At the siege of Vienna in 1683 Islam seemed poised to overrun Christian Europe.
We are in a new phase of a very old war.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Giving the World The Radioactive Finger
On The John Batchelor Show Monday evening, John Loftus said that Iran had “crossed a red line today.”
It is believed that they have solved some of the technical problems with an array of centrifuges since it was today that they began firing up part of the large cascade of spinning centrifuges which — if they are able to solve the technical glitches — will begin the process of turning uranium hexafluoride into enriched uranium. This decision violates all the IAEA mandates and will mean the ire of the U.S. and the U.N.
Meanwhile, Iran has also postponed its meeting with Russia regarding the nuclear facility at Brushehr, which Iran has built under an agreement with the Russian government. The deal was to have been that this facility would generate energy and the spent rods, which would be left over, would be returned to Russia. However, since the postponement of the March meeting in Russia, that plan has fallen through.
There is no use for spent rods from nuclear reactors except to make nuclear weapons.
So in addition to having at the helm of the state a certifiable nutjob, Iran now has:
1. Russia angry and suspicious because of the double-cross on the Brushehr facility, and
2. the concern of the United States because of their start on manufacturing their own enriched uranium, thus violating the IAEA mandates.
Do you think they care? Look what international ire earned for North Korea while Bill Clinton and China stood by. Do you think George Bush and Russia are going to have a different outcome with Iran?
What could either country use as leverage?
It looks as though what Nazi Germany, with its might and astonishing efficiency, could not accomplish, will be finalized by Persians.
That is beyond sad; it is unbearable.
6 comments:
To be totally cynical, I think it is bearable as long as we can keep on buying cheap chinese merchandise in Wal-Mart. We all seem unwilling to accept the fact that being able to buy goods in Wal-Mart instead of fondling them, and paying less than $3.00 a gallon for gas is all that really matters to most Americans. That is the unbearable part. The other day in a cafe I was eavesdropping on a fairly well dressed woman, who spoke rather intelligently by the way, and her friend at the counter beside me. When this woman's friend left, I was reading a newspaper, and I made a comment to her about the uproar over the mohammed cartoons. She asked what cartoons I was talking about and when I told her the islamic cartoons, she said she didn't know anything about it. It is the little things that say so much. This woman can suscribe to the notion that freedom is having your way at McDonalds or shopping at K-Mart V Wal-Mart and nothing more. She and her kind, and they are legion, are incapable of anything beyond the immediacy of the material world. That is the ace in the hole the islamofacists have. Two recent events have clearly shown them they can win: 1.) the response of France to the recent rioting and burning, and 2.) the West's response to the mohammed cartoons. How could Iran not have complete confidence that they will attain nuclear weapons? I sound totally negative and pessimistic but I have survived too much by not keeping my head buried in sand. China is worried about the disurption of their energy contracts with Iran, and Russia is worried about cash flow. Does Bush have the balls to pull the trigger on Iran? That is what it boils down to. We are looking at a few B-2 stealth bombers taking out a reactor, nothing more. All of this can end within 24 hours. The course is clear - take out the reactor and apply harsh sanctions if they try to rebuild. If there is military retaliation on the part of Iran, then the political and religious leadership of Iran must be killed.
To be totally cynical, I think it is bearable as long as we can keep on buying cheap chinese merchandise in Wal-Mart. We all seem unwilling to accept the fact that being able to buy goods in Wal-Mart instead of fondling them, and paying less than $3.00 a gallon for gas is all that really matters to most Americans. That is the unbearable part. The other day in a cafe I was eavesdropping on a fairly well dressed woman, who spoke rather intelligently by the way, and her friend at the counter beside me. When this woman's friend left, I was reading a newspaper, and I made a comment to her about the uproar over the mohammed cartoons. She asked what cartoons I was talking about and when I told her the islamic cartoons, she said she didn't know anything about it. It is the little things that say so much. This woman can suscribe to the notion that freedom is having your way at McDonalds or shopping at K-Mart V Wal-Mart and nothing more. She and her kind, and they are legion, are incapable of anything beyond the immediacy of the material world. That is the ace in the hole the islamofacists have. Two recent events have clearly shown them they can win: 1.) the response of France to the recent rioting and burning, and 2.) the West's response to the mohammed cartoons. How could Iran not have complete confidence that they will attain nuclear weapons? I sound totally negative and pessimistic but I have survived too much by not keeping my head buried in sand. China is worried about the disurption of their energy contracts with Iran, and Russia is worried about cash flow. Does Bush have the balls to pull the trigger on Iran? That is what it boils down to. We are looking at a few B-2 stealth bombers taking out a reactor, nothing more. All of this can end within 24 hours. The course is clear - take out the reactor and apply harsh sanctions if they try to rebuild. If there is military retaliation on the part of Iran, then the political and religious leadership of Iran must be killed.
-sorry for the repetition, delete the 2cd one if you want - me and technology, it is clear evidence that I won't be flying any of those B-2s
Call me cynical too, but don't look for anything to happen from the USA end until at least after the November elections. Nahhh. Push it back until November 2008! How's that for cynicism?
If American media and Democratic politicians had behaved in a less-irresponsible manner, then American ultimatums directed against Iran would be taken more seriously. Now, owing to people like Al Gore, the regime there probably feels that we are too divided to strike.
For sure the world we know will be forever altered once Iran is armed with nukes. They have immense energy contracts with China. Once China has its 3 Gorge dam completed, it will have 9 times the electrical output of Hoover dam. It will go mostly to industrial development. Relatively decent products made with very cheap labor and no peripheral overhead costs like social security and workmans comp and unemployment, no OSHA, no EPA, no Human Rights and Cultural Diversity watch-dogs that a society must pay for. The 3 Gorge dam will enable China to project naval force via carriers. They will resist, possibly even with the threat of force, anything that threatens their access to Iran's energy reserves. they fear a major disruption if force is used and Iran knows this and will exploit it. China holds billions of US dollars as well. The US reached its apex and 9/11 was the start of our decline. Iran with nukes only hastens the decline. Once armed and the cash flowing in, they can export terrorism and disruption like we can't imagine. Hell, they can set up large training camps right on their borders and there ain't a damn thing can be done about it. It's like the thug that shows up for a street fight with a sawed-off shotgun and everyone else has brass knuckles, pretending to be tough. But be of good cheer - you can still have it your way at McDondalds. Ain't it grand being free?
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