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Is it just a coincidence that TV networks are re-running old ‘Dirty Harry’ films just as a powerful US Naval armada and Air Force B-52 bombers are headed for what could be a clash with Iran? Here we go again with the ‘good guys’ versus the ‘bad guys,’ and ‘make my day.’
Maybe it’s more bluffing? The current US military deployment was scheduled before the latest flare-up with Iran, but the bellicose threats of White House neocon crusaders like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo certainly create the impression that the US wants war.
Adding to the warlike excitement, President Trump just ordered seizure of a large North Korean bulk cargo ship. This was clearly a brazen act of war and violation of international law. More dangerous brinkmanship by administration war-mongers who increasingly appear besotted by power and hubris.
So much for the president who vowed to avoid foreign wars – and so much for the millions of anti-war voters who believed him.
Why does Trump let his two horsemen of the apocalypse get away with this?
I’m following this latest gunboat diplomacy with particular interest because I had the privilege in 1994 of going to sea on the very same aircraft carrier, “CVN-72 USS Abraham Lincoln” that is now reportedly steaming towards Iran’s coast. With it are a nuclear submarine, a cruiser and a group of destroyers, all equipped with land-attack missiles.
As a former soldier and war correspondent, I was deeply impressed by the ‘Lincoln’ and her youthful crew. They were efficient, motivated and superbly well-organized. In our lifetime, no other navy will ever equal the skills of the US carrier fleet. The only real threat to America’s huge carriers is the growing power and accuracy of Russian, Chinese and Indian heavy anti-ship missiles.
The Navy task force is backed up by B-52 nuclear-capable heavy bombers now stationed in Qatar, and US warplanes from other bases in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey, Jordan, and Pakistan that effectively surround Iran. The carriers are just for show and threat.
Israel, which is eager to see the US attack Iran, has helpfully provided ‘intelligence’ allegedly showing that Iran is planning to attack certain US installations in the Mideast. Interestingly, Israel and its American supporters did the same thing in 2001 and 2003, pushing the US to attack its foe Iraq. Washington largely relied on Israeli intelligence about Iraq since its own resources were so weak – and senior Bush administration neocons kept touting the claims from Israel.
President Trump sees himself as an emperor besieged by Washington Lilliputians. There’s nothing like a jolly little war to shut up all his critics and garner media support. Even better, the ‘bad guys’ in this case are ‘Eye-ranian’ Muslims. Trump’s religious base would thrill at the prospect of pounding the Islamic Republic. During the Bush administration years, over 80% of so-called ‘born again’ Christians backed war against Iraq. What happened to ‘turn the other cheek?’
This administration’s neocons have made it their life’s work to destroy Iran, which is considered Israel’s only serious enemy and a champion of the Palestinian cause.
The Trump administration has largely fallen under the influence of Israel’s hard right in foreign and military affairs. So Bolton and Pompeo are clearly trying to engineer an incident that would spark war.
Not full-scale war, but an excuse for the US and Israel to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, key military sites and communications infrastructure as was done with Iraq. It won’t be back all the way to the Stone Age, but half way, so that Iran’s development is set back by a decade.
Israel will then use its control over the US Congress to keep Iran under a very tight embargo. The Pentagon’s original plan to punish Iran called for some 2,300 air strikes on Day 1 alone.
Washington’s hope, as usual, is that growing misery and hardship in Iran will provoke a revolt to oust the Islamic government, allowing the US to install the exiled Iranian royalists it has waiting in Southern California. This was the pattern in Cuba, Nicaragua, Iraq, Syria, Libya and now Venezuela. It’s not diplomacy, just brute force.
A fairly decent article, but the author cannot resist the sappy self preening. Shuddup about it will ya? No one reads your stuff to hear about how great thou art.
You were a soldier? A regular hero, and Smedly Butler is jealous as hell, I bet. Get over yerself, already.
PS: Have you noticed the number of comments on your articles? That oughta tell ya something.
Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled Crown Prince, dreams of home.
These days the 57-year-old Reza Pahlavi is settled in suburban Maryland, near Washington DC, where he lives in a country home with his wife – a fellow Iranian exile, Yasmine – and their three daughters. He denies he is a billionaire, though the family remain wealthy. His mother, Empress Farah Pahlavi, has a house nearby and still leads a glitzy life, attending gala dinners and international royal weddings.
