It is like we have lost our minds. We must want war. We are willing to take any stupid excuse as the 'reason' for our starting a war. As if 'reason' had anything to do with our decision making process. We simply want war.
We are living in this peacefully in this prosperous country where we claim the economy is improving and we are able to watch our children and grand-children grow into adults. But, that is not enough for us to be content. We need to flex our military muscle. We need to be out there in the world destroying countries and disrupting peoples lives if not just outright killing them all - depending on which set of generals is leading the slaughter.
And, what's all of that talk about Trump wanting to have peaceful relations with Russia?
And, as we are all well aware, the truth has no value in a system dedicated to war and more war.
But, it is important to keep the truth in mind as we think about starting a war. Recently, in the on-going war between the United States and Iran, a few years back, we overthrew Iran’s democracy in 1953 and installed our candidate for dictator.
After that, the United States sided with Iraq during the 1980s and attacked Iran. To help Iraq in our war against Iran, we provided Iraq with weapons, including the chemical weapons that later became our excuse for attacking Iraq.
We have built up military forces and bases all around Iran’s borders. And we have attempted to cripple Iran with our cruelly intended economic sanctions.
Through the last few presidential administrations, the United States has labeled Iran an evil nation. We refer to Iran’s military as a terrorist organization. And we falsely accuse Iran of various crimes including the 9-11 attacks in the United States.
More recently, to get things started in a really serious way, Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn stated that the United States is "officially putting Iran on notice" that we are coming after you... you're next.
As proof that Iran is abusing the United States and therefore needs to be 'put on notice', the Trump administration confused a Saudi naval vessel with an American naval vessel and they farther confused the facts claiming that Yemeni Houthi rebels were in reality Iranian military forces. With all of the confusion, it is easy to claim that Iran took hostile action against the United States when the Saudi navy was attacked by the Yemeni navy in the red sea. It was not any Iranian attack on an American vessel but close enough to provide an excuse for war. Even a weak excuse is better than no excuse at all.
Holding up more 'proof' of Iranian aggression, Flynn describes the abduction of ten of our sailors and two patrol boats in January 2016. But, as with the other 'proof', the facts point in the opposite direction. In this particular situation, it was the United States whose sailors went into Iranian territory and were captured only to be released. Not a very good case for proving Iran's hostile and lawless behavior that needs punishment.
Iran last Sunday test-fired a medium-range missile, which the White House contends violated a UN Security Council resolution proscribing missiles that could carry a nuclear device.
The missile test was not in violation of any agreement, regardless the United States wants to punish Iran for their ballistic missile test and is using it to mark the end of an era in which the United States was too tolerant of Iran’s bad behavior.
"Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!", Trump said.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis claimed Iran to be "the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world," saying that Iran's "misconduct and misbehavior" must be addressed.
Iranian "misbehavior," is difficult to locate. Iran has adhered to the terms of the nuclear agreement, every provision of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which conducts regular inspections of the nuclear facilities. When small violations have been found, the Iranians have very quickly fixed those issues.
Iranian "misbehavior," is difficult to locate. Iran has adhered to the terms of the nuclear agreement, every provision of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which conducts regular inspections of the nuclear facilities. When small violations have been found, the Iranians have very quickly fixed those issues.
We just have to say it enough times to make it true... and so again, the White House said it would “no longer tolerate Iran’s provocations that threaten our interests,”
“The international community has been too tolerant of Iran’s bad behavior,” said Michael T. Flynn, the president’s national security adviser. “The ritual of convening a United Nations Security Council in an emergency meeting and issuing a strong statement is not enough. The Trump administration will no longer tolerate Iran’s provocations that threaten our interests.”
Presumably, we will no longer be wasting time convening the United Nations Security Council, we will just go on over there and bomb them ourselves.
Is there any hope that we can snap to our senses? Can the truth have any effect on us? Former presidential candidate, Ron Paul seems to have a better perspective on the subject of Iran.
“We have learned and been conditioned to distrust and hate the Persians, and that they’re gonna kill us. But there’s no history to show that Iran are aggressive people. When’s the last time they invaded a country? Over 200 years ago!”
“We have learned and been conditioned to distrust and hate the Persians, and that they’re gonna kill us. But there’s no history to show that Iran are aggressive people. When’s the last time they invaded a country? Over 200 years ago!”
Wow! That would have been during the presidency of John Adams, the second president of the United States. That's a long time ago.
Check history for yourself. What has the United States been doing and how many countries have we invaded and why? We are desperately in need of a re-examination of our values and our love of war as foreign policy. We need to wake up to reality while we still can. We should start our conversations about Iran by acknowledging that they have the world's 4th largest reserves of oil and we want it for ourselves, and that's the truth !!!
Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps during a military parade in 2014. The corps is one of 25 individuals and entities the United States has designated for sanctions. Credit Abedin Taherkenareh/European Pressphoto Agency
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