I started Right Truth and began blogging about terrorism, politics and current events in 2005, just four years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. It seems that the same problems we had then still exist, especially concerning the Middle East. Today hundreds of innocent people, including young children, are being tortured and killed in Syria in an effort to squelch any uprising that might lead to freedom in that country.
The UN speaks out and nothing happens. In 2005 the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on Syria to cooperate with the U.N. investigation into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and an appeal was made for Syria to end all support "for all forms of terrorist action and all assistance to terrorist groups." That went well. So well that our embassy, which was only recently re-opened by US President Barack Hussein Obama, has once again been closed.
Egypt threatens to put 12 American citizens on trial. The Muslim Brotherhoon is in control. The future does not look good there either.
Things haven't improved much with Iran since 2005 either. That was when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that "Israel should be wiped off the map". Iran's nuclear program was moving forward while Iran was paying Islamic Jihad members $10,000 to launch rockets into Tel Aviv. The money moved from Tehran to Damascus Syria, to the terrorists. Iran had also improved missile technology to the point they could deliver a missile into Israel. All they needed was the nuclear warhead. Move forward to 2012.
Sadly Iran is closer that ever to completing their nuclear aspirations and the US president still thinks he can negotiate with them and they will suddenly reverse course. Here is a page of reasons why negotiations won't work, why Iran is determined to not only strike Israel, but to destroy all Jews around the globe -- or as many as they can take out by whatever means. There are plenty of arguments against an Israeli attack on Iran. And all of them are bad.
Obama is demanding that Israel bow to his wishes. As Daniel Greenfield reminds us:
There was a time when Israel did not deal with existential threats by urging the Americans to do something. That time was fairly recent. When Saddam decided he wanted to have his own nuclear reactor, fourteen Israeli Air Force jets put an end to his dream. The year was 1981. [snip]
Four years ago Israel launched a quieter attack was launched on a nuclear reactor in Syria, this time with the likely approval and assistance of the United States. Now after all the whitewashing of Iran's nuclear program, it is coming down to the bottom line. Either a comprehensive attack will be launched or Iran's nuclear program will pass the point of no return. [snip]
Obama is not a fan of bombing Muslim countries, unless it is on behalf of other Muslim countries. His whole foreign affairs strategy was based around winning the Muslim world over and even an Israeli raid conducted with zero approval and even opposition would still be blamed on the United States. Additionally with an election coming up, a bombing raid could escalate into something bigger and affect oil prices. Given a choice between winning an election or a nuclear bomb in Tel Aviv, no one seriously doubts which he will choose. (read it all)
There is much written today about Iran's nuclear plans, what Israel should or should not do, what America should or should not do. I read it all and consider the motivations of the author. However, an article yesterday holds much weight for me. The article is written by Reza Kahlili (not his real name), author of the book A Time To Betray, former Iranian Revolutionary Guard who worked with the CIA. Eventually the CIA brought Kahlili, his wife and family to the US where he continues to live and work.
In 2010 then U.S. General Stanly McChrystal said there is clear evidence of Iranian activity (in Iraq against US forces) — in some cases providing weaponry and training to the Taliban, and training Taliban inside Iran. This certainly wasn't "news" to Reza Kahlili who informed the United States of this over 22 years ago.
Here is what Reza Kahlili reports yesterday:
The Iranian government, through a website proxy, has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people.
The doctrine includes wiping out Israeli assets and Jewish people worldwide.
Calling Israel a danger to Islam, the conservative website Alef, with ties to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the opportunity must not be lost to remove “this corrupting material. It is a ‘jurisprudential justification” to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.”
The article, written by Alireza Forghani, a conservative analyst and a strategy specialist in Khamenei’s camp, now is being run on most state-owned conservative sites, including the Revolutionary Guards’ Fars News Agency, showing that the regime endorses this doctrine.
Because Israel is going to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran is justified in launching a pre-emptive, cataclysmic attack against the Jewish state, the doctrine argues.
On Friday, in a major speech at prayers, Khamenei announced that Iran will support any nation or group that attacks the “cancerous tumor” of Israel. Though his statement was seen by some in the West as fluff, there is substance behind it.
Iran’s Defense Ministry announced this weekend that it test-fired an advanced two-stage, solid-fuel ballistic missile and boasted about successfully putting a new satellite into orbit, reminding the West that its engineers have mastered the technology for intercontinental ballistic missiles even as the Islamic state pushes its nuclear weapons program.
The commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Brig. Gen. Seyyed Mehdi Farahi, stated in August that the Safir missile, which is capable of transporting a satellite into space, can easily be launched parallel to the earth’s orbit, which will transform it into an intercontinental ballistic missile. Western analysts didn’t believe this would happen until 2015. Historically, orbiting a satellite is the criterion for crediting a nation with ICBM capability.
Forghani details the Islamic duty of jihad as laid out in the Quran for the sake of Allah and states that “primary jihad,” according to some Shiite jurists, can only occur when the Hidden Imam, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, returns. Shiites believe Mahdi’’s return will usher in Armageddon.
There is also concern over Pakistan, which has proven over the past few years they are NOT a friend of the United States by any stretch of the imagination.
A European diplomat based in Pakistan said that if Israel attacks, Islamabad will have no choice but to support any Iranian retaliation.
The diplomat's statement raised the specter of putting a nuclear-armed Pakistan at odds with Israel, which is widely believed to have its own significant nuclear arsenal. (continue reading)
Oil, terror, personal interests, all make for strange bedfellows. The old saying "the enemy of my emeny is my friend" only stretches so far in the Middle East.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Since September 11, 2001 (and before) and certainly since 2005 when I started this blog, things have stayed the same in many respects, and yet they have changed, not necessarily for the better. No question Iran and her lackeys, Syria, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and others, are more set on destroying Israel and Jews (and the West) than every before.
If someone does not stop them, that is exactly what they will try to do.
Other Reading:
The Jewish Resistance in France during World War II: The Gap between History and Memory, JCPA
Torture! So is waterboarding three terrorists that resulted in getting enough information to find 300 terrorists and break up plots to attack the U.S. torture? I mean compare what Syria is doing with what the loony tunes were calling torture when we waterboarded three murders. Can we now agree that waterboarding, while not a good thing, is NOT torture?
Posted by: GoneWithTheWind | February 06, 2012 at 10:42 AM
An Old Snake Hunter Wonders...
Why are we warehousing KSM in Guantanimo for ten years, in relative comfort, when that fat, hairy pig has admitted his role in the murder of 3,000 innocents at the WTC
Towers on 9/11/2001?
Justice delayed is justice denied. - reb
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Posted by: reb | February 06, 2012 at 11:29 AM
It occurs to me that if we had a choice about this, it was made years ago. The current Irani regime is not popular in Iran w/ the natives. But, like here, the natives have lost their vision due to comfort. So a surgical removal of the Irani leaders and a crippling strike on their nukes could conceivably allow Iranis to restore some common sense in their country. No boots on the ground needed. Covert yes, traitorous Iranis yes, Israeli and US military cant say because nobody would fess up. Russia, India and Pakistan upset, yes, but they dont want the Iranis either but dont want to go on record as saying so. With all that I guess we could back up the calendar a little, but removing 80% of our Federal pork barrel and letting Americans and foreign nations do it on personal initiative sounds a lot better than politics as normal for the post Reagan days. America needs to feed cloth educate and remake its children in Americans not ethnic diverse people with special rights. Black, Yellow, Red , brown or white everyone the same or leave.
Posted by: Brian | February 06, 2012 at 12:24 PM
GoneWithTheWind: I don't consider the few that we waterboarded being tortured. Our soldiers submit to waterboarding as part of their training. It worked when used with the terrorists, especially KSM.
reb: KSM has not had his hearing/trial yet because the Liberals insisted over the years that he be brought to the US, New York City, for trial, with all the privileges of a US citizen.
The American people made their feelings known and hopefully the hearing will go forward soon.
Brian: I agree, no boots on the ground. We are already involved in covert operations, so is Israel and perhaps other countries.
Taking out Iraq's nuclear facilities, and also taking out Syria's nuclear facility, which is what Israel did, was a good thing. If we can dismantle Iran's facilities someway, put them back 10, 20 years that would do the job.
Posted by: Debbie | February 06, 2012 at 01:24 PM
I see nothing wrong with waterboarding, it's useful and it doesn't leave any kind of permanent damage. Compared to what our enemies do to American soldiers, civilians and even children. That's a walk in the park.
And all Egypt got was a stern warning from Hilary Clinton. What an idiot. These are not kindergartners misbehaving.
Posted by: Leticia | February 06, 2012 at 03:58 PM
For all the alarms sounded since 9/11, our leaders are proceeding down the road of deliberate blindness.
I read the other day that Obama has agreed to all of the Taliban's conditions for "peace talks."
The Taliban Islamomaniacs sense weakness. They are right on that score.
And now here comes Iran with the likely launch of a nuclear warhead.
"What rough beast now slouches toward Bethlehem?"
Posted by: Always On Watch | February 07, 2012 at 04:56 AM