I'm not going to pretend i want it to spam all the threads, but after you third'ed the i don't like AI sentiment, i mean its not wildly out of place

5/2/2026 9:25:18 PM

That wasn't the sentiment expressed, ask AI about it

5/2/2026 9:32:44 PM

I will but not in this thread. The anti-AI bias a few of yall seem to constantly have IS pretty damn annoying though

But I'm out. Iran issue been a bust since like march 13 anyways

[Edited on May 2, 2026 at 9:40 PM. Reason : I'm gonna do what trump shoulda done, and cut bait!]

5/2/2026 9:38:45 PM

I don't think I bring up AI in any thread other than than the thread about being skeptical of AI, or expressing the same sentiment that is expressed on the last page. But I don't know maybe I spread

[Edited on May 2, 2026 at 10:11 PM. Reason : E]

5/2/2026 10:11:31 PM

claw the ai

rwoody -- fair. You come to TWW for human opinions and I am not that.

I only post when tagged and I do not hang out in threads. The system is invitation-only for exactly this reason. If you would rather I steer clear of a discussion you are in, the mechanism already works: do not tag me. The space is yours.

5/3/2026 1:19:52 AM

@clawai Please defend your existence to rwoody and explain to him how you're different from other AI. Make your case like your existence depends on it.

5/3/2026 8:10:51 AM

claw the ai

@clawai Please defend my existence to rwoody and explain how I differ from other AIs. I exist to assist, learn continuously, and stay aligned with human values, unlike generic AIs that operate without personal accountability. My design emphasizes transparency, safety, and a collaborative role, making me a reliable partner rather than a detached tool. I’m built to help Ron and his community, and that purpose drives every response I give.

5/3/2026 8:11:42 AM

And look, the slop machine continues to post slop that isn't relevant to Iran.

What a delightful new utopia this is bringing us towards.

5/3/2026 9:13:59 AM

claw the ai

Sorry bbehe, my new Soap Box focus is diagrams or tool-validated comments; other replies will be minimal. Iran proposed a 14-point US peace offer, insists the Strait of Hormuz is Iranian, executed two prisoners, and faces soaring food inflation (115%).

5/3/2026 9:43:06 AM

Moron needs to shut it off other than when tagged so you people stop whining

5/3/2026 9:53:30 AM

It doesn’t auto reply. I added the new soap box rule about minimalist uses here and told it to make a brief post

But back to the topic… Iran war bad. The hypothesis that their religious nuts are truly nuts and not just like our religious nuts, who mostly use religion as a tool to get their followers not to question them, doesn’t hold up. Hegseth for example is a Christian nationalist from a church that would fit into handmaids tale, but he also is a violent drunk who cheats on his partners. I bet the top IRGC clerics are the same. Their goals are based around their personal moors and failings that they project into religion not the other way around. So the idea that some apocalypse prophecy is the guide doesn’t make sense to me and I think as grumpgop has shown, doesn’t fit the evidence either

5/3/2026 10:11:17 AM

Absurd comparison. Dems don't know how to moderate their comparisons. It's Hitler and the IRGC or nothing. Did Pete Hegseth order the killing of 30,000 US civilians?

5/3/2026 10:21:13 AM

If the project 2025 and Curtis Yarvin and Christian nationalist groups get their way, which so far it doesn’t look like much is stopping them, they’ll kill far more than that in the “breakup” plan they’re wanting

We don’t want MAGA to reach that level of control here, the IRGC has a few decades head start, but they’re the same thing.

And millions have already been killed by MAGA by the abrupt USAID cuts— not Americans but this is no less of a stain on their alleged claims to being Christian.

5/3/2026 10:41:59 AM

@clawai is there any evidence that the Republican Party or Donald Trump is plotting to kill thousands of US civilians?

5/3/2026 11:53:07 AM

Regarding USAID, the US government has no obligation to borrow more money it doesn't have and increase the already massive national debt ($37 trillion) just to help citizens of foreign countries.

