by Jamilah Hoffman
In our not so distant past, the regime running things set out to float the idea of a potential war with Iran. You’d be watching television. (Cue urgent intro music) A Very Polished News Person states, “Good Evening folks! Gas prices keep going up. The current war in Iraq is going bad. And now, here’s some news from the administration.
Then someone in Bush Company would pop up on screen and inform us about the latest inexcusable and unbearable happenings coming out of Iran. One day it might be Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. “Iran is a major obstacle to the U.S. vision of a Middle East.” The next day Vice President Dick Cheney would state, “The international community will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.”
But just when you thought you heard it all, George Bush goes on and ups the ante. “We’ve got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So, I’ve told people that, if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.”
Just Wonderful. Thanks Dubya! That’s exactly what we need. A president who is so intent on imperialism that he does not care that his words instill the very same fear in the people that he says he is trying to combat in the various wars he has started.
But surely, there has to be some voice of opposition and caution out there. There’s a presidential election next year. Let’s see what the major Democratic candidates running for office are saying.
“All options are on the table.”
Well, thanks for that. It’s nice to know that if a Democrat is elected, they too will use nuclear weapons on Iran to prevent that country from obtaining” nuclear” weapons. I feel so much safer.
(Cue urgent intro music) A Very Polished News Person states, “Good Evening folks! Gas prices keep going up. The current war in Iraq is going bad. And now, here’s some news from the administration.”
Condoleezza Rice pops up on screen. “A nuclear weapon in the hands of the Iranian regime would be deeply destabilizing and we can’t sit idly by.”
Darth Vader, I mean, Dick Cheney, appears. “The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences.”
But what if the American people don’t agree with an attack on Iran? Is there any evidence to what the Bush regime is putting out in the media?
Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency says [in regards to Iran], “I haven’t received any information that there is a concrete active nuclear weapons program right now.”
Well, so what? This is the Bush regime we’re talking about. You never go to war with only one reason. You make them up as you go along. That’s ones reason why you have senators. Instead of standing up to the executive branch, they craft legislation that upholds the administrations goals. Take the Kyl-Lieberman amendment. It states, “It is in the vital national interest of the United States to counter Iran’s influence among Shia extremists in Iraq.”
Convenient. Now how could anyone support Iranians coming into Iraq to overtly or covertly attack US soldiers?
But something doesn’t quite seem right. I’m flipping through the channels. Journalists, members of the Bush Administration, TV pundits are all talking about Iran, nuclear weapons and a potential US attack. But something is missing”Oh, I know; A special guest star!
Every television show has special guest stars to revitalize the storyline and to bring in new viewers who might not have other wise watched a particular program. It’s no different for television news. Their storyline is getting old with the same people spouting the same lies. They need a guest star that will stand up to the administration and its hyping up of a potential war with Iran. They need a guest star that will no longer go along; that will say Enough is Enough!
Tonight’s special guest star is”The People.
Yes, those The People.
(Cue urgent intro music) Very Polished News Person states, “Good Evening Folks. Gas Prices are up. The war in Iraq is going bad. But before we hear from the administration, we have Jim Smith in Downtown; Apparently, The People have taken to the streets. They’re all wearing orange clothes and orange bandanas. Jim?”