Neocons to nuke Iran? (Powerful coverpage image over at antiwar.com)

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

My jaw dropped when I navigated over to antiwar.com recently. They're doing one of their fundraising drives but at the top of the page, they have a satellite photo of the Middle East with Iran in the middle of the image-- and a mushroom cloud from a US nuclear attack rising up from the country's center:

The reference, of course, is to the recently leaked documents relating to the plans of some hawkish neocon advisors to Bush, who are planning to launch a major air- and ground-based attack on Iran, including the use of tactical nuclear weapons to (supposedly) take out buried Iranian nuclear facilities. IMHO this justification sounds like a fig leaf-- the real reason for this enthusiasm about tactical nukes is that 1. they cause enormous damage, 2. take out a wide area, and 3. we're running desperately short on troops for Iraq as it is, and perhaps only such a massive bloodthirsty attack would be enough to bring Iran to heel.

It makes me sick to think of what the neocons are seriously planning to do in the name of US citizens. Even scarier is the possible unintended consequences here. A cloud of nuclear fallout, after all, has an annoying way of not staying confined to the region where the nuke is initially detonated; it drifts with the winds. And in this case, considering the prevailing winds of the region, the fallout from the nuke would drift right in the direction of Russia. The Russians are already about to boil over in anger at us for quite a few reasons-- if the US essentially "nuked" Russia (even if indirectly), I'd suggest you should probably invest in those 5-year fallout shelters half a mile underground. This could get ugly if the neocons continue with this.

[RONSTOO]

1. I dont think so

Israel will take out their program before we do

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Actually they have been talling about it

now what they are not considering is, we use even one nuke and every other nation that has a nuke program will go on nuke alert, yes that includes israel. Read revelations... what do you think them warheads are there for? They are not for Iran btw...

[RONSTOO]

3. read revelations?

could you elaborate?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. At the end of days, when the final battle is joined, and AFTER

Jews have returned to Isarael those who refuse to convert will be killed in a cleansing fire (their interpretation) but 100,000 will convert and see teh light of the Saviour.

The point is, the Christian Right is suporting Israel in preparation for the final days when they will practice a general holocaust to bring forth the Prince of Peace. Mike Malloy made that point some months back. The Nuclaer program is not necessarily to contain their Arab Neighboors, but has actually reached MAD potential, mutually assured destruction.

[bananas]

6. What difference does it make?

and Welcome to DU.

[lvx35]

5. Don't miss the related article...

here:
http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=6734

[Autumn Colors]

7. I shouldn't open Iran threads

Not that I want to play ostrich, but I was an AFS exchange student to Iran during their summer program in 1978. I spent 10 weeks living with a not-very-religious Shi'ite muslim family in Tehran. Mine was the last AFS group to be sent to that country and Bush's sabre rattling in Iran's direction really upsets me. Most of my host family is still in Iran and I'm scared for them.

However, I'm happy to report that 8 members of my Iranian host family have since emigrated to Austin, TX and are now US citizens ... and all voted against Bush in the last election. :)

[mogster]

9. That good to hear

And interesting to hear from inside that country too. The Iranian society has many nuances never seen, no? ;-)

[Autumn Colors]

10. Interesting?

Which part did you mean about the nuances never seen? The fact that there are not-very-religious people in Iran?

Haha ... one of my host sisters was about to become a senior in high school when I was over there. After college, she became an English teacher. I heard she ended up quitting her job because of them trying to push their Islamic "rules" on her. She pretty much gave them the Farsi equivalent of "You can take your job and shove it."

Well, when I lived there, the Shah was still in power and the only women wearing chadors (veils) were either elderly women or the extremely rare religious woman. Dating was common. It was very westernized back then. Movies playing in the theaters over there that summer: "Star Wars" and "The Exorcist" ... imagine that, "The Exorcist" playing in Tehran. :)

Unfortunately, I believe that most of the Iranians who were trying to oust the Shah believed they would end up with a democracy, but the "rallying voice" and focal point ended up being Ayatollah Khomeini and they seized power after the overthrow of the Shah. Most Iranians never wanted a theocracy - at least not the one they ended up with. I think many have had regrets ever since. Don't forget they HAD a democratically elected leader that the USA "removed" - then we put our puppet Shah back on the throne and trained his secret police in the ways of torture. No wonder they hated our government. Personally, I NEVER received an unkind word from anyone over there, despite being an American. Iranians are among the kindest people I have ever met.

Most of my host family who are still over there have email and we chat on instant messaging programs. The world is indeed a very small place now.

[bananas]

11. Welcome to DU!

And thanks for sharing that.
I became politically aware in the late 70's thanks to the Iranian situation, unfortunately I also became very cynical but I still hope we make two steps forward for every step backward.
Do you have any good links for news sources etc about Iran?
Music sites would be good, too.

[Autumn Colors]

12. Iranian link

One of the best for both (news and music) is http://www.iranian.com

Mostly for and by the Persian-American community in California.

[bananas]

14. Thanks

Looks good, thank you.

[wli]

8. the consequences are entirely intended

They're trying to deliberately bring about their little pseudo-Christian vision of Armageddon.

[Toots]

13. I suspect a covert nuke attack

When the world complains about using nukes we will say the nuclear explosion was from the Iranian nuclear program we bombed and not from the US. Remember these people never ever tell the truth about anything..