Iran is now directly verbally threatening the United States with "harm and pain".  What should be done?

I don't know much about this situation.  What's the context?  Do you have a quote or link that I can look at?

In any case, if Iran is a direct threat to the safety of the US, then something ought to be done about it (not saying what, but something). 

I did disagree with the war in Iraq, and I don't know how people labelled me for that, but I'm sure it's not in a good way.  But this is different, in my mind, because Iraq was never a threat to the safety of your country, whereas Iran (if they indeed made threats like this) is. 

I'm curious what the outcome is going to be, certainly. 

Incidentally, why is this thread just for "liberals"?  Is it made to provoke a discussion, like this board is designed for, or did you post this solely to ridicule people that you don't like?  That doesn't seem to be a good reason for posting a thread, if you ask me. 

[quote author=iago link=topic=14461.msg147901#msg147901 date=1141831586]
I did disagree with the war in Iraq, and I don't know how people labelled me for that, but I'm sure it's not in a good way.  But this is different, in my mind, because Iraq was never a threat to the safety of your country, whereas Iran (if they indeed made threats like this) is. 
[/quote]

What happens if we get intelligence that Iran has WMDs, we go in, and find out that there aren't WMDs?

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1700494

Article about it, from what I can see Iran is not even a threat.

Maybe if we stopped suporting Israel and left the middle east alone we would not have these problems...

[quote author=MyndFyre[vL] link=topic=14461.msg147906#msg147906 date=1141838776]
[quote author=iago link=topic=14461.msg147901#msg147901 date=1141831586]
I did disagree with the war in Iraq, and I don't know how people labelled me for that, but I'm sure it's not in a good way.  But this is different, in my mind, because Iraq was never a threat to the safety of your country, whereas Iran (if they indeed made threats like this) is. 
[/quote]

What happens if we get intelligence that Iran has WMDs, we go in, and find out that there aren't WMDs?
[/quote]

Then I'd be forced to laugh at American intelligence. 

The fact of the matter is, Iraq never threatened the US.  Even if it had WMDs, they didn't openly declare that they were planning on harming the US. 

If what this thread says is true, then Iran does want to hurt the US.  WMDs or not, if that's a sentiment by enough people there (not just a single crazy person), then there is a problem.

[quote author=Forged link=topic=14461.msg147907#msg147907 date=1141840817]
Maybe if we stopped suporting Israel and left the middle east alone we would not have these problems...
[/quote]

We're most certainly not going to end a relationship with a friend such as Israel because a terrorist state hates Jews. Get real.

Israel deserves everything it gets, we should stop funding them...

[quote author=Forged link=topic=14461.msg147923#msg147923 date=1141852906]
Israel deserves everything it gets, we should stop funding them...
[/quote]

I would much rather defend Israel than countries like France or Canada.

[quote]The fact of the matter is, Iraq never threatened the US.[/quote]

Actually, that's not the fact of the matter, despite what the liberal media would like you to believe.  Read a few books.  Saddam threatened us and backed down many times just during Clinton's presidency.

[quote author=hismajesty[yL] link=topic=14461.msg147928#msg147928 date=1141857038]
[quote author=Forged link=topic=14461.msg147923#msg147923 date=1141852906]
Israel deserves everything it gets, we should stop funding them...
[/quote]

I would much rather defend Israel than countries like France or Canada.
[/quote]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Israel persecute parts of its population? 

[quote author=DarkMinion link=topic=14461.msg147938#msg147938 date=1141863852]
Actually, that's not the fact of the matter, despite what the liberal media would like you to believe.  Read a few books.
[/quote]
I stopped reading after that.  I read tons of books.  It wouldn't surprise me if I read more than you.  And I don't ever recall Saddam threatening the US, but if you could find a source instead of just attacking me, then be my guest. 

I don't know. Ask Yoni.

iago, I doubt books like "The Art of Hacking", etc. have info on Saddam. I think he means relevant books.

I read quite a bit in the way of American Current events, but I tend to lean more toward Noam Chomsky type literature, and evil liberals like that would never put something about Hussein threatning us in them.

[quote author=Forged link=topic=14461.msg147907#msg147907 date=1141840817]
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1700494

Article about it, from what I can see Iran is not even a threat.

Maybe if we stopped suporting Israel and left the middle east alone we would not have these problems...
[/quote]
There was the part about oil, an economic threat.
They may not be a nuclear threat to anyone now, but if the WORLD allows them to obtain nuclear weaponry, who knows...

[quote author=iago link=topic=14461.msg147939#msg147939 date=1141864294]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Israel persecute parts of its population? 
[/quote]
Doesn't Canada discriminate against people too?  Doesn't France discriminate?  Everyone discriminates.  However, I see few, if any, countries discriminating more than extremist Islamic countries.

[quote author=CrAz3D link=topic=14461.msg148232#msg148232 date=1142218419]
[quote author=iago link=topic=14461.msg147939#msg147939 date=1141864294]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Israel persecute parts of its population? 
[/quote]
Doesn't Canada discriminate against people too?  Doesn't France discriminate?  Everyone discriminates.  However, I see few, if any, countries discriminating more than extremist Islamic countries.
[/quote]
Discriminate and persecute are very different. 

North Vietnam threatens us every day, and DOES have WMD.

USSR threatened us for decades, vowed to wipe us off the face of the earth.  "WE WILL CRUSH YOU", Kruschev to Kennedy.

Saddam threatened us and backed down many times and had no capability to hurt us.

The weakest of the 3 threats, we attacked.

For over a year now the USA has been posturing against Iran the same way we postured against Iraq, pre-war.  Regular insinuations that they are "a threat", and that "we must doing something", and "capability for weapons of mass destruction" and "links to terrorism".  The USA government are experts are political spin, diplomatic spin, and media maneuvering.  The Iranians tell you like it is.  It is no surprise to me that they feel threatened and are now beating their chests and warning us that they will hurt us if we do anything to them.  Same thing happens when you corner an animal, it postures, growls, shows its teeth, and tries to scare you away.  Iran is being honest in their defensive hatred of America.  I don't approve of their words, but if I judge from what we did to Iraq, I feel certain the US government has provoked the response.

In the article, the Iranians are clearly indicating that they would only respond with "harm and pain" if FIRST the United States did "harm and pain" onto Iran.  They are referring to, as the article spells out, the economic sanctions requested by the United States to the United Nations to put onto Iran.  They view the USA as deliberately asking the UN to hurt Iran.  I can see their argument.