The 2000 US Census estimated that 338,000 Iranian-Americans reside in the United States. In 2004, the Iranian-American population was estimated at 691,000 according to Iranian studies group [4] at MIT [5]. Large concentrations of Iranian Americans live in the state of California, more than 500,000 of them live in Southern California particularly around Los Angeles, Orange County, La Jolla (San Diego), and San José. Other Iranian-American communities in California include the Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Imperial Valley and the Coachella Valley. For this reason, the L.A area with its Iranian American residents is sometimes referred to as “Tehrangeles” or “Irangeles” among Iranian Americans, in allusion to Iran and its capital, Tehran, which is also a sister city of Los Angeles.[6] According to Ethnologue, there are at least 900,000 speakers of the Iranian dialects of the Persian language living in the US.[3] LINK
Of course, I’m speaking of the Iranian-American community as it exists today; tomorrow is too much of a toss-up, and as fast as events are transpiring today, the future remains unknown, uncertain, and unpredictable. Many American Iranian’s have family in Iran, communicate regularly, and certainly care about their families just as much as we care for our own. How much anger and outrage will be generated in America’s Iranian community if we launch an unprovoked first-strike targeting Iran? The Iranian nuclear program covers a lot of ground, and even if we don’t use tactical nuclear bunker-busting bombs, the causalities are likely to be enormous if our mission is to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability. What about the Islamic community within the United States? How large is America’s Muslim community?
Number of Muslims in the U.S.
Nobody knows.
This is a political hot-potato. Some non-Muslims have accused Muslims of exaggerating their numbers in order to obtain more political clout. Some Muslims have accused non-Muslims of releasing false, low numbers in order to “marginalize” Islam. In religion, as in war, truth is often the first casualty.
Estimates of the number of Muslims in North America range from a little over one million adults to seven million adults and children. One cause of the disagreement appears to be related to the percentage of Muslim immigrants:
* Who have abandoned Islam since they arrived in the US, or
* Who still consider themselves to be Muslims, but who do not participate in mosque activities. MORE
Further, if we attack Iran we are virtually certain they will retaliate. After an attack, we can expect huge protests and anger from both of the above communities - and then retribution if we face violent attacks within our own borders from QUDS force operatives that already exist within the country. In this author’s opinion, it’s a recipe for disaster and a subsequent declaration of martial law would be inevitable. Mr. Conyer’s statement was nothing more than symbolic; based on US troop and naval movements, recent preparations by Israel and Saudi Arabia, and Russia clearly stating it was our intention to attack Iran, a threat of impeachment “after the fact” is hollow and meaningless.
It’s about damn time that our Congress on both sides of the isle wake the hell up and take action to protect our nation as well as themselves and their own families. Our own military doesn’t discount threats from Iran of attacks against the US if we start a preemptive attack. and like it or not, our Congress is configured to include representatives from all fifty (50) states. I doubt if their families are bullet-proof, impervious to disease, or radioactive-resistant, however I’m guessing they are human too, and when you risk the rest of the citizenry, you also risk the welfare of your own families. None of us know where terrorists may strike in retaliation, and that “where” could include your own constituency(s).
Where is the Mainstream New Media on this issue? Several Blogs, including my own, have contained all of this information, and just a few days after the information was published, John Conyers issued a statement that Bush would face impeachment hearings if he attacked Iran. Hello??? Was this a coincidence, or was Mr. Conyers verifying that indeed, we are planning on attacking Iran?
PM declares ‘emergency’ in drill
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared a state of emergency Monday following “a barrage of hundreds of missiles from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip,” as the country’s largest-ever emergency exercise, “Turning Point 2,” continues.
Dozens of Israeli civilians were “killed” on Sunday as Israel went to “war” with Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas on the first day of the exercise.
The five-day drill opened with an announcement by Olmert at the weekly cabinet meeting of an outbreak of hostilities following the firing of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel by Hizbullah in Lebanon. The simulated conflict quickly escalated and by the afternoon - representing the fourth day of the “war” - Israel was also “being hit by Syrian missiles and Hamas-fired Kassams and Katyushas.” MORE
For an investigative reporter, there is an abundance of evidence that suggests the United States is seriously considering, or is in the final planning stages of an attack on Iran. Don’t forget about Syria, because if we strike Iran, Israel will be up to their noses with instantaneous retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, the latter of whom Israel will likely attack first to gain the tactical advantage. What is being planned is not just an attack on Iran, but igniting the entire Middle-East in another one of Bush and Cheney’s wars; we can take it by remaining silent, or we can raise hell by unmercifully calling our Congressional Representatives with calls and emails, and don’t forget to include your local editors too; if enough of you send letters to the Editor, some are likely to be published, helping to bring awareness to the rest of our nation.
I’m sorry, but the MSM has let us down again. I’m hoping they won’t be forgiven so easily for this latest transgression, but if we act in unison and seek universal condemnation of this upcoming war, it’s possible we can raise the awareness of those who are still asleep at the wheel, including many of our own lawmakers. We did it on S 1959, and if we gain join in solidarity, we can make a difference on this issue too. Remember what Thomas Jefferson stated, and in this writer’s opinion, no truer words have ever been spoken before this great nation and we should ponder upon and take to heart his excellent advice:
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