Yet life in exile has been tough for the family. Speaking in 2013 with French magazine Point de Vue, the empress said her two youngest children had been at “sensitive and fragile” ages when the revolution happened and “never quite overcame the shock”.
Pahlavi hates “being deprived of the ability to live among your own”, and longs to see his country again. However, Pahlavi knows it would be hard for him to return home until he can be sure he will not be assassinated – “I’m no good to anyone if I’m dead” – but he clearly wants to present himself as a leader-in-waiting.
Good Stuff. Life is different when you know it’s a comedy.
A War of Attrition with no end insight, that’s what’s awiting the US in the Persian Gulf.
Because the Iranian regime will certainly resist, even if they had to “eat one date per day” – they will survive and keep fighting the American forces to the oblivion.
Such war against Iranians has a real potential to turn to the World War 3; challenging the international order under American leadership for good – because there are too much at steak for too many new powerful players whom can no longer afford to sit idle – watching American rogue behavior to rick havoc of the international order at their expense. New players like; China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Japan, Russia, European countries, along with Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the rest of the world whom had to endure a War of Attrition in one of the richest region of the world; such war will certainly affect the global growth rate – with potential loss of world GDP by a couple of percents.
Israel and its agents in the White House; John Bolton, Pompeo, Mnuchin, Kushner, Pence and the rest of Zionist clown in Washington can certainly ignite a war with Iranians but they will not be able to finish the war on their own terms; the US will quickly lose the control of the war expansion, while pending the constitutional crisis in Washington, America cannot afford a constitutional crisis at home and a war out of control in the Persian Gulf, such scenario has potential to tear apart the very core of the American society beyond repair, just as the Vietnam war did in 1970’s, yet, with much greater implications for American global leadership. Because Iranians will certainly resist, even if they had to eat a date per day – they will drag on the war to drain American blood and treasure.
A War of Attrition is what’s awaiting the US in the Persian Gulf; I wonder how would ordinary Americans feel about the prospect of another US war in the middle east; risking American blood and treasure for the apartheid regime of Israel – an engineered war by the NeoCons agents of Israel in Washington at our expense with no end insight.
Incorrect. IF they do it (which God forbid), they will not restrict themselves to the aforementioned, as was also not done in the case of Iraq.
In fact, “military necessity” will be used as an excuse to de-industrialize the country.
“Half way to the Stone Age” (meaning, back to the Bronze Age) will likely include the destruction of all modern infrastructure and industry, and probably great swaths of national historic treasures.
Have a look here:
while you still can.
The U.S. has no hope of occupying Iran, as they attempted to do in Iraq (how’s that worked out, BTW?)
There will be no massive “U.S. Embassy” compound built in Tehran, as there was in Baghdad.
The most the U.S. warmongers can hope to do is spread chaos, death ,and destruction.
As to why the evildoers in Washington, District of Criminals would wish to do so, I leave to someone else’s imagination, or rationalization.
The B52s deployed from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.
For those who do not know, Barksdale is one place the U.S. stores its nuclear weapons.
https://fas.org/blogs/security/2006/11/new_article_where_the_bombs_ar/
Clearly, The US Gov’t ain’t gonna say if there are any nukes on board.
Just as clearly, US Gov’t would like the Iranian Gov’t to consider that possibility as credible.
IOW, this could be considered an extreme provocation.
“As to why the evildoers in Washington, District of Criminals would wish to do so, I leave to someone else’s imagination, or rationalization.”
1) To eliminate a regional adversary for Israel so they can expand unimpeded.
2) To screw up the Belt Road Initiative.
And some others as well I’m sure.
Nice post.
“Israel wants Iran destroyed”
It seems astonishing to me that is about the sum total as to why the clowns in dc are cranking up the bombast and threats and indications for war.
But there we are.
Without israel, it would seem that this could be addressed without threats of war and without sanctions. What the hell have the Iranians done to warrant these threats?
Yep.
Is the plan A.
Plan B is just to create chaos there and keep it that way for decades to come. Like Lybia on steroids.
