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American Media Drums Up Support for War … Again

George Washington's picture




 

American Media Drums Up Support for War … Again

Even After Mea Culpas For Horrible Iraq War Coverage, American Media Does the Same Thing With Iran

The American people are being bombarded with messages that Iran will launch an attack unless it is bombed.

For example, this is a top AP headline from today:

Iran1 American Media Drums Up Support for War ... Again

The headline is being parroted by virtually every media outlet:

Iran 1b American Media Drums Up Support for War ... Again

Iran 1a American Media Drums Up Support for War ... Again

Only upon a closer reading of the AP article can we see what Iran actually said:
Clipboard02 American Media Drums Up Support for War ... AgainIn other words, Iran is saying if you attack us first, we’ll fight back.

That’s a little bit different from the misleading headline … isn’t it? As I noted in August, this is the old bully’s trick of pretending he is the victim:

Police have recently stated on the record that:

Indeed, in modern America, even being worried that the government is acting in a bullying manner can literally get one arrested, committed to a psychiatric ward or labeled as a terrorist.

 

***

In other words, the government is using the age-old bully’s trick: pretending that the victim is the attacker, and the bully is merely defending himself.

 

The same is true in terms of our foreign policy. For example, when we accidentally kill foreigners, we pretend that they were armed or pretend that they were “militants”.

 

The government invaded Iraq because it claimed Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and that he had a hand in 9/11 … but everyone knew that both claims were false.

In fact, the American media is always pro-war, and happily trumpets disinformation about supposed enemies to drum up support for new wars. Indeed, some think that war is fun.

The people pushing for war against Iran are the same people who pushed for war against Iraq … and said it would be a “cakewalk”.

But even after all of the mea culpas for their horrible Iraq coverage – by the New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC and others – the media are doing the exact same thing with Iran.

Israel Versus Iran: What’s REALLY Going On …

 

The Conflict Only Makes Sense With Historical Perspective

Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and Iranian president Ahmadinejad both seem like hotheads. Israel and Iran are making fiery accusations against each other. There have been religious wars in the Middle East for thousands of years (think Crusades) ... are we drifting towards WWIII? What's really going on? It is only apparent when you learn the historical context:

  • The people pushing for war against Iran are the same people who pushed for war against Iraq, and said it would be a “cakewalk”. See this and this
  • In 2002, for example, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu helped convince the American Congress that Saddam was making weapons of mass destruction:

(Of course, American intelligence already knew that Saddam didn't really possess WMDs. And see this.)

  • The CIA admits that the U.S. overthrew the secular, moderate, suit-and-tie-wearing, Democratically-elected prime minister of Iran in 1953. He was overthrown because he had nationalized Iran's oil, which had previously been controlled by BP and other Western oil companies. As part of that action, the CIA admits that it hired Iranians to pose as Communists and stage bombings in Iran in order to turn the country against its prime minister
  • If the U.S. hadn't overthrown the moderate Iranian government, the fundamentalist Mullahs would have never taken over. (Moreover, the U.S. has had a large hand in strengthening radical Islam in the Middle East by supporting radicals to fight the Soviets and others)
  • The U.S. armed and supported Iraq after it invaded Iran and engaged in a long, bloody war which included the use of chemical weapons. Here is former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meeting with Saddam Hussein in the 1980's, several months after Saddam had used chemical weapons in a massacre:

  • Hotheads within the U.S. and Israeli have been claiming for more than 30 years that Iran was on the verge of nuclear capability
  • The U.S. actually helped fund Iran's nuclear program

  • The decision to threaten to bomb Iran was made before 9/11

Postscript: Top American and Israeli military and intelligence officials say:

  • Despite its heated rhetoric – Iran is a “rational actor”. For example, in 2011, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before Congress that “we continue to judge Iran’s nuclear decision-making is guided by a cost-benefit approach.” In February 2012, General Ron Burgess, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Congress that “the agency assesses Iran is unlikely to initiate or provoke a conflict.” Also in February, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: “We are of the opinion that Iran is a rational actor”

And despite the fact that Iran is a Muslim country, it actually treats Jews and Christians pretty well ... much better than close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia.

 

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Sat, 09/29/2012 - 00:12 | 2841058 Anusocracy
Anusocracy's picture

"I think the consensus is that many nations, including Arab nations, would like to keep that graph unchanged."

