The Anti-Targ Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 On 1/3/2024 at 2:59 AM, Mr. Chatywin et al. said: I always say I don't believe in god, but if there is one she made sharks and volcanos for a reason. Feed this fucker to one of them. Though he probably deserves to be overrun by a horde of rats. Please! God is definitely non-binary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altherion Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 I'm not sure which thread this should go in, but it looks like the US and the UK have finally had enough of the Houthis attacking random ships in international waters: Quote The US and UK militaries launched strikes against multiple Houthi targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Thursday, marking a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned that the Iran-backed militant group would bear the consequences of repeated drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.” “Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” the president said in a statement released by the White House. Biden added that he will “not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.” To be honest, it's a bit surprising that it took so long. I understand the desire not to escalate, but all it accomplished was making the Houthis bolder and bolder -- why stop attacks if there is no response? Jace, Extat and Ser Scot A Ellison 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 On 1/6/2024 at 4:06 AM, The Anti-Targ said: Please! God is definitely non-binary. Polytheism makes more sense than monotheism, so we can have both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Anti-Targ Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 27 minutes ago, Mr. Chatywin et al. said: Polytheism makes more sense than monotheism, so we can have both! Actually logically it doesn't*. But that's a whole different discussion. *Unless we're in a simulation and our gods are the dev team who programmed the simulation. I would personally not want to be in a one-person indie sim, though that could be one explanation for why the sim seems to be breaking down lately. MVP dev team, IMO, goes to the dinosaur devs. Hard to really know what the human dev team is trying to achieve. Are they trying to prove that ultra-high intelligence is bad for long term survival? House Balstroko 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conflicting Thought Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, Altherion said: I'm not sure which thread this should go in, but it looks like the US and the UK have finally had enough of the Houthis attacking random ships in international waters: To be honest, it's a bit surprising that it took so long. I understand the desire not to escalate, but all it accomplished was making the Houthis bolder and bolder -- why stop attacks if there is no response? "random" ships...ok kissdbyfire 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 random ships lol come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padraig Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 I don't get it. My impression was that they weren't random but they weren't specifically targeted either? Am I missing something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altherion Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 13 hours ago, Conflicting Thought said: "random" ships...ok 11 hours ago, polishgenius said: random ships lol come on. They're pretty random: On 26 November 2023, the Liberian-flagged MV Central Park, an oil tanker managed by Zodiac Maritime, was seized off the coast of Yemen On 12 December 2023, the Houthis launched an anti-ship cruise missile attack against the Norwegian commercial ship Strinda, an oil and chemical tanker operated by the J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi company On 13 December 2023, Houthi rebels attempted to board the Ardmore Encounter, a Marshall Islands-flagged commercial tanker coming from Mangaluru, India On 15 December, it was reported that the Liberian-flagged Al-Jasrah, which is owned by Hapag Lloyd, caught fire after being hit by a Houthi-launched projectile while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait There's not much to connect these beyond the fact that they were in the general area. The terrorist supporters claim that they're targeting Israeli interests, but really they're hitting all international shipping. Eventually, the US and others put warships in the area to intercept the attacks and the Houthis started targeting these at least part of the time, but they were still attacking commercial ships too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace, Extat Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Wait, what's the emphasis on "random" ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 The Houthi’s are pirates attacking random ships. They are being treated like pirates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Duh -- not targeting vessels of a single specific nation of origin but a variety. Though of course the flags are meaningless when it comes to who owns them, actually. This is a naval procedure that goes back at least to slave trade eras, though surely much earlier than that. Not exactly the same as false flagging though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace, Extat Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Just now, Ser Scot A Ellison said: The Houthi’s are pirates attacking random ships. They are being treated like pirates. Yeah, I know that. But @polishgenius and @Conflicting Thought make it sound like there's conspiracy afoot. Spill! Spill! Spill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) That's not at all how it came through here. Edited January 12 by Zorral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace, Extat Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 14 hours ago, Conflicting Thought said: "random" ships...ok 12 hours ago, polishgenius said: random ships lol come on. Bolding added. That sounds to me like they're suggesting it's not "random" at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maltaran Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 It’s not random, it’s ships that the Houthis believe are trading with Israel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Horse Named Stranger Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 minutes ago, Maltaran said: It’s not random, it’s ships that the Houthis believe are trading with Israel That is of course the exact opposite of arbitrary targeting ships passing by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) 2 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: The Houthi’s are pirates attacking random ships. They are being treated like pirates. Well, no, they aren't, are they, because pirate attacks don't usually trigger airstrikes on cities. If this was about piracy, there'd have been airstrikes on Somalia years ago. Also: most of the attacks have been unmanned drones or missiles, neither of which are consistent with piracy, which needs someone there to steal the shit. 2 hours ago, Altherion said: but really they're hitting all international shipping. Given that since they started in October they've attacked around 17 (non-military) ships in an area that sees like 1500 pass through a month, I'm gonna go ahead and say this isn't true. You could say they're targeting any international shipping, but I don't think even their opponents believe that to be true, even for the ships they've hit that aren't in any way connected to any Israelis. You could definitely say that what seems to be their method of deciding what to hit- looking up the ships on Maritime Traffic and, presumably, googling the owners - is ludicrous and bound to lead to wrong* targets. But as far as I can tell the assumption of pretty much everyone involved is that their intent is what they say it is- to disrupt shipping to Israel. Which, like, it wouldn't make any sense for it to be anything else. Why on Earth would they just start random shit with the entire world - it's of no benefit to them at all. *I know, all of their targets are wrong, since none of them sailed under Israeli colours anyway and all of them were civilian. But in this sense I mean 'not connected to their stated aim in any way'. To be clear, which to be fair I could have been earlier, 'not random' doesn't mean 'justified'. The main reason for scepticism of the Houthis in this instance would surely be the opposite- that it's difficult to believe their claim that they're just trying to support Palestine (as opposed to aiding Hamas specifically) when their official slogan includes the phrase 'a curse upon the Jews'. But attributing the attacks as just random piracy fits neither the attacks nor the response to the attacks. It just seems a genuinely bizarre thing to claim. Edited January 12 by polishgenius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace, Extat Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 12 minutes ago, polishgenius said: But attributing the attacks as just random piracy fits neither the attacks nor the response to the attacks. It just seems a genuinely bizarre thing to claim. Calling them pirates or terrorists allows for use of military force without getting the congress involved, at least in America. Rippounet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, Jace, Extat said: Yeah, I know that. But @polishgenius and @Conflicting Thought make it sound like there's conspiracy afoot. Spill! Spill! Spill! 1 minute ago, Jace, Extat said: Calling them pirates or terrorists allows for use of military force without getting the congress involved, at least in America. So what you're saying is that you're saying there's a conspiracy afoot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padraig Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) 19 minutes ago, polishgenius said: Why on Earth would they just start random shit with the entire world - it's of no benefit to them at all. I really wish the world worked like you want it to. As far as I can see, this is mainly propaganda. They say they are supporting those in Gaza but there is very little connection between their activities and Israel/Gaza. It is connected because they say it is connected. And now they are the glorious defenders of those in Gaza, even though it doesn't help those people at all. It is standard propaganda. Of course, there is a connection. The US is supporting Israel and the US is annoyed at the disruption to international trade. I don't think the Somalian pirates ever forced ships to go the long way around Africa, so this is non-trivial. 2 hours ago, Maltaran said: it’s ships that the Houthis believe are trading with Israel They say they believe those ships are trading with Israel. I'm surprised people are accepting what the Houthis have to say as fact. Edited January 12 by Padraig Jace, Extat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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