Hormuz is the catch. I believe they believe it’s manageable.
One way to find out.
Israel seems to be very prescient when it comes to terror attacks against the US – which isn’t too difficult if they organize them themselves (e.g. USS Liberty or 9/11).
So it’s looking like Trump and the rest of the shabbos goys in the U.S. government want to create a state of “controlled chaos” in Iran just like they did in Iraq. If they in fact shock and awe Eye-ran based on false pretenses then it won’t be long before they try to overthrow Assad yet again since Iran might be too preoccupied to help dealing with their internal turmoil.
I’ve been convinced for a long time now that Trump only ran for president to do right by Israel whom he madly adores. I remember that he vented his spleen on Twitter when Obama signed the Iran nuclear deal and has been itching to punish Iran for perceived slights against his beloved Israel.
It will be interesting to see what Russia does. If Putin and Lavrov just sit idly by like fools and mouth high minded platitudes while providing no material support to Iran then neither deserve any respect.
If any nation deserves to have atomic bombs dropped on them it’s Israel.
Please have a listen to (IMO) one of the saner voices around:
Mr. Zarif calls it Team A and Team B rather than Plan A and Plan B, but otherwise very similar assessment.
If war can be averted, my opinion is that Mr. Zarif will be one of the major forces acting to prevent it, along with Mr. Lavrov. JMO, of course.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Javad_Zarif
Thanks for the compliment.
I agree with your assessment.
The attack on the USS Liberty was not a “terrorist attack.”
It was an act of war.
The Israeli mendacity of “mistaken identity” is easily refuted by their own radio communications.
In fact, one of the Israeli pilots initially refused to attack the Liberty because he recognized it as a United States Ship.* He was told to attack , or face court martial. He eventually, and no doubt reluctantly, obeyed orders (a.k.a. the “German defense”).
The “Israelis” followed up their unprovoked act of aggression on a supposed ally by committing a war crime, namely machine gunning life rafts. I emphasize that machine gunning life rafts is a war crime no matter who you claimed you thought you were attacking. I can think of no more cowardly act than to fire upon unarmed persons who are only attempting tho save themselves from certain death.
And what was the response of the President of the U.S> to an unprovoked attack on an armed vessel of the U.S. Navy in international waters?
A: He recalled fighter jets which had been scrambled to provide assistance in repelling an unprovoked attack, thus abandoning U.S. sailors to their fate. That fate would likely have included a one way ticket to Davy Jones’ Locker had a Russian vessel not happened upon the scene and observed the Israelis engaged in their dastardly deeds. Once observed, the Israelis withdrew.
*United States Ship designation means the vessel is armed, however lightly.
In case of USS Liberty, armament consisted of two caliber 0.50 machine guns, because its mission was intelligence gathering.
Whatever he does appears to be “not enough.”
I am convinced the threat of impeachment and/or criminal prosecution is being held over his head in order to force compliance with whatever the Jewish interests demand.
The Jewish demands will NEVER stop. They will only escalate.
Here is the latest threat:
https://www.thenation.com/article/impeachment-trump-congress-mueller-barr/
It is all couched in pseudo-civilized and pseudo-respectable terms, of course, but the man has a gun to his head, at least figuratively speaking.
Frankly, it’s Hitler vs Poland playbook.
Demands, demands, demands.
Muh Danzig!
False flag event.
Invasion.
“It wasn’t us who started it”.
Let’s do it. Let the chips fall where they may.
Some people got hanged at the end of the above-mentioned episode. A repeat performance? Yes, please.
The clay-foot Empire will collapse. The J-folk will suddenly feel unexpected heat and may well be diaspored hard. It’s gonna be fun.
Pompeo will be in Russia to berate Putin about evilness and interference next week. I hope they stuff roses up his ass and send him back in 10 minutes flat.
I go one step further. If it weren’t for the Hollowco$t false narrative, there would be no Israel. That is the reason questioning it is Auntie Shemi-tic, hate speech, soon to be made illegal to question and whatever other canard can be found. When the public finds out they’ve been played for suckers over the last 80 years, there won’t be any place they can hide.