 

Guess again.

http://newsdesk.umd.edu/universitynews/release.cfm?ArticleID=2570

Israeli Public Supports Middle East Nuclear Free Zone: UMD Poll

 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Nearly two-thirds of Israeli Jews, 64 percent, favor establishing a nuclear free zone in the Middle East - even when it was spelled out that this would mean both Israel and Iran would have to forego nuclear weapons - finds a new University of Maryland poll. The research is a joint project of the Anwar Sadat Chair at the University of Maryland and the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).

Pressure for such a nuclear free zone has grown with the potential for Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, possibly leading to a regional arms race, the researchers say. Next year the United Nations will sponsor a conference devoted to the idea. The Israeli government opposes creation of such a zone.

In the new poll, fewer than half, 43 percent, support an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Recently, even leading voices within Israel's defense community have said that such a strike would merely slow, but not stop Iran and that Israeli cities would be vulnerable to retaliation.

At the same time the Israeli public acknowledges Iran's potential for acquiring nuclear weapons. An overwhelming 90 percent say it is likely that Iran will eventually acquire a nuclear capacity.

When asked which would be better - for both Israel and Iran to have nuclear weapons, or for neither to have them - a robust 65 percent say it would be better for neither to have them.  Only 19 percent prefer a nuclear armed Israel and Iran.

"I find the results surprising given the long held assumption that the Israeli public is not prepared to even discuss the nuclear issue given their deep seated sense of insecurity," says Shibley Telhami, the University of Maryland's Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development.

"If Israel and Iran were to indicate a readiness to join a process toward turning the Middle East into a nuclear free zone this would be a major game changer in negotiations on Iran's nuclear program," adds Steven Kull, director of PIPA, a joint program of the Center on Policy Attitudes and the Center on International Security Studies at Maryland.

The researchers point to another one of their findings as highly significant in terms of future negotiations with Iran: Israeli Jews not only expressed support for the long term goal of eliminating nuclear weapons from the region, but also for an interim  step of making their nuclear facilities transparent together with Iran's.

Asked about having all countries in the region, including Israel and Iran, "agree to have a system of full international inspections of all facilities where nuclear components could be built or maintained," 60 percent favored it.

The poll of 510 Israeli Jews has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent. The poll was fielded by the Dahaf Institute in Israel. Interviews were conducted by telephone November 10-16. The research is a joint project of the Program on International Policy Attitudes and the Anwar Sadat Chair at the University of Maryland, The results were released in conjunction with the start of the Saban Forum on US-Israeli Relations at the Brookings Institution. 

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:16 | 2841129 Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd's picture

Countries in the region already made up the mind.

Those which signed the NPT, chose to allow for international inspections. In return they get access to wealth of sensitive technologies.

Those which didn't sign, don't get access to such sensitive technologies, and are not required to allow inspection.

--

Notwithstanding the above, the idea we can rely on international inspection is laughable.

 

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:03 | 2840625 George Washington
George Washington's picture

The consensus is that the U.S. is backing one side in the Sunni-Shia war in order to extract resources.  We back the most radical, violent crazy strain of Islam imaginable - the Salafi/Wahabi idiots from Saudi Arabia.  We overthrow everyone who is moderate, unless they give us their resources.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:26 | 2840706 putaipan
putaipan's picture

see- albert pike for further details.....

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:44 | 2840756 RichardP
RichardP's picture

This one?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Pike

Help me out here.  What am I looking for?

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 00:45 | 2841102 Ying-Yang
Ying-Yang's picture

The wonks were heads..... after being calmed by smoke breaks, persuded top brass to tell the people they represent "OBL should be buried at sea."

We would not want anyone to find a body that was frozen stiff for years.

or

Have the POTUS reading goat stories when the country was under attack... "GASP".

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 23:45 | 2841005 JOYFUL
JOYFUL's picture

What you are looking for is confirmation through historical exegesis that calmer heads seldom, if ever, get to pull the levers of power.

Since at least the time of Weisthaupt, Bauer(Rothschilds)and Frank, the maddest, most misanthropic miscreants the world has ever seen have been formulating the political destinies of all the 'big powers' from behind the scenes.

Moral degnerates like Pike, Mazzini, et. al  served as their minions, tasked with corrupting the values of a civilization which had sought, through long distillation, the elixir of social justice and harmony, with a smattering of success.

The rise to public profile of the Sabbatean heresy signalled the onslaught of a war against that civilization which has now reached it's denouement. Granting the possibility that your request is genuine, what you are looking for is the ability to disentangle yourself from the web of lies spun by the sionist inheritors of this cult's genocidal madness, and finally see what is as plain as the light of day. Maniacs masquerading as "JEWS" want to bring the entire planet crashing down in an orgy of destruction in order to fulfill their millenialist mantra.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 10:38 | 2841430 falak pema
falak pema's picture

here is some background on the Weishaupt, BAuer, Frank presented without comment. 

