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War would Saddam-ize iran
By Mandi Jones
mjone108@mscd.edu

The jargon seeping from the corporate media and the Bush administration is reminiscent of the time when a war in Iraq was sold as a good, justified idea. Many Americans blindly put their faith behind Dubya the Decider and supported his ambition to rid the world of the “evil-doers,” despite the world’s lack of support. But whatever, we were on a mission from God.

Then reality hit.

One by one, the justifications began to unravel. There were never any weapons of mass destruction. The only commonality between Saddam and Osama was a mutual hate for each other, and even Bush stated that Saddam had nothing to do with Sept. 11. Yet the number of troops killed since their commander in chief proudly pronounced “mission accomplished” continues to eclipse the casualties of the World Trade Center collapse.

Now we move to Iran. The eerie echo of the lead-up to war has been sonorously sounded by the corporate media’s bobble-head pundits, who continue to neglect any critical analysis or intelligent debate. Have the journalists who cheerleaded for invading Iraq learned nothing? The response regarding Saudi Arabia is baffling, as the mute dialogue pertaining to its ties with Iraqi Sunni militias mirrors the deafening silence regarding its support for 15 of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

The Bush administration is once more prophesizing that it will proceed with the escalation despite whoever may disagree; the only difference now is that Bush is set to defy his own Congress and his own people. While Bush’s approval ratings continue to plummet, the media has yet to cover the fact that numerous polls conducted by the likes of Newsweek, MSNBC and Zogby International have shown that more than 50 percent of Americans agree that impeachment should be seriously considered by Congress.

Ever since the Coalition of the Imperialists illegally invaded Iraq, the infrastructure we destroyed has yet to be rebuilt, and civilian casualties have exceeded 650,000, according to a study overseen by Johns Hopkins University. The Iraqi people have been negated from the ongoing debate of whether we should pull out, while supporting the troops has again become the rhetorical pedestal exploited by warmongers and profiteers.

While the Iranian regime continues to carry out some of the world’s worst human rights abuses and violent acts against women, I do not agree that jotting them down on our military’s list of things to do today will remedy the situation.

Prior to jumping into procession and marching to the humdrum of war, it is crucial we pause and demand our legislators explore every possible alternative to avoid a conflict in Iran. It would be foolish for anyone to put military strikes beyond this reactionary and ill-witted administration. The red flags are there. The alternatives are there, one of which may be found in voices of the Iranian people and their resistance.