“because there are too much at steak for too many new powerful players whom can no longer afford to sit idle”
Steak is a piece of meat.
Thanks for mentioning the typo, I meant “Stake” – unfortunately, this site doesn’t allow editing once the comment posted – my tablet makes these corrections automatically and it often makes the wrong selections – there is another typo in there; “rick havoc’, whereas, what I meant was “wreak havoc” but the software made the wrong selection on its own, because apparently “rick havoc’ is somebody’s name, LOL – well, what can I say, technology is a double edged sword !
There should be a statue of Adolf Hitler in every town square (Adolf Hitler Platz) in the “State of Israel.”
No Adolf Hitler, no “State of Israel.”
Heinrich Himmler as well.
No Heinrich Himmler, no Auschwitz narrative.
No Auschwitz narrative, no Jewish Hajj for the school kids.
Second holiest site for Jews, after Jerusalem.
Hell, why not name major landmarks after various other NS dirtbags as well.
“Take the Martin Bormann Parkway to Josef Goebbels Expressway…etc.”
Jews would be reminded every day why they have a “State of Israel.”
Arabs, too. Never forget, right?
But I’d guess my suggestion would be considered to be insensitive, and in poor taste.
BTW: My own opinion:
Himmler was the worst of the Nazi scum.
Hitler, I agree with Hitchens, was Gerrmany’s worst enemy.
Brought his own country to utter ruin.
He was a real patriot though.
Thus proving once again that patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.
I also believe:
Whatever happens on the Jewish Reservation (a.k.a. “State of Israel”) should be none of our concern, and certainly none of our expense, as U.S. citizens.
But, it is also unlikely there will ever be peace there unless all non-members of the Jewish Tribe are removed from the Reservation. (Can white men live in the Navajo Nation? Of course not. Same principle applies)
Only two ways this will happen:
1. Expulsion by force, or
2. Extermination.
By rights, the British should be responsible for this, it being their flawed idea to begin with, but the Limeys are a bunch of poofters who washed their hands of the rotten mess they created decades ago. So, it may fall to the U.S. to clean up the dung and rid ourselves of this problem once and for all.
Extermination of any group is clearly out of the question for PR reasons, so I propose the U.S. should relocate all Arabs of Palestine to new homes in the U.S. Southwest. Similar climate, existing Arab community, delicious local dates for iftar. Coachella Valley would be ideal. Let Eli Broad build them new homes with donations from rich American Jews who claim to “care about Israel.” Haim Saban, Sheldon Adelson, et al, are you listening? U.S. military supples the muscle to physically relocate them.
This would be a form of massive humanitarian aid, and a much more constructive use of our tax dollars than anything U.S. military has done for a long time. Also less dangerous for the troops, as a bonus. No offense intended to U.S. military, who no doubt do their duty.
Any U.S. Jew who wishes to go live on the Res (“make aliyah”) could donate his house in, say Palm Springs, to a deserving Arab family from Palestine, who no doubt would be forever grateful. Call it a massive “cultural exchange” program.
Relocate the Dome of the Rock from the site of the old Roman fort in Jerusalem to a hill in Palm Springs. London Bridge was relocated to Lake Havasu, so why not? Welcome tot New Palestine, habibis. Here slept Mohammed (pbuh).
With the Arab “threat” removed from the Jewish Res, U.S. should wash its hands of the situation.
Forever.
Don’t hold your breath.
Columnists who sport soldiering as a credential often romanticize the motives and actions of Uncle Sam that they served. See also, W. Patrick Lang. This can’t help but limit what they say.
BS. Hitler tried for a year to negotiate the return on Danzig, wanting not only a return of Danzig but an alliance against the Russians, but the Poles, emboldened by false promises from Britain and the US, refused to negotiate anything.
To understand the start of WW II read British man of letters Wyndham Lewis’s ‘Left Wings Over Europe, or How to Make a War About Nothing’:
Regime change in Tehran would drag in Russia and China, who also claim to have vital interests in the region. Instability in Iran will not be confined to its borders, spreading throughout Central Asia. Confrontation between the nuclear powers will mean world war. That escalation will bomb the planet all the way back to the stone age.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
Interestingly, Israel and its American supporters did the same thing in 2001 and 2003, pushing the US to attack its foe Iraq. Washington largely relied on Israeli intelligence about Iraq since its own resources were so weak – and senior Bush administration neocons kept touting the claims from Israel.”
