I figure that since Bush and his crew are ratcheting up action to prepare for war with Iran, despite the fact that just about everyone in the entire world is against it, we should at least do what we can to make sure that something doesn’t happen while we are all looking the other way (i.e., at Iraq or Afghanistan or anything else this crew has screwed up, for example). And while we are at it, I will point out that while Bin Laden is most certainly not in Iraq or Iran, he is also not in Italy, India, Illinois or Indonesia (just in case Georgie is stuck on those places that start with the letter “I”).
While we are at it, Iran also had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11, and they are actually doing a whole lot more than we are hearing – and CERTAINLY a whole lot more than the US is – to rein in its’ crazy President. The scary thing here is the parallels (as pointed out so well by fellow kossacks Modulator and xxdr zombiexx yesterday) between Bush and Ahmadinejad, as well as the American people and the Iranian people.
Frankly, this whole “state sponsor of terrorism” meme is just as stupid and should be called exactly what it is. Forgetting about the US history before 2000, what can we say about a country that invades another country based on false pretenses, and uses banned chemical weapons in firebombing a city, has a Secretary of Defense who was personally involved in torture, has its’ top attorney calling international treaties “quaint”, is involved in sending “suspects” to other countries for interrogation and torture (I can go on and on and on) and is threatening civil liberties at home for its citizens and threatening to bomb every other country that looks at them funny?
As much as we may hate to admit it, our government, or the leaders at the highest levels of government, are sponsors of terrorism.
What about the whole “Iran is a bad bad country” and doesn’t want to work with us? Well, we already know how Iran reached out to the US in 2003 as well as in 2001 and 2002. Not to mention that Ahmadinejad – for all that he has done to rattle cages, also reached out to Bush in 2006 (while it was a bit strange, it was still reaching out). And what was our response each time?
Nope. Sorry. Piss off. Screw you.
And this smokescreen has already seeped into the public mind. Take this LTE that was printed in yesterday’s Bergen Record (emphasis mine):
On behalf of many Americans and Iraqis I would like to propose a possible solution to the slaughter of our troops and innocent Iraqis.
We know that Iran and Syria are responsible for sending countless insurgents, weapons and bombs across their borders. Well, enough is enough.
I suggest that we give Iran and Syria 30 days’ notice to discontinue their murderous activities. After that deadline, for every bomb that goes off killing innocents or our troops or for every kidnapping and slaughtering of civilians, for every incident, we immediately bomb one of their government buildings, military instillations or bomb-making facilities.
Only then they will realize that there will be huge penalties to continue their action. Tit for tat. Maybe then the people of these countries will persuade their governments to back off.
EXCUSE ME??? Give them 30 days and then bomb them for each act of violence in Iraq? That will end the violence? This drivel is worth printing in a relatively major newspaper?
There is mounting and vast evidence that that overwhelming majority of Iran’s leadership does not want a military confrontation. Ditto for the Iranian population, the American population, our leaders in Congress, much of our military leadership and the world at large. And, despite Ahmadinejad’s chest thumping, the fact that Iran may be looking to build a nuclear weapons program does NOT make them an imminent threat to the US.
technopolitical made an excellent observation yesterday about Iran and the escalation in Iraq. Could it be that the escalation – a move that is so profoundly stupid beyond even the craziest of crazy ideas – is merely a distraction and smokescreen from the buildup and war plans for Iran?
Could it be that Bush and the extremists who are dictating our foreign policy have everyone talking about the shiny object in their left hand while they are somewhat subtly waging war with their right?
It very well may not be the case. But it very well may be. And we should remind everyone that Iran is like Iraq was in a couple of ways – and a couple of ways only.
Neither had anything to do with the 9/11 attacks.
Neither is a direct and imminent threat to the US.
And Bin Laden isn’t in either country.