Despite the rhetoric, there is no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program

By Ben Cohen

As the bellicose language increases from the Bush Administration, the actual threat from Iran seems to be decreasing. With Bush telling the American public that a nuclear Iran would instigate 'World War 3', a variety of experts have certified that there is no evidence that they are trying to attain nuclear weapons.

Late last month, Bush told a room packed with journalists that:

"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 (Iran) from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon,"

This is flatly contradicted by prominent experts directly related to the issue of nuclear proliferation.

"I have not received any information that there is a concrete active nuclear-weapons program going on right now," said IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.

With insiders in the Bush Administration also admitting that Iran is not working on the bomb, the evidence would ultimately point to the White House beating the drums for another war.

Read more details in a very interesting article on McClatchydc.com



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Ahmadinejad: What need do we have for a bomb?

by Ari Rutenberg

In an interview with Iranian President Ahmadinejad done by CBS' 60 Minutes the Iranian President specifically refuted U.S. claims that he is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Read the article and see the video here and read additional coverage here. Ahmadinejad also said that "it's wrong to think that Iran and the U.S. are walking towards war. Who says so? Why should we go to war?...There is no war in the offing."

So clearly the recent rhetoric from Bush, Cheney, and Sarkozy is both incorrect factually and counterproductive diplomatically.

Though I do not believe Ahmadinejad is incorrect about many things, it is not because he lies. I believe his word to be credible because he believes what he says. There is therefore no reason to question the veracity of statements whose outcomes he controls. Therefore it seems clear that drum beats for war are only coming from one religious fundamentalist government, ours.

Once again our leaders desire war for the most crass and heartless of reasons. Indeed they have poisoned the minds of the American people to the extent that a New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind said ""He should be arrested when he comes to Columbia University, not invited to speak, for God's sake." This was said apropos of nothing. Neither this man, nor anyone else, has any hard evidence that Iran or Mr. Ahmadinejad have committed any crimes. The fact that Iraqi insurgents use their weapons is an indication of nothing, given that they use ours as well. In addition it is a reminder of the complete lack of knowledge and understanding many Americans, even those in government, have towards the outside world. It is illegal to arrest a foreign leader traveling on a diplomatic mission to the United Nations. We have granted this man a visa to enter our country and should not be making threats which are unconstitutional (because under the constitution treaty obligations are our highest law).

So then there is no reason to talk about war with Iran other than to stoke the fears of the American population. It must stop or we will find that we have become the monster so many eleive us to be. Read more!

UN believes war with Iran is imminent

By Ben Cohen

In an alarming statement, the United Nations chief nuclear weapons inspector gave stark warning against the use of force against Iran. Mohamed ElBaradei called the increasing aggression against Iran "out of control" and said he "hoped everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons."

Having failed at virtually every aspect of his presidency, Bush is looking to divert attention by beating the drums for another war with renewed relish. With aggressive statements now coming from the French Government (which was opposed to the invasion of Iraq), it appears the west is gearing up for another confrontation with the Middle East. With Iran's steadfast desire to attain nuclear capability, the march to war is gaining speed rapidly.

Obviously rattled by the Iranian governments increasing influence in the Middle East, the issue here is almost certainly not about Nuclear weapons. After all, Israel, Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons in the region and are not the target of U.S/Western aggression. Iran knows Iraq is a weak spot for the U.S, and is using its power to gain leverage in the region. While all the other major powers in the region have submitted themselves U.S control, Iran will not, and it is reaping the consequences. It's petulance simply won't do and the West is seeking to keep Iran in its place.

This is cause for serious concern, as the cost of war, human life and terrorism will be enormous. People must raise awareness of this issue to stop our governments from marching us blindly into another conflict we do not fully understand. The gall of our leaders to even suggest another war is beyond rational explanation given their atrocious track record in recent years. But they are lulling us to sleep again with stories of 'imminent threats' and 'mushroom clouds'.

It's time to wake up, and it's time to speak out. We won't be fooled again.

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France gets into the mix with Iran

By Ben Cohen

For some reason, the western world believes it has the right to lecture everyone else on their rights to have nuclear weapons. Now France has warned Iran that it will go to war if they do not stop the progression towards having nuclear capability. Let's use the wonderful tool of perspective and look at it from a different angle. As a concerned person, I believe that any country that possesses nuclear capability is a threat to peace and stability. Therefore France should be invaded promptly for is possession of the lethal weapon, and Iran should be the country to do it. Anyone up for it? Of course not. France is a sovereign nation, and no one has the right to invade them even if they have granted themselves the right to have nuclear weapons.

To boot, France is a nation with white people, and they would never actually use the bomb. It's those pesky underdeveloped nations that have historically used Weapons of Mass Destruction anyway......

Please post comments below- this is a serious issue, and warrants much discussion.
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