Twelfth Bough

i run my own damn think tank

Archive for March 29th, 2008

Minimal cost to whom?

Mar 29

Posted by Marlena in Bush/Cheney, Iran, Military, Nuclear Weapons, Russia | No Comments

Oh crap.

Russian Intelligence sees US military buildup on Iran border

MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran’s borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.

“The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran,” the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.

He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran “that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost.”

He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran’s military infrastructure in the near future.

A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf.

The USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed-wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships and four nuclear submarines are heading for the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed since December 2006.

The U.S. is also sending Patriot anti-missile systems to the region.

The Russians would know since they will probably have to get involved. This is complete insanity.

Dance of the Seven Veils

Mar 29

Posted by Marlena in Bush/Cheney, Iran, Iraq, Military | No Comments

Another short installment in my ongoing series: What the %^&$ is going on over there?

I so appreciate American Goy explaining this:

You’ve seen the reports on TV about the fighting going on in Basra and the surrounding area? You do realize that the fighting is between two groups of Shia? There is no background given on American TV on exactly who is fighting whom and for what… American Goy to the rescue!

[go read it]

So now, when the NATIONALIST al-Sadr is fighting the PRO-IRAN Hakim and Prime Minister Maliki, who does the United States military support with aircraft sorties and armored cars?

Why, the pro-Iran Hakim and Maliki of course.

Repeat that FACT: American soldiers are dying for Iranian interests in Iraq. This is horrifying to the rest of the Sunni Arab world, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan… Because they want to LIMIT Iran’s influence in the region, unlike the Americans, who fight now to expand it.

So…do we hate Iran or do we love Iran? How does one reconcile the Bush Administration’s rhetoric with the reality on the ground?

Remember the Map of the New Middle East. For those who drew up the map (apparently the US military), everything must inexorably lead toward making it a reality. Most of the land surrounding the Persian Gulf falls under Shia (Iranian) control in the new map. That doesn’t happen without bloodshed because people don’t take kindly to having their country’s borders redrawn and their resources stolen.

So big heists like this require years of planning and much patience. How do they keep the people on board in the meantime and predisposed to accept the final outcome? Here in America they use the TV, the War on Terror, al Qaeda, etc. You know how they manage the long queues at Disney? It’s simple. They just give people something to watch as they twist and turn through the line. Same thing here.

Oh, and over there we just use our military.

Key word: use. Sick.

Get the Zantac and the Clicker

Mar 29

Posted by Marlena in Corruption & Crime, Israel, Media, Military | No Comments

Clearly Young Efraim’s story will cause a bad case of heartburn for some people. The fact that Efraim & Co. have these Hebrew names naturally leads people to the conclusions that they are Jewish and perhaps even Israeli.

But surely that has nothing do to with anything.

So I don’t really watch tv, but someone who doesn’t read alternative news heard about AEY so it must be breaking through the media firewall. Major heartburn. Take another Zantac.

I would imagine the pressure in the corporate media to bat this story down must be immense. A sampling of rebuttals picked up in the blogosphere include:

  • Efraim got lucky landing those $300m government contracts. Nothing more to it than that. This family just got a little enthusiastic with their business-dealings.
  • The AEY people didn’t donate money to Republicans so therefore none of this is a political scandal that can possible affect Republicans. In fact, uncle once gave $1000 to Edwards so HA! It’s the Democrats fault, if anything.
  • People who suggest that this has anything at all, whatsoever, to do with Israel are completely anti-Semitic because the only reason the arms-dealing industry is full of Israelis is because poor Israel was forced to get into this line of work to protect itself from vicious Arabs. Don’t you know anything?
  • Actually, it’s anti-Semitic to even notice whenever Jews do anything wrong. Don’t even go there. Sheesh.
  • Mossad? Never heard of it. What is it, some kind of dessert?
  • Let’s watch American Idol.

There. That should cover it.