Ahmadinejad is Laughing all the way to Hell
Sep 26th, 2009 by pedestrian
… As is Obummerz.
Look at that “defiant” picture of Obama. I don’t think any photo in recent weeks has gotten me this angry, not even Ahmadinejad’s (I am too used to him).
The nuclear issue is a NON-ISSUE. It’s Ahmadinejad’s plaything, and the “courageous” West loves to play along.
Well it was Khatami’s plaything before that. And before that, it was Rasfanjani’s.
I agree with you, Ped. It should be a non issue. But the hegemonic interests of Iran’s neighbor not far removed to the east thinks differently. And, of course, what this neighbor wants, it many times manages to get. It’s the old tail wagging the dog trick.
And Mr. A is an eager and willing playmate to the neighbor we’ll refrain from mentioning.
Pirouz, all those things withstanding, my main worry is the future of movement in Iran – in the shadow of this big mess created by non other than the playmate of the month Ahmadinejad, his playmate neighbor I too will refrain from mentioning, and all the other playmates out there.
I’m not so sure I’d say it’s TOTALLY a non-issue. I don’t think anyone, including the Iranian people, likes to think of a person so psychotic and delusional as Ahmadinejad having the power to wipe out a city at the press of a button.
Having said that, I agree with you that it’s definitely a deliberate distraction from the problem at hand….not getting rid of nukes but of someone like Ahmadinejad who is insane enough to want, and to use, them…not to mention all the other utterly psychopathic crimes he’s already committed!
Eowyn9, that’s where I think you’re wrong: Ahmadinejad & Co is a global enterprise. It’s a corrupt, very complex corporation. These men are beasts, they are not stupid! When the time comes, they will negotiate with anyone and compromise on ANYTHING. And they will certainly not blow up the world! They are as beastly and pragmatic in their approach as Israel, a state dripping in nuclear weapons but one that has never used them!
Behind the scenes; news lost in the sensationalism of Green New York, Holocaust Denial & Nuclear “secrecy” of Ahmadinejad
You have a good point…people tend to forget that, though many countries now have nukes, there has only ever been one country crazy enough to USE them. And that’s the same “freedom-loving” country you mention in your other post today (which I am VERY pleased, for the record, to be able to declare that I am NOT a citizen of, thank goodness. My own country doesn’t have nukes, and I’m quite content with that state of affairs.)
Still, if Ahmadinejad & Co are psychopathic and ruthless enough to torture, kill, rape and commit other unspeakable crimes for the purposes of staying in power, are you really sure they’d refrain from blowing up a city or two if it suited their purposes?
Not that I’m saying any other nuke-owning country is particularly to be trusted either. Especially the aforementioned one…still am wondering how the world got through eight years of GWB & Co without a mushroom cloud or two. That administration wasn’t just ruthless but stupid and short-sighted as well…not a good combination.
eowyn, the United States brutalizes populations OUTSIDE its own borders for its survival as a global superpower, while giving – relative – freedoms/entertainment (whatever you want to call it) to its own people to keep their mouths shut. The same works for many other states, like Israel.
The Iranian government works the same way, but in the opposite direction : it terrorizes its own population for survive but that in no way means it is psychotic or willing to use a bomb.
In fact, if there’s anyone who should be worried, it’s Iranians INSIDE Iran. And they are the ones who know that there are bigger issues at hand here!
i, too, think it’s *highly* unlikely that the weapons, if there are any, will be used. however, the fact remains that it makes people rather nervous. yes, there is a terrible double-standard in all this (“peace-loving” et. al.) and i personally think this technology should have never been invented.. but let me repeat, people are nervous (even if they are the wrong people, who focus on the wrong reasons). ahmadinejad & co have a very bad record of non-compliance with officials in terms of inspection.. they have not attempted to pacify. moreover, their “word” that the technology is for peaceful purposes means very little. they are very much aware of this. i highly doubt that the “new” plant will indeed be open to inspection, as they say.
why i point to all this: it is clear to everyone that sanctions hurt ordinary people the most. the government doesn’t care. they should, in fact, care very deeply but it is clear they are open to more sanctions (even military action – which, as well, i think is *highly* unlikely). the issue should not be whether or not the weapons exist – the issue should be the way this is all being handled, which is TERRIBLY.
p.s. completely unrelated – can i use html tags to italicize in this comment box?
Yes, you can!
Inna, first of all, I hold Ahmadinejad & Co. the sole responsible party in this. I don’t mean to take any responsibility off their shoulder. Ahmadinejad has used a slew of issues: the nuclear question, the holocaust, etc to derail focus on the shit he’s been stirring up at home. And he’s been doing it for the past four years. The more sanctions thrown at us, the happier he’ll be. That’s what makes this so sick.
That said, why are people nervous? And that’s a reality: people ARE nervous. Ordinary people too. But the REASON for this nervousness is the problem in the first place. Why weren’t these same people nervous about the Israeli bombs, which are REAL, and stored away in large numbers? They were never even opened to inspection. Especially that in the past 40 years, Israel has had its fair share of barbaric, cocky leaders. The world wasn’t shaking then. The political, social, media, sources which are creating genuine fear in people are the problem. The fear is genuine, no arguments there.
Agreed
However, it is not *entirely* made up – I don’t believe Israel has ever threatened the West whereas “Death to America” is a common one in Iran, whether it be totally motivated by propaganda or not. I don’t say there is no reason to be angry with the US – there are *plenty* of reasons.. but the fear is slightly motivated by this, is it not?
