Iran: Good Cop, Bad Cop

 

 

"Military Action Against Iran Still Possible, Says Israeli Official »

AP  |  ALON BERNSTEIN  |  April 06, 2015 at 01:42 PM

JERUSALEM (AP) — A senior Israeli government minister on Monday warned that taking military action against Iran's nuclear program is still an option — despite last week's framework deal between world powers and the Islamic Republic."

With the framework agreement reached between the U.S., et al, and Iran regarding nuclear weapons, is it possible that there has been set in motion a good cop, bad cop scenario between the U.S., Israel, and Iran? Is it possible that either overtly, or covertly, a carrot and stick script is being played out so that Iran does, indeed, keep to any agreements reached?

Despite the public rift between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is this really part of the plan, and will GOP meddling in the process possibly mess up the works? Just thinking out loud.

The Red Shift

Science minded folks are aware of the Red Shift in astronomy; proof that universe is expanding as objects moving away shift their color spectrum to the red. But the red shift I speak of concerns politics, not the stars. In this case, the red is the right, the GOP. And this tone of red is not very pretty.

From tax relief, the social net, to health care, people programs are being assailed. "Since taking control of the House in 2010, Republicans have crafted dozens of bills ostensibly devoted to "streamlining and simplifying" the federal government. They've pushed them through the lower chamber, promising to cut red tape and create jobs. But on Tuesday, they let the cat out of the bag. These bills, it turns out, are essentially efforts to undermine Wall Street reform and Obamacare while greenlighting pollution" (Huffington Post 3/19/15).

We see it everywhere: assaults on collective bargaining, tax breaks for the wealthy, attacks on renewable energy in favor of oil, cuts in welfare, health care, and even new waves of racism and bigotry. The goal is to undo rather than do, tear down rather than to build up, stonewall rather than moving forward. Basically, the system is a mess. There is no conservation, no support for helping those in need, no support for real job creation, no helping people get back on their feet, no protection for the environment, nothing for education, and nothing to help job producing small businesses. The focus is on the top. This is not being a conservative, it's being extreme right wing, oligarchic ... wrong.

Of course, we are not alone, this shift has happened elsewhere, most recently, Israel. In this case, the shift may put an end to any hope of peace and may result in war. Moving to the extreme of the political spectrum, in either direction, never turns out well.

Hold on to your hats, this will not be a fun ride. The shift to the red will not end in a field of poppies.

Palestine Will Never be an Independent State

Well, never is a long time, but, the likelihood is 1 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Why?
Will Native Americans ever have an independent nation in the U.S.?
Will the Inuits have an independent nation in Canada?
How about the Natives of Mexico, Brazil, or any place in the Western Hemisphere?
How about Tibet?
You see, despite all of the platitudes, the rhetoric, the indignation, and the outrage, people don't really care enough about this issue.
Add to the mix a vow to destroy Israel, do you really think Israel will allow independent nation status?
If the militants, who were elected into power in Gaza by the people, were to really go away, you might see some autonomy, some economic freedom, and a lifting of many restrictions that would greatly improve the lives of the Palestinian people, but nationhood? Just don't see it and the world just doesn't really care.

IS IRAN PAYING HAMAS TO GET ISRAEL OFF THEIR BACKS?

We know that Hamas used Iranian rockets to strike Tel Aviv and that Iran is supplying arms to Islamic militants. Given that life is a low valued commodity in the Middle East, I believe that Iran is paying Hamas to strike Israel in order to give Iran more time to develop its nuclear capability, or, at least, to further delay any Israeli assault on the Iranian nuclear program. Whatever Israel has to use to defend itself will temporarily deplete some of its defensive munitions and may forestall any near term action against Iran.

It would also not be surprising that arms dealers are fueling the fires as they will gain massive profits from this conflict. Further, if a full blown war erupts, there will be a lot less attention on the global economic crisis, climate change and things like regulatory reforms. Yes, this is a conspiracy theory, but analyze the facts and decode for yourself.

IRAN, ISRAEL, SOLAR AND MORE

Azerbaijan grants Israel right to use bases. What do you thinks that's about?

A TIME TO RANT

Time to rant a little!
Why is it that Congress can give banks $800 billion in only a few days but then take months to help people get health care? Our insurance is through my job. However, I will have to work 8 years beyond my retirement age to keep my wife insured-she is 8 years younger. I will have to wait until she can get medicare. Sorry, that is wrong. We can give OUR money to banks, who then give out bonuses but we can't provide an alternate insurance program that ensures all are covered? I am not an avid supporter of big government, but health care is not an option.

We have totally blown our chance to alter climate shift. It is always about money. Yup, some inroads are being made but it is too slow and too little. Who cares about why, the fact is that it is happening now. get off the blame kick and get to work at solutions-now. WE DO NOT have 30 years! The tipping point has or is near being reached. My God people, put the money into clean energy now and create millions of jobs. It is bs that it cannot be done. There are now climate refugees. What will happen in a couple of years? Are we planning for the disaster? Well, if Katrina is any indication, you best be relying on yourself. When it hits, it will hit hard and fast.