The Silver Bear Cafe

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 18:59 | 2842255 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Thanks.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 00:01 | 2841042 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Thank you.  That was something I can use.  But does that apply to the Albert Pike I linked to?  I didn't get any of your points out of the Wikipedia article.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 00:36 | 2841089 JOYFUL
JOYFUL's picture

Please see my reference below to Wikipedia(aka Zio-pedia)as a completely untrustworthy source of balanced information.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57514677-93/corruption-in-wikiland-paid...

http://www.disinfo.com/2010/08/wikipedia-editing-courses-launched-by-pro...

Pike was a Freemason(Scottish-Rite), which was\is a derivative sect of the secret society known as Bnai Brith, a crypto-jewish conspiratorial cabal which fomented\foments a phony program for goyish dupes like Pike and then ensnares them in a web of porno-pedophiliac degeneracy in order to place their blackmailed minions in positions of power everywhere. Pike is a well known example of such extreme degeneracy.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:39 | 2841140 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Again, thanks for the info.  That is useful for me and any others who pass by and don't know.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 14:13 | 2841774 ArmchairRevolut...
ArmchairRevolutionary's picture

I find this interesting, because what you have stated is pretty benign, yet you have only down arrows. To me this means that you have supplied so much bull shit that people no longer even read what you say. They just assume it is bullshit. You are like the guy in the office who never has anything of value to add, but refuses to quit talking. Pretty soon, everyone learns to ignore him. That is you!

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 22:23 | 2842561 RichardP
RichardP's picture

 

You are like the guy in the office who never has anything of value to add ...

I'm not looking to add anything to the conversation in threads like this.  Rather, I'm looking to challenge the conversation - because it leaves out huge chunks of history when the historical truth is inconvenient to the narrative.

In the give and take of this challenge, points come up that would not otherwise get made.  I learn things, and I'm sure others do too.  I expect that folks who don't want to face inconvenient truths would hit the red arrows.  In that context, the red arrows are irrelevant.  I do think the readers of these threads benefit from the kinds of exchanges we've had in this thread (in terms of the information and links that are provided).  And the readers far outnumber the posters.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:05 | 2840638 George Washington
George Washington's picture

By the way, I don't write for money. I write  as political and social commentary because the mainstream media you love only wants to sell wars and lie.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:18 | 2840675 RichardP
RichardP's picture

G.W. - my life would be way less interesting if you didn't post what you post.  I'm more for you than against you.  I do think you take liberties with the truth sometimes - but I also understand that no one has a corner on the truth.  We all see things from different perspectives.  You have yours.  I have mine.  And hopefully my comments from time to time help the discussion along.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 09:24 | 2841351 Rudolf Havenstein
Rudolf Havenstein's picture

DickPee wrote; .....And hopefully my comments from time to time help the discussion along......

 

No they don't.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:25 | 2840703 Bicycle Repairman
Bicycle Repairman's picture

"We all see things from different perspectives.  You have yours.  I have mine."

LOL.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:17 | 2840671 Cistercian
Cistercian's picture

For an even more lopsided win graph the countrys attacked by Israel vs Iran.That is always good for a laugh.

  The fabulous use of white phosphorus in Gaza reveals the REAL villains.

Or we can just begin WW3 by being duped.

 

 Thanks again GW.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:21 | 2840690 RichardP
RichardP's picture

... graph the countrys attacked by Israel ...

You are being disingenuous if you don't ask to see a graph of the countrys attacked by Israel that didn't attack Israel first.  Israel has long stated that they will provide an out-of-proportion response to any people who attack them.  Who has Israel attacked that wishes Israel no harm?

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:43 | 2840752 goat
goat's picture

Lebanon

 

 

 

BTW, I was considering your points in your first post, until I got to the line "Calmer heads...."

Well they may be calm, but they are sociopaths nonetheless.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 21:47 | 2840770 RichardP
RichardP's picture

There is a wide variety of people considering this issue.  I meant the calmer heads.  I did not mean the sociopaths.  There are people considering this issue whose names never come up in the media.  Those calmer heads.  You will never know who they are.  Hopefully, they prevail.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:27 | 2840885 suteibu
suteibu's picture

ooooooooo....spooky insiders working for peace in the background.  This comment reeks of self-promoting your status amongst the real power brokers of the world.  We "will never know who they are" but be assured they are the calmer heads who can solve all of the world's problems...if "they prevail." 

