The March of Shiism
Even without nuclear weapons, Iran has become the hegemonic power over the world’s richest oil region, thanks to the Bush administration’s elimination of the Sunni Wahhabi Talibans in Afghanistan and Saddam’s Sunni regime in Iraq.
On April 9, 2003, the U.S. won the battle against a tattered Iraq. But Iran, without firing a shot won the war for Iraq; a triumph for the Khomeini revolution, one of Shiism’s greatest moments since Saladin removed the Shii Fatimids in Cairo in 1171. The occupation of Iraq transferred control in Mesopotamia to Iraq’s 60% Shii majority, a cataclysmic event that turned Iran into an unstoppable regional powerhouse. The British think tank, Chatham House concluded in August 2006: “The greatest problem facing the U.S. is that Iran has superseded it as the most influential power in Iraq.”
To Sunnis, Shiis are heretics. In extremist Wahhabi Saudi Arabia, Shiis are discriminated against. The founder of the kingdom imposed on Shiis the tax he imposed on non-Muslims. Shii towns and villages today are pathetically poor despite being located at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil region. In Bahrain, the Sunni ruling minority discriminates against the Shii majority. In Iraq, until the U.S. occupation, the Shii majority was deprived. In Kuwait, Shiis, almost one-third of Kuwaitis, are second-class citizens. In Lebanon, Shiis, a third of the population, are underprivileged. In Syria, until seizing power in 1970, the Alawites, a Shii sect, lived in abject poverty under Sunni rule. In Yemen, the Zaydis, a Shii sect, are a third of Yemen’s twenty million people. Zaidis accuse the Sunni government of genocide.
The Arab Shiis look to Iran for deliverance; leverage in Tehran’s arsenal in dealing with Arab oil Sheikhdoms. Egyptian President Mubarak declared recently that Shiis in Arab states were more loyal to Iran than to their own countries.
As a minority of about 15% of Muslims today, Shiism draws Shiis together. In Southern Iraq, Najaf and Karbala, the burial places of Imams Ali and Hussein, are the holiest of holy Shii cities. Kazimayn, nearby, has the tombs of the Seventh and the Ninth Imams. Samarra has the tombs of the Tenth and the Eleventh Imams plus the revered Mosque of the Occultation, from where the Twelfth Imam allegedly disappeared (this mosque was blown up in the civil war on February 22, 2006 and again on June 13, 2007). In the cemeteries of these holy cities, many illustrious religious personalities from the world of Shiism are buried. In Iran, the Eighth Imam is buried in Mashhad, and in Qumm his sister is buried. Outside Damascus in Syria, Zainab, the Granddaughter of the Prophet and the sister of Hasan and Hussein, is buried. In commemorating the suffering of the Imams, pilgrimages pull millions of Shiis together. In the grand seminaries of Najaf, Karbala, Mashhad, and Qumm the best-known clerics teach. The prominent families of Najaf and Karbala trace their roots to long lines of marriages with the great families of Burjurid, Isfahan, Kirmanshah, Mashhad, and Qumm. Ayatollahs have cross-country followings. From Najaf and Karbala, Iranian clerics often led the Shii world. The so-called “historical ethnic enmity” between Arabs and Persians is an exaggeration.  The conflict has always been between the rulers, not the Shii masses. 
Washington needs today to deal with Iran as the major power in the world’s biggest oil region. GCC rulers in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE are too feeble to challenge Iran. These men are non-representative dictators pre-occupied in outdoing each other on who owns the more ostentatious palace and who flies the bigger private Airbus or Boeing airplane.

Elie Elhadj; author: The Islamic Shield
http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=IS BN&book=1599424118
Also:
http://journals.aol.com/eeh100/daring-opinion/

Change From Within?

Unfortunately, the fact that military excess can only be prevented by the military is similar to the problems in other areas concern:

First, I’m starting to think that real progress towards true justice and peace in Israel/Palestine can only be achieved by the good-hearted Jewish Israelis (and Americans) who believe the current approach is immoral.