Israel need to back off this whole settlement thing. Perhaps the divisions are so deep there will never be peace-but we will not know unless Israel ends the West bank issue and stops new settlements. if that does not help, then the terrorists will be exposed for what they are and we can think again.

North Korea-shut them down.
Iran-power to the people!

if you think that the economy is getting better, think again. We have just seen the tip of the iceberg. It has a fundamental flaw that money will just not fix. We can no longer rely on wasteful consumer spending and it will never-good thing-go back the way it was.

These are just a few rants on topics that have been eating at the mind. Be prepared, the rough ride has not even started yet.

TO TAKE ARMS AGAINST A SEA OF TROUBLES

Here is the basic question: Should Israel stop bombing Gaza? I am of several thoughts on this issue. I think that Israel has a right to exist and a right to exist peacefully. I think that Palestine has a right to exist and a right to exist peacefully.

The obvious problem is that certain factions in Palestine, and the Muslim community in general, want Israel destroyed and wiped off of the face of the planet. This will not happen as any attempt to truly do so would basically result in a kind of war to end all wars. I would think that any rational person in the Middle East understands this. Israel is here for the duration.

Do the Palestinians deserve a true nation-state homeland? Yes, I believe that they do. I do not want to get into the whole historic debate as to whose land is whose and who was there first. That is an endless loop. Time to deal in the NOW.

Why does Hamas think that they can shoot rockets into Israel and not get a response? Why do they think that any people would sit idly by and deal with rocket attacks day after day, year after year? When there is retaliation they get all pissed off. Like, what are they thinking? If you attack you will be attacked.

On the other hand, Israel must get off the fence and come up with a plan to help create a viable Palestinian state. The settlement incursions must stop. The 'powers' that be, including Arab nations, must sit down and decide, once and for all, the exact boundaries of Palestine. And, they must all agree that no matter what, these are the boundaries and anyone that violates them, Arab or Jew, will be dealt with appropriately. If Hamas tries to lob more rockets, then the world community must go in and end it. If Israeli settlers try to violate boundaries, they must be dealt with swiftly.

If the world does not act soon, this region will be the cause of the death of us all. It is clear why Israel does not open the Gaza borders. Fear. And they cannot be blamed for that fear, given past extremists actions. But, Israel must also understand that keeping people in poverty and in isolation only adds fuel to extremist hatred.

Time to end this nonsense before it ends us all. Enough is enough!

"HOW LONG MUST WE SING THIS SONG?"

General Petraeus has called on the Iraqis to reject violence. Let’s take a look at some of the headlines from the Middle East: “ Bombings killed seven U.S. soldiers in Baghdad and a southern city, the U.S. military said Sunday, and the country's Sunni vice president spoke out against a proposed oil law, clouding the future of a key benchmark for assuring continued U.S. support for the government;” 39 killed in Lebanese violence; 8 dead after Israel hits Hamas dwelling; Eight killed as Israel launches new strike on Gaza; Israel kills 9; 8 in raid on Hamas official's home, Lebanon army fights militants, blast hits Beirut.
There are many more stories with similar headlines and they are all just as depressing. From thee looks of things, neither the Iraqis nor anyone else in the Middle East are listening to the general. We have been repeatedly told that the violence in Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and the Palestinian areas are the result of the actions of the few. And yet, the most powerful nations on earth have been unable to end the violence. There over 26 million people in Iraq. If everyone is so opposed to violence, why can’t these 26 million people stand tall and say, “Enough is enough?”
Let’s go a step further. Why aren’t the religious leaders in Iraq and the Middle East trying to put a stop to the violence? While one might possibly understand their quarrel with the West, how does their religion support self slaughter?
When we first invaded Iraq, I supported ending the Hussein regime. The rule of all dictators should come to an end. But as soon as the Iraqis elected their own government, that would have been the time to leave. Truly, hindsight is 20/20. I seriously question why we continue to stay in Iraq. With what appears to be a culture of violence and a society that is apathetic to its own future and the lives of their loved ones, what do we hope to gain by our continued presence? We are told that if we leave there will be a blood bath. It seems that there is already a blood bath and our troops are right in the way. Perhaps if we left the Iraqi people would be forced to make a stand against the terrorists and hypocrites that plague their country. Perhaps if we left the true enemy of freedom would be exposed and the people would finally get sufficient courage to end the idiocy that haunts their every waking moment.
And as far as Gaza and Lebanon, when is the UN going to have the courage to put an end to the constant attacks on Israel? If they don’t do it, Israel will and the conflict will only escalate out of control. Perhaps it is already out of control! The world cannot continue to tolerate the hatred of the few controlling the happiness and destiny of the many. Major players in the Middle East and the UN must get together and do what needs to be done so the world can move on and address other pressing issues.