Fun Fact: the two countries we launched regime change invasions on, Iraq and Iran, did not supply any terrorists for the 9/11 attack. OTOH, our good buddies Saudi Arabia and Egypt did.
Knowing what we now know, I’m convinced Israel orchestrated 9-11 to foment global hatred of Muslims. That enabled Israel to use the US as its battering ram in the Middle East. We’re still doing it for them. OBL never claimed 9-11. He claimed plenty of other things, but not that one. That matters.
Given the US’s penchant for terrorism, NO, I would not be surprised to learn the US govt was in on it too.
Indeed: The 19 hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks were members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The majority were citizens of Saudi Arabia (15 of the 19), with two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt (the lead hijacker, Mohamed Atta), and one from Lebanon.
With all this detailed intel, it seems clear to me that the elementary school was a fully intentional target. Over 100 dead kids, 100% on purpose, apparently.
Only, to be sure of one thing, it's not "Us" who struck Iran. It's them, the never-ending war-making machine that you so clearly described, but failed to distance yourself from. Because, indeed, it is not 'us,' is not beholden to "us," nor gives a sh*t about us.
Don’t hold this against me, but I briefly - and I mean VERY briefly - dated the infamous John Poindexter in the 1960s. I’ve never forgotten these words he said to me: “Career military live for war. Why else would we be here?”. The relationship came to an abrupt halt.
I laugh sardonically when I hear people say that Congress should exercise its authority under the War Powers Act, having lived through countless euphemistic wars in my almost 83 years. Do we even have a Congress, btw?
I met him in St Thomas when his ship was there for a liberty break, and he was kind of fun. When we reconnected in NYC, he took me on a tour of a submarine that was in for repairs, and that was interesting. (There is no way I could be a submariner, btw.) The bloom was off the rose when I told him about my role in the antiwar protests. It was after this that he made the comment about career military. I never heard from him again.
I agree with Ken completely. Our military is now run by a kind of AI of its own. And, OUR TAX DOLLARS are paying for all of this! ICE functions similarly. But, and a BIG but, is a SECOND reason. Below is my posting from another platform:
Political, history, and movie junkie here. Re-watch, or watch for the initial time, the third Star Wars movie "Revenge of the Sith" from 2005. Chancellor Palpatine (secretly Darth Sidious) used EMERGENCY POWERS given to him by Congress to suspend civil liberties because of the war with the Separatists. Hitler also did this in 1933 to become, first, German Chancellor, and then, when the old Hindenburg died, to combine the offices of chancellor and president into one office. That made Hitler "The Furher". Sound familiar? An external war with Iran would do the same thing for both Trump here in the USA, and for Netanyahu in Israel. They both, and especially Trump, KNOW HOW UNPOPULAR THEY ARE. They will use EMERGENCY POWERS due to the war to CANCEL the mid-term elections, which Trump, and probably Netanyahu, will loose, and rule by decree. This whole thing is about RETAINING POWER AT ALL COSTS. It was Stephen Miller who put all of this together. Venezuela was a test run. This is the real McCoy. I hope that I am wrong.
Yes, GWB (Bush Junior, remember him?) DID DO IT for the second Iraq War. HOWEVER, he via Colin Powell (poor guy, remember him?) DID go both to the U.N. and, more importantly, to Congress to get approval. Too many Dems voted for it (including Hillary). They came to deeply regret their votes (as do many 2024 Trump voters now do). Fool me once, SHAME ON YOU. Fool me twice, SHAME ON ME! Get it?
That's an illuminating sentence, but I doubt it's true (or else it's just simply pointing at a relationship and doing the typically liberal both-sidesism).
Given the long list of American attacks on Iran that Ken supplied (not to mention the business that went on before it), what has Iran done that could be considered acts of war? (For that matter, did its government formally declare war on America? Or, like America, did it declare its war "defacto"?)
We like to say that we founded our country for Freedom, but we do have a penchant for conducting wars and strikes on everybody. Have a look at a fascinating pamphlet called "War is a racket", by General Smedley Butler
The reviewed version I used to have had an appendix listing all the skirmishes & wars that the US had been in. I don't think that there were even 3 years in a row that we did not fight, kill, or bully someone into submission, at home or abroad.
This is not a war. Neither was Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam. Funny how it does all the ducky things yet is not a duck. Gaza isn't a genocide either, I suppose. Is anyone tallying how much we will reap from all that we are sowing?
