Legitimizing the U.N. & Iran…Again
I was in the gym this evening, watching a bit of news about the Iranian president’s speech earlier today, and what should come up on the station I was watching? That America has admitted to the size of its nuclear stockpile.
I was rather torn with my initial reaction- the national security hawk in me was upset at this potentially (though not likely) harmful release of information. However, the libertarian side of my brain was glad that the American people would have just that much more knowledge about what the government has for weaponry.
Unfortunately, I then got a shock: apparently, it was done to pressure Iran regarding its own nuclear ambitions. According to the Associated Press:
The United States has 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile and “several thousand” more retired warheads awaiting the junkpile, the Pentagon said Monday in an unprecedented accounting of a secretive arsenal born in the Cold War and now shrinking rapidly.
The Obama administration disclosed the size of its atomic stockpile going back to 1962 as part of a campaign to get other nuclear nations to be more forthcoming, and to improve its bargaining position against the prospect of a nuclear Iran.
I understand the basic idea- show a willingness to be reasonable, and perhaps other countries will back us. However, given that the United Nations just gave Iran a position on its Commission on the Status of Women, I would say this shows the very severe lack of seriousness on the part of the U.N. leadership regarding the rights of women; holding Iran accountable for anything; and for the future prospects of stopping Iran’s nuclear program. It appears the Obama administration doesn’t understand this, and thus how useless its own gestures of outreach are.
Another Sign of the Obama Administration’s Commitment to Israel
As part of my duties as an intern with Laura Ingraham, I went to the State Department’s web site to find information about Israel. I clicked on Israel…and found this: “We’re sorry. That page can’t be found and may have moved.”
Here is a list of countries I went through that did have links: Afghanistan, Iceland, Italy, Venezuela, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Egypt, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Syria, Turkey, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Palestinian Territories,
In short, what I believe is every Middle Eastern country (except for the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Yemen, which did not have links), plus a few others I decided to check, have a link to the State Department’s information about the site. To verify, I asked two friends to check, one from his home computer and one from his work computer, and they found the same thing. I have also checked on two different computers that have two different servers. Israel is not on the State Department’s web site.
For those who are conspiracy theorist conservatives, perhaps UAE, Jordan and Yemen are other countries we are cutting ties with under Obama, or for those believers in the military industrial complex, we are going to bomb them. For me, it’s kind of funny that- coinciding with the Biden/Obama slam of Israel this week- they do not have the page up. Perhaps we shall check in next week?
Rubio on Policy, and His Closing
Lower taxes, no double taxation (taxing interest, death, etc.).
Lower corporate tax rates so we are competitive internationally.
Stop cap-and-trade, trust the American innovator, on energy.
Put the consumer in charge of health care spending in America. (How?)
Tort reform. *Thumbs up*
Let’s prove we are serious about holding down spending.
Radical Islamic fundamentalism is America’s biggest threat.
We’ll punish their allies, and support our allies. (Iran and Israel, respectively.)
We’ll destroy their cells, kill their leaders, etc. We’ll capture those who survive.
Bring them to justice in front of a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay.
Closing…already?
It’s sometimes easy to forget how great America being born in this country. Born to exiles, he knows this. Things are possible here and not possible elsewhere.
Other countries allow government to dictate who fails and succeeds. This country is about equality of opportunity, not equality of results.
His parents worked hard and suffered to help his family move forward.
He owes God, his parents’ sacrifices, and The USA. His parents had no influence or power, but worked hard so their kids could.
Our leaders are asking us to abandon what separates us from the rest of the world. We must decide what we want our kids to inherit.
“If we fail,” the next generation will be hit hard by the failure.
Like those before us, we rose to face the challenges of our times.
No policy specifics, unfortunately. It would have been nice to see in-depth platform ideas.
