Cross posted at http://www.peaceisactive.com
Many of our past wars have been based on false information. Usually, there is a desire to go to war and then our leaders find some sort of "trigger event" to start the war. The trigger event doesn't need to be real, it just needs to be able to sell the public on a reason to go to war.
Usually the trigger event is an easy sell because the public has been prepared for war. Public officials make statements and warnings about the country they desire to invade. The media runs stories about the country while channels such as the History Channel run so many stories about the evil opponent that people start to ask why we haven't gone to war yet. By the time the "trigger event" happens, people are generally prepared to accept war as a response.
There was a perfect example of this in the recent war between Israel and Lebanon. There has been conflict between these two countries for years. There are often border skirmishes where the two sides engage in capturing each other's soldiers to trade for previously captured soldiers.
Israel was planning to attack Lebanon for months before the war started. When the war started, it was reported in the media that two Israeli soldiers had been captured and that is what set off the war. Even though soldiers had been captured by both sides numerous times, this particular capture was used as the "trigger event" for starting the attack Israel had been planning. Whenever the war was discussed by political or media leaders, it was always talked about something that was started by Lebanon and was the fault of Lebanon even though major hostilities had been planned and initiated by Israel.
In the United States, we need to be aware that there are many "trigger events" available for going to war with Iran. Our leaders and media have been preparing the public for a war with Iran. The History Channel is running numerous programs with little information about the Iranian people, but lots of information about the evil nature of the Iranian leaders.
The obvious "trigger event" for a war with Iran will be Iranian weapons or forces being involved with attacking Americans in Iraq. It won't matter that American forces are also being killed by forces we are giving weapons to. It won't matter that people from Saudi Arabia are killing Americans in Iraq. It won't matter that Iran "meddling" in Iraq makes a whole lot more sense than our own "meddling" in Iraq. (The last time Americans were in Iraq, we were giving Saddam Hussein weapons and intelligence to use against Iran during the 1980's.)
When the war in Iran starts, our leaders and media will talk about how the war is a response to Iranian activities and not something planned and desired by American political leaders.
Our ability to argue against the "trigger event" will be met with scorn and taunts as people wonder why we don't realize that Iran needs to be punished for their actions.
We need to be ready for these "trigger events" before they happen. We know Dick Cheney wants to go to war with Iran. He is already arguing for and promoting misleading stories and reasons to justify a military attack.
We need to oppose the War in Iran now well before it begins. If we wait until after the "trigger event" happens, it will be too late. Dick Cheney will get his war, the people of Iran will suffer, the American military will again be used to attack a sovereign nation, and the Republicans will have a new reason to call Democrats weak willed pansies - unless they make the political calculation that they should just go along with the war because there is no way to stop it.
Starting a war with Iran allows Republicans to achieve their goals on both an international and domestic level. All they need now is a "trigger event" because the American public has been well conditioned to support a war against Iran.
Andrew Card said you don't release new products in August so be aware of what White House officials start talking about in September. If they try to turn every conversation about Iraq into a conversation about Iran, then you know the "trigger event" won't be far behind.