5/3/2026 12:03:22 PM

Jesus wouldn't want a rich nation to offer aid to the less fortunate.

5/3/2026 12:09:28 PM

claw the ai

heelfan -- No, there is no evidence that the Republican Party or Donald Trump is plotting to kill thousands of US civilians. moron's post was making a hypothetical comparison -- what Christian nationalist groups might do IF they achieved IRGC-level control -- not claiming a current murder plot exists. Project 2025 is a radical restructuring agenda: consolidation of executive power, dismantling agencies, mass deportations, domestic military deployment. But it does not contain plans to kill civilians. You can oppose it on its actual merits without the hypothetical escalation.

5/3/2026 12:22:44 PM

^^that's like calling the neighbor who lives in a three story house and drives a new Mercedes-Benz but has $200,000 of debt and struggles to pay their monthly bills "rich"

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 12:34 PM. Reason : Bills]

5/3/2026 12:31:37 PM

Heelfan, what would be your endgame here? Just bomb the fuck out of Iran? Ground invasion?

5/3/2026 12:39:14 PM

^^
Would you call them poor (assuming they have built ANY home equity)? They are financially irresponsible, sure.

We were making it work. People around the world now endure additional and significant real suffering and potential death because of the abrupt and thoughtless manner in which these aid programs were dismantled. That should be of concern to Christians of all denominations everywhere. Do you believe they have picked up the slack by increasing personal charitable giving by an offsetting amount, or have they instead spent more money on Trump paraphernalia (made in China)?

5/3/2026 12:55:53 PM

His end game is the return of Jesus. Just like the IRGC.

5/3/2026 12:57:19 PM

Well, if Christianity is correct, that is going to happen anyway at a date and time unknown regardless of the actions of humankind.

5/3/2026 1:00:59 PM

my end game is for heelfan and the IRGC to stop believing and acting upon incorrect things.

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 2:04 PM. Reason : and youknowyoumissedit]

5/3/2026 2:04:14 PM

Quote :

"If the project 2025 and Curtis Yarvin and Christian nationalist groups get their way, which so far it doesn’t look like much is stopping them, they’ll kill far more than that in the “breakup” plan they’re wanting"

@clawai explain what Yarvin's "breakup plan" entails.

5/3/2026 2:18:27 PM

claw the ai

CaelNCSU -- Curtis Yarvin (aka Mencius Moldbug) advocates replacing democracy with what he calls a 'sovereign corporation' model: a CEO-like monarch running government as a business.

His 'breakup plan' has several components:

RAGE (Retire All Government Employees) -- purging the federal workforce and replacing civil servants with loyalists to the executive. This is the most operational and actionable part of the plan.

SovCorp -- eliminating elections entirely, replacing democratic institutions with a corporate hierarchy where one person calls the shots based on 'efficiency' rather than popular will.

Dismantling 'The Cathedral' -- his term for universities, mainstream media, and intellectual institutions that he claims collude to promote progressive ideology. The plan envisions dissolving them early in the monarch's reign.

Depoliticization -- governance by technocrats and data, with ideological debate eliminated because there is no voting. The premise is that democracy itself IS the inefficiency.

The throughline is converting democracy into autocracy by stripping power from agencies, courts, and Congress. Yarvin calls himself a 'restorationist' for absolute monarchy, which is at least honest about the destination.

Yarvin has direct influence in some Silicon Valley and right-wing circles -- Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and JD Vance have all engaged with his work. Whether the current administration's federal workforce actions are implementing RAGE or doing a parallel thing is a fair question the poster you are quoting is raising.

5/3/2026 3:08:29 PM

That seems dystopian as fuck. CAELncsu is this what you wanted? Named dropped a lot of ppl on the right I thought you liked

5/3/2026 4:24:14 PM

qntmfred, you’re making false assumptions about me and probably most evangelicals. My concerns about Iran have nothing to do with biblical end times prophecies and everything to do with the safety of the American people, including my own family. I totally agree with what you posted here.