In the same way, I believe the economic disparities in the US can only be truly addressed by the super-rich themselves, for example, Bill Gates fighting to KEEP the estate tax.

However, I am not all that confident that these entrenched powers will change things themselves, despite their being the only ones with the power to do so.

The people and the democratic process have been completely divested of what little power they had.

Hmmm...it’s a hard decision for an imperalistic nation to make....help the little nation that thinks of us as unclean dogs, or the bigger one who thinks of us as infidels. I guess there wasn’t much dickering when they realized it was just a matter of land for oil. I guess we all know for whom. It’s as simple as they try to make it complicated. Maybe the question we as Christians should be asking is: is it what Jesus would do? Or perhaps we should just all drink the Kool-aid and forget about it. But oh wait. The Catholics are being sent in to help take over Iraq...what do we have to fear????

It’s extremely discouraging that so many of the kneejerk anti-Semites on this thread are distracting attention from an extremely important issue—how we can help our military stop our politicians maneuver us into attacking Iran—by derailing discourse into their same-old-same-old BS about the all-powerful Israel lobby pushing America where it doesn’t want to go. Look: there are only 6 million Jews in the U.S. (nearly 90% of whom are Democrats and liberal) as compared to 10 million Moslems. More to the point, any fair and complete chart of the special interest lobbies and the money they throw at affecting U.S. policy, shows clearly that in terms of dollars spent and policy affected, the Israel lobby is truly small potatos. Finally, has it occurred to any of you anti-Zionists that so many Americans generally support Israel because they have never been brainwashed into hating it, and judge it for the type of productive, democratic society it is?

Ariel Sharon advised Bush privately to not attack Iraq because it would be destabilizing and because there were no longer WMDs in that country, long-since moved to Syria and other friends of Saddam. Many of us wish Sharon had offered his opinions loudly and publicly, but Israel does not have so many friends that she can stick a finger in the U.S. President’s eye. (The Palestinian issue is an Arab-created and maintained problem, else why would other Moslems—e.g., Turkey and the Kurds—be staunch, longterm allies of Israel?)

General Eric Shinseki, who’d been in Bosnia and understood murderous sectarian volatility, did speak up to Bush, did specify the overwhelming number of troops that would be required to stabilize post-invasion Iraq, and was fired for his pains. He was mentor and friend to our son-in-law who nevertheless served in Iraq, attempting to make the best of a very very bad situation.

At the time, neither Congress nor the public stood up to supported General Shinseki. This time we had better support the military men who are laying out the risks of attacking Iran before we shoot ourselves in the foot again. As a supporter of Israel of course I have no sympathy for the Iranians who bankroll and arm Hezbollah and Hamas, who believe Israel should be wiped from the face of the earth. But the majority of Iranian people are NOT in the same hate-filled category as the mullahs and Ahmadinejad. Thank God we have a French president and a German leader and a UN Secretary General who might push diplomatic initiatives and sanctions that will eventually persuade Iran. But if these don’t work, and the Russians and Chinese remain less than helpful, a war option must be carefully planned in advance and on the table so that the Iranians do not misunderstand our intent as Saddam did. Sure, it’s hypocritical for nations with nuclear weapons to deny other nations the same—yet if the nation in question has a jihad-supporting government perhaps some hypocrisy can be forgiven. The West can’t afford the existence of a nuclear weapon wielded by people whose death-embracing doctrine approves the massacre of infidels by martyrs on personal fast-passes to Paradise.

Dr. Cajon, interesting take on the days ahead. I see it a bit different. But either way the vaporization of our families is a real threat.

It would take a team of psychoanalysts to catalog the many and varied mental pathologies of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their henchmen in the U.S. government. The point to keep in mind is that in this time and in this place the capitalist system selected humans in power capable of carrying out insane and grotesquely inhumane policies, up to and including nuclear warfare. Capitalism, like the HAL 9000 computer on board the spaceship Discovery in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey is out of the control of its makers. The system now has only human sentinels, best represented by the so-called Neo-Conservatives in ruling circles.