The Virtue of International Disinterest
Tens of thousands filled Tehran’s streets today in celebration of the 31st anniversary of Iranian independence. Bloomberg reports that “security forces clashed with opposition leaders and protesters who used the occasion to defy the government.” That’s a nice way of saying that forward-thinking Iranians were oppressed, and possibly murdered–“[s]ecurity forces fired guns and used tear gas in a square in west Tehran where demonstrators were gathered,”–at the hands of Uncle Ahma’s thugs. For many, the growing insurrection among the Iranian people provides support and justification for a U.S. invasion of the nearly nuclear regime. But, of course, such a suggestion is met on both sides of the political spectrum by cries of imprudence. After all, historical precedent–from The Monroe Doctrine to The U.N. Charter–requires that we americans remain neutral in all foreign affairs that do not have a direct impact on our own national interest. In other words, it is immoral for us to aid an oppressed people in revolting from their xenophobic butcher-tyrant. Forget the fact that millions of our brothers and sisters across the globe suffer daily under the heel of political oppression. We have our own concerns to worry about. Like Healthcare. Or Public Education. Or Social Security. Sound selfish? That’s because it is. It’s also probably not the kind of attitude that either Monroe or Roosevelt had in mind.
Uncle Ahma’s New Sports-Car
What would we do without crazy dictators? Probably most of the same stuff we do now. But, while we’re on the subject, it appears that one of our favorites, Iran’s very own Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has decided to build himself a new garage–probably to house his collection of vintage, anti-zionist sports-cars. The New York Times is reporting that Iran will begin enriching its stockpiles of uranium as early as Tuesday. Officials from Iran claim that the enriched uranium will be used to power a medical reactor. Political leaders across the western front, ever skeptical of Iran’s benevolent intentions, are calling for “serious measures”.
The concern is not so much that nuclear power is a bad thing, nor that any nation should be arbitrarily denied access to modern energy, but rather–and this can be downright difficult for many to grasp–that lunatic xenophobes, such as our dear Uncle Ahma, might use weapons of mass destruction to … well … destroy in mass. You see, like many uncles, Ahma’s mouth sometimes runs away with him. Why, a couple Thanksgivings back, he went on his “world without zionism” rant and made the comment that “Israel must be wiped off the map” (or “vanish from the pages of time” depending on which translation you prefer). Grandma wasn’t too pleased. Then there’s the tyrannical subjection of his own people that has us all a little weirded out. It can be hard to make friends with the free world when you’re opposed to … ya’know … freedom. And of course we can’t forget his financing global thugs like Hamas and Hezbollah, just to name a few.
So, it makes sense why some might be just a little bit worried about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. But, of course, its probably not a big deal after all. Uncle Ahma’s probably just talking big so that he can impress his buddies at the Dictator’s Country Club. I mean, sure they might butcher their own people and fund international terrorists, but we all know that these guys never actually DO anything worth worrying about … right? I mean, its Uncle Ahma. What’s not to love?
Iran, Nuclear Weapons, & Sanctions
A few days ago, secret documents detailing Iranian efforts to build a nuclear weapon surfaced. (SURPRISE!)
Then, on December 16, Iran launched its most sophisticated missile yet.
What was the House of Representatives’ response? 412-12, our Members of Congress voted to impose sanctions on Iran.
I’ll reiterate what I’ve said before- sanctions don’t work. They didn’t work with Iraq, they didn’t work with Cuba and they won’t do anything to stop Iran’s terrible treatment of its people. In fact, they’ll only make things worse, as they have in countless countries including Myanmar and North Korea. Instead, we should support the protesters who are still opposing their government’s murderous tendencies, support Israel’s right to defend itself and prepare for a military assault should America or one of our allies be attacked by the country.
I know there are other ways to eliminate the threat Iran’s leadership is to the rest of the world, but I must express ignorance as to what they are (plus, I didn’t sleep well last night and can’t really think very hard right now). Any ideas?
Update: Iranian-backed insurgents in Iraq have hacked U.S. Predator drones- perhaps we should back Israel’s approach to negotiation with Iran.