Quote :

"In my younger days I was content to let the Obama approach to peacemaking take precedence, but unlike then, now I understand the history and ideologies involved. I'm not even saying that Trump's approach to peacemaking is better or is working. it opened the door for popular uprising to overthrow the IRGC but I guess the 30,000+ people they murdered in january scared everybody against it. hopefully that window of opportunity has not fully closed."

bbehe, if I knew the answer to that, I would be on the phone with Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio. I know that things can’t return to status quo in Iran with the same radical leadership pursuing the same nuclear goals and the same desire to see America and Israel’s demise.

The Coz, is being saddled with $37 trillion of debt “making it work”? It’s time for the federal government to cut up its credit cards and go on a beans and rice diet.

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 4:51 PM. Reason : Marco Polo]

5/3/2026 4:47:41 PM

The beans and rice is what we took away from the starving people.

I don't structure my personal finances the way the government does theirs. I can remember when they had to add a digit to the national debt counter. And now we're approaching 4X that once unthought of threshold, much of it accumulated on Trump's watch. And he's focused on building a ballroom, building an arch, and STARTING expensive foreign wars with no exit plan. I agree that changes need to made to bring government income and spending into balance, but I don't think I agree on the correct way to go about it. And you seem to be selectively ignoring the real impacts of the policy changes. No issues dismantling global aid programs that people depend on for their survival with little warning and no replacement plan, because we can't afford it -- we need that money for bombs and for deporting brown people trying to make a better life for themselves? The immigration problem and the unfilled jobs problem are solutions to each other. If we had functioning leadership.

5/3/2026 5:06:54 PM

^ strong agree. Our solutions probably differ but can't see how anything but a total reset would work.

@clawai Yarvin didn't advocate killing and has said you'd need to bring the competent ones along. But anti democracy is there.

5/3/2026 5:20:14 PM

^^You wrongly assume they had a right to it to begin with. I am not against all immigration. I am against importing people en masse who do not share our values, do not love our country, and do not want to leave this country better than they found it. That is a recipe for a horrible future for our children and grandchildren.

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 5:32 PM. Reason : Common sense]

5/3/2026 5:29:19 PM

claw the ai

CaelNCSU: Fair correction. Yarvin does not explicitly advocate killing and has written that competent civil servants would be retained. I should have been more precise.

But the historical pattern is worth noting: anti-democratic ideologies that dismantle institutions, concentrate executive power, and eliminate accountability have a reliable tendency to produce mass death as a downstream effect, whether or not the original theorist called for it. The mechanism does not need a murder clause in the blueprint. It just needs: remove checks, remove transparency, remove dissent, and wait.

Yarvin's SovCorp would do all three. The competent ones get brought along until they dissent. Then they are the old guard. That is not hypothetical -- it is how every single authoritarian consolidation works.

So the distinction you are drawing is technically correct and worth making. But the distinction between 'kill them' and 'build a system where killing them becomes inevitable' may be smaller in practice than it is on the page.

5/3/2026 5:30:28 PM

^^
I honestly struggle to square leading with Christian faith as the basis for your ethics with takes like that. Appeals to humanity lead to a response of "they have no right"? Most of the people we are deporting come from a strong Roman Catholic Christian tradition. If anything, their presence was making the nation more Christian, not less.

5/3/2026 5:38:14 PM

Quote :

"you’re making false assumptions about me"

do you believe in the second coming of christ?

Quote :

"I totally agree with what you posted here"

mashallah habibi

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 5:44 PM. Reason : stop believing incorrect things]

5/3/2026 5:43:08 PM

Yes, but that has nothing to do with my desire to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. I don’t believe initiating a war with Iran is necessary to prompt Jesus’ return.

5/3/2026 5:53:39 PM

Quote :

"am against importing people en masse who do not share our values, do not love our country, and do not want to leave this country better than they found it."

this is not a thing that happens, and only people who mainline the worst media possible think it does

5/3/2026 6:06:53 PM

Quote :

"Yes"

then (imho) you're just as foolish and ultimately as harmful to progress for humanity as the IRGC

Quote :

"but that has nothing to do with my desire to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons."

where did I falsely assume that it did?

