Let me explain the Iran shitshow in ways even MAGAts can understand

[maxrandb]

I served almost 30 years in the United States Navy. I am neither "wishing and hoping" for an Iranian "victory", nor am I denying the overwhelming superiority of America's military might. I witnessed it myself for over 28.5 years of service.

In this "tik-tok, Instagram fight reel, Playstation War, attention span of a flea" social media world, MAGAts must feel exactly like Hegseth, that the "real story"...NO...THE ONLY story worth telling is the "glorious military victory" story. Heck, we're already basking in the glorious victory in Venezuela, as if the people of Venezuela will have no say in their longterm future.

We'll be greeted as liberators, right?

I mean, I am sure they will be super cool as their resources are raped by an imperial clown king.

We've seen this before.

Germany swept through about a dozen European countries in a little over a year. If we had social media at the time, I am sure there would have been millions of 15-second Facebook "war-porn" clips of ships and buildings being blown up.

Rah-Rah...look at the "glorious Christian victors". I imagine Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos would have made a pilgrimage to Berlin, like the three Wise Men, to genuflect and kiss the ass of the "boy king".

It's as if you think 'MuriKKKa has a monopoly on national pride and self-determination.

Let me put it in terms even MAGAt chicken hawk dipshits might understand.

Suppose an overwhelming military force came for America. Suppose they bombed the shit out of us, killed our children, imposed their will. Hell, you might even say we'd "submit" just to make it stop.

Would you consider it "over", or would you do everything in your power to resist and fight back. Would generations of Americans give-up the fight, or would our children's, children's children still burn with hatred, revenge and the desire to be free?

Our military has the capability to go through country after country like crap through a goose, but like Alexander the Great learned; "all glory is fleeting".

It is the very epitome of patriotism to ask; "What's Next"?

[Callie1979]

1. Well, there are a lot of folks who would likely WELCOME someone taking out Trumps regime

I'm sure there are millions of Iranians who feel the same way about their radical "leaders'
BUT there are millions who DONT want foreign interference too & those are the people who make bombs & snipe from the hills & homes.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

2. The BLOWBACK will be FIERCE!

Sigh....

[llmart]

3. Because of our "attention span of a flea" your question of...

"Suppose an overwhelming military force came for America" isn't a thought process that a lot of our populace even ponders.

[paleotn]

4. The Strait of Hormuz is still controlled by Iran.

Arguably not directly but they're certainly calling the shots. Iranian missiles and drones are still striking Israel and oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf. We haven't won jack shit.

Could we reach some theoretical point of winning? Certainly, but that would require invading a tough nut to crack. And at what cost and is the nation willing to go there? Absolutely fucking not. Just on the US side, that would require a mobilization even bigger than Desert Storm. The cost would be off the chart. Donnie's recent $200 billion request isn't even a down payment. Iran, in response would burn the fucking Gulf to a cinder. The Iranian regime had nothing to lose so why the hell not.

This whole thing is madness. Just crazy shit.

[hatrack]

6. After ten years, Iraq accounted for a tidy $3 trillion we pissed into the sand . .

Iraq has 46 million citizens, Iran has 92 million.

Iraq is about the size of California. Iran is about the size of Alaska.

Good fucking luck with Steven Miller's imperial ambitions.

[Wounded Bear]

8. Remember Dune? He who has the power to destroy a thing, he controls it...

Iran has basically destroyed the ability to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. We're not going to control the land side of the strait in Iran with a couple of Marine Battalion Landing teams.

And besides, Iran has shoreline along the entire Persian Gulf, which is hardly a huge body of water. Virtually all of it is within range of rather short range missiles and drones. They are already attacking ships paused in the Gulf.

Depending on how one defines "winning," I don't think we can win this one.

[AverageOldGuy]

5. A few Navy questions

One of the two carriers involved is the USS Gerald R. Ford.

As I understand things, the Ford is home-ported at Norfolk VA. For the past months -- almost a year -- the Ford has been at sea. She was deployed to support Trump's war on Venezuela, was pulled out of the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean or wherever, is now in the Red Sea. She was supposed to be back in Norfolk months ago for major repairs.

The ship has a crew of 5,000 -- right?

The ship has a new vacuum toilet flushing system and 500-650 of the ship's toilets are not working -- right?

And now a fire in the laundry area has left half the crew doing their laundry in the showers.

So -- speaking as a retired sailor, could you tell the rest of us: WTF????

EDIT TO ADD FACTS:

I checked this website that shows the location and activity of every carrier -- old, current, planned.
http://www.gonavy.jp/CVLocation.html

The Ford has been at sea since June 2025 -- that's almost one year without returning to port. Lots of happy sailors, wives, girl friends, children.

