Republicans are starting to campaign for the 2012 general election, and are pursuing a familiar tactic they feel will ignite the American people to support them. Are Republicans proposing new jobs bills or infrastructure improvements to strengthen the economy and put people to work? Not exactly.
There is a belief in conservative circles that war is good for America and unites the people against a common enemy. Now, with the Islamophobia and hateful rhetoric from the right since the proposed building of an Islamic Center near Ground Zero, Republicans are again making the case for war.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is another in a long line of war mongers who believes in the Bush Doctrine of preemptive attacks to make regime change.   Graham’s concern isn’t just to prevent Iran from acquiring or developing nuclear weapons, and he said that America should go to war with the Islamic republic “not to just neutralize their nuclear program, but to sink their navy, destroy their air force and deliver a decisive blow to the Revolutionary Guard, in other words neuter that regime.â€
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No one wants Iran to have nuclear weapons, and Americans have always defended Israel from annihilation by its neighbors. But what Graham and conservatives are proposing is not defense of Israel, but destruction of a sovereign nation. The only beneficiaries of a war against Iran will be the defense contractors and oil companies who will attempt to steal Iran’s oil like America attempted to do in Iraq.
The Iraq war is one of the reasons Iran is emboldened because it was the Iraq war that destabilized the region and removed the only regional deterrent to Iran. Now, America has armies on both sides of Iran, so their paranoia is understandable. If Islamist states conquered and occupied Canada and Mexico, Americans would be petrified that an attack was imminent. The world’s efforts at placing sanctions on Iran are working, but conservatives only understand conquest and regime change.
America is mired in two wars, and our economy cannot afford those ill-advised wars much less a third conflict with Iran. Those wars have cost us dearly in resources and lives, and are not popular with the American people. Conservatives though, feel that Americans will rally behind the party that initiates a war, and warmongers like John McCain and Sarah Palin truly believe that whoever starts a war with Iran will benefit at the ballot box.
An interviewer asked Palin what President Obama would have to do to win reelection in 2012, and she said that if he would only declare war on Iran, he would easily win reelection. Palin exposes herself as a person who will do anything to get elected, and using the meme of protecting Israel is just a ruse. Palin claimed that if we started a war with Iran, she believes it would trigger Armageddon and bring about Jesus’ return to Earth. Her view is popular among Christian conservatives who believe that the end of the world begins with a conflict in the Middle East and will involve Israel.
Religious fantasies aside, the troubling aspect is that Republicans have stirred up anti-Islamist sentiments and used them as a campaign tactic during the midterms. Now the Republicans are ratcheting up pressure and propaganda to incite Christians to support another war against Muslims and it has firm support in Israel.
America does not need a perpetual state of war, and the money we have spent in Iraq and Afghanistan could have been put to use in our country rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and caring for our own people.
It seems reasonable that America can protect its own borders and give support to our allies without starting another war in the Middle East. Republicans claim we need to conquer countries that are guilty of human rights violations, but they never suggest starting a war with Yemen, Somalia or Darfur where the governments are vicious human rights violators because there isn’t readily available oil we can steal.
Conservatives are responsible for taking America to the precipice of ruin by selling the country out to banks and corporations for power to control the government, and now they want to finish the country off by starting another war that will surely break the bank. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have contributed to our financial woes and all Republicans can think about is starting another unnecessary war we cannot afford.
Republicans complain that spending on social programs will cost our children’s children for generations. Because of conservatives, Iraq and Afghanistan will financially burden the country for multi-generations because America never leaves a conquered country. Conservatives want to add another war to win in 2012, and will do anything to gain control of the government. After years of two costly unnecessary wars, Republicans are dusting off George W Bush’s playbook for war to win an election.  Hopefully, Americans won’t fall for that game again.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
