Sometimes you have to stand in awe at the tidal wave of bulls**t that continues to surge upstream. "Iran is a threat", "the danger of a nuclear armed Iran", "What action will be taken against Iran with its nuclear ambitions?"
Round and round we go, scrutiny as always is second to jingoism and macho posturing.
The issue of Iran is disturbing, not because there is a threat of any kind, but the infantile level of debate conducted by serious political figures and commentators. There are many articles written at present that refute categorically the idea that Iran poses a serious existential threat to the western world, or whether it has nuclear capabilities or ambitions in any form. I do not wish to take this approach, because although not widely believed (although they should be) the case has been overstated with evidence to the point of exhaustion... yet disturbingly ignored by mainstream news coverage.
I instead wish to pose the question: When will the serious folk of the political class quit their deranged Alice in Wonderland fantasies that Iran is a threat, and join us mere mortals back in the land of reality? Because if a society and its policies are dictated by evidence and reason, then we are clearly currently governed by fictions, lies and out right absurdities, and consequently the essence of our society is being compromised.
The war with Iran has long been craved. The neo-cons in America under captain Cheney made no secret of this horny teen fantasy, publically advocating regime change in a pre administration policy paper called "rebuilding Americas defenses". Other targets included Syria, Libya, Iraq, North Korea. All that was needed to pursue their wet dream was "a catalyzing event... like a new pearl harbor". Then 9/11 happened.
Ever since Iran has been in the cross hairs. Israel chimes on about the menace a nuclear configured Islamist Iran poses to their vulnerable Jewish shores, whilst simultaneously (with an arrogance only paralleled by their big brother bully the US) ignores the fact they have an illegally held arsenal of over 300 nuclear warheads and are a non signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. Whilst also being one of the most consistent aggressors and all round violators of international law of any other country in the history of the UN. Then they have the mendacity to beg us to condemn, even attack, a country with no such record. A country who WAS attacked (US sponsored Iraq) and is currently under terrorist attack by Israel... who do you think is killing their nuclear scientists?
Studies have proven only hard cold irrefutable facts challenge the views of zealots and the ignorant. So without unnecessary syntax and rambling, here are some key ones for the undersexed warmongers:
•Firstly, why are we as the 'west' in a position to morally determine who may and may not have nuclear weapons, having them ourselves, and having an appalling contemporary record of aggression and human rights abuses. Namely, the US, UK, and Israel. We have no 'moral authority' and we never did. Another myth.
•The 2007 joint intelligence report by the US and its 16 intelligence agencies concluded Iran has no nuclear weapons program. George bush disliked the conclusions based upon real evidence and ignored it. The US intelligence agencies aren't exactly famous for their pacifism, yet they stated categorically Iran has no operational nuke program. FACT
•In response to the 2007 Joint Intelligence report (NIE) G.W Bush said in his book Decision Points "the NIE tied my hands on the military side". Meaning, there was no evidence, thus pretext for him bombing Iran, so he couldn't.
•Recently Ehud Barak of Israel, the head of the CIA and US secretary of defense Leon Panetta, have all stated Iran has no nuclear weapons program. 'Panetta posed the direct question to himself: "Are they [the Iranians] trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No." FACT
•Iran in 2010 offered to trade half its low-enriched uranium for medical isotopes. It was a deal negotiated by Turkey and Brazil. The US rejected it, presumably preferring hostilities.
And on and on we could go...
Despite the above, we continue to talk about a nuclear Iran, as though at any second, it's on the verge of entering our homes and pumping us full of Iranian uranium. It's nonsense. Instead the media and politicians with no self-respect or any sense of irony, sadistically discuss how best to cripple Iran; economically or militarily = the people of Iran suffer, for literally no reason other than manufactured fictions. (...Although inflicting suffering on other nations based on fictions is nothing new to us, and if I need to explain that point, you are already a lost cause).
The really terrifying aspect of this whole pantomime is this; whether for sensational reasons benefiting the media, or for private interests longing for an attack on Iran, Iran is being pushed in to a diplomatic corner, where a nuclear deterrent seems a logical acquisition to defend itself from attack. As Noam Chomsky stated, Iran would have to be insane not to acquire a nuclear weapon, if the lessons of Libya and Iraq are considered (both attacked, with no deterrent). A fictional danger may indeed become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This 'issue' is unmerited ethically, scientifically, and has no credible intelligence to support it. But sadly we live in a world where the population are reared on a staple diet of fantasy and BS, and they seem unlikely to stop feeding anytime soon.