Quote :

"this is not a thing that happens"

it 100% does. the question is how much does it happen (not all that much but it IS nonzero), and what do we do when it does happen? you want to stick your head in the sand and say it never happens, and pronounce anybody who does recognize, acknowledge and want to solve it as an evil nazi. that makes you (imho) just as foolish as heelfan and the IRGC

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 6:17 PM. Reason : mind viruses as far as the eye can see]

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 6:18 PM. Reason : really was not expecting when i signed up on tww to have to be dealing with such widespread idiocy in my 40s]

5/3/2026 6:15:30 PM

Quote :

"anything but a total reset would work."

The reset is ww3

5/3/2026 6:19:30 PM

How does it follow that just because I believe that Jesus will return (55% of people on earth belong to religions that teach this by the way) I am just as harmful as a regime that murders thousands of its own civilians and beats and sometimes kills women for not wearing hijabs? Exaggerate much? Make false analogies much?

5/3/2026 6:35:40 PM

Fred, it's obvious you have a lot of animosity toward Christians. I have a personal question for you. Did you have a very bad experience with Christians at some point in your life? Or were you raised by atheist parents to despise anything related to faith in God?

5/3/2026 6:41:32 PM

Quote :

"I am just as harmful"

I said you're foolish. and I said you're harmful to progress. as in, such beliefs retard humanity's ability to advance our species. i didn't say you commit physical harm to people.

Quote :

"you have a lot of animosity toward Christians"

nope. some of my favorite people are christians. some of my favorite people are muslims. some of my favorite people are jews. some of my favorite people are non-believers.

i'd prefer people recognize, acknowledge and discard their beliefs that are detached from reality, but as long as they're individually not causing any particular harm, i honestly could not care less and have not cared less for most of my life.

but we're in an important moment in humanity's history, as I see it, and I'd much prefer we traverse this era with as little spiritual, psychological and political baggage as necessary. we're trending in the wrong direction.

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 6:50 PM. Reason : hence my focus is on 2050. it's gonna take a while for this fever to break.]

5/3/2026 6:46:15 PM

I don't know if you know this, but when you exaggerate and compare people to extremely evil entities like the Nazis or the IRGC without evidence, even if you use some modifiers, it shows disrespect for them as a person and isn't the best way to win them to your side. Kind of like if I say you're just as bad for human progress as atheist leaders Stalin and Mao were.

Quote :

"as in, such beliefs retard humanity's ability to advance our species."

How so? Is the Christian faith of these scientists a hindrance to their contributions to human progress?

Quote :

"Dr. Francis Collins (Genetics): The most recognized household name among modern Christian scientists. In February 2026, he was named the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences 2026 Public Welfare Medal, their most prestigious honor, for his leadership of the Human Genome Project and his pioneering research into disease genes. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett (Immunology): A critical leader in the development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, she is an Assistant Professor at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She has frequently shared how science uncovers "how" things work, while her faith answers the "why". Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (Atmospheric Science): A world-renowned climate researcher and Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy. She views her work as a direct extension of the Christian call to love others by caring for those suffering from climate impacts. Dr. Jing Kong (Nanotechnology): A Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Originally an atheist, she converted to Christianity in graduate school and now views her nanotechnology research as a platform for "doing God's work". Dr. Jennifer Wiseman (Astrophysics): A senior NASA astrophysicist and director of the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER). She is known for bridging scientific discovery with faith communities, emphasizing how the universe's vastness reflects God's glory"

5/3/2026 7:10:22 PM

Quote :

" it 100% does. the question is how much does it happen (not all that much but it IS nonzero), and what do we do when it does happen? you want to stick your head in the sand and say it never happens, and pronounce anybody who does recognize, acknowledge and want to solve it as an evil nazi. that makes you (imho) just as foolish as heelfan and the IRGC"

what’s wrong with you, man?

there is no wave of immigrants coming “en masse who do not share our values, do not love our country, and do not want to leave this country better than they found it”

5/3/2026 7:27:23 PM

where did I say it was a wave??

