Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Wino wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:36 pm Because it wasn't Iranian??
The news media that I see is parroting the government statements. In their defense, they have few other sources of information.

As long as this doesn't become a mass media war fever, I will remain open-minded but skeptical. These were not US tankers (Japan's and Norway's), it is not anywhere near US territory, and the Japanese and Norwegians have not asked for us to shoot at anything. I cannot see a lot of support for going to war over some damage to foreign oil tankers.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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WASHINGTON — The Japanese owner of one of the oil tankers attacked near Iran on Thursday said the vessel was struck by a projectile and not by a mine, which is what U.S. officials assessed as the source of the blast.

“We received reports that something flew towards the ship,” Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo, said at a press conference Friday. “I do not think there was a time bomb or an object attached to the side of the ship,” he said, adding that a projectile landed above the waterline.

On Thursday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the Japanese oil tanker, Kokuka Courageous, had an “unexploded limpet mine on their hull following an initial explosion.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/14/oil-tan ... -iran.html
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Those countries that have been attacked need to take action themselves and if it was Iran take action against them, not the USA doing dirty deeds for them. We need not be the police of the world. Why don't the Saudi's patrol their own area? They have more to lose than us. We actually export oil now.
We sit in the mud... and reach for the stars.
Ivan Turgenev

Prevent Suicides Call https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/t ... meone-now/

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Bullitt68 wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 8:03 pm Those countries that have been attacked need to take action themselves and if it was Iran take action against them, not the USA doing dirty deeds for them. We need not be the police of the world. Why don't the Saudi's patrol their own area? They have more to lose than us. We actually export oil now.
We should just get out of there. Let them solve their own problems. As for us exporting oil. We should not allow exporting of US oil. Keep the oil for ourselves. Also why should we be polluting our environment to send the oil overseas.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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GoldenRetrieversRule wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 8:31 pm This is the biggest load of horseshit I've ever seen pardon my language and that's all I have to say!
Horseshit can be used as fertilizer. This is toxic waste.

How many sons and daughters (none named "Trump") will die in his war simply to get re-elected?

If the Iranis really wanted to hurt Trump, they'd give him ZERO justification so he has NO excuse for war, rather than playing into his and Bolton's hands.
I certainly don't want MY sons drafted to die that murderous bastard's war for his ego and re-election!
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Meanwhile the Iranians are building nukes. They finance terrorists, no denial there. Iran wants all us killed.
The Saudis want us to start the war.
Its an endless war over there. Read why the British and Russians pulled out after decades of war.

Onward Christian Soldiers !
We sit in the mud... and reach for the stars.
Ivan Turgenev

Prevent Suicides Call https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/t ... meone-now/

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Yeah, the Iranian leaders are all about religious fervor, winding up the people (who actually don't see it that way) against the "Big Satan" and "Little Satan", when, to all of them, the real enemies are the Sunnis.
S.A. is all about extending the absolute dominant power of the Saud family and destroying what they think is the biggest threat to them (and may well be): the Shi'ia "heretics" in Iran. They pretend to hate Israel to divert THEIR people when, in fact, they and the Israelis are virtual allies despite having no formal diplomatic relations. The Sauds are also TERRIFIED that if the US and the West no longer need their oil, and if China makes huge inroads into solar, their petro-dollars will be at an end and not much more value will be placed on what's under the sand than the sand!

OTOH, Iran can produce far more than just oil, unlike S.A.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Bang wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:23 am I've been trying to think of what I can say about this story. I can't add anything except that I'm disgusted Trump would have one of his lackeys tell such an obvious, stupid lie without any kind of evidence, even contrived evidence, with the obvious intent to start a war. If we attack Iran over this, I will be, for the first time in my life, ashamed to be an American.
First time? Welcome to the club!

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Bullitt68 said:

Why didn't they intercept that supposed Iranian boat since we have so many assets over there.
Because our fleet is "present". It is not actively guarding ships. The Gulf is a big place. You cannot conduct patrols with small boats. You need to send Frigates all over the Gulf - OOPs - many of the Frigates are decommissioned.

Basically, the US is delayed with its new Littoral Class - so most operations require a Carrier Group.