And there's zero criticism or even questions about what amounted to an assassination of a foreign head of state. Some will claim that technically speaking it was an Israeli air strike that killed Khamenei and members of his family. However, it was the US government that provided crucial targeting intelligence to the Israelis and explicitly approved the decapitation strike--and Oked the use of US weapons in the strike. I'm not seeing or hearing anyone in Congress, much less in the mainstream US media question the legality or the morality of enabling the murder of a foreign head of state we're not even formally/legally at war with. 'We' Americans may be ignoring all of those ugly facts, but I can assure you the rest of the world isn't.
We're fine with decapitation strikes as long as it doesn't happen to us. That's America's policy, summarized. We get to do whatever we want and if you fight back we will kill even more indiscriminately
When it's a policing action, military conflict, armed conflict, campaign, struggle, operation, engagement, intervention, regime change, bringing peace to a nation, bringing democracy to a nation and probably a hundred other euphemisms.
Too bad, the framers of the Constitution didn't think of all the possible situations where war isn't war.
Thank you for distilling this. I am surprised, shocked even, but I see that we shouldn't be, and I've long been saying we can see direct progression (in the malignant sense) from past administrations to the current one. And I don't understand any of this war, past and present, or why striking down Iran's leaders was so critical, but I guess the reason for it must be some very long, horrible explanation about controlling oil. I won't be reading any other news about it, though. I can't stomach it.
Fun Fact: the two countries we launched regime change invasions on, Iraq and Iran, did not supply any terrorists for the 9/11 attack. OTOH, our good buddies Saudi Arabia and Egypt did.
Knowing what we now know, I’m convinced Israel orchestrated 9-11 to foment global hatred of Muslims. That enabled Israel to use the US as its battering ram in the Middle East. We’re still doing it for them. OBL never claimed 9-11. He claimed plenty of other things, but not that one. That matters.
Given the US’s penchant for terrorism, NO, I would not be surprised to learn the US govt was in on it too.
Indeed: The 19 hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks were members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The majority were citizens of Saudi Arabia (15 of the 19), with two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt (the lead hijacker, Mohamed Atta), and one from Lebanon.
FBI (.gov) Yep: that's my source: the FBI
“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”
-Albert Einstein
Wow that’s good
With all this detailed intel, it seems clear to me that the elementary school was a fully intentional target. Over 100 dead kids, 100% on purpose, apparently.
no doubt and it wont be the only one
We already know they get off on hurting children. Big tough men domineering over little kids, so stunning, so brave.
They do have fantastic intel, so it is very hard to believe that they attacked an elementary school not realizing it...
Only, to be sure of one thing, it's not "Us" who struck Iran. It's them, the never-ending war-making machine that you so clearly described, but failed to distance yourself from. Because, indeed, it is not 'us,' is not beholden to "us," nor gives a sh*t about us.
Don’t hold this against me, but I briefly - and I mean VERY briefly - dated the infamous John Poindexter in the 1960s. I’ve never forgotten these words he said to me: “Career military live for war. Why else would we be here?”. The relationship came to an abrupt halt.
I laugh sardonically when I hear people say that Congress should exercise its authority under the War Powers Act, having lived through countless euphemistic wars in my almost 83 years. Do we even have a Congress, btw?
NO WAY. Wow. What was he like?
I met him in St Thomas when his ship was there for a liberty break, and he was kind of fun. When we reconnected in NYC, he took me on a tour of a submarine that was in for repairs, and that was interesting. (There is no way I could be a submariner, btw.) The bloom was off the rose when I told him about my role in the antiwar protests. It was after this that he made the comment about career military. I never heard from him again.
What a story. How did he react when you told him you were antiwar?
IIRC, he laughed.
