Are You Worried About Iran's Nukes? Don't Be.

[Causarius]

Hey Dani...I left you a message last night about this subject, but I didn't have anything to cite in front of me at the time (and it was Dennis Blair, the name of the guy I couldn't think of) so here are a few things to consider if you believe the neocon puppet, Obama, about Iran's nuclear desires.

And throughout this post if I say something like "if you want war," I am not specifically referring to you or any one person, so I please don't take it that way.


Dennis Blair: Iran Has Not Re-Started Its Nuclear Weapons Program
Blair said that the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which judged that “in the fall of 2003 Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program,” still stands:

Keeping Iran Honest
It wasn't until Monday that the IAEA found out about its existence, based not on any intelligence "scoop" provided by the US, but rather Iran's own voluntary declaration. Iran's actions forced the hand of the US, leading to Obama's hurried press conference Friday morning.

IAEA Responds To Allegations That Iran Is Pursuing Nuclear Weapons
With respect to a recent media report, the IAEA reiterates that it has no concrete proof that there is or has been a nuclear weapon programme in Iran.

U.S. Story on Iran Nuke Facility Doesn't Add Up
The story line that dominated media coverage of the second Iranian uranium enrichment facility last week was the official assertion that U.S. intelligence had caught Iran trying to conceal a "secret" nuclear facility.



Even if Iran had nuclear weapons (which we know they do not), and even if Iran has long range ICBMs to reach across the Atlantic with (which we know they do not), Iran would still not be a threat to the US because any attack with a weapon of mass destruction would be national suicide.

Is it a coincidence that Iran is dropping the dollar and the imperial American government is threatening Iran?
I think not.

If you want America to go to war with Iran, take this quiz first.


1. When was the last time Iran initiated a war with its neighbors

2. When was the last time Israel initiated a war with its neighbors?

3. Which nation is a signer of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Israel or Iran?

4. Which nation allows IAEA inspections, Israel or Iran?

5. Which nation actually has nuclear weapons, Israel or Iran?

6. Which nation just refused a request by the United Nations to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Israel or Iran?

7. Which nation just refused a request by the IAEA to allow inspections, Israel or Iran?

8. Name the one nation that has actually used nuclear weapons of mass destruction on another country.

While Obama and the neocons are scaremongering about Iran's peaceful nuclear power plants, they conveniently ignore the fact that Israel actually does have nuclear weapons and refuse to sign the NPT.

Recall Helen Thomas' first question to the new President:
Do you know of any country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons?

I don't want to speculate. What I know is this: that if we see a nuclear arms race in a region as volatile as the Middle East, everybody will be in danger. And one of my goals is to prevent nuclear proliferation generally. I think that it's important for the United States, in concert with Russia, to lead the way on this.

Speculate my ass! Everyone and their fucking mother knows Israel has nukes and that's what Helen was trying to get Obama to admit. Why doesn't he admit it?

This is why.

The Symington Amendment of the Foreign Assistance Act states:


(a) PROHIBITIONS; SAFEGUARDS AND MANAGEMENT. —Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no funds made available to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or this Act may be used for the purpose of providing economic assistance (including assistance under chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961), providing military assistance or grant military education and training, providing assistance under chapter 6 of part II of that Act, or extending military credits or making guarantees, to any country which the President determines delivers nuclear enrichment equipment, materials, or technology to any other country on or after August 4, 1977, or receives such equipment, materials, or technology from any other country on or after August 4, 1977, unless before such delivery—

(1) the supplying country and receiving country have reached agreement to place all such equipment, materials, or technology, upon delivery, under multilateral auspices and management when available; and

(2) the recipient country has entered into an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to place all such equipment, materials, technology, and all nuclear fuel and facilities in such country under the safeguards system of such Agency.



And one more thing...
Under Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, America should be helping Iran build power stations.

What better way to make sure that Iran is not trying to create nuclear weapons, than to help them develop their civilian nuclear energy programs?

[Dani Cutler]

Hey Causarius, yes I did get the VM, thanks!

This is all very interesting information, thank you for posting it. Very good points, especially your final point. If we were involved in their energy programs, we'd be the first to know if they were creating nukes. Sort of a "keep your enemies closer" policy, nevermind I am not sure what made them an enemy in the first place. I also heard recently ( I think it was on Real Time) that perhaps if we're so concerned we should take a Cuba approach to Iran. Sanction the hell out of them.

I have always wondered myself about why so much emphasis is placed on Iran as far as nukes go, and Israel just keeps doing what it does. And the US allows it.

Israel and the US are strange bedfellows.

Thanks for joining us here! It's not overly active, but we still manage to have a good time. ;-)

[Davetopper]

In other news, a terrorist group from Pakistan has recently attacked Iran. The first terrorist attack within Iran in 20 years.

Doesn't bode well when Pakistan is allied with the United States.

Will there be a war with Iran? It seems that there are people that want to make that an eventuality.

[Dani Cutler]

Is Pakistan allied with the US? I thought we were bombing them too. I also thought that Pakistan was Israel's enemy, which made them ours? Just asking, I really don't know.

[Causarius]

I don't think there is any black-and-white answer to that...obviously on the face of it they are somewhat of an ally. Obama has recently guaranteed to give Pakistan $1.5 billion a year in aid over the next five years...we don't really do that to enemies. But Obama has also ramped up the Predator strikes in Pakistan, our government has sort of an Orwellian stance on Pakistan.

[Causarius]

This is for you, Dani...

Who's in charge in nuclear-armed U.S. ally Pakistan?

