re: #309 transient

Their statements were generally gratuitous. There was no need for them to make any statement at all. And the fact that two separate presidents have made the same statement, years apart, tends to indicate they are more serious than the average Ahmadinejad rant.

As was noted above, everyone thought that the Arabs were “just saber rattling” when they threatened to throw the Jews into the sea. People said Hitler was just mouthing off when he threatened to annihilate the Jews.

You blow off fanatics at your own peril. Jews have learned to take these threats seriously because more often than not, they are serious.

I do not think the conditions in 2009 are the same as the conditions before WWII. I do not think Iran is equivalent, or can become equivalent to Hitler’s Germany. And the statements are not gratuitous if they make Iran’s government more popular. They’d actually be quite useful! I mean, who doesn’t want to hear that their country is totally tough enough to survive nukes? And I’m sure they’re meant to appear incredibly serious. Is it totally bizarre that I believe that Ahmadinejad is a politician?

I’m not blowing off fanatics, not pretending they’re not dangerous, I just don’t believe they’ll strike first.