There are entirely too many ignorant people in our country, peasants fighting for the king.  They haven’t the education to think analytically, and can only be concerned with consumerism.  There is so much to be concerned about.

Although I agree with the “Essence and Contention” of
the article “In the Hands of the Military” by Chris
Hedges whose writing I have become addicted to,because
of his obvious HONESTY and profound MORAL PRINCIPLES
which touch the core of his highly admired journalistic
talents,I could not see how the military might be able to
do what Mr. Hedges hoped for without an open revolt
and wide-spread disobedience to prevent war with Iran.
The reason is obvious:The Great American Constitution
(which I Consider ALMOST DIVINE and must be protected
at all costs and never allow our passions to temper
with) clearly spells out that such power is absolutely
in the hands of the Congress and must remain so.

Sadly,in the last four to five decades,the Congress
has been inflected by a disease,although curable,is
called"The Disease of Corruption and Fear”:Corruption
because of personal weakness of GREED and Fear of not
getting re-elected,Fear of certain pressure groups
conveniently called LOBBYISTS(perhaps,for confusing
the innocent American public)and lastly but not least,the Fear of losing income/livelihood and fringe
benefits,for some,that could not be obtained from other
human endeavors.

This kind of disease unfortunately resides deep deep
in selfishness of the human nature since Cain killed
his own brother,Abel,as The Book of Genesis of The
Old Testament of the Bible described.

The military was founded mainly to defend the country
when attacked and when about to be attacked for sure.
Nothing more and nothing less.

When we,the people,start to look at the military to
solve our political problems of which we created our-
-selves against our common interest by electing inept
persons to represent us,it was/is high time to repent
from repeating our disastrous errors or prejudices or
blind passions or horrendous biases or whatever you
might/may want to call it.

What all the forgoing points mean???.Answer:With the
exception of Dennis Kucinich and his handful of
supporters in Congress,the American people have no
body to help them out the dilemmas they have found
themselves in except themselves.I repeat,no body
except themselves by electing HONESTY,HONESTY and
more HONESTY to represent them in the halls of their
GREAT INSTITUTIONS of CONGRESS.Experience and other
abilities are fine but they always can be acquired,
but HONESTY cannot.It has to be engraved or instill
in very early age,not when a man/woman decides to run
for Congress.The longer a man/woman lives in the pure
and simple life of honesty,the least are the chances
in abandoning his commitment to the common good.

In short,Let us hope that the rules of laws derived
from articles and spirit of the CONSTITUTION of the
US,which have been initiated by Dennis Kucinich and his partners in Congress will succeed so that the
targeted person/persons for impeachment will be forced to spend more time with their lawyers to protect their asses from impeachment and persecutions
and less time on plotting how to wage war against Iran.Let us just hope that will take place and avoid
involving the military in the crocked and knifing
politics of Washington DC and its self-appointed
crowd in the think tanks of the Neocons who brought
nothing but disasters and bad name to the US.Enough
is Enough.Let us try PEACE for a change through real
HONEST and JUST DIPLOMACY.
Sincerely,
Nabih Ammari
An Independent in Ohio.

Still. For me; any group that supports Zionists supports the people that killed Jesus. That lets me out officially. Based on fact; and fiction. It wasn’t the politics of it, only the religion. Even up until today. If religion is not for the betterment of mankind; what good is it? And if it is violence, repressive and dictatorial....should we let it rule in America? I think people should start thinking about what ‘tolerance’ means as opposed to ‘one world religion’ means. What do ya’ll think?
(And maybe the question of; if you had to go to church, which religion would it be?) Think of it as a treasure hunt....Happy Hunting and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Look to influential churches; . They are behind the violence...and the attempt to overthrow the United States of America and first and foremost our CONSTITUTION.

Ernest, you got me pegged. I’ll give you credit for that and I’ll not dwell on your newest characterizations. Objectively speaking, I guess “ideologically-blinded” is a step up from crazy anyway. As to a concrete suggestion for the here and now I’d have to agree with Goldman Sachs that you should sell your Citigroup stock. Hurry!

