I'm a little guilty of this as well. I'm not even really an observant Christian but the image was shocking. I'm still trying to process why I found it more shocking than a lot of the other horrid stuff I've seen from the IDF.

We give a lot of leeway to people who blow stuff up with tanks, artillery or airstrikes. We see it differently when people destroy things with their own hands. I think this is part of what made Oct 7th more viscerally horrifying to a lot of people than the massive bombing campaign that followed.

I think you're right in the sense that the IDF could always claim they "accidentally" fired a tank shell (or w/e) at the church. You don't "accidentally" smash Jesus' head in with the back of an axe. It is so obviously deliberate without the intermediary of some heavy weapon system.

"We need to appeal to the broad center!" -Guy who is proudly on the wrong side of a 90-10 issue in the party

I would humbly submit that this guy does not have a winning strategy for the Democratic Party.

Guy with an Israel flag in his bio attempts to lecture us on the winning strategy for Democrats going forward. Genius.

In the chaotic new world that Netanyahu, Trump and to a large extent Biden and Putin inaugurated, you don't get points for showing extra restraint. We're in an era where hard power is what matters in these situations.

Ironically, the biggest mistake of the IRI's old guard was being too cautious. They invited this war by failing to establish deterrence, i.e. by failing to teach Trump or Netanyahu a lesson for their previous attacks.

Iran's education system pumps out a lot of very smart scientists and engineers. Presumably smart strategists as well. Overall, the IRI is a rational, calculating state, not a fundamentalist horde. They put a lot of thought and effort into implementing a strategy, and it has mostly worked so far.

Liberal academics on here, who were against the war, were talking about how monumentally stupid the Islamic Republic was and hope they had no hope. The IRI old guard did make some stupid decisions early on (e.g. above ground high-level meetings) but the IRI still had a strategy.

Serious People were claiming by day 5 that Iran's capacity to launch missiles was about to reach zero. They were wrong.

Even among people on the liberal, anti-war side of the spectrum, there's a tendency to underestimate Iran and to overestimate US military capabilities. I'm not sure why.

I like the Gen 5 look (F-35, J-35, etc). The real disappointment is the J-10, which looks like ass in my opinion.

I, for one, welcome our new messiah Rumen Radev

So cool that the new left-wing party has the endorsement of the old far-right party. Surely a good portent.

Bulgaria is doing nationalism + social democracy with Russian characteristics now apparently

This is the only thing IDF ground forces know how to do. They aren't an army. They're an amateur demolition crew with guns.

The Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozer is, for my money, the most evil vehicle man has ever created

One day everyone will have always supported Marwan Barghouti

“We’re not going to be wearing suits that are wool blends, I’m hearing. I know a lotta guys in the garment industry, big successful guys, and they’ll be very sad about this. Not being able to do blends anymore. But we’ve gotta do what it says in *spicy voice* DEUTERONOMY.”

Based on the perception that bombing a lot of countries is a sign of strength

I don't think this movement really has a future anymore. My guess is that it dwindles into something resembling the MEK.

I want the US and Israel to lose the war. That doesn't mean I support the Islamic Republic. But Iranians deserve a genuine opposition movement, not a reactionary cult.

Iranian-Canadians in the comments are still trying to explain away the Israel and Trump flags. You can't. It's over. The Monarchists have been very clear that they love Trump, love Israel, hate Islam, hate Arabs, hate leftists, and want the bombing of Iran to continue.

The Monarchists are still at it in Montreal.

(Image found on reddit)

"Where is the Palestinian Mandela?" is one of the most disingenuous talking points in history

Aren't they supposedly making 10k Shaheds a month? Even if the real number is lower, I expect their Shahed supply is virtually unlimited.

The human spirit remains undefeated 🥹

Is this a Basij member or something?

I regret to inform you that the folks at FDD are having a bad time

Moreover, as articles like this one demonstrate, there are actually a diversity of views among the Iranian diaspora. Not all of them get equal air time.

Word to the wise: "listen to [X] voices" is a reasonable ask, but listening does not mean deferring to.