This is my first diary. Please excuse me for not embedding links, etc. , but there is everything you need already on the front page. I would like to share some thoughts I have not yet seen expressed. Besides further highlighting what a disaster an attack on Iran would be, I would like to suggest a possible course of action.
First, it is increasingly obvious that the Bush gang, which I will use as shorthand for the nexus of neo-cons, fundementalists for Isreal, AIPAC, and the traditionalist Control-the-oil-at-all-costs crowd that dominates today's political discourse, is preparing for some sort of strike at Iran. Only the details are in dispute: what will the exact and final excuse be, and just how hard a strike will there be ("just" bombs? "tactical" nukes? feet on the ground?). Juan Cole and Glenn Greenwald, in particular, have made it clear that we have moved from the suspicions of the last five years to a genuine moment of truth. On the other hand, I think we are still at least a couple of months out from an actual attack - hopefully, for September, at least, they're still in "sell the product" mode. God, let's hope so.
Unfortunately, over the last five years there have been so many Iran scares that many may simply conclude that what we are seeing these last few days is just more politics and rhetoric. Regular readers of dailykos, juancole, talkingpoints, etc., should realize, however, that things are racheting up, and that we are approaching the moment of truth. It has been suggested that Rove's departure was the last indicator of the war party's victory within the administration. I would further conjecture that the the failure of the democratic congress to find a way to meaningfully fight back on a policy level in terms of either Iran or Iraq has given the Bush gang the final "permission" to move ahead with an actual attack, however much they have tried over the last couple of years to provoke any action on Iran's part that would excuse immediate invasion.
Many others, Greenwald and Cole in particular, again, have made the case against every argument the Bushites have put forward in such a profound and substantial way that I feel no need to cover that ground here. Similarly, any number of commentators have pointed out how profoundly destructive any attack on Iran would be, not only to Iran, duhh, and the whole Middle-East, duhh, but also to America, the world economy, and...well you know! All I would like to add is that - God Damn It - it would be a crime against humanity, it could throw the world economy into actual depression, and, if anything could bring to life the right wing's worst fantasy of a culture war between the "west" and "islam" it would be a direct attack on Iran. If anything has protected America from further terrorist strikes these last five years it has been the incredible ability of American culture (as opposed to politics) to incorporate disparate identities. If anything could finally alienate our native, and the world's, Arabs (yes I know Iran is Persian, but that is beside the point to my point) and our native, and the world's, Islamic population,it would be an attack on Iran. If the right is right about anything it probably is that Iran has "sleeper cells" over here in the "homeland", but it goes far beyond just that to the question of whether the billions of world citizens who still have some faith in the goodness of America can possibly maintain that faith - and the consequent forebearance that has kept America basically terrorist free since 2001 - once Bush strikes against Iran.
Actually, in this regard I don't quite understand the arguments that Rove left because he lost to Cheney on the Iran issue. Does it not seem logical that if "we" were to attack Iran, and if terrorists were to strike in the homeland once again, that the Republicans would be the immediate benficiaries? Indeed, is there any better hope for Republican victory than war and terror? Indeed, may that not be the endgame: might not an attack on Iran, and the ensuing recession/depression, war/terror, cycle of violence and revenge, not to mention an oil crisis like nothing ever seen before, lead to full out fascism of the variety ol' Orwell imagined all too well? Do I think that is their intention? Not really, I just don't think they can see that far ahead, but when has anything they've done lead to what they intended?
Which is all to say - everyone reading this knows an attack on Iran would be a disaster, all I am asking so far is whether any of us are even capable of imagining just how bad it could be? And all I want to say, beyond that, is what the hell can we do?
And the truth is most of you know what can be done. Many of you are as active as you can be, more than I in truth. But from my height of 49 years and 359 days of life I do want to present some ideas. My first is to forget the grand mass demonstrations of the past - if only because we don't have time, and because of the failure of our unprecedented pre-Iraq invasion actions. The only caveat I'll add to that is that since there are already mass actions planned regarding Iraq we must add Iran as a primary focus to all future anti-war events.