1 – Israel has not been punished for the false information and for egging wars though the media
2 Israel makes sure that no US intelligence is available or makes sure one isn’t even possible by demanding and then enforcing that west has no contact so that it can fabricate again again and again. Haven’t US learned yet ? How the intelligence from Israel gets validated and why does it get validated
. Doesn’t US know the lying and planting of evidences by Israel?
Just wondering if “halfway back to the stone age” = “one decade of progress” was an intentional joke… i.e., they’re only 20 years past the stone age now. Funny either way.
Meanwhile:
The U.S. Army’s New, Retro, MAGA Uniform
It’s a good uniform. But around it, rottenness prevails.
Apposite:
Exactly. It was clear from the beginning of orange clown’s candidacy that there were two possibilities: (1) he was going to save what was left of “America” from the jewish-supremacist agenda; or (2) he was going to save the faltering jewish-supremacist agenda from “America.”
And we didn’t have to wait very long to find out; on April 7, 2017 when he attacked the Shayrat airbase in Syria he showed the world in a dramatic way that his campaign was a bait-and-switch fraud, and his intention to sacrifice what was left of “America” on the altar of zionist extremism became obvious.
It seems to me that starting a war against Iran under the circumstances would be an act of murderous criminal insanity (to try to put it in worldly terms) that portends an attack on Russia itself. If Russia doesn’t strike first, the demoniac in the White House will probably try to launch a first strike against Russia. I hope I’m wrong but I think there’s a good chance that the evil orange clown is going to start a nuclear war.
They’ve “largely fallen under…” LOL!
While that innocent, peace-loving babe-in-the-woods, that paragon of virtue and reason, orange clown, sits in the corner pouting? It’s all the fault of that dam Bolton and Pompeo? Seriously? ROTFL! Mr. Margolis and the senile sage Paul Craig Roberts should “get a room”.
A. Worships the wonderfulness of aircraft carriers. Surely you jest. It’s that old Stockholm Syndrome of the imbedded reporter thingie.
B. Aircraft carriers are obsolete. Just sayin.
America’s god complex has now been on full display for long enough for her to really know how to act earthly as responsible mortals any more. America ordains, the world must follow or resist at their own assured peril. Because the other puppeteer super god, Israel, so commands and America has no choice but to obey. Both gods are of the vindictive, murderous, cruel, bigoted and bloodthirsty species in the tradition of their old testament counterparts. Except his/her/its/their creatures do not have to bite the dust to await to enjoy divine heaven or suffer eternal hell. Heaven has now become a terrestrial manifestation and hell a living one. God’s lieutenant Mike Pompeo has added a new layer to the cruelty of this new “divine” war machine: that Iran must listen to the US “…if they want their people to eat”. The modified American strategy (applied to both Iran and Venezuela — Iraq before them) has become: sanctions until the economy screams (as per the deceased thug, Nixon), starve the entire population (and deny essential medicines) to all who need them, women, the old and children are fair game. In other words implement a “soft” genocide before raining the missiles, depleted uranium and who knows, the MOAB to complete what the genocidal phase may have missed.
Then there is the silence, the paralysis of the anti-war champions whose voices no longer command a modicum of respect or attention from their criminal gangs of leaders as happened during the Vietnam war — essentially giving their government a free hand to starve, maim, kill and destroy under orders from Israel. No audible voices as yet, but don’t hold your breath, they aren’t coming. Europe is no different. After one year of waiting by Iran, all the commitments to circumvent the criminal sanctions have come to naught. But who gives a fuck about Muzzies and rag-heads anyway? By nature, they relish suffering, pain, starvation followed by a self-fulfilling death wish.
““I’m no good to anyone if I’m dead” – but he clearly wants to present himself as a leader-in-waiting.”
Actually, just about everyone would be better off if he was dead.
