I got an idea.

Aggressively develop and move everything to non-fossil fuel technology. Share that technology with the rest of the world. Then, boom: Iran loses 70% of it’s GDP, and everyone wins without any shots fired.

It seems like the “cars tracking you” problem is a very real and very serious thing that should obviously be legislated separately of electric vehicles or country of manufacture.

I got a Mazda recently, and I was reading all the ownership paperwork, and the guy asked me what I was looking for. I said “I’m looking for the language about what data Mazda is collecting about me.” And the guy laughed and said there’s nothing in the paperwork about that. They just do it. You can’t shut it off.

welcomed as liberators

Oof. Not sure if English is your first language, comrade, but you should be aware that this direct quote, “we will be welcomed as liberators” was used as justification for the invasion of Iraq by Cheney, and has such a negative connotation that it is now only used sarcastically.

Saying it evokes the strong memory of it being a bullshit statement to justify doing something awful. And, based on what you’re saying… that assessment rings true.

I talked to a business leader yesterday who said that their outsourced overseas developers were not performing well, so they were planning to directly contract some overseas developers, because then they would be “captive”. And he proceed to refer to them as “captive developers” for the rest of the conversation.

Sir, you should not refer to people who work for you as “captive”. That has a very negative connotation, and I’m shocked you don’t hear it. Please at least notice everyone else’s reaction when you say it.

That checks out. I live near a college town where for 2-3 years there was a rash of “college riots” where police tear-gassed everyone in the streets when they felt it was getting out of hand. The solution to keeping the students from rioting ended up being… stop sending cops out there. Everything was fine.