Conditioned Technician

I hear my voice

sleeping

speaking words not my own.

They come

posed poetically

self-controlled and confidently.

I reek

of intellect

righteousness and justice for all.

Proclaiming the end

of deprivation

and suffering finally.

We fight

back against the wall

aware of repression.

Well,

the real me

is focused less

and troubled more. 

Thirteen people were killed in the middle east the other day. They were unarmed - well, actually - they weren’t only unarmed, they were civilians, not really interested in al Qaida or the occupying U.S. forces I’ve been paying to be there since 2001.

Sorry, I mean, it’s not like the Private Eye I’ve been paying for the last two weeks who, upon being caught in hiding while photographing my wife cheating on me with Carl the mail carrier (the photos of which, by the way, did not alleviate my suffering) resorted to knifing Carl.

You see, the U.S. forces aren’t like my Private Eye, who I voluntarily paid to help me get over the illusions of my wife’s faithfulness; and Carl isn’t really like the unarmed Civilians in Afghanistan who - despite their best efforts - just could not get out of the way of that drone strike’s flawless accuracy; and my Wife -well- she was terrorizing me, but Carl was directly involved, and I did choose that P.I.’s help. So I guess you could say the difference was choice from everyone involved.

Choice.

I guess that’s called democracy under broader application.

Anyways, what I really wanted to say was, people around here aren’t so concerned about what is going on with their money as they are with the thought of not having as much of it stashed away as possible. The debate isn’t about the justification in taking my money to drop bombs on people; it’s about taking my money (damnit!). It doesn’t matter that it’s being used to destroy foreign communities and our reputation around the world (not to mention our communities at home); it only matters that it’s gone.

Sincerely,

Regretful 

Continuing along this vein of US’s interest in Iran, it is helpful to look back in order to understand the present and better comprehend the future.

On August 16, 1941, Iran was invaded during the Second World War. The Soviet Union occupied the northern half and Britain occupied the southern. Their intention was to utilize the neutral Iran for strategic efforts during the war. Reza Shah Pahlavi, who had done much to modernize and liberalize Iran, was forced to abdicate power to his son. After the war, a struggle ensued over the authority of oil production, with Britain forming and controlling the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Reza Shah’s son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, ruled until he was overthrown during the Iranian revolution on February 11, 1979. During his period of rule, Dr. Mohammed Mosaddegh was democratically elected to be Prime Minister on April 28, 1951 and presided over the nationalization of the oil resources. This was, of course, unfavorable to Great Britain and the US, who responded with particular brutality.

The people of Iran wanted sovereignty and self-determination, promises laid out in the Treaty of Versailles. As it turns out, the US and Britain aren’t interested in sovereignty unless it conforms to their interests. 

On August 19, 1953, operation TPAJAX was carried out by United States and Great Britain intelligence agencies. They tried and convicted democratically elected Mosaddegh of treason, while unleashing mobs in the country. Supporters were imprisoned, executed and tortured.

After this, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi ruled as a dictator until 1979 when he was overthrown by a popular movement. The US then supported Saddam Husein (yes, the guy we executed a few years ago) in his war against Iran.

After this, heavy sanctions have been carried out against Iran, which likely affect the civilian population much stronger than they affect the wealthy rulers.

In short, we had the brutal overthrow of democracy in favor of military dictatorship, then the support of a recent enemy in his war on Iran, then heavy sanctions that badly affect the civilian population of Iran, and now today, agitation to invade and cause more harm.

To what end has our history with Iran benefited a tiny portion of the world, while devastating a disproportionate majority? It appears that at every turn the costs have been incredible. 

In recent weeks, Iran, a defined enemy, has been under renewed scrutiny. Intererstingly, the charges made against Iran are not new and only resemble propaganda efforts at other times. 

Last month an Iranian was discovered in an attempt to assassinate a Saudi Arabian ambassador, at which point the US quickly claimed the Iranian government’s complicity. In response to the unfounded claim, the Iranians demanded an apology from the US government. Obama then audaciously claimed that “Iran will pay a price” for the assassination attempt.

Two weeks later, the Government announced that US forces in Iraq will be repositioned in the Persian Gulf (sharing a border with Iran). That’s right, our boys aint coming home.

At the beginning of this month, the International Atomic Energy Association released a report on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. This was followed up by new sanctions against Iran. While betlway media has whooped up hysteria over Iran, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who has been covering the issue for over a decade, remains a clear voice of reason. His efforts show that “nothing new is in it…” and nothing has changed in terms of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Professor Chomsky wrote lucidly on the geopolitics of Iran in July and his article was reposted by Al Jazeera this week. Iran does not want to be under the jurisdiction or dictate of a foreign power (just like Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein…). This is its prime violation from Washington’s viewpoint, but in order to foster public support for military action you either create a “good guy” “bad guy” narrative and use other persuasive techniques, or you ignore public support all together and just start bombing (like in Libya). Gaddafi had it coming, you could say, but who decided that it was the US’s prerogative to intervene? 

In any case, we cannot allow an intervention without clear, solid, trustworthy evidence. We were lied to about Iraq and we would be shamed, as the old adage goes, to be fooled a second time. 

There are plenty of things at once in the world and in the media worth consumption and contemplation. We could spend all day discussing current issues like terrorism, radical national- and religious –ism, neo- liberalism and conservatism, nuclear, chemical, and drone warfare, corporate welfare, torture, famine, disease and unemployment. We could learn from past historical nightmares, like the Crusades, colonialism, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Dresden, the Gulag, Nazism or slavery… But I don’t feel like bringing any of these things up right now. What I want to know is, what the fuck is lady Gaga?

Sincerely,

Concerned