Their track record leaves a lot to be desired.  The innocents who have died for no reason from wars, bombings, drone attacks and "spreading democracy" (which is not even a founding principle of America) are sure to find little comfort in this secret society's good intentions best described as a failure to act.  What...are these super heroes afraid that revealing their secret identities will hamper their good works?  Oh, wait...there are no good works...only shady promises.  Sounds like modern politicians.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:33 | 2840895 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Nothing spooky at all about my comment.  The real work of government gets done by people you never hear about.  Mostly civil servants.  Some political appointees.  But when you get to the level of political appointee, the chances rise that the news might cover them.  And I said nothing about solving all the worlds problems.  I was referring to a specific situation.  Don't go beyond what I actually said.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:44 | 2840909 suteibu
suteibu's picture

Okay...I'll bite.  What are these unknown civil servant heroes doing that will undermine the moneyed interests who seem to like to conduct war in foreign lands?  Do they make policy?  Do they have the ear of the White House or the Congress?  Maybe they are a bunch of IT guys who are planning on shutting down the "system."  Or maybe they are a bunch of guys who make grand schemes around the water cooler to make themselves feel important but have no authority or balls to actually do anything. 

I'm sincerely curious at this point.  Or is this information classified?

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 23:59 | 2841034 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Do you seriously think political appointees and Department heads make policy in a vacuum??  There are policy wonks all over the government who do the research, collect the statistics, run the what-ifs, and make recommendations to their bosses.  It is up to the bosses to choose - but it is the policy wonks who give the bosses the choices.

Some of the policy wonks may be sociopaths.  But many are legitimate and sober and take their responsibilities seriously.  Calmer heads have prevailed so far re the Obama Administration vs. the desire of others to drop bombs or draw red lines.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 00:36 | 2841090 suteibu
suteibu's picture

For policy-making, I think we should all look to the CFR, the CSIS, and other quasi-government/private sector alphabet foundations and think-tanks.  Everyone else is tasked with marketing their policies to Congress and the public.

As for Obama, he showed little restraint in bombing Libya or funding Al Qaeda rebels in Syria.  Any decision about Iran is nothing but election-year machinations (he wouldn't want to be seen as a war-monger to his base on the eve of an election). 

Seriously, you bureaucrats really do believe you are important and worthy of the taxpayers' money, don't you?  Look at what a fine job you've done with the economy and foreign policy.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:37 | 2841139 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Any decision about Iran is nothing but election-year machinations ...

Do you think he will bomb the nuclear facilities in Iran after he is elected?  If that is true, then Israel is concerned over nothing.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 08:30 | 2841313 max2205
max2205's picture

FYI
I don't
Read
Comments
In a two
Word
Column

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:09 | 2841123 goat
goat's picture

Hey wait a minute.....

Those bombs were stock full of democracy and freedom.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:14 | 2840851 goat
goat's picture

I dont think those actual "calmer heads" you refer to are allowed anywhere near the levers of power anymore, if ever...

 

 

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:38 | 2840899 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Before we get too far afield - I said calmer heads than those on this blog.  Heads that are calmer than some/most on this blog.  That doesn't mean the heads are necessarily calm (although many are).  It just means that they are calmer.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 06:59 | 2841267 cossack55
cossack55's picture

Where, oh where, did you ever get those spiffy tap-dancing shoes?

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 18:43 | 2842239 RichardP
RichardP's picture

Really??  Pointing the conversation back to my original use of calmer heads in this thread is tap dancing?

Nice turn of a phrase, by the way.

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:34 | 2840887 RichardP
RichardP's picture

goat - I just got that your Lebanon above was a response to my question about who has Israel attacked that wish them well.  Wasn't Israel chasing Hizbullah(?) and their weapons?  They were not attacking the government of Lebanon.  But maybe I'm not remembering something correctly here.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:12 | 2841126 Bringin It
Bringin It's picture

Richard, you are a real sick dick if you can rationalize the death and destruction punishment dropped on the Lebanese civillians by your beloved, murderous idf.

Now, despite their internal divides, they all hate you unequivocally. 

Nice work genius.  /sarc

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:32 | 2841134 RichardP
RichardP's picture

 

 

I was not rationalizing anything.  The question was - who has Israel attacked that wishes them no harm?  The answer came back Lebanon.  I was pointing out that Israel went after the people who were wishing them harm (which was not the Lebanese government).  I'm only talking about the most recent military action in Lebanon.

So my question still stands without an answer: Who has Israel attacked that wished them no harm?