[maxrandb]

9. Its NOT sustainable!

First, we heard from the "media" that they had a fire in their ship's laundry.

Then we find out that it took 60 hours to get the fire under control, and now, due to the damage to Berthing 600-700 Sailors are sleeping on tables and the floor! OH! And they are entering month 10 of what was to be a 6.month deployment.

I had not heard about the Head and CHT system, but THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE!

We put up with a lot of crazy shit in the Navy, but these Sailors are only human. I can imagine what the morale on board is like at this moment.

The Surface Warfare (SWO) community in the Navy has, notoriously, a "CAN DO" attitude and NOT always in a "good way".

My answer is that IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE to keep the ship at sea in these conditions.

Even in war-time, Sailors need to eat, sleep, bathe, have access to cleanliness and use the head.

These Sailors will continue to try to do what is asked of them with the conditions they have, but my best guess is that a great many of them are at a breaking point.

And don't get me started on how these extensions to deployment impact the entire maintenance schedule, not only for the Ford, but for EVERY SHIP in the maintenance pipeline.

We have the most advanced and lethal military force the world has ever seen, but it's NOT unbreakable.

If it turns out that the fire may have been intentional, as some rumors speculate, then "HOLY FUCK"!!! It's worse than we know.

[Joinfortmill]

7. Amen. And thank you for your service..

Donald The Abomination.

[Puppyjive]

10. It's a culture war and every one loses.

You are spot on. The Middle East has adapted to modern technology. But don't forget, they are countries with deep ties to their pasts, their religions, and their way of life. They are desert dwellers. They will go back to the desert and give up all modern luxuries to fight for their way of life. When will our government get this? Trump is trying to make us more dependent on their oil rather than develop alternative energy. Donald Trump needs to be impeached now.

[Martin Eden]

11. How would a MAGA father feel if his little girl was among the 100+ children killed when their school was bombed?

Then the person who launched the war lied and said your own country did it, and the head of their military vowed to ignore rules of engagement, keep pounding your country when it's down, and show no quarter.

Would you submit humbly, or vow revenge until your dying day?

How many brothers of the slain and other enraged young men would volunteer to join the clandestine service, intent to strike at their enemies any way they can, wherever they may be?

Instead of cheering on this deadly war as some kind of video game entertainment, how about trying to be a mature human being with a functioning brain capable of understanding there will be a price to pay far beyond paying more for gas -- a price that includes the personal horror and grief that you so easily dismiss when it happens to families halfway around the world.

What goes around really can come around, sooner or later.

[hadEnuf]

17. MAGATs don't look at it that way.

They have been carefully brainwashed by 30+ years of right-wing media and internet propaganda that their supposed enemies are not human. Democrats, liberals, progressives, brown people, black people, Arab people, Asian people ' the list goes on and on. MAGATs think they are the master race. They do not look forward to what their "enemies" might do to them in the future because they see them as animals or insects. That attitude of superiority been present in most conflicts and it often leads to the aggressors undoing.

[malaise]

12. Nailed it

Rec

[Greyhead]

13. You can't win a war in a foreign country unless the people of that country are with you

I served in Vietnam in 67-68. I was in the Army and stationed 12 miles from the DMZ. We were involved in the Tet offensive and the A Shau valley as a Helicopter support group.
Both places the Vietnamese were firmly entrenched. We had air, ground and navel superiority. But they had the people behind them.

We did win the battle at time or at least we thought we did. Anyhow we all know how that ended.

How do you expect the people of a country that we are invading, bombing the shit out of their country, killing their friends, neighbors and relatives to be on our side?

AGAIN, YOU CAN’T WIN A WAR IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY IF THE PEOPLE OF THAT COUNTRY ARE NOT ON YOUR SIDE!!!

[jfz9580m]

15. K & R

There are people the world over who will assist every colonizing parasites (technofascist or regular) and attack people who defend their rights over get in bed with the most shameless and craven in “their” groups.
And it is no longer like Vietnam or the nazis.

Embedded in these pathetic technological worlds being built is a deeply fascistic hierarchy that favors prostitutes, parasites and creeps using force daily while paying lipservice to feudal ideals they tried to force. In my part of reality, left or right they are all corrupt creeps everywhere. But well..out there is democracy and human decency but communication is hard.

And it won’t wok.
Times change and a brighter resistance is thwarted as it would work.

[jfz9580m]

14. An excellent post -thank you maxrandb.nt

[Aviation Pro]

16. I like the crib from Patton

As a former tread head it was required viewing at least once a year.