And I ran, Iran so far away...

(2/8/06)

This week brought us the usual Muslim fundamentalist fury, rebelling against the Capitalist infidels and such, but a much more ominous day is dawning in the historically tranquil Middle East. Yes, with a Danish cartoonist making light of Mohammed in a political cartoon where the Muslim prophet has a bomb as a turban, the Islamic world is up in arms. In a reaction against this cartoon, the fundamentalists have been burning Danish and Norwegian Embassies across the Middle East in a show of monumental hypocrisy. These zealots seem to forget the regular cartoons in their papers depicting the Jews as a “hook-nosed, money grubbing people who control the world’s economy.” Now perhaps my upbringing as an American infidel has swayed my opinion, but that seems to be a bit hypocritical to this nonbeliever.
We have to wonder whether these people are insane or just stupid. My apologies to whatever the percentage of the Southern population allies themselves with this fundamentalist nonsense, but when are we going to stop taking their tantrums and start recognizing them as a cancer on modern society? Every day, there are news pieces about some Embassy in Syria being torched because of something as trivial as a political cartoon or some journalist being knocked off because she is an American woman. It would be beyond their comprehension to just knock off the killings and learn to take a joke. Perhaps if these zealots didn’t take to killing every time they disagreed with someone they’d be on a much more stable ground in the arena of global politics.
Leading this fundamentalist charge is Iran, who, for some reason is causing a stir with their aspirations for a nuclear program solely aimed at developing cheap energy for their peaceful population. Their utterly insane “President” Mamoud Ahmandinejad has recently ousted the IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, from Iran and in essence, told the United Nations to get out of his country. This doesn’t say much, however, because the United Nations has no real power other than to shake its collective finger and tell a country that they disagree.
The Iranian president has recently made statements denying the Holocaust and urging that Israel be “wiped off the map.” His paranoia has led him to defy the UN, make statements against Israel, the European Union, and America, as well as halt all Western broadcasts within Iran for fear of pro-democratic propaganda reaching his people.
I fully expect the European nations, aside from Britain, to fold and allow Ahmandinejad to act with impunity (see: Adolph Hitler circa 1938). This European cowardice will inflate Iran’s already brash and arrogant self-view and propel them to an even more dangerous force in the Middle East. When one postulates the future of this particular matter, it becomes cause for concern due to Iran’s relationship with China and Russia. Iran has signed an agreement with China that secures several billion barrels of oil to the Chinese over the next 30 years, and this deal is already paid for. Russia has garnered multi-billion dollar deals with the Iranians to build and share technology which would be used in their nuclear reactors - for peaceful purposes of course. The Chinese, with their bursting industrial economy will undoubtedly seek to protect their billion-dollar investment in Iranian oil supplies and the cash-strapped Russians will seek the same protection. This puts the United States in quite a predicament.
Does the United States capitulate the disarming of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and simply issue angry finger-waving and a few sanctions, or do we run the risk of shaking things up with the Russians and the Chinese as well as the whole Muslim fundamentalist movement? It seems improbable that the Iranians want to use a nuclear program for energy alone. Do we trust that the Chinese and Russians, both only lukewarm allies to the United States, to keep the Iranians from pursuing the enrichment process needed to garner weapons-grade uranium? If the present state of Muslim politics and policies is any indication, this lowly columnist believes that Iran’s nuclear program should be shut down, and by force if necessary.
The most intriguing option is for Israel to act preemptively against the hostile Iranians. An anonymous source inside the Israeli Defense ministry recently stated that almost all of Iran’s reactors could be taken out in a swift aerial attack using F-16’s and U.S. “bunker-buster” attack missiles. Israel, who does have a nuclear armament, could strike Tehran before any negotiations because of Iran’s increasingly harsh statements aimed at the Middle East country. If this happens it will likely cause a counter strike and when that happens we’ll undoubtedly swoop in to Israel’s aid.
No matter which side of the political aisle one is on, it is obvious that Iran is dangerous and must be dealt with before it attains nuclear weapons. It’s bad enough that North Korea and its psychotic midget leader allegedly have a nuclear weapon, the world doesn’t need the main supporter of terrorism attaining nuclear capability.
The world is a very dangerous place these days and with Hamas gaining control of the Palestinian government, Iran making threats and posturing itself as a faux world power, we need to do something to keep this fundamentalist nonsense in check. Using diplomacy or turning the Middle East in to a sheet of glass, something must be done.
I don't think I'm alone in believing that enough is enough, the Islamic zealots should be dealt with swiftly and harshly, let them go to their 70 virgins and deal with that headache and leave the rest of the world to itself. Enough of this sensitivity, coddling and patting the zealots on there backs and telling them that their beliefs are just fine. Our acceptance of them is just encouraging this dangerous behavior. We have the capability of wiping these religious thugs out swiftly, so why not do it before they get the chance to do it to us. I'd feel a hell of a lot safer with the entire fundamentalist population dead and enjoying their virgins than I would being blasted out of Starbucks because they don't like my cinnamon dolce latte.