We've heard it before. The Iran government is evil and part of the axis of evil. We're talking really evil, more evil than average citizens can imagine. According to what we're told, Iran has declared itself an enemy of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Israel and any other country that pisses them off. They want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. When it comes down to it, the reason the Iran government is evil is because it is trying, at least according to the information given to the average citizen, to build a nuclear bomb. Once they do that, they will be able to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and be able to better threaten the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, and any other country that pisses it off. Nuclear weapons talk, bullshit walks.
There are approximately 25,000 nuclear weapons on earth. But the overwhelming security concern of western civilization is about the possibility that an evil country in the Middle East may soon develop one. One. They have been "soon" developing one for about 20 years but that's beside the point. The thing is, as with Saddam Hussein, the government officials in these Middle East countries are different from the government officials in western countries. They will use the weapons of mass destruction, that nuclear bomb, on U.S. citizens. As soon as they develop it they'll put it in a suitcase and send it to Chicago. If not the U.S., they will surely target Israel. And when it comes to national security in the Middle East, Israel and the U.S. are one.
Many of us have learned over the last ten years or so how the government and media work in tandem to basically condition the public prior to taking actions. The Iraq war was preceded by claiming Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and would use them on American citizens. The Global War on Terror has now ensconced the entire earth including our own country. Evidently this entity, Al Qaeda, found guilty by the 9/11 Commission for killing over 3,000 people, has the ability to seduce, infiltrate, and conduct operations anywhere on earth. But it now appears to have expanded from Al Qaeda to any group or person who threatens the security of the United States or Israel.
So why all the news the last couple of months and especially lately about attacking Iran? The drumbeat has been going on for awhile now, many suggesting Israel will attack before winter, many suggesting an attack won't happen until after Obama is reelected. We know now that we came close to an attack in 2008 under Bush but that was pulled back largely by the Pentagon.
Now we have Defense Secretary Panetta going full Monty on the issue followed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dempsey.
"The United States does not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," he said (Panetta). "That is a red line for us and that is a red line for the Israelis. If we have to do it we will do it. If they proceed and we get intelligence that they are proceeding in developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop them. There are no options that are off the table."
"General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said that the US military had reached a point where they were ready to execute force against Iran if necessary."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
The latest salvos were started by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during October and November with threats that Israel would attack Iran, again all about the development of nuclear capability. Both Panetta and Dempsey significantly mentioned Israel in their remarks.
"Gen Dempsey said the US is collaborating with Israel in its intelligence gathering but reiterated that there are no guarantees the Israelis would inform the US before launching an attack.
"We are trying to establish some confidence on the part of the Israelis that we recognise their concerns and are collaborating with them on addressing them," he said."
That's a hard comment to decipher. The General is on record saying the military is prepared to strike Iran and then he says they are collaborating with Israel to address their concerns. About striking Iran? What does that mean when the General says the U.S. is now prepared to strike Iran?
At this point, there is no proof that Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon. There are indications it's nuclear technology program, officially described for nuclear energy, could be expanded to that possibility. Even so, the likelihood of Iran attacking the United States or Israel with a nuclear weapon it might develop is hard to imagine. The U.S. alone could wipe Iran off the map if Iran took such an aggressive move and Israel, the country that won't admit to having nuclear weapons, could as well. It would literally be a suicide move by Iran if they took such a move.
Of course, the United States government, the Israeli government and all western governments know this. They certainly aren't afraid of that. Iran is not a security threat because of the possibility it might develop a nuclear bomb. It's a security threat because it is a Shiite controlled country with economic and regional aspirations that threaten the power of Israel and Saudia Arabia, the western central bankers, and stands in the way of western imperialist's goals of maintaining hegemony over the Middle East and it's precious oil.
Who knows what these latest comments from Panetta and Dempsey really mean. As stated earlier, we've been hearing these pronouncements for many years. Few believe them. Many have lamented about the repercussions from such an attack. Even General Dempsey appears to understand the significance.
"Gen Dempsey said he had been quietly leading behind the scenes preparations for an attack against Tehran but said a war with the nation would be a "tragedy".
"My biggest worry is that it may miscalculate our resolve. Any miscalculation could mean that we are drawn into conflict and that would be a tragedy for the region and the world," he said."
It would be a tragedy all right. But even then, General Dempsey seems to suggest the onus is on Iran if it doesn't stop doing what no one can seem to prove it's doing. "They may miscalculate our resolve".
Who's resolve General Dempsey, the citizens of this democratic country, or the neocons who having been calling for this war for years, the governments of Israel and Saudia Arabia, or the central banks and oil corporations? I don't think the citizens are looking forward to another tragedy over the unproven possibility of another weapon of mass destruction.
In the end we're all left to wonder, what are they going to do?