I’m really worried that there’s gonna be a war with Iran,but I think you have an excellent point that Ahamdinejad is using his holocaust denial and the nuclear weapons topic to temp Obama into war so that he can parade around and what have you. Obama’s already continued to destroy Afghanistan and Iraq, I don’t want him destroying Iran either.
Inna, I hate to sound like I’m defending Ahmadinejad. I’m not. But here’s my take:
Ever since the revolution in Iran, Israel has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombardment. Years and years before Ahmadinejad, and even during president Khatami’s terms who was probably the most peaceful leader the Middle East and the world has seen in a long time. And they literally threatened us, it wasn’t “death to Iran” it was “let’s bomb Iran.”
Wasn’t John McCain the one who sang “bomb, bomb, bomb Iran”? Sure he wasn’t the president, but he was a senator, and it’s not like Bush was any better. I don’t remember any Iranian MPs singing about military bombardment of America.
Let me tell you how it feels to watch a presidential debate on American TV and hear the moderator ask the candidates about their views on “military attack on Iran” … I can’t really describe it. What gives these folks the right to sit there in their chairs in Alabama and debate bombing my brains out? How is this even ALLOWED on live television?
I can’t defend the death to American chants in anyway, I’m just saying that if they are used to create fear, then Iranians should be more afraid then anyone and should be going WAY farther than Ahmadinejad. He’s never threatened the West with any sort of direct military threat as far as I can remember.
I don’t think any “righteous” side can be argued out of this, so just like I laugh at Ahmadinejad’s superiority complex … the other side too makes me cringe. Especially since both sides have the power to severely harm my family and countrymen.
Jenny, I’m worried too. It doesn’t seem very likely to me at this point, but I’m watching all the players, most especially our own :’(
Ped, I have loved ones in Iran as well. I don’t want to see this happen.
Inna, I really don’t think it’s very likely at this point. BUT:
first of all, I’m just a twirpy kid, so how would I know?
And second, Ahmadinejad and K. may decide that another war will only strengthen their legacy. Just like it did Khomeini’s (the difference being that all international observers agreed that the Iraq war was an imposed war) … And Obummerz and Bibi may be all too willing to do them the favor.
I wouldn’t ever call you “just a twirpy kid”
I find it very strange that Bbibi & Ahamadinejad are so antagonistic.. they have (this week, in particular) used the same tactics to deflect attention from domestic issues
Pedestrian, I well remember watching the “bomb, bomb Iran” incident. I can’t express how very sick it made me feel. As an elected politician and representative of the American public, heck, as a HUMAN BEING he should have known better.
Especially when I began to follow the Iran presidential election and its aftermath in early June, and began to see the real face of the Iranian people – not the shallow two-dimensional story the media had been feeding us all along. Their bravery. Their proud heritage and deep love of freedom. Their eagerness to help one another even in the face of danger. Their genuine desire to reach out to the outside world despite the war-mongering rhetoric of their leaders.
When I thought back to McCain’s “bomb, bomb Iran”, I just felt utterly revolted. What could he have been thinking? Had he ever made a genuine effort to understand Iran’s culture, speak with any people from Iran, learn its history and language? (Heck, did he even *know* what language was spoken in Iran? I didn’t before June…that’s how little we tend to know in the Western world about Iran…)
The more I thought about it, the more furious I became. How dare he talk, lightly and comfortably, about blowing a beautiful and ancient civilization into rubble, as if the whole thing were some kind of *#$@ video game? (And then to have the gall to accuse Iran of being antagonistic and insular?) What is it about being in a position of power that makes people think a bomb is the best response to any crisis?
Thankfully, as I’ve said I’m not a US citizen. But it’s especially at times like this that to be one would make me very ashamed.
I think the political reality is that there is zero appetite amongst the people who count in the US for a war with Iran. The negative political consequences of the war in Iraq were too great, and political support for Obama’s current strategy in Afghanistan is wobbly. Obama cannot afford war with Iran. And Bush knew he couldn’t afford it either:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/washington/11iran.html
Ignoring the problem, however, is not possible either. The regime has not limited itself to only using terror inside the borders of Iran. And as we see already, the threat of the threat of the bomb is highly disruptive., the threat of an actually existing bomb could be even more disruptive, and could give the regime a dangerous sense of invulnerability, encouraging other nuttiness.
Bernard Kouchner talked recently of the dangers of sanctions. I’m sure Obama also sees the dangers, but he probably views the alternatives as even more dangerous. Whether he’s right or not is arguable but unknowable. We’ll only get to find the result of whatever action is taken, and good and bad alternatives that might have been will remain speculation.
Kellie, we are not as worried about the Americans as we are of the Israelis who seem to have quite a voracious appetite for war. As for the “dangers” that the nuclear program in Iran could pose for the rest of the world, I’ve commented here and elsewhere.
I thought the “bomb,bomb Iran” parody of”Barbara Ann” was quite funny, and a cheerful expression of American Jingoism.
You need to lighten up !
And relax ! You’ve still got plenty of time left to dig a spider hole, and stock it with food,and water. At this time,the Great Satan is much to busy liberating other folks to liberate Iran,also.
Iraq needed a little help to get rid of Saddam, but Iranians are going to have to liberate themselves.My Pollyanna is still hopeing for a peaceful transformation in Iran with no bombs, and if you please, a mimimum of firing squads afterwards. Just work on that ; the war hysteria is for the fools.
Hey, BTL, why doesn’t beach boy McCain think it so funny when the Iranians chant “death to America” – what then is all this nonsense about Iran being a “grave danger” … if it’s so funny, why doesn’t he laugh at his own joke?