Bush sends nuclear sub and more warships to the Gulf
Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 11:57:23 PM PDT
According to Chris Floyd at the Empire Burlesque web site:
The Saudi government is now preparing plans to deal with "any sudden nuclear and radioactive hazards" that may arise from an attack on Iran's nuclear reactors. This was reported by a top Saudi newspaper, Okaz, and relayed by a leading German news service, DPA -- one day after Dick Cheney paid a visit to the kingdom.As we noted, no one knows exactly what was said at that confab of allied authoritarians -- but something sure lit a fire under the Saudis, and convinced them that urgent action is needed to brace for the lethal overspill from a strike on Iran.
Floyd points out that nothing in Saudi Arabia becomes the top news story without government approval.That such a story should be released the day after Cheney's visit, sends a message to everyone about what’s on Cheney's mind.
This, combined with the dismissal of Centcom chief, Admiral Fallon, Petreus' claim to have evidence (which he doesn't produce) that Iran was responsible for the recent shelling of the Green Zone,
. . and the Egyptian report that a nuclear sub has been ordered by Bush into the Gulf, the bleak picture in both Pakistan and Afghanistan (accelerating collapse of Musharraf's power and strategy, the coming spring offensive in the Taliban's announced drive for Kabu),
. . plus the oft-stated desire of Bush and Cheney to attack Iran, and, as noted by former mideast policy official William K. Polk at Juan Cole's site just a few days ago, the last time Cheney visited the nations he visited this time was right before the Iraq attack,
. . then only a moron would deny that Bush and Dick have nothing but contempt for the will of the people, congress and the courts, and that they crave war like a junkie craves his fix.
Cheney Visits them, and Saudis then Prepare for "Sudden Nuclear Hazards"
One Tick Closer to Midnight
Last Friday, Dick Cheney was in Saudi Arabia for high-level meetings with the Saudi king and his ministers.On Saturday, it was revealed that the Saudi Shura Council -- the elite group that implements the decisions of the autocratic inner circle -- is preparing "national plans to deal with any sudden nuclear and radioactive hazards that may affect the kingdom following experts' warnings of possible attacks on Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactors," one of the kingdom's leading newspapers, Okaz, reports.The German-based DPA news service relayed the paper's story.
Simple prudence -- or ominous timing? We noted here last week that an American attack on Iran was far more likely than most people suspect.We pointed to the mountain of evidence for this case gathered by scholar William R. Polk, one of the top aides to John Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and to other indicators of impending war.The story by Okaz -- which would not have appeared in the tightly controlled dictatorship without approval from the top -- is yet another, very weighty piece of evidence laid on the scales, pointing toward a new, horrendous conflict.
We don't know what the Saudis told Cheney in private -- or even more to the point, what he told them.But the release of this story now, just after his departure, would seem to be a clear indication that the Saudis have good reason to fear a looming attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, and that they are actively preparing for it.
Several years after receiving my M.A. in social science (interdisciplinary studies) I was an instructor at S.F. State University for a year, but then went back to designing automated machinery, and then tech writing, in Silicon Valley. I've always been more interested in political economics and what's going on behind the scenes in politics, than in mechanical engineering, and because of that I've rarely worked more than 6 months a year, devoting much of the rest of the year to reading and writing about that which interests me most.
none of the links to the original story from DPA or Okaz work now, so of course the story has lost any credibility in the *real* world. We have nothing but our words, blogs, etc...another way to make us all look crazy eh?
by
Cheri Roberts-Piper (16 articles, 15 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 430 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 11:59:12 AM
I've been telling people since we went into Afghanistan we'd wind-up in Iran and they called me crazy because that would be insane.
And I couldn't agree more.
I also hate being right.
I really don't know what the answer is, somehow, someway an attack on Iran has to be avoided. Because if not, the erosion we've seen so far of anything even resembling a so-called "free" country will cease to even be a pretence. And I don't know what we can do to stop it?
It's driving this crazy man insane. And I don't want to go there.
And I don't want to hear about contacting our so-called representatives, they don't even read the bills they're signing, why should I believe they'll listen to anything I have to say, unless of course it had a large cash donation attacked to it?
But seriously, this isn't funny. We go into Iran, it's over. That might be what do it, the real WWIII with it being America vs. World.
by
Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 999 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 3:59:43 PM
I wasn't either crazy or insane to trash this, this a.m....
...just dumb, because I had to retrieve it.
From my sweet neighbor who ususally sends dumb jokes that I don't open.
Is it possible that both the Saudis and the Russians are correct? Where's Congress? Where's a good revolting general? Are the Russians going to have to step in and threaten to nuke us if we nuke Iran?
Maybe that's what Putin will tell the madman/men in the White House when they meet this week.
The email I opened at 2 a.m. Not a good way to start the day:
MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.
"The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.
He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran "that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost."
He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran's military infrastructure in the near future.
A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf.
The USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed-wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships and four nuclear submarines are heading for the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed since December 2006.
The U.S. is also sending Patriot anti-missile systems to the region.
by
Sandy Sand (129 articles, 0 quicklinks, 143 diaries, 1114 comments)
on Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 10:25:46 AM
RIYADH - The Saudi Shura council will secretly discuss national plans to deal with any sudden nuclear and radioactive hazards that may affect the kingdom following experts’ warnings of possible attacks on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactors, media reports said Saturday.
