Firms Contracting With U.S. Government Flout Iran Sanctions Law,

[Gerald]

Watchdog Says.Two multinational corporations that have earned millions of dollars in U.S. government contracts are conducting business with Iran in violation of the recently signed sanctions law, according to an Iran watchdog group that has provided its research to FoxNews.com.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010...est=latestnews

[UnderseaLcpl]

<applause>

I have nothing but respect for Maersk and Komatsu, and I hope they find many a way around this idiotic sanction. For some reason, there are people who really believe that sanctions will somehow prevent an extremist rogue state from developing weapons or the wherewithal to use them. Y'know, because it's worked so many times before

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Trading with a nation is one of the surest ways to make it completely non-threatening. Even a die-hard.... insane Islamic theocracy like Iran cannot stand for long against the quality of life that free trade brings. Free trade creates wealth. Wealth creates independence, education, secularism, generosity, etc. etc. In short, common people who have access to a good quality of life and an reasonable ability to advance themselves will not bother with idiotic extremist ideology, and they will not support a theocratic power structure. They'll become Islamic laxtremists.

Rather than isolating and shunning Iran, thus giving her cause to hate us with more fervor, we should be undermining her ridiculous bass-ackwards values with knowledge and cool gizmos, and she will give us oil and other products in exchange. Before you know it, she'll resemble the Special Economic Zones of Communist China; ideological in name only, and dedicated to overthrowing state-imposed stupidity. She'll also be behind more developed nations in terms of economic power. Can you say "monopsony"?

What we should really be looking at is who stands to gain from an anti-Iran agenda. I'll take a wild guess and suppose that it isn't domestic industries or politicians who need votes; y'know, those self-serving A-wipes we all know and love.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Trading with a nation is one of the surest ways to make it completely non-threatening. Even a die-hard.... insane Islamic theocracy like Iran cannot stand for long against the quality of life that free trade brings. Free trade creates wealth. Wealth creates independence, education, secularism, generosity, etc. etc. In short, common people who have access to a good quality of life and an reasonable ability to advance themselves will not bother with idiotic extremist ideology, and they will not support a theocratic power structure. They'll become Islamic laxtremists.

Please keep saying it. it needs to be said.

Have sanctions EVER worked? Has any sovereign nation ever changed solely due to sanctions? Even the commonly touted South Africa example is not exactly conclusive. The instances where sanctions have failed seem to be more numerous than instances where they have been successful.

It used to be said that democracies don't declare war on each other. I like to think that capitalistic economies don't declare war on each other.

One thing the United States needs to avoid is placing any country in a position where they have "nothing to lose".

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Have sanctions EVER worked?

Of COURSE they work! Just look at Cuba!




Wait, what....?

Back when the original Gulf War took place I had a co-worker who espoused the opinion that, while he agreed that sooner or later we would have to attack Iraq to liberate Kuwait, he wished that we had given the sanctions more time. Rather than ask him to show any occasion where sanctions had ever worked, I asked him one question:

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"It's easy to see if the sanctions worked. Not so easy to see if they're not working. So how long do you think we should wait until we do use force? Another year? Ten? Never?"

He didn't really have an answer for that.

[ETR3(SS)]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Of COURSE they work! Just look at Cuba!

Beat me to it! Well one way of looking at this is, if Iran would like to have the bomb then by all means make one. Oh, by the way Iran, we have thousands of warheads and three different means of delivery from within the CONUS, welcome to our targeting list!

Any nation that uses nuclear weapons in battle will have it's penis smacked by the entire would faster then greased lightning.

[Platapus]

I agree. When ever a country like North Korea successfully tests a nuclear device (not saying that North Korea has yet), The President of the United States needs to meet with them (or communicate with them) the following

Welcome to the Nuclear Club. Now that you possess nuclear weapons, you are a potential threat to the United States and our allies. Mind you that I am not saying that you are a threat, only with due to your nuclear weapons, you are a potential threat.

That being said, I am informing you that I have re-targeted sufficient numbers of our nuclear weapons to destroy your country completely. If you use a nuclear weapon in an offensive manner, we will destroy your entire country.

Welcome to the Nuclear Club. With great weapons, comes great responsibilities.... and great consequences.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Platapus

I agree. Whenever a country like North Korea successfully tests a nuclear device (not saying that North Korea has yet), The President of the United States needs to meet with them (or communicate with them) the following

Welcome to the Nuclear Club. Now that you possess nuclear weapons, you are a potential threat to the United States and our allies. Mind you that I am not saying that you are a threat, only with due to your nuclear weapons, you are a potential threat.

That being said, I am informing you that I have re-targeted sufficient numbers of our nuclear weapons to destroy your country completely. If you use a nuclear weapon in an offensive manner, we will destroy your entire country.

Welcome to the Nuclear Club. With great weapons, comes great responsibilities.... and great consequences.

I wouldn't say that. I'd say "What's up, guys? Welcome to the club! Congrats on your nukes. How would you like preferential trade status? From us according to our abilities, to you according to your needs, eh comrade? By the way, have you noticed those decidedly anti-communist Islamic countries? I don't like the looks of those theocratic bourgeois one bit. I do believe they want to convert the working class into some kind of religious serfdom. What absolute rotters! Perhaps we should help liberate the oppressed proletariat."

Then we sit back and watch the fireworks.