I also want to advocate constant and consistent action across the board. Whatever you do now add Iran to the mix and act now and act every opportunity you get. Write your Congress people and tell them they must do everything they can. Give money to Wes Clark, and Al Gore, and Dennis Kuccinich (I was there, he was a good mayor who made profound mistakes, but that's another diary), and Kennedy and anyone who will speak out now, who will introduce legislation, who will talk, march, fight back in any way.
Beyond that call your democratic candidate - I'm thinking Hillary, but most of the others need to be collared too - and tell them that this is a non-negotiable issue and that they must speak out now or you will do absolutely nothing to support them (let's face it we will all vote democrat in the general election, but until then we can do a lot).
Put up posters on the street, call your local tv stations and tell them you want them to cut out the nonsense and speak some truth, call NPR and tell them to get rid of the same old voices, call Fox and tell them you'll boycott the Simpsons, call CNN and tell them you'll boycott their advertisers (and call them too), email everyone you know (even business contacts), make posters of bloody Iraqi children and smiling Iranian women and put them up on every street corner, smother the Times and he Post and NBC, ABC, and CBS with letters and calls, stand on steet corners, screem at people...create the type of chaos that struck such fear into the hearts of the ruling class that they abandoned their aggression in SE Asia (again, another diary). In other words - do anythng and everything you can think of, and do it every day.
But, I know, there's not so much that many of us can do - I'm buying a house to share with my handicapped mother this month, so, no, I can't go to DC, I can't get arrested, I can't do a lot of what I advocate - especially since an attack on Iran could literally destroy my internet retail store and leave me desperate, sandwiched between my kids and Mom.
So I will write, and call, and email, and post my first diary, but I will also suggest this -STRIKE!!! That is something we all can do. Strike for Peace! (Well, if you're unemployed I guess you can't, but then you do have time to get it down on the streets.)
Imagine - pick a date, Sept. 11, for instance, although we might want to piggy back on already planned anti Iraq occupation events later in the month; and just don't go to work, or school, or even close your doors if you own a business, and spend the day making calls or walking in a demo, or standing on a corner with a sign, or screaming in a bar if that's your thing; and while you're at it talk up the next strike - October 11, and 12. And so on - in November we'll all take three days off, in Decmeber, four. Or every other Monday, or...whatever will hit them where it hurts, hit ourselves where it hurts, that is what will let them know we mean business.
Guys and gals - it's do or die time. Do you want any more blood on your hands? We MUST stop THIS war before it starts. I don't know if this is a great idea or not, but I do want to know what you think. I also want to volunteer time and money to work with anyone who can help set up a web site, or who is just a better organizer than I. I find the comments after diaries hard to read (I know many - most? - of you love them but I don't) but of course I'll read any that follow this, and I hope someone might have ideas to make this work. Or perhaps someone has a better idea?
Please? I hope so?
Oh, and what does this have to do with electing democrats - everything. In this at least Hillary is right (even if she's wrong on Iran) - terrorism and war play into the hands on the Republican fear mongers (and/or the party in power). It's not so hard to imagine, though, that war, and a consequent strike on the "homeland" could bring to truth all the worst fantasies of detention centers, "delayed" elections, fascism. If we are to have any credibility we must find a way to stop this war.
Also, as a Jew I must say that I'm embarrassed at Israel's role in hyping the Iranian threat. In the short term Iran is a threat to Israel's apparent apparent intention to further isolate the Palestinians and conslidate its position as the dominant military power in the region. In reality, though, an attack on Iran would only further isolate the Jewish state - both in the region and in terms of it's image in Europe and the world. Further, it would create pressure from below in the "moderate" Arab states to be more aggressive in their relations with Israel. (On the street forget theSunni-Shia split once war breaks out.) In other words, an attack on Iran would backfire against Israel just as surely as it would against the States.
There's a lot more I wanted to put in here. In particular my thoughts on the success of 60s radicalism and my personal history as the son of one of the founders of Women Strike for Peace, perhaps the most unjustly forgotten element of the mix of radical organizations that made the 60s work. But, it is late, I'm tired, and there's always tomorrow to pen another diary. Now it's time to sleep.