I agree with Ken completely. Our military is now run by a kind of AI of its own. And, OUR TAX DOLLARS are paying for all of this! ICE functions similarly. But, and a BIG but, is a SECOND reason. Below is my posting from another platform:
Political, history, and movie junkie here. Re-watch, or watch for the initial time, the third Star Wars movie "Revenge of the Sith" from 2005. Chancellor Palpatine (secretly Darth Sidious) used EMERGENCY POWERS given to him by Congress to suspend civil liberties because of the war with the Separatists. Hitler also did this in 1933 to become, first, German Chancellor, and then, when the old Hindenburg died, to combine the offices of chancellor and president into one office. That made Hitler "The Furher". Sound familiar? An external war with Iran would do the same thing for both Trump here in the USA, and for Netanyahu in Israel. They both, and especially Trump, KNOW HOW UNPOPULAR THEY ARE. They will use EMERGENCY POWERS due to the war to CANCEL the mid-term elections, which Trump, and probably Netanyahu, will loose, and rule by decree. This whole thing is about RETAINING POWER AT ALL COSTS. It was Stephen Miller who put all of this together. Venezuela was a test run. This is the real McCoy. I hope that I am wrong.
Also, George Lucas very deliberately put that in the movie after GWB did it for the second Iraq war.
Yes, GWB (Bush Junior, remember him?) DID DO IT for the second Iraq War. HOWEVER, he via Colin Powell (poor guy, remember him?) DID go both to the U.N. and, more importantly, to Congress to get approval. Too many Dems voted for it (including Hillary). They came to deeply regret their votes (as do many 2024 Trump voters now do). Fool me once, SHAME ON YOU. Fool me twice, SHAME ON ME! Get it?
"The United States is at war with Iran, pure and simple. We have been for decades."
True. But the reverse is true as well. Iran has also been at war with the United States for decades.
Correct.
That's an illuminating sentence, but I doubt it's true (or else it's just simply pointing at a relationship and doing the typically liberal both-sidesism).
Given the long list of American attacks on Iran that Ken supplied (not to mention the business that went on before it), what has Iran done that could be considered acts of war? (For that matter, did its government formally declare war on America? Or, like America, did it declare its war "defacto"?)
We like to say that we founded our country for Freedom, but we do have a penchant for conducting wars and strikes on everybody. Have a look at a fascinating pamphlet called "War is a racket", by General Smedley Butler
https://www.heritage-history.com/site/hclass/secret_societies/ebooks/pdf/butler_racket.pdf
The reviewed version I used to have had an appendix listing all the skirmishes & wars that the US had been in. I don't think that there were even 3 years in a row that we did not fight, kill, or bully someone into submission, at home or abroad.
Well, bourgeois freedom is a kind of freedom, and to maintain it (for the bourgeoisie) requires others be un-free (or even in bondage).
(None of which, of course, does much to explain racism, sexism, etc. except as a way of repackaging pre-Modern thinking).
Thanks for the suggestion.
Build it and they will come.
The Founders knew better.
This is not a war. Neither was Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam. Funny how it does all the ducky things yet is not a duck. Gaza isn't a genocide either, I suppose. Is anyone tallying how much we will reap from all that we are sowing?
And there's zero criticism or even questions about what amounted to an assassination of a foreign head of state. Some will claim that technically speaking it was an Israeli air strike that killed Khamenei and members of his family. However, it was the US government that provided crucial targeting intelligence to the Israelis and explicitly approved the decapitation strike--and Oked the use of US weapons in the strike. I'm not seeing or hearing anyone in Congress, much less in the mainstream US media question the legality or the morality of enabling the murder of a foreign head of state we're not even formally/legally at war with. 'We' Americans may be ignoring all of those ugly facts, but I can assure you the rest of the world isn't.
Informative
We're fine with decapitation strikes as long as it doesn't happen to us. That's America's policy, summarized. We get to do whatever we want and if you fight back we will kill even more indiscriminately
When is war not war?
When it's a policing action, military conflict, armed conflict, campaign, struggle, operation, engagement, intervention, regime change, bringing peace to a nation, bringing democracy to a nation and probably a hundred other euphemisms.
Too bad, the framers of the Constitution didn't think of all the possible situations where war isn't war.
Thank you for distilling this. I am surprised, shocked even, but I see that we shouldn't be, and I've long been saying we can see direct progression (in the malignant sense) from past administrations to the current one. And I don't understand any of this war, past and present, or why striking down Iran's leaders was so critical, but I guess the reason for it must be some very long, horrible explanation about controlling oil. I won't be reading any other news about it, though. I can't stomach it.
The carpenter, the hammer, and the nail.
Ken you make a great point
Have you ever read War By Timetable by AJP Taylor? Great essay explaining how the machinery of mass mobilization made WW1 all but inevitable.
America is being bled dry. I think Trump is a bottom.