Last edited by MisterVeritis; 04-11-2019 at 09:51 AM.
Call your state legislators and insist they approve the Article V convention of States to propose amendments.
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution as written and understood by this nation's founders, and to the Republic it created, an indivisible union of sovereign States, with liberty and justice for all.
Peter1469 (04-11-2019)
PJL (04-12-2019)
Update: What can the Revolutionary Guards do to retaliate?
If Iran now seeks to respond to the designation by escalating tensions against the U.S. military, it has several options. It can choose to focus either on areas where the IRGC already has a direct presence or in places where Iran’s nonstate clients have influence. Although the United States has decreased its troop levels in Syria, Iran still maintains a robust presence there, supporting Lebanese Hezbollah units in the country and commanding a vast Shiite foreign fighter network that could be used to attack U.S. troops directly or indirectly. In Iraq—where the United States still has approximately 5,200 troops—Tehran enjoys the loyalty of several prominent Shiite militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and the Badr Organization.
The Guards could also begin targeting American civilians abroad, either directly or by working through a proxy group. IRGC-linked individuals and outlets have already pointed to U.S. contractors and members of the intelligence community working in the region as possible targets. Hezbollah is a prime candidate for perpetrating such attacks, which could include kidnapping or direct attacks on U.S infrastructure and personnel. On Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reminded the United States of his organization’s capabilities and suggested that it would not stand by on the sidelines as U.S. actions grew more aggressive in the region. Hezbollah is capable of following through on its threats, as it maintains a vast global infrastructure and has been responsible for attacks in Argentina and Bulgaria, while attacks have been thwarted in locales as diverse as Cyprus, Kenya, India, Thailand, and Georgia.
Iran could also stage an attack using IRGC cyberwarfare units, which have previously targeted U.S. persons, financial companies, and public infrastructure. Unlike other nations that possess sophisticated technical capabilities, Iran’s cyberactivities focus less on espionage and more on offensive operations within the networks of its adversaries. In March 2016, the United States indicted several Iranian citizens who were alleged to be working as hackers for the IRGC and Iranian government. These individuals were accused of launching cyberattacks on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, and several banks and financial institutions, as well as the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, New York, where hackers gained unauthorized remote access to a computer controlling the dam.
Aside from military attacks, the United States may also suffer diplomatic fallout from Iran’s designation of U.S. Central Command as a terrorist group. What once would have been a minor misunderstanding between the two adversaries could very well become a tripwire for increased friction. Iran has already threatened to act against U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf—the Iranian coasts of which have largely been the IRGC’s responsibility to patrol. If a situation arises similar to the one in 2016, when Revolutionary Guards captured American sailors in the gulf, Washington will not have the formal and informal channels of communication it had then to get the sailors released. Instead, the Iranians may hold Americans hostage for extended periods of time or even harm them. Similarly, although the conventional Iranian military, not the IRGC, is mostly responsible for the country’s activities in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Gulf of Aden, and Gulf of Oman with a mission largely focused on anti-piracy, it could use its position to further provoke the United States.
ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
History does not long Entrust the care of Freedom, to the Weak or Timid!!!!! Dwight D. Eisenhower ~
Call your state legislators and insist they approve the Article V convention of States to propose amendments.
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution as written and understood by this nation's founders, and to the Republic it created, an indivisible union of sovereign States, with liberty and justice for all.