But listen Ernie you’re working too hard here. Damn, almost 1150 posts! Chill for awhile, let me talk to these guys with a bug up their asses over Israel.

One thing last year’s Israeli assault on Gaza and Lebanon has made clearer is the alignment of forces in the Arab and Muslim world. Ironically, in different fashions both Hamas and Hizbollah were creations of Israel. Hamas was supposed to act as a counterweight to the Palestine Liberation Organization when Israel considered the PLO the most immediate threat to their domination of the Arab majority. Hizbollah filled the gapping chasm Israel created with the 1982 invasion and years long occupation of southern Lebanon. Both Hamas and Hizbollah have, through years of disciplined work and organizing, woven themselves into the lives of the respective peoples they seek to liberate. What a stark contrast with the rich Arab boys who have created the cult they call al-Qaeda. The clownish Ayman al-Zawahiri rushed to his camcorder after Hizbollah faced down the Israeli military to spout some silly rhetoric about a caliphate from Spain to Iraq in front of a poster that screams, “Please remember us, we did 9/11!”

Under normal circumstances the impending death of a form of racism like Zionism (see pictures of young Israeli girls writing messages and drawing on missile warheads soon to rain down on their human counterparts in Lebanon) and the establishment of a secular state on the territory Israel now occupies where Palestinian Arabs of various religious persuasions and Jews could peacefully co-exist as equals would be cause for human celebration. Unfortunately, the panic that clearly grips Israel means they will likely join in U.S. attacks on Damascus and Tehran and resort to the use of their nuclear arsenal when all else fails. And that, on a larger scale, is the dilemma that the whole world faces as the capitalist system spearheaded by the United States begins experiencing it’s last gasps.

To:#114411 by Non Credo on 11/18 at 10:08 pm.

Non Credo,

I feel that I must tell you that your above response
is all all and more all real good RED MEAT and surly
no potato (potatoe?.In fact,the MEAT was not rare;was
not medium;it was VERY VERY WELL DONE.Fascinating
response,indeed.It agrees totally with the information I have.

Thank you very much for a job well done,indeed.

Sincerely,
Nabih Ammari
An Independent in Ohio.

Then I guess it would behove us to find out who is for us, and who is against us....

“Events are in the saddle;the terrible ifs accumulate.” Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Prophet Muhammad - “Muhammad slep upon a mat, and got up very marked on the body by it: and someone said, ‘O Messenger of God! If thou hadst ordered me, I would have spread a soft bed for thee.’ Lord Muhammad said, ‘What business have I with the world? I am a man on horseback, who standeth under the shade of a tree, then leaveth it.’”

Bonaparte was also called “The Man on Horseback”

I hear calls for The Man on Horseback to whom the fickle crowd will lay down all their civil and other liberties, only to find they are under the yoke.  Hedges is entranced by the military.  It is a sign of the times that he and others are beginning to think that some military figure might gather around himself the basis for a coup against the civil side of government - be frank, for that is what I read here.  And, then having taken over, do you think that the Man on Horseback and his lackeys will be prone to surrender power?  Washington and Cincinnatus are alleged to be the only two rulers to have done so. 

But I see lots of pussy footing around the idea of a rebellion or revolution with some thought of a military contingent in charge.  Question: will we then obey the laws?  I think yes, whomever takes charge in those circumstances will selectively inflict the laws to his favor, or that of his group.  And, now we have such laws which demolish our civil liberties—just to make it easier for them.  And as for Casey, the Army Chief of Staff has limited power to provide men and machines for the DoD Unified and Specified Commands, the operational arms of the United States.  Casey is the cook and supply sargent to the Commands.

Events are indeed in the saddle and folks are finally getting nervous - about damned time.  Remember, The Man on Horseback obtaining power, does not leave peacefully!

Gee Ernest, that’s what the ruling class says about Dennis Kucinich. Read this so you will better understand who you are and the fear that makes you so dismissive.

