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Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

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Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#101

Post by underdeserver »

tgma wrote: post #37
adastra22 wrote: post #20

OP, some context from the other side might be helpful. Yes, there are fines for American companies if they do business with Iranians. That's how sanctions work as I'm sure you're aware. But the story doesn't stop there. If an American finds out they are transacting with a sanctioned individual, or citizens of a sanctioned country like Iran or North Korea, the stakes go up: $1M USD fine and up to 20 years in federal p…

This is partially true, but not the entirety of the story. There are blanket sanction waivers ( General License ) by OFAC to allow certain things. There's also the possibility to get an OFAC license (as GitHub did.) The real issue is there is little to no advantage (realistically no money to be gained from Iran) or even awareness (sometimes the cloud infrastructure bans Iran by default and you don't have enough users…

From Wikipedia:

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the United States Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives.

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#103

Post by jazzyjackson »

sorushn wrote: post #99
kennywinker wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, we should just do business as usual with countries committing war crimes or genocide? Aggressors in war, users of chemical weapons on their own people? I’m aware there are consequences to sanctions, and the way they are implemented is often half-assed or hypocritical (e.g. the way that russian oil still flows) but to drop all sanctions… Is that not like saying boycotts hurt employees who had nothing to do with th…

> So, we should just do business as usual with countries committing war crimes or genocide? Aggressors in war, users of chemical weapons on their own people? That's what the US has been doing since forever, even actively participating in the war crimes. If you think any of the stated reasons for the sanctions are real, I have a bridge to sell you.

Other countries are perfectly welcome to sanction the USA, by all means tell me more about this bridge

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#104

Post by [deleted] »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #22
barrenko wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is to get people in those contries to overthrow their leadership. And if your're someone sliding into nasty leadership / government situation you have to realize there will be a consequence to that and that the perception of the ruling party can never be separated from the perception of the people.

> point is to get people in those contries to overthrow their leadership This works about a third of the time [1]. What does is incentivising domestic policy changes. We saw that with the nuclear deal. But then Trump blew it up because Obama did it. (On another level, sanctions degrade capability. If there is no room for peace, at least you can limit your adversary’s economy and thus martial production. If regime cha…

[deleted]

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#105

Post by jazzyjackson »

elzbardico wrote: post #74

Sanctions don't work. Period. The only thing they can do is to make dictators more popular and provide them with an excuse for their economic and political failures. When someone in Cuba is denied something because of Sanctions, they are not going to blame the Castro family, they are going to think, "Hey, Fidel was always right! those Americans are just a bunch of sadist psychopaths that are trying to destroy my coun…

> sanctions don't work

> Economic failures

Hmmm

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#106

Post by tgma »

reeredfdfdf wrote: post #84

Most educated Iranians hate their government. The problem is that a revolution isn't easy when the government has all the guns, and the military & revolutionary guard remain loyal, and have no problem with shooting masses of innocent civilians to retain their power. Sanctions that worsen things for ordinary people really isn't going to change much in countries like this. It would be much more productive to try turn t…

> Most educated Iranians hate their government

Where did you get that data from and what do you mean by "hate" in quantifiable terms? (just being "unhappy" with outcomes of certain policies does not mean they would necessarily want to uproot everything for the better)

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#107

Post by perching_aix »

slg wrote: post #64

>Iranian IPs are blocked here, due to your decision to arm Russia with drones so that they can indiscriminately massacre civilians. The "your decision" in that response is really off-putting. I know the law is what it is with sanctions like this. However, it is a failing of basic human empathy to blame other common citizens of a country for the actions of their government while we almost certainly do not endorse all…

This frustrates me as well. It is so incredibly common, yet it never passes even basic scrutiny. For one, even in typical modern democracies, the active administration is chosen by like a third of the voting population via a first-pass-the-post system or a close analog of it. It's easy to ignore this when things are going okay, but becomes very uncomfortable all of a sudden when that changes.

And this is to say nothing about how it is people that are chosen, not their individual choices. This is why it irks me when people are interviewed about their knowhow with respect to their political stance. It's basically irrelevant. They need a good read on the person of their choice, not a good read on the choices. If it was about a choice instead of a person, it would be a referendum, not an election.

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#108

Post by derektank »

adastra22 wrote: post #58
notjosh wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

your comment is helpful context, especially as a foreigner. but would you be able to edit the "pounding in the ass" phrase out in future when referring to prison? thank you <3

Your comment is understandable as a foreigner! Look up our federal prison system sometime. The description is apt. You either kill someone, or become someone's bitch on the first day, then you'll be alright. (It's an Office Space reference, btw, but our prisons are genuinely inhumane and not rehabilitative.)

Federal prisons are generally quite desirable when compared to state prisons or local jails, especially if you're convicted of a white collar financial crime. They don't call if Club Fed for nothing.

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#109

Post by thaumasiotes »

adastra22 wrote: post #98
theshrike79 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

American prisoners are, if you look at it objectively, slaves. They are forced to work for for-profit companies for minimal pay, which is deducted by their living expenses and basic amenities.

They are literal slaves. The 13th amendment of the constitution: > Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, *except as a punishment for crime* whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Slavery is still legal in the United States of America.

> They are literal slaves.

It's legal to enslave them, but in general it isn't true that they actually are enslaved.

Re: Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran';

#110

Post by t1E9mE7JTRjf »

sorushn wrote: post #32

> I am NOT asking for the removal of the sanctions targeted at the Islamic Republic of Iran. All sanctions are designed to hurt civilians, so that they may overthrow their government. Just a bullying tactic by the US with zero moral justifications, despite how it's framed by the media.

> All sanctions are designed to hurt civilians, so that they may overthrow their government.

That requires some blind faith to believe. In that I don't think those applying them really expect overthrowing the government to result. I would guess sanctions are designed to hurt and weaken, to make them less of an adversary. Although that's a harder sell, so doesn't get presented that way.

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