Government Siezes Muslim Properties
The United States government has?decided to sieze?several Islamic properties, including four mosques, across the country. While going after religious property is?a relatively rare thing to do in America, given our First Amendment rights, it is certainly justified if officials’ concerns are correct. The accusation? That the property owners are conducting business with Iran, and in the process they broke a number of laws.
May I just come out and say it? It’s about time we did this. Yes, of course, the public should make certain the rights of the owners of the buildings are not being violated, and make a stink if that turns out to be the case. However, given our culture’s politically correct way of handling?people and circumstances?such as the terrorist who launched the attack at Fort Hood recently- even some of our elected officials?such as Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY) joined in the waffling-?I am amazed our government had the courage to take these properties. Good for whomever made the call.
As has been said by much of the media over the last eight years, no, not all Muslims are terrorists. However, Islamic extremists are intent on taking more American lives, and if we do not take the bull by the horns and deal with this very real threat, more Americans will die in ways every bit as heinous as those at Fort Hood, on 9/11 and on the USS Cole.
Hugo Chavez Is Nuts or Brilliant
It’s offical- Hugo Chavez is either nuts or brilliant like a fox. He now declares The United States of America wants war with him, hence our moving troops into Colombia. Never mind that the country has a huge drug problem- we want to attack Chavez. *Rolls eyes*
I’m not sure of Chavez’s intent- is he brilliant enough to make people believe him and therefore be a rallying point for anti-Americanism? He is working?with Iran and Russia, after all, neither of whom is particularly friendly with us, and Chavez’ paranoia is always at a high level. Or, given the irrationally passive and terrorist-appeasing foreign policies of President Obama thus far, will his national popularity keep sinking? It’s hard to declare an apologist, dithering?Commander-in-Chief to be a major threat, after all.
My take? Chavez is desperate for the influence he had during the Bush years, and with Russia and Iran dealing with him directly, it gives him a bit of official power in addition to influence. Unfortunately, I think his near-insanity is going to cause him to burn out. I just hope not too many Venezuelans suffer as a result.
At What Point Do We Take Iran Seriously?
Our own rj produced a fantastic piece a few days ago titled, “Obama’s National Security is NO LONGER FUNNY“.? And it reminded me of a piece I had written back in June, “At What Point Do We Take North Korea Seriously?”
rj clearly lays out the ground work for this same question asked in the direction of Iran.? We have clearly been lied to at this point.? And it should not take us finding our inner Sherlock Holmes to put two and two together.? Iran now has two enrichment centers, and they are test firing long and short range missiles at the same time that they tell us their uranium enrichment will be used for nuclear power.? First of all, why does one of the most energy rich nations on the planet need nuclear energy?? Second of all, why in the world are we buying into this.
Let me remind you of some quotes coming from Khamenei and Ahmadinejad:
January 2001: Iran?s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ?It is the mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to erase Israel from the map of the region.?
October 26, 2005: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ?Israel must be wiped off the map?We shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism.?
April 14, 2006: Ahmadinejad, ?Like it or not, the Zionist regime is headed for annihilation.?
June 2, 2008: Ahmadinejad, ?Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come, and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started.?
June 4, 2008: Ahmadinejad, ?Get ready for a world minus the U.S.?
Have we already forgotten our recent history in Iraq?? Through 14 UN Resolutions we let Iraq slide for over 10 years before we did something about that regime.? This one, is far far more serious.? Ahmadinejad promises wiping out Israel, they are enriching Uranium, and they are test firing short and long range missiles.? Our strategy?? Do away with plans to provide nations in proximity a missile shield and promise “severe” verbal punishment.
It seems that those of us who are concerned are preaching to the choir at this point simply waiting for the smoking gun to actually turn out to be a mushroom cloud.? As rj points out, when the enemies of liberty and freedom and your nation are praising and congratulating your president, you no longer have a leader at the helm, you have a puppet who can only appease based on the strings the maestro pulls.
-nick