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/80967.html

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan, a country that's critical to the U.S.-led war on terrorism, Friday appeared to be sliding toward a judicial coup, in which judges are moving to oust top officials in the civilian government, but without putting the military, or anyone else, in charge.

Courts summoned dozens of senior members of the ruling political party and were on the verge of issuing an arrest warrant for Interior Minister Rehman Malik as they followed up a landmark Supreme Court decision this week that nullified a legal amnesty that had shielded politicians from long-standing corruption charges.

The U.S. relies on Pakistan for transit of most supplies NATO forces in Afghanistan and has pressed the government to crack down on al Qaida and Afghan militants who have sanctuary in the lawless border region, but top U.S. officials are playing down the crisis as an internal matter for Pakistan.

Just who's running this nuclear-armed country of 165 million — the independent judiciary or another arm of the state — is unclear. The government, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, appeared paralyzed, and a creeping change in command seemed to be under way.

"It's complete (judicial) control now," said Asma Jahangir, the chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent watchdog. "The issue is whether the (democratic) system is going to pack up again (and go away)." She asked why the judiciary was "again" letting itself be used by "the establishment?"

Jahangir, a U.N. special human rights envoy, said the judiciary wouldn't have acted so boldly unless it felt confident of backing.



Doesn't this make you happy that the US is all over Iran's shit?

May I remind you that Iran signed the NPT, Pakistan did not...though they did sign an agreement with the IAEA in 04 to use more of it's reactors (some of which were provided by the US) for civilian purposes.

There are fears that terrorists could possibly take control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
The thing with Iran is that the lying, xenophobic, racist neocons (now Obamaco) "fear" that Iran will develop nuclear weapons and use them, since they are of course, all Islamofascist quasi-terrorists.

[Causarius]

This is a very suspicious attack to me.

I was listening to the Democracy Now! podcast from the other day...

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/19/six_senior_iranian_revolutio...
PEPE ESCOBAR: Well, Amy, the thing is, the brother of Abdul Malik Rigi, Abdulhamid, he was captured last year by the Pakistanis, by the way, in Baluchistan, and then he was extradited to Iran. He was executed in Iran, in fact. Last year—if I’m not mistaken, last year he gave an interview to Press TV, the semi-official Iranian TV network, where he explained in—I would say in a reasonable detail how the CIA approached his brother starting in 2003 and offering not only support, but cash. He specifically talked about a $100,000 cash advance by the CIA so Rigi could organize not only kidnappings, but starting to behead hostages live on camera and put it on YouTube. In fact, some of these tapes circulated on YouTube, in fact, some who were beheaded, if I’m not mistaken, in an attack in 2007, these hostages. So there is direct involvement of CIA.

Nexus this information in with...

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/30/hersh_congress_agreed_to_bush...
Congressional leaders agreed to a request from President Bush last year to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran aimed at destabilizing Iran’s leadership, according to a new article by veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine. The operations were set out in a highly classified Presidential Finding signed by Bush which, by law, must be made known to Democratic and Republican leaders. The plan allowed up to $400 million in covert spending for activities ranging from supporting dissident groups to spying on Iran’s nuclear program. Hersh joins us from Washington DC.

I can see this build up for war with Iran, and I want to spread the information awareness to try an stop it.

I'm not going to defend some of the abhorrent things that Iran does, but Dani said something in her reply about sanctioning Iran...well, Iran has done nothing wrong...there is no reason to sanction Iran.

I just wish these neocons that have overrun our government would stop pushing wars and let us mind our own business.

[Edmond Kruez]

Over there in the US you have nothing to worry about as their rockets cannot reach you. Typical american response. Iran will destroy as much of the world as they can if you will let them. You might think the idea of mutual annihilation will slow them down but it is no more a deterrent to them than it is to any other homicide bomber. The bottom line is they are so freaking crazy that they will not care if you can retaliate or not. They expect to be dead long before you can retaliate against them.

Never underestimate the power of an insane government. Never underestimate the power of an insane people.

[Davetopper]

The Japanese probably had that same thought about the US. Prophetic I might add.

[Causarius]

The difference is that Japan had no clue about nuclear weapons and what it took to build one.

The advantage we have, is that we do know what it takes...there is even an international regulation body that specializes in such matter. It's the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Iran allows them to inspect their nuclear facilities as signers of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As it stands now, Iran can only enrich Uranium to something like 5%.
Uranium must be enriched to a minimum of 95% for it to be workable bomb-making material.

Iran is NOT our enemy.
The neocons are trying to start/provoke a war with Iran.
Do not accept their warmongering propaganda!

[Causarius]

I reject that.

This line about "We can't trust the Iranians because they're crazy" is a form of racism, plain and simple, and it doesn't hold water.

I ask you to go back and take the little quiz that I posted, and rethink your position on Iran.

And before you try to respond with something about Ahmadinejad saying he wanted to 'wipe Israel off the map,' I'm going to preemptively debunk that, so...

Contrary to popular belief, this statement was never made.

The full quote translated directly to English:

"The Imam said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time".

Word by word translation:

Imam (Khomeini)
ghoft (said)
een (this)
rezhim-e (regime)
ishghalgar-e (occupying)
qods (Jerusalem)
bayad (must)
az safheh-ye ruzgar (from page of time)
mahv shavad (vanish from).

And I must say that I agree with him, if you objectively look at what the regime controlling Israel has done, and is doing, it's a very destructive and negative regime that has caused a lot of pain and suffering to the region.

If you want to talk about insane government, perhaps you should worry about the governments controlling Israel and America.