It is a mess.
Image

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Saber rattling on both sides.
**Almost a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait [of Hormuz]- some 17.4 million barrels per day (bpd) versus consumption of about 100 million bpd in 2018, data from analytics firm Vortexa showed

**OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait [of Hormuz]

**Qatar, the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, sends almost all of its LNG through the Strait
**The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran aimed at halting its oil exports
**In July 2018, [Iranian] President Hassan Rouhani hinted Iran could disrupt oil trade through the Strait in response to U.S. calls to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saud ... SKCN1TE1PS

Iran is suffering from the economic sanctions. The mullahs that run the country aren't poor clerics, they're wealthy men who are losing money. The US and UK navies patrol the Strait of Hormuz to keep the waterway open, Iranian naval speedboats constantly harass naval and commercial ships. Naval vessels have sharpshooters on permanent duty to protect against Iranian speedboats getting too close to their vessels, they don't want another USS Cole incident. I have no problem believing that Iran is behind the bombing of ships in the Strait, just ask "Cui bono" who benefits? Iran wants to negotiate to get relief from the sanctions and the US isn't interested in negotiating.

Image
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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K9s wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 2:12 pm I think this all backfires on the Trump administration. The anti-another-war sentiment is too strong and just makes it too easy for Dems and Libertarians to run on "Keeping us out of war" if they keep this up.
Obama wanted to stop Iran's nuclear program and with allies came up with a plan. The agreement between allies and Iran was an executive action that didn't involve Congress, it wasn't a treaty. Trump ran against this Iran agreement and ended it which he notches up as another campaign promise met. Iran funds a lot of terrorist organizations, Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), Taliban and more and needs the oil money to maintain its influence with these groups. I'm waiting for a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to blow up an oil tanker or hit a US naval vessel and then the US will have to respond by hitting a valuable Iranian target no doubt the US military has a long list. Iranian harassment in the Strait has been going on for quite a while, Dems would probably be smart to stand back and wait and see.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Bullitt68 wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:02 pm So we were watching the tanker, speed boat shows up, pulls off a mine yet we don't have the resources there to intercept? Something smells fishy.
Don't know if it was real time, if it was even our video or it we got it later from an intelligence source. Iranian speedboats play a game of chicken, harass but no one wants a shooting conflict.

It's been going on long before Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHOcVsxRLgo
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Well to clear up the matter of the Japanese ship that was hit.
Y Katada, the owner of one of the stricken fuel tankers crippled in explosions in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, says the U.S. is wrong about the way the attack was carried out. Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, he contradicted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the U.S. Navy, which released a video that purports to show an Iranian patrol boat removing a limpet mine from the port side of the Kokuka Courageous. Katada said his ship was attacked on the starboard side by a flying object, not by a mine. “It seems that something flew towards them. That created the hole, is the report I’ve received,” Katada said, according to the Financial Times. “It seems there was a high chance they were attacked by a flying object. The impact was well above the water. I don’t think it was a torpedo.” The Japanese ship owner did not say who might be responsible for the attack. Iran has vehemently denied it was involved.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/japanese- ... ulf-attack

Well the Trump Administration can’t even wag the dog well much less in a believable manner.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Bang wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:23 am I've been trying to think of what I can say about this story. I can't add anything except that I'm disgusted Trump would have one of his lackeys tell such an obvious, stupid lie without any kind of evidence, even contrived evidence, with the obvious intent to start a war. If we attack Iran over this, I will be, for the first time in my life, ashamed to be an American.
The point might be to get folks worrying about so many obvious lies that the truth becomes impossible to discern.

I say, don't be ashamed. Get active. Write LTTE's. Volunteer to get out the vote. Democracy is a participatory sport, eh,

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Gotta have a war with Iran.

“Pompeo Blames Iran For Taliban Attack As Administration ‘Itches For War”
As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo railed against Iran in the wake of the attack Thursday on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, he also blamed the nation for a recent assault in Afghanistan claimed by the Taliban.

One expert responded that including the attack in Kabul on the list of U.S. grievances against Iran is a sign of a Trump administration “itching for war,” The Washington Post reported.

As the administration ratcheted up tension with Iran, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called on the international community Saturday to take a “decisive stand” against Iran.

