Consequences of Iran being Attacked

In an effort to intimidate Iran, the Bush administration has regularly placed two aircraft carrier group formations in the Persian Gulf, LINK. The size and timing of possible U.S. military attacks on Iran's nuclear and/or military facilities, will influence the speed and scale of an Iranian response. Iran's response will predictably result in a military escalation that culminates in Iran using its arsenal of anti-ship cruise missiles on the U.S. Fifth Fleet and closing off the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping. Iran's ability to hide and launch cruise missiles from mountainous positions all along the Persian Gulf will make all Fifth Fleet ships in the Persian Gulf vulnerable. The Fifth Fleet would be trapped and unable to escape to safer waters. The Millennium Challenge war games in 2002 witnessed the sinking of most of the Fifth fleet.

If an attack on Iran were to occur before the end of 2007, it would lead to the destruction of the USS Enterprise with its complement of 5000 personnel on board. Further losses in terms of support ships and other Fifth Fleet naval forces in the Persian Gulf would be catastrophic. An Iranian cruise missile attack would replicate losses at Pearl Harbor where the sinking of five ships, destruction of 188 aircraft and deaths of 2,333 quickly led to a declaration of total war against Imperial Japan by the U.S. Congress.

The declaration of total war against Iran by the U.S. Congress would lead to a sustained bombing campaign and eventual military invasion to bring about regime change in Iran. Military conscription would occur in order to provide personnel for the invasion of Iran, and to support U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that would come under greater pressure. Tensions would rapidly escalate with other major powers such as Russia and China who have supplied Iran with sophisticated weapons systems that could be used against U.S. military assets. The closing of the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping and total war conditions in the U.S. would lead to a collapse of the world economy, and further erosion of civil liberties in a U.S. engaged in total war.

Conclusions
The above scenario is very plausible given the military capacities of Iran's anti-ship cruise missiles and the U.S. Navy's vulnerability to these while operating in the Persian Gulf. The Bush administration has hidden from the American public the full extent of the Fifth Fleet's vulnerability, and how it could be trapped and destroyed in a full scale conflict with Iran. This is best evidenced by the controversial decision to downplay the real results of the Millennium Challenge war games and the dissenting views of Lt. General Van Riper over the lessons to be learned. This culminated in General Van Riper joining a group of retired generals in calling for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. LINK.

Neo-conservatives within the Bush administration are fully aware of the vulnerability of the Fifth Fleet, yet have at times tried to place up to three carrier groups in the Persian Gulf which would only augment U.S. losses in any war with Iran. Yet the Bush administration has still attempted to move forward with plans for nuclear, conventional and/or covert attacks on Iran which would precipitate much of the terrible scenario described above.

A reasonable conclusion to draw is that neoconservatives within the Bush administration are willing to sacrifice much or all of the U.S. Fifth Fleet by militarily provoking Iran to launch its anti-ship cruise missile arsenal in order to justify 'total war' against Iran, and force regime change. A new Pearl Harbor can be averted by making accountable Bush administration officials willing to sacrifice the Fifth Fleet in pursuit of a neoconservative agenda.

source: http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/11/08/01932.html

When America Went Fascist

People speculate about what fascism in America will look like, or how they might fight it. Others boast that they plan to flee the country ahead of the coming fascist takeover. One cannot read these without a sense of bitter irony, because one thing is clear to those who are watching carefully - The US is already a fascist state.

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Neil Young: Let's Impeach The President

This video is top notch.

Get Out of Iraq: Impeach

What do we fear more:
1) a president that has exceeded his authority and committed illegal acts, or
2) the effort required to have him impeached.

Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott Debates Impeachment

How gutless and irresponsible can a congressman be when he fails to utilize a majority opinion and press for impeachment? Congressman Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia who serves on the Judiciary Committee, was one of the furthest from backing impeachment

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Florida Democratic Party Fails to Support its Own

Michael Collins offers numerous examples of disloyalty to Democrat candidates and their causes, including accepting lobbying money from Republicans. Whose interests are served?

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Voter Intimidation More Effective Than Computer Fraud

Will your vote be counted next time around? Why is so much effort spent disenfranchisiing citizens from the electoral process? Beware, political hacks are corrupting our American democratic republic.



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The story that won't go away

David Ray Griffin's latest book is a compilation of essays by 10 very qualified individuals that address the 9/11 disaster from their own vantage point. One statement made therein should help fellow protesters to understand that we are up against a mindset.

The American people don't refuse to consider alternative causes of 9/11 because they're foolish or stupid. They refuse to consider that the government they permit to lord over them to keep them safe and secure could be complicit in such a tragedy and the death of thousands of fellow citizens is unbearable. "For many Americans, the idea that we're living in a country whose own leaders planned and carried out the attacks of 9/11 is simply too horrible to entertain. Unfortunately, however, there is strong evidence in support of this view." Griffin, 9/11 and American Empire.

If citizens were more concerned with evidence and accuracy, rather than the fear of changing their world view (no small shift), the massive evidence, both direct and circumstantial would enlighten them.

1. no steel building, before or since 9/11/01, has collapsed due to fire (even after being fully engulfed in fire for days as in Madrid in 2002),
2. large pools of molten steel were observed under all 3 buildings 6 weeks after 9/11,
3. the "pancake" collapse would not only have left the 47 supporting center beams standing, like an old record player, but the speed of its fall would not have been at free-fall speed (because of the resistance of the floor below that would slow the fall) unless demolition removed the lower floor before the upper got there. Only in this way would it fall straight down at freefall speed,
4. when concrete is dropped from a height, it breaks. It doesn't turn to dust. There's no good explanation for the pulverization of the floors or the ejecting of steel beams horizontally from the falling building except for explosives,
5. if the government has nothing to hide, they would have released the thousands of photographs and hundreds of hours of video they have, submitted by citizens; just as they would have released the 2 known videos of the attack on the Pentagon: one from the gas station and the other from a nearby hotel. The FBI confiscated these within an hour after the attack and will not release them. If they have nothing to hide, if they were not complicit, they would release them. After all, the 9/11 commission's task is over, right?

My recommendation, for the short term, is to support Ron Paul. He is certainly the only one that can turn things around in any way. The weak democrats and the neocon republicans are too busy digging the grave for the American empire.