The Saudi-based King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology has prepared a proposal that encapsulates the probabilities of leaking nuclear and radiation hazards in case of any unexpected nuclear attacks in Iran, the Okaz Saudi newspaper said.
The Saudi Shura or consultative council plans to debate the proposal on Sunday.The power plants in the south-western Iranian port of Bushehr were built with German assistance in 1974 and resumed with Russian aid in 1992, after it had been stopped by the Islamic revolution.
by
Munich (0 articles, 44 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 632 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 6:53:50 PM
Where is there more detail on this? Excellent comments...
Nuking Iran, declaring Martial Law, imprisoning us in the converted military bases (Gaylord in Michigan, near my cottage in Traverse City) they have created after "postponing" the national elections... and on and on, etc
This is going to help my new book "We will Bear Witness" taken from a book by a man who wrote about the Nazi rise from the 1920's.
Nuking Iran is simply worth dying for to bring to the average persons attention. It is the smoking gun, or the defining moment. Is this the thing we can motivate the masses? If not, what else will there ever be?
I love Rob and OP_ED and the people. But as Emerson said of Thoreau (and me).. oh read it yourself.
Average people hate us, and no amount of our brillant thoughts and writing will do anything until we understand, "the average guy/gal" needs an "OP_ED" too!
Is there something OP_ED could do to simply go "Nuclear" and stake its future on simply using the Iran Nuke, Military-Civilian Jails, Local Federalization of Police and Corporations to marginalyze US citizens, and then Martial Law and suspension of elections, perhaps burning Congress. etc.
Lets make some decisions. Lets do something.
We have the Power of the Myth, also.
Let us use it now, before it is too late.
OP_ED could be the key. It is the best, for the longest. but its rudder seems to never quite tack strasight (like mine) [read Emerson on Thoreau, Rob]
They can love us, but never like us.
sincerely, and with great admiration and only positive intent (I apologyze if I hurt anyones feelings),
see my pictures at lookingglassstudio.net
I got rid of all my heavy stuff but see two of my poems somewhere in OP_ED. "The Christmas Tree" and " I know A Place".
I have another poem I wrote in 1986 that is definning. It even has a nuclear moment. I think I sent it to Mike.
The BackPackers Prayer.
I will help anyway I can. But no one likes me either.
Though I will be missed by many who know, we know.
They just are waiting for us to "define" the moment.
To create the "real" myth.
To bring back Cambells missing Heroes as he told Bill...
I said in October(07) that something was going to go down in April. I had enough information to determine this.
How will Russia and China deal with an attack that could possibly Block their energy sources?
Will this Iranian strike give Bush the Martial law he has been wanting so badly? He can cancel elections from what I can see within that act. He can lock us down.
Our soldiers in Iraq are in grave danger.
Dick and George and their ilk are such fools. Don't they know that nuclear fallout goes around the globe as it takes forever to break down uranium...forever. Einstein warned "not even for energy use" in his letter to FDR. Course we know dayallbee smarter den Einstein. Cheney/Bush and crew: Authors of the Law of stupidity.
And if it weren't for Nancy Pelosi, we could be having hearings preventing Bush and Dick from doing this!
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shirley reese (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 198 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 12:24:04 PM
For the illegitimate executive branch of the United States to undertake a unilateral attack on another country with nuclear weapons is a criminal act that would be equivalent to any of the atrocities or pogroms undertaken by Hitler, Stalin or Mao Tse Dung.
If we as a people do not enforce justice for such a crime, it is likely that the world community of nations (which our government has damnably been endeavoring to distance us from) will enforce that justice.
Who will rid us of these madmen?
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John Sanchez Jr. (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 810 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 12:25:51 PM
would likely view the event as the act of unrestrained madness that it is and move to provide their own defense against "with us or against us" unilateralists.
Whether We the People can effectively stand them down is an open issue with no clear trends showing.
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John Sanchez Jr. (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 810 comments)
on Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 12:18:57 AM
Impeachment is threatened 'after the fact' of an attack on Iran. As usual, the toothless dog Democrats bluster and at the end of the day run for cover. I'd say screw 'em, but it is us that is going to be paying the bill. Us and the Iranians, who suprisingly happen to be human beings also.
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Roger (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 283 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 2:07:44 PM
The mere fact that we are having a discussion about the fallout from a nuclear attack by the United States on Iran is incomprehensible.
This pernicious administration should have been run out of office on a rail years ago, and yet we continue to allow them to decimate our Democracy and our way of life here in America.
Sadly, for far too long the vast majority of American people have been totally ignorant and oblivious to what's happened to their country. These people could care less about any such attack on Iran. They only time they'll care is if and when this evil cabal does decide to try and implement Martial Law, at which time Dancing with the Stars and American Idol will be preempted with yet more war propaganda.
One other note. God forbid they do go through with such a maniacal attack on Iran, they'll most likely shut down the only means possible with which critical thinkers can correspond, the Net.
Someone please tell me that this has been all just a bad dream? Please!
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Munich (0 articles, 44 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 632 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 2:37:12 PM
The building of nuclear weapons brought an end to any legal basis of government that previously existed here in this Old Crown colony called America.
The decision was made long ago to burn up the human race in an all out surprise attack upon us. We have been sucker punched many times over the decades with the use of nuclear weapons.
We are clearly, THE LIVING DEAD.
.
.
by
Patrick (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 364 comments)
on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 3:28:45 PM