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 02:03 | 2841157 Ima anal sphincter
Ima anal sphincter's picture

I've got this neighbor, he's a real dick. We have a totally different view of looking at such things a religion and lifestyles. I look upon with him with absolute disdain and compare him to something less than rat shit. I was "chosen" by the "Big Guy" (at least that's what they tell me), so I know I'm always in the right. I've been real worried about what Dick "might" do to me in the very near future. I want to face him myself, but I stubbed my toe 15 years ago and I'm still not ready to take him on. I DO have a friend from across the stream..... real big son-of-a-bitch. I've made him think that my neighbor is bad also. My friend likes to beat people up. He fucks them up bad too. Tearing down homes and disrupting everything that is dear to these people.

I'm really not good at protecting myself, so I obtained these grenades. Nobody is supposed to know I have them, but I do. My rat shit neighbor doesn't have the brains to get a grenade, but I'm really scared he might. I need him dead. I could use a grenade, but the other neighbors might think that is bad, but any way you look at it I NEED to do something!!!!!

I'm scared....... he MUST die.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 06:41 | 2841259 Urban Redneck
Urban Redneck's picture

And when your neighbor starts lobbing molatov cocktails into your yard, you'll just sit there quietly like the good little anal sphincter you are.

The attempts to over simplify and dumb down the complex realities of Middle East east tensions tends to lead to intentional ignornance of facts which are contradictory one's broader perception of the predicament.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 09:53 | 2841324 Ima anal sphincter
Ima anal sphincter's picture

I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet but here goes....... Do you mean those "Bottle Rockets" that never seem to hit anywhere close to populations? Yep....let's go kill some more Palestinians because we've got a new smudge spot out in a field. Hell.... that should be good for a couple hundred of-em. I hope nobody finds outs that "we shot" those bottle rockets in the first place.

"Over simplify and dumb down".......Well I bet you I'm pretty dang close on the analogy. Gee.....I wonder how many totally innocent people would be alive today if Israel wasn't even there?

It really is sick that something spoken of in Holy terms in the Bible can be equated to the evil that is the present day Israel. Do-ya think that Israel was "named" that for a reason? Maybe fooling millions of Christians into defending it, "might" be the goal.

This particular Christian isn't fooled any more.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 10:11 | 2841402 Urban Redneck
Urban Redneck's picture

Once upon a time, an otherwise Zionist Jew from Carlyle suggested to an Arab Minister that his government's goal might be furthered if he promised some of his money to help the Palestinians.  What was funny to everyone else in the room was that the Carlyle clown was looking to impress the Minister and thereby secure investments in the group's funds.  If there weren't Jews to kill in Israel, then there would be Palestinians to kill in Palestine, and once they're both gone then the rest of the Arabs would move up to killing the dogs.

By the way, bottle rockets can kill.  Hopefully, the poor little Palestinians will actually get their own Sovereign State.  And when they are all grown up, they can take Sovereign responsibility for the crap they throw over the border.  If you really think the rockets are harmless, then I assume you would have no objection to Israel dropping it current insane response model, and adopting a proportionate 1-1, eye-for-an-eye bottle rocket ping-pong strategy.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 14:01 | 2841757 Ima anal sphincter
Ima anal sphincter's picture

To much death, dude. The flash of a lifespan should NOT be cut short because of decisions from the few. Let's "throttle" the few on BOTH sides. I'm sure the rest of us would find a way to interact in a PEACEFUL manner.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 17:05 | 2842103 Urban Redneck
Urban Redneck's picture

No it shouldn't, but I'm losing what little faith I might ever have had that the two main assclowns at the poker table can avoid playing the dead man's hand, the US dealer is crooked as hell, and the calming influence of the other regional players at the table seems to be evaporating.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 19:12 | 2842280 Ima anal sphincter
Ima anal sphincter's picture

Agreed.

Sat, 09/29/2012 - 01:11 | 2841113 goat
goat's picture

The reality of Israels' repeated occupation of Lebanon was much much darker than cover stories of securing the border from rocket attacks and chasing guerrillas/terrorists/whoever we dont like.  The charade (or maybe even somewhat reality up to that point) of IDF moral superiority disappeared/was exposed in their involvement in Lebanon. Except reality vs charade are the stock-in-trade of most world media (most of the media did all their reporting without leaving Tel Aviv), so this one too played as Israel just being the plucky little good guy.  Which was bullshit.

 

A very interesting and unusually objective work -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pity_the_Nation

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 22:21 | 2840870 knukles
knukles's picture

I ask you
What could go wrong?

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!