The Trump administration’s credibility is a key factor as Americans and nations weigh blame for the tanker attacks.

U.S. Central Command said that the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese Kokula Courageous were attacked by limpet mines, which are attached to ships below the water line. The military released a video that officials claimed showed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the Courageous.

The president of the company that owns the Courageous, however, said Friday there were reports of something that “flew towards the ship” before the blast. He discounted American reports of a sea mine. Iran has denied any involvement in the tanker attacks.

Many experts say it’s too soon to say for certain who is responsible. Others suspect Iran launched the attack in response to the U.S. pulling out of the nuclear pact with Tehran, and following months of provocative criticism, sanctions and calls for regime change by the Trump administration.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a U.S.convoy in Kabul May 31, killing four Afghan pedestrians and wounding four American servicemen and at least three civilians. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid boasted of the attack in a phone call with the Associated Press.

But on Thursday, as Pompeo slammed Iran, he called the Kabul bombing one of “a series of attacks instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests,” the Post reported.

Pompeo said the attacks “present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran.”

The characterization of the Kabul attack as one instigated by Iran surprised experts and a former U.S. diplomat, the Post reported. Besides the Taliban’s claim of responsibility, they said it would be unusual for Iran to launch an attack inside Kabul.

“If there was clearly a belief that Iran had hit troops in Afghanistan, it would have been huge news right away,” Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Wilson Center’s Asia program, told the Post.

“This administration is itching for a fight with Iran,” he said. “Unfortunately, that sometimes entails making some accusations against Iran that are somewhat questionable.”

Pompeo has a “long list of grievances” against Iran, Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told the Post. He needs to “convince people that this isn’t just a long list of events happening to coincide with the maximum-pressure campaign on Tehran.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tanker-a ... 17ef0aed60

What’s next? Trump blames Iran for the immigration crisis on southern border with Mexico. Also blames Iran for bad weather making him miss a golf game. Blames Iran for Mueller Report. :sarcasm:
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Now we have Sen. Tom Cotton, warmonger extreme, demanding an unauthorized strike on Iran.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Sunday called for a “retaliatory strike on Iran” after Trump administration officials alleged that the country is behind attacks on oil tankers.

“Well, Iran for 40 years has engaged in this kind of attacks, going back to 1980s,” Cotton told CBS host Margaret Brennan.

“These unprovoked attacks a warrant retaliatory strikes,” he added. “We can make a military response in the time and matter of our choosing.”

“A retaliatory strike?” Brennan pressed. “As someone who sits in Congress, do you believe that he can act, the administration can act without coming to Congress first?”

“Yes, Margaret,” Cotton replied, “going back to President Washington and all the way to President Trump, the fastest way to get the fire and fury of the military unleashed on you is interfering with the open navigation in the sea and air and this is what Iran is doing in one of the most important choke points.”

“The president has the right to act to defend American interests certainly it would be keeping in what President Obama did unwisely in Libya,” he argued.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/06/sen-to ... -military/

Need to remind the Reptilians that Reagan bombed Libya long before Obama thought about it.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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Tanker owner seems to dispute U.S. account of Gulf of Oman attack
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oil-tanker ... 019-06-14/
The Japanese owner of the Kokuka Courageous, one of two oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, said Friday that sailors on board saw "flying objects" just before it was hit, suggesting the vessel wasn't damaged by mines.

Company president Yutaka Katada said Friday he believes the flying objects seen by the sailors could have been bullets. He denied any possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damage was above the ship's waterline. He called reports of a mine attack "false."

"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Why dishonesty matters: Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman

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TrueTexan wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2019 3:42 pm
Need to remind the Reptilians that Reagan bombed Libya long before Obama thought about it.
"Our guy: Good! :clap: Your guy? EVIL :evil: :evil: "

Trump and Pompeo are lying out of their butts. Only the arch-conservative UK foreign minister and the hate-Iran-at-all-costs Saudis are willing to pretend they believe this Gulf of Tonkin bullshit.

Bolton's wanted this war since he was in the Bush cabinet, the pro-Vietnam War guy who avoided serving in Vietnam because "I didn't want to die in a rice paddy"--like anyone who served wanted to die that way.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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