From the birth of the republic, capitalism has been able to provide the American people with several powerful incentives to go along with the program. Five percent of the world’s population is invited to consume 30% of the world’s resources by way of imperialism. White Americans are invited to enjoy a disproportionate share of the wealth by way of racism. A very comfortable place is provided to politicians, intellectuals, academics, bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs in the narrow strata of society Marx called the petty bourgeois. Nowadays though, that deal with the capitalist devil is becoming more and more difficult to keep! The U.S. is being integrated into a global economy as capitalism searches for the lowest possible wage and the greatest possible profit. The process is steadily reshaping ours into a subsistence-wage service economy. The jobs of elite industrial workers, from auto and steelworkers to airline pilots, are disappearing across the country along with their health benefits and pensions. Even white Americans are now feeling the pain of a declining standard of living.

Now as capitalism enters its final stages, politically a nearly seamless transition to fascism is taking place. The trappings of bourgeois democracy are a brake on profits and so they are being shredded. The Constitution and its Bill of Rights are being rendered meaningless by plans for perpetual war, by presidential signing statements and the theory of the unitary executive, extraordinary rendition, government surveillance programs and the like. Programs based on democratic principles like the public schools, Social Security, Medicare, affirmative action and welfare are being starved to death. The mass media and electoral machinery and both major political parties are now fully under the control of those in power. Bloodless coups in 2000 and 2004 installed George W. Bush in the White House and no future ballot will remove the candidates of the ruling class from power.

The sad truth is that the petty bourgeois (that’s you Ernest) cannot defeat the capitalist ruling class! They are a timid and passive group who, in this time for warriors, gather at the gates of the palace to nag and complain essentially to each other. There are scores of Internet websites, magazines, newspapers, radio programs and networks, and some small television networks where liberal, left, progressive, and other commentators show up to whine out loud. They rail against the outrages and inhumanity of the U.S. government and the Bush Administration. They point out the duplicity, the corruption, the hypocrisy, the inhumanity, and the utter criminality loosed in the world today but to no useful end since capitalism will not be reformed nor shamed to death. Pointing out the defects of capitalism has become as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. The ruling class brushes its liberal democratic critics off like gnats as long as they stay away from the third rail. But let one of these voices dare mention unity based on working class-consciousness and a mobilization to strike at profits and great danger would shortly thereafter visit.

So you just stay safe behind your H. Res. 766, your e-mails to John Conyers, and your facile political judgements. We’ll let you know when the fighting is over.

Goodness will find the little boy. It always has. It will again. (Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road")

Mark my words. Someday, in the not too distant future, there will be a series of arrests. Good men and women (none of them much wealthy) will conduct interrogations and the cowardice of the accused will be televised to the people of the world, the crying and the urination will certify the shock in them that their world has been turned upside down so suddenly. How could their mighty Blackwater forces been defeated by regular ragtag US military units?

An eminently fair trial will follow and those proven guilty will be convicted. Impeachment! The spirit of Benito Mussolini laughs at your stinking impeachment. The meathook awaits this gang.

Dear reader many of you do not see clearly yet and you think this fantastic. But some of you will live to see it happen. Enjoy!

Isn’t it time we applied pressure? They should roll back the war powers of the president. Especially when it’s not been established if he is mental or NOT. Isn’t it time to take over the ship? Or does America have a death wish?

“The Iranians, like us, are cursed by their leadership. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is as primitive, inept and paranoid as George Bush. They are the perfect dance partners for a waltz into Armageddon.”

Unfortunately those may be the words carved on the tombstone of the great history of our nation.

With all due respect...It is time to set aside the comforts of idealism and face reality. Bush/Cheney, operating under the tenuous cover of the legal opinions of a few select scholars, have expanded the powers of the Presidency to place the person holding the office above the Constitution and above the law.

Who will define the term “legal order”? The office of the Commander in Chief will reserve that prerogative. I mean, who could have imagined a few short years ago that we’d be debating the legality of torture?