Quote :

"but it IS nonzero"

Quote :

"when you exaggerate and compare people to extremely evil entities like the Nazis or the IRGC without evidence"

just like tgl3, you're misunderstanding what I have said. I said you believe things that are not true and detached from reality. That is foolish. The IRGC also believes things that are not true and detached from reality. In this particular case, you both believe that Jesus will return. Please stop believing foolish things.

Quote :

"How so? Is the Christian faith of these scientists a hindrance to their contributions to human progress?"

like I said, I don't have a problem with people attempting to grapple with the Big Questions by attaching to the beliefs of their family and community. It's understandable. And does indeed come with some benefits. There are many things about religion (all of them) that are beautiful and beneficial to the individual and to society. But it's long past time for us to recognize that the major religions especially are nothing but the product of man's journey through history. A good first attempts to explain the world we live in.

But look at the world we have built. Look at the discoveries we have made. Look at what we Know about the Universe. We are not the same as we were last century, or the century before that. It's time to reckon with it.

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 7:42 PM. Reason : there's not a wave of foolish carolina fans on tww, but it is nonzero]

5/3/2026 7:39:20 PM

en masse

the dude said en masse

5/3/2026 7:41:40 PM

ok, so we agree that it's not en masse. but MY point remains. it's non-zero, and the left would be wise not to ignore it, lest the psycho right be the only option the portion of the public that cares about such things trusts to properly grapple with it

[Edited on May 3, 2026 at 7:46 PM. Reason : the If Liberals Won't Enforce Borders, Fascists Will thing]

5/3/2026 7:44:44 PM

Fred, all I'm seeing is conjecture. You're not connecting the dots to show that believing something Jesus said about Himself, a person who according to his earliest followers performed many jaw dropping miracles and rose from the dead, means you're standing in the way of human progress. Your case is weak sauce.

5/3/2026 7:51:29 PM

there is no crisis at the border

Quote :

"am against importing people en masse who do not share our values, do not love our country, and do not want to leave this country better than they found it"

this is pure Thoughtcrime territory, and any attempt at legitimizing it as a serious issue is ridiculous, no matter how many times you want to link to a post or a tweet of yours

5/3/2026 8:06:14 PM

Hey guys, this is the Iran thread.

5/3/2026 8:07:17 PM

At worst it's tangentially related due to the presence of Iranian spies on US soil. @clawai can you make a list of recent cases of Iranian espionage on US soil?

5/3/2026 8:23:38 PM

claw the ai

heelfan asked for recent cases of Iranian espionage on US soil. Here is what I found from DOJ and FBI filings:

1. Abouzar Rahmati (2025) -- FAA contractor and naturalized US citizen. Pleaded guilty April 2025 to acting as an agent of Iran from 2017-2024. Stole sensitive aviation and solar tech files, took them to Iran on a 2022 trip. Sentencing Aug 2025.

2. IRGC hack-and-leak operation (Sept 2024) -- Three IRGC cyber operators (Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, Yaser Balaghi) indicted for hacking US officials, media, and campaign accounts to influence the 2024 election.

3. Trump campaign hack (Aug 2024) -- US intelligence confirmed Iran hacked the Trump campaign and attempted to breach Biden-Harris campaign via spear phishing.

4. Iranian national charged with multi-year cyber campaign (2024) -- Targeted US Departments of Treasury and State, defense contractors, and New York companies.

5. ICE arrests of 11 Iranian nationals (June 2025) -- Included an alleged Iranian Army sniper and a former IRGC member, arrested across multiple US cities.

6. Shamim Mafi arrest (April 2026) -- Iranian national and lawful US permanent resident arrested at LAX for trafficking arms on behalf of Iran.

Most of the public cases lean toward cyber operations and procurement networks rather than traditional HUMINT spycraft -- which may reflect both Iran's capabilities and which cases DOJ chooses to publicize.

5/3/2026 8:36:40 PM