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Don't Attack Iran
where_ur_at : step-on
magazine > articles
> don't attack iran
Since 2003, the USA and Britain have been waging
a war and occupation of Iraq, destroying houses,
schools, infrastructure, leaving a population
in poverty, and now a country in civil war.
The invasion was motivated, well at least officially,
on Saddam Hussein's WMD. Does that stand for
Weapons of Mass Destruction, of Wealth of Millions
of Dollars? Which was it the Americans were
after exactly? While there has been widespread
debate over this whole ordeal, anyone left on
the planet who believes our countries invaded
Iraq for moral reasons, is frankly either miseducated
or simply ignorant. The USA invaded Iraq for
oil, money, and power, and to save their precious
dollar from falling weaker than ever.
Now, with Saddam Hussein murdered (he was),
the chaos in Iraq is far from over, but America
is turning it's attention to it's next target
- Iran, feeding us the same story about nuclear
weapons. I don't know about you, but for me
this story is wearing a little thin. If the
US really does intend to invade Iran, they could
at least do us the courtesy of thinking up a
new rhetoric. Iran insists it's uranium enrichment
program is for nuclear energy, not military
usage. Judgment on Iran from the one country
who has actually used an atom bomb in a war
is somewhat hypocritical. Indeed, the Iranian
president has said that Iran will stop their
nuclear program, if those making the demands
will stop theirs too. Of course the USA would
never adhere to such a plainly fair agreement
that would truly make the world a safer place.
In 2006 the World Monument Fund comprised a
list of the most endangered places on earth.
The Great Wall of China, the Temples of Luxor,
and Machi Picchu all placed high up the list,
but top of the list, above anywhere else on
earth, was Iraq. No, not the Iraq Museum or
the Al Askariya shrine, but the entire country.
The sacred history of this place is being completely
erased, and Iran might be next if we let our
governments have their way. President Bush has
accused Iran of supplying weapons to insurgents
in Iraq, further justifying a military invasion.
Again to call this hypocrisy would be an understatement
as the US and Britain currently supply the weapons
for most of the wars going on around the world,
including in Lebanon, most of Africa, and even
Afghanistan. Who armed the Taliban in the first
place? The USA. Who now leads the world in the
research and development of nuclear weapons?
The USA.
So why do America really want to invade Iran?
Perhaps the very same real reasons behind the
invasion of Iraq; to gain control of Middle
Eastern oil reserves just in time for "peak
oil". Following their 2003 invasion, the
US promptly passed literally hundreds of new
laws as well as completely rewriting the Iraqi
constitution to accommodate their agenda. They
then proceeded to change every single sector
of the Iraq economy to suit US business interests.
While existing Iraqi law was designed to protect
the local people and economy from foreign competition,
the new laws opened Iraq's economy like flood
gates. A law was passed to allow 100% foreign
ownership of Iraqi businesses. Yes, one hundred
percent means all of them. All of Iraq's state
owned services were privatised, and not surprisingly
they were bought up on the cheap by American
firms. Iraq's staggered tax system was replaced
with a flat-tax system, obviously designed to
benefit large corporations, and in fact no tax
at all applied to most foreign companies. Over
100 of Iraq's banks were bought by American
firms thanks to a new law allowing foreign ownership
of previously state owned banks. American bank
JP Morgan now runs the Trade Bank of Iraq. JP
Morgan counts US Foreign Secretary Condoleeza
Rice as a former board member. Hmmm.
Just in case they missed anything that might
have caught the Americans out, a law was even
passed that granted full immunity from Iraqi
laws to Coalition military forces and all foreign
contractors. This meant the foreigners were
untouchable. While the US concentrated on dishing
out slices of Iraqi cake to the highest bidder,
the vital services needed by the Iraqi people
such as water, medicine, and electricity were
left inadequate, and are still to this day.
To give an idea of the current state of Iraq
thanks to the US "liberation", so
far it is estimated that up to 600,000 Iraqi
civilians have been killed, 93 journalists have
been killed, unemployment is around 60%+, and
over 25% of children in Iraq are suffering from
chronic malnutrition. In a recent poll by the
British Ministry of Defence, 82% of Iraqis said
they were strongly opposed to the present occupation
by US and British forces. Let's face it, while
Sadaam Hussein was no saint, life in Iraq for
most people was far better when he was in charge.
Now, for most Iraqis, life is a living hell,
well for those who are left living.
Bush says the international community is compelled
to act against Iran. By the international community,
he is talking about himself and his buddies.
I say, the international community is compelled
to act in defence of Iran, and by international
community I mean the real people of the world,
anyone who has any ounce of humanity in them.
We cannot let this country and it's people be
destroyed under our name in the same way Iraq
has been.
The "war on terrorism" IS the terrorism,
picking off one country after the next. If the
Bush Administration, with Blair as their little
brother, continue on their current policy of
'bomb first, ask questions later', simply put,
the world is going to become an awful place.
More awful than it already is. In years to come
our children will ask us why we did not stop
our governments from carrying out these atrocious
acts in our name. What will we tell them?
Editorial: Andrew Winter
    
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