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<H2 class=date-header><SPAN>Saturday, February 2, 2013</SPAN></H2>
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<H3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">Iran is not the problem in
the Middle East. They live there. </H3>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal>by Richard Mellor<BR><BR>Leon Panetta, the US Secretary of
Wars, what the US establishment refers to as a <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“Defense Secretary”</I> is looking out for
my interests apparently.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He warns
us today in the <A
href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323926104578278231369164640.html">Wall
Street Journal</A> that the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“Iranian
Threat Spreads”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></I><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s amazing how clued in these
politicians are to our concerns.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I
got up this morning after a really bad night’s sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking
about what my life would be like if we didn’t stop the Iranians from trying to
take over our country and take away our freedoms. We’re being threatened from
all sides. What can we do?<BR><BR>The folks at the Pentagon have a spotty track
record and I’m wondering if I should trust them.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They have a nose for sniffing out
anti-American elements is the impression we get from the media so I’m sure
they’ll discover the jump in military veteran suicides, 22 a day or one every
hour or so, has something to do with the Iranians.</DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal>But in the immediate, Panetta is concerned because our
trusted intelligence network says the Iranians are smuggling antiaircraft
weapons to terrorists in the Middle East, Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza and the
Syrian government.<BR><BR>The big threat, a <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“serious escalation”</I> is these
antiaircraft missiles called manpads that can be carried by one person and could
bring down an attack helicopter or a jet.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Can you imagine if Hamas gets these, they’ll be able to shoot down
Israeli planes that bomb their homes and spray white phosphorous on them. And
what good is having an attack helicopter that is a great way to kill those who
have no serious means to defend themselves if they get hold of missiles that can
bring US helicopters down.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Good
grief, Britain’s Prince Harry could have died if the Afghans had them.</DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal>What else does Panetta say?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Oh yes, the US is going to respond to
this <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“threat” </I>by leading (don’t
laugh) <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“a multination exercise in the
United Arab Emirates.”. </I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This
might sound like something multi-lateral to many Americans because so many us of
haven’t a clue where or what the Emirates are.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most people don’t realize they are just
a bunch of corrupt, feudal misogynists.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The US easily bribes these guys along as they are kept in power through
US taxpayer donations in the form of military hardware to keep their struggling
masses (mostly imported labor) in line. The Bahrainian royal family faced a
revolt from reformers that wanted democratic/religious rights and even a
Republic. This was brutally suppressed including through the invasion of Saudi
troops at Washington’s urging. It was all done as 30,000 US troops stood idly
by.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But their job is to defend the
oil industry, not democracy. In a democracy, a population would demand control
over its national resources---an absolute monarchy is a safer
bet.<BR><BR>Panetta accuses Iran of, <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“An
intensified campaign to destabilize the Middle East”</I> by allegedly smuggling
missiles to victims of US or Israeli attack helicopters.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Had the Reuters journalist and the other
civilians that a US attack helicopter mowed down, had these manpads, they might
have saved their own lives.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(This
is the You Tube video that Bradley Manning is facing life imprisonment for
because he shared it with us.)</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>But wait a minute. Isn’t Iran in the Middle East?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Don’t Iranians live there? Isn’t it
their part of the world?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Why would
they want to destabilize everything---bring the might of the US war machine and
its proxies in Israel who are armed to the teeth, down on them?</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>And how does this most important journal of the US
capitalist class describe those in Gaza who fire homemade rockets at the right
wing settlers, religious fanatics, that are the front line of the Zionist
regime’s expansionary policies? <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“Extremists in Gaza long have used rockets
in their conflict with Israel. Manpads could give them the capacity to shoot
down Israeli aircraft.” </I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s
incredible to any thinking person.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The occupants of the largest outdoor concentration camp in the world are
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“extremists”.</I> And heavens forbid that
they should have the right to shoot down US made jets that bomb their homes.
<BR><BR><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“The weapons are a major concern
for Israel which borders territory controlled by Iran’s allies.”</I> The Journal
adds. The truth is that the only form of stabilization the US and the Zionist
regime requires is one where ruling cliques will allow western oil companies and
the coupon clippers that profit from them to continue their plunder of the
region’s resources without hindrance and that only the US and Israel maintain
the ability to destroy every living thing in the area.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Washington doesn’t like wars where
people can fire back.<BR><BR>As I read this nonsense this morning I imagined the
incredible anger workers in these areas must feel.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The US supports the most repressive
anti-democratic regimes in the region, regimes like the Saudi’s who behead women
for adultery, flog women who leave the home without a male relative’s escort and
even have an official religious police who make sure you are practicing the
right type of Islam.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><BR><BR>The US
ruling class has no credibility when it talks of stabilizing anything.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is a reason all our embassies have
to be fortified, that we can’t travel to half the countries of the world anymore
and that our government is so hated, and it has nothing to do with
jealousy.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Iranians would not forget
that the US overthrew the secular democratic government of Mohammad Mossadegh in
1953 and installed the murderous Shah.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>People see how the US supports the dictatorial regime in Yemen and the
absolute monarchs of Bahrain against forces fighting for democratic rights.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><BR><BR>It has been the British and the
US and their continued support of the Apartheid state of Israel that is the
major destabilizing factor in the Middle east, not just Israel, but the Arab
thugs in the region as well.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
roots of terrorism and anti-American feeling lie deeply planted in US foreign
policy soil.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>US foreign policy is
why the Mullah’s rule in Iran.<BR><BR>The area of activity is changing a bit as
the war against terror is shifting westward to drive back the threat of
marauding Tuaregs.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One thing we
need to be aware of.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The increased
weapons technology like drones, the increased militarization of the US
population with some 20,000 border patrol officers and beefed up police and
security forces, the use of these will not be confined to those opposing
occupation by the imperial powers.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>These will all be used domestically, against the American working class
as the movement against austerity and the destruction of our living standards
grows as it inevitably will. Stopping production through strikes and other forms
of mass action, hurting the economy, hindering profit taking, that’s terrorism
too you know, on a mass
scale.</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>