 05, 2019, 03:56 PM

This is a political message board: it stands to reason that your're here to express political opinions. Everyone who's familiar with your posts knows that you're trying to advance the evangelical position by highlighting the hypocrisy of parts of the secular left. And that's fine, but I think we'd all just rather you owned your biases rather than constantly trying to play the impartial, constitutional conservative act.