Unfortunately, the US won’t stop throwing its weight around until the violence comes home to the mainland and in a significant way.
agree
One Zircon = one aircraft carrier
They have to maintain access, some of them have sources, official and unofficial and you can’t report too much that trends toward truths that would expose your sources. Next thing a reporter knows, no one is returning his phone calls.
Agree wholeheartedly about the romanticizing of folk’s military service. I served aboard Nimitz in an A-6 squadron mid 70s to 1981. Volunteered, kid needed a job. How is THAT so noble, right? Turned out to be the most toxic workplace on the planet, The VA isn’t even the equivalent of a lousy workman’s comp agency as regards the long term effects of it all, so there’s not much to romanticize about the experience. Mostly they burned a lot of taxpayer money and got a bunch of people killed from time to time.
Conscripted Vietnam combat Vets are one thing. Volunteers post-Vietnam are quite another, again, they’re kids that need a job.
The Jewish lobby. America’s puppet master.
Actually, USS is the ship prefix used to identify a “United States Ship” and is always used to identify a commissioned United States Navy vessel owned AND operated by the United States Navy (meaning that the crew of the vessel is United States Navy sailors), whether the vessel is armed or not. Many “United States Ships” are not armed.
USNS stands for “United States Naval Ship” and is used to identify a non-commissioned ship that is owned by the United States Navy but is operated by the Military Sealift Command (meaning that the crew of the vessel is primarily civilian). Such a ship might or might not be armed, but usually is not.
I hope it doesn’t get to that, all we have to do is to follow the U.S. Constitution.
We must insist on Division of Powers, Check and Balances, we shouldn’t accept the rubber stamp congress which is effectively owned by the special interests groups to the detriment of the American people – we shouldn’t accept corrupt politicians who are willing even to sell their own children for political contributions, and lobbying money by the shady characters like Sheldon Adelson who are Israel-Firsters at the expense of the American core interests. We need to follow the U.S. Constitution, that’s all.
Thank you for the correction.
I don’t believe Iran is a threat to the United States and oppose Israel’s obvious dog-wagging of my nation’s soldiers. We could do without the “so-called born again” bullshit though. The idea that Christianity = Quaker pacifism is a snotty (((New Atheist))) fiction.
These aliens from hell, the Khazarian Mafia soulless criminal cabal who have killed more than 180 million people in the last century keep inciting Americans to inflame the hatred against Muslims and Christians and keep doing all these false flags to keep America in constant and never ending wars for the benefit of the most criminal entity the world has ever known, IsraHELL.
ZIONIST ARE HANDS DOWN THE BIGGEST FUCKIN THREAT TO HUMANITY AND THE WORLD!👹🇮🇱Join the Zionist Crusade!
Join the U.S military and fight for Israel.
Seven Islamic countries need to be destroyed for Greater Israel Project.
1.Afghanistan- check
2.Iraq-check
3.Sudan-check
4.Libya-check
5.Somalia-check
6.Syria-In Progress
7.Iran-TBA
Another Jewish Truth Teller. Thank you Jesus. I get accused of being an anti-Semite, but alas, I have more Jewish heroes than I do Gentile ones. I am especially fond of the late Israel Shahak. Judaism made such monkeys out of Jews that they rebelled against it. But, Zio-Judaism has made monkeys out of my own people, Christendom itself. Someday this charade of religious barbarism will be over. But I am not sure that humanity will be here to enjoy the tranquility.
These are sandniggers we’re talking about. With a bit of creativity they could be prank-called back to the Stone Age.
To be slightly more serious, someone hasn’t read Wikileaks. The ones beating the war drums, pointing at Iran and saying “let’s you and him fight,” aren’t the Israelis. Rather, it’s our good old friends, the House of Saud who are eating popcorn and rubbing their grubby little hands.
How kind of you to point out the blindingly obvious for Alistair and the rest of us. Many thanks.
If you think violence coming home to the US will make the US stop “throwing it’s weight around” you have a very different understanding of the US from mine.
I do think the US will back off from being World Police, but only after the financial cost gets too high. Violence coming to our shores is about the only thing that would convince the American people to bear the financial burden.
Aircraft carriers were on the edge of obsolescence in 1945 (e.g. Battle of Midway) so in 2019 – 74 years later – they’re incomprehensible.