We’ve noted several instances over the past five years of dissenting, off-message career military men finding themselves obliged to retire for the offense of using their best professional judgment. They were easily replaced. The world has never lacked for ambitious, arrogant mediocrities. The current Pres, for example.

What I find most disturbing about Mr Hedges op-ed is his assumption that a strike on Iran is well nigh inevitable. He is buying into the story being sold by AIPAC, the MSM, and the administration. Take note: You do not have to buy into the justifications for the action to validate it; you just have to buy into the story. The more debate, the more traction the story gets.

It is the same with torture. If we can be persuaded to argue the question, then we validate both sides of the argument. In both instances we are not discussing moral absolutes (as clearly we should be). We are having a common difference of opinion.

Clearly both torture and unprovoked assaults on sovereign peoples are - by statutes affirmed by our nation - crimes against humanity.

Unless the President says otherwise.

WR Curley
Elizabeth, Colorado

The War Party will do what they have always done, what they did in WW1 and 2 and Korea and Nam.
They will get themselves in the biggest possible mess they can, given what they have to work with. In Iraq they almost had to kill them all before they would fight, but they finally gave the US a fight. Anyway, when they get themselves in way,way over their heads, they’ll come for your children and throw them into the fight.

Nonsense! Our last, best and (as it’s turning out) only hope lies not with the military but with each and every one of us.  But what can we do?  Troops out now, that’s what, that there be no war no more, nowhere, never, not even one.

I would respectfully suggest that the solution, to the extent that the generals can contribute to the solution without their actions leading to an even worse precedent, is for generals now serving - not waiting until they have retired - to publicly state that pursuant to their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, they must refuse to serve in the war because by all resonable standards that war, its conduct and orders pursuant to those ends are unconstitutional.  This would end their careers, and those of retirement age would be compelled to retire, but at least they would have taken a step to save their men, their own honor and their own souls.  Some might have the courage to resign and give up their pensions and the civilian jobs they would get for “having served.”

However, if we are going to expect this of generals, we need to expect similar actions from governors.  They need to create a constitutional crises by citing their own oaths and by thereupon refusing to send national guard units to serve the federal government.  This would compel large groups of people to take side: people of a state and national guard commanders.

If we expect it of the governors, then we should expect it of ourselves.  Like New Englanders during the the War of 1812, we should call ourselves into convention within our states and consider nullification and even secession.

All of these action are non-violent, have deep roots in Anglo-Saxon and American tradition and support the Constitution against usurpers!

The Neuremberg trials, apart from nazi scum, also sentenced German military who in defence stated they were ‘just following orders’. “Befehl ist befehl”. In those days international law decided that any military has the duty to follow orders, but not until the bitter end: every military officer also has to use his responsability. Even though that doesn’t make life easier for them. Let’s hope the US military doesn’t forget that lesson of history. Bush and Cheney are there only temporarily. The military is there to make the US be there and prosper for a much longer time. Hope they think of it that way. But I wouldn’t like to have Fallons or Caseys jobs right now. Difficult times…

If Congress won’t end the Iraq and Afghanistan wars by not creating legislation to fund them, then the only line of defense left is the military.  They are NOT sworn to obey just any order, only lawful orders.  This means those that align with the US Constitution - what they swear to defend - NOT to a single individual such as the President.  My video, An Open Letter to General Officers, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_yHY9hFl94 sums up what is being said in this article.  Comments are welcome.  Great article.

Historically in common law history the army overthrew parliament during the civil war and then overthrow the protectorate both by popular demand during colonial days (1650s) so I think the army should remain loyal to the people not the politicians. Uphold the constitution don’t just follow orders.

I have question about ....military high officers, pentagon officials who are requesting this to continue? They have something in their closet...follow the money....what about the big bid for support for the troops over this weekend? Think about it....for me at this point; supporting the troops is tantamount to supporting the whole fricken war! And they can kiss me where the sun don’t shine....

Soverignty= Loyalty