War with IRAN! No! No! HELL No!

The BBQ Pit
1

Its drooling out of my TV even as I type, and I cannot fucking believe what I’m seeing! Same old crapola…“intelligence reports”…al Queda…WMD’s…regime change"

Weapons of Mass Destruction! Again, with that tired bullshit! AGAIN??? Lie after lie after lie, in lockstep, marched into our living rooms. Over and over, the bullshit was exposed, laid out so plain and clear a drooling idiot could see it, and we went to war anyway. And here it comes again!

GODDAMMIT! GODDAMMIT! Not Again! This is my country! It is the light of the world, the legacy of Paine and Jefferson, the last best hope for mankind, not some psychopathic school kid beating people up for thier lunch money!! How did we ever get to be the number one threat to peace! I will not pledge allegiance to an empire, and God help you if you try to enlist my child in your bloodthirsty macho madness! I’ll break his arms and legs and carry him over the Canadian border on my back. Not my kid! Not my neighbors kid! Not anybodys!!

GODDAMMIT!!

I am losing all rationality about this, this is insane! We are being led by morons!

And you guys, you who I call the Usual Suspects! You gonna swallow this shit and smile? What does it take to get through to you, how high do the corpses have to stack! Tell me that you haven’t surrendered your last scrap of humanity, your last smidgeon of rational thought to these dime-store Clauswitz’s!

Jesus fuck a shit souffle, I’m so mad I can’t think straight. And even if I could, it doesn’t help anything, they just go ahead and do it anyway!

Whats it gonna take to wake you people the fuck UP! No, of course, it wont be us getting killed, it will be them getting killed but thier lives COUNT! It fucking MATTERS!!

I didn’t hate them before, I don’t hate them now. But as God is my witness I can no longer remember why.

2

Well, Bush snookered me good on the “WMDs are in Iraq” pretense, although I’m not sorry we eliminated that disgusting regime. Iran’s population is largely pro-American, and the country itself poses no threat to us–there is no reason to go to war with them.

3

So where exactly do you stand on this issue?

4

For the curious, here’s a link.

5

“Pro-American” seems rather an overstatement. By all accounts, the people of Iran are no fans of American foreign policy in the region. On the whole, however, you’re correct that the population of Iran (as opposed to its clerical overlords) has become more and more friendly towards the United States. Sadly, the quickest way to end that is to start the saber-rattling in their direction.

6

Troops in Afghanistan, leffft face!

Troops in Iraq, riiiiight face!

Forward…

7

Thank you, Minty for the assist, although I would take it as uinderstood that in any discussion of international politics “pro-American” could be interpreted only as “pro-American people.” I don’t think any non-Americans are too fond of our foreign policy at the moment.

I thought Garr Trudeau’s depiction of the American occupation of Iraq as Roman Empire redux was rhetorical overkill. Now I’m none too sure. . .

8

I wonder what sort of profanity Tony Blair likes to use.

9

It’s not like the U.S. is making this difficult to understand. If a government harbors terrorists, it’s done. Simple.

There’s no question whatsoever that Al Qaeda is in Iran – they’ve proclaimed it themselves. The question is whether they’re in custody or not. Iran says they are. We claim to have evidence that whether they’re “in custody” or not, they are able to plan terrorist attacks – they’re being harbored.

A process will follow, and where that process will go is not clear. The fact is that Iran has been pretty good about picking up Al Qaeda operatives in their country. It could be that they simply didn’t have sufficient controls in place to prevent the operatives from continuing to plan attacks. But if the Iranian government actually allowed the Al Qaeda in it’s custody to plan terrorist attacks, they’re done. Simple.

10

Will you change your mind after Iran builds an atomic bomb?

Or will you wait until they have delivered it into the hands of al Qaeda operatives being harbored there?

11

But the question is what level of evidence is required to state conclusively that Iran’s government is complicit in Al Qaeda attacks. I’m going to need something more than a mere “J’accuse” from Bush and friends before giving my assent.

Somebody should tell Bush that it’s just about impossible to hold Asia long enough to get 7 armies. He should just draw his card, get his additional men, and sit out this round. (Besides, everyone knows the way to win the game is to attack Australia and then just wait)

12

It’s funny how they were able to have definite evidence of WMDs in Iraq before the war, yet unable to find that evidence once they controlled it. Yes, Iraq is big, but did it get bigger after Saddam left?

It clearly doesn’t matter what they have on Iran; obviously enough people will believe whatever the gov’t says, and never need proof. Hey, they wouldn’t lie! And it’s not like real people will get killed! It’s just them towelheads all the way across the world! Proof? Who need proof?

13

Jesus, Manny, you kidding? No shit, tell me straight: you willing to go to war on this mans word when he has looked you right in the eye and told you lie after lie after lie? Are you so ideologicly constipated you can’t see it when it grabs you by the lapels and screams in your face?

There were no uranium purchases! No massive stockpiles of anthrax, no gazillion litres of nerve gas! They LIED! Either that or they took mental diarrhea as intelligence, and thats just as bad if not WORSE!

Get it through your head! He is not who you think he is! You’ve been had! I don’t doubt your intention or your sincerity but lord love a duck, WAKE UP! These people are using you like a gas station rubber, they do NOT deserve your loyalty!

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Oh, and please rest assured that I absolutely hate Shrub and all he stands for.

15

Agreed, especially given Iran’s past cooperation. This is no Iraq, which gave a big FU to the world on terrorism and UN compliance right from the beginning. Iran has been moving in a moderating direction for a while here (interrupted by Bush’s idiotic inclusion of them in the "axis of evil). And even if “they” (Iran’s governemnt) did abet al Qaeda, I’ll want to see evidence that “they” are the most senior guys, not some faction.

16

Zenster the Bomb issue is a non-starter. Any two bit country that can afford to send 10 bright kids to graduate school can build a bomb. Christ, if Pakistan can do it, who the fuck can’t? What are we gonna do, kill 'em all! The Third World War will be Us against Everybody?

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I just wish more Americans would be not “too fond” of our foreign policy!

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First of all, practically every country harbors fucking terrorists, including the US. Second of all going after countries that “harbor terrorists” may make for a good speech but the reality is that the US doesn’t get to just going around invading whoever they want for no reason. “Harboring terrorists” is not a legal justification for an invasion, no matter what that little shit, W, says.

Furthermore, invading Iran would be a far tougher sell to the rest of the world than Iraq was, especially since it is becoming increasingly obvious that W lied through his teeth about the reasons for his first illegal invasion. Going after iran would also further insense the Arab and Muslim world, creating even more terrorism. Bush needs to back off of this bullshit “war on terror” already. He’s milked it for all the political advantage he can possibly get (while actually accomplishing almost nothing) and he’s going to reach a point of diminishing returns if he keeps it up.

He needs to pay attention to his own moribund economy instead, because that’s what people are going to vote on. If he’s learned anything from his daddy he should know that post-war approval ratings don’t mean jack shit during an election. And let’s not forget that W didn’t even really win the first time. He can’t kill his way into getting re-elected, he has to actually govern his country.

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From your lips to the ears of Allah, Kallesa

20

Who says there’ll be an election? How much you care to wager that Bush and Asshcroft will cobble up an excuse to suspend elections?