No matter what Progressive or Liberal Blog you read, including several well respected News aggregators such as Op-Ed News, Buzzflash, RAW Story, and countless other sites who are headlining articles and Op-Eds that indicate the majority of the nation and global community are expecting an imminent attack on Iran - it would appear that the consensus of opinion is predicting an eventual war with Iran. As an example, I have listed several stories, listed below, which substantiate these thoughts; after reading the plethora of stories, many written by well-respected journalists and Bloggers, it is obvious that an attack on Iran, once labeled as a “conspiracy theory”, may soon be upon us sooner rather than later:
The Clock is Ticking for A US Attack on Iran OP-Ed News by Dave Lindorff
Meanwhile, with Petraeus (the Bush-Cheney “Yes Man” General) Becoming Head of CENTCOM, Plans Continue for Bombing Iran. Of Course, the Prolonged and Contentious Democratic Primary Provides Good Cover for This Possibly Impending Act of Madness. 4/27 BuzzFlash with Link to Washington Post
Joint Chiefs chair: US prepping military options against Iran RAW Story
15 REASONS WHY AN ATTACK ON IRAN MAY BE IMMINENT Salon.Com Allen L Roland’s Radio Weblog
Attack on Iran Said To Be Imminent By BENNY AVNI The New York Sun
The list of articles and Op-EDs, some by major news sources, including but not limited to the Mainstream News Media indicate that throughout the world, there is a growing suspicion that appears to be well-founded that the Bush administration will attack Iran in the near future. Is it true? None of us can say for sure, however, when I predicted in March of 2005 that the Iraq invasion was a pretext for an eventual attack on Iran LINK, I was branded as a “conspiracy theorist” and unfortunately, that assessment of the situation appears to have come true, although I admit I would have rather have been wrong. From the massive amount of information that is now available, including reports from Russian Intelligence sources as well as Saudi Arabia, it appears that the global community has now accepted the fact that Bush and Cheney are going to attack Iran whether the American people or their Congress like it or not - which raises an important issue and question; if they do begin another war, one that could easily escalate to WW III, what are we as citizens to do about it, and how should we react?
As a patriotic American citizen and a Liberal/Progressive, I also consider myself to be a realist - and as strong as my beliefs are, I’d be abdicating what I believe is my responsibility when I can evaluate and look forward to what we as a nation can expect if the United States attacks Iran. If such an attack does take place, I expect that we will suffer retaliatory terrorist strikes from radical elements that have already infiltrated our nation. Iran has promised that we will suffer brutal retaliatory strikes if they are attacked, and to ignore such a warning would be as devastating to our nation as ignoring the havoc the Bush administration has wrought upon our economy and our civil liberties - all which will be severely compromised in the aftermath of such an attack. I believe the knee-jerk reaction by the public will be to take to the streets in massive protests, however, directly after such an attack occurs, it is also my belief that such demonstrations would actually be counter-productive to our own well-being and safety.
Once Bush and Cheney actually pull the trigger and start a major war with Iran, one that could involve nuclear weapons, massive protests after the fact will not brings back the hundreds of thousands or millions that will die in Iran, nor will it stop the US from being attacked from within by terrorist elements that already dwell within the continental United States; Google “TERRORISTS HAVE INFILTRATED AMERICA” and if you spend the time to refine your searches and look up the information yourselves, their is an abundant amount of information and evidence that indicates we already have a substantial probability of being attacked from within once the war begins. We, as a nation that supposedly believes in her constitution and rule of law, have a responsibility to eventually deal with the perpetrators of another illegal and immoral war, but in this writer’s opinion, directly after such an attack takes place is not the time nor place to try and prosecute those who have violated our laws and the ethics that once guided this great nation. Once the war begins, in order to preserve life within our own country, it is vital for us to take a “reality check” and understand that to mitigate the loss of life in our own country, we must assume a defensive posture and understand that we cannot immediately undue the consequences such an attack will bring upon the citizens of our country.
This nation is vast in size and the potential terrorist targets are so widely spread out and our military and law enforcement agencies will be spread so thin that it will become the responsibility for all of us to become extremely vigilant and help to prevent and foil any terrorist plots that will be unleashed upon us in retaliation for attacking Iran. None of us know when and where such attacks against us will occur, however, we do know that our water reservoirs and other critical infrastructure will be likely targets - and it will be impossible for the government to protect them all and will more than likely concentrate their assets on those targets that could wreck the most havoc on our nation such as nuclear power stations, dams, and other targets that could cripple essential metropolitan areas and cause panic throughout the nation. As an example, I live in close proximity to Lake Lanier which is the primary fresh water resource for the city of Atlanta. It has over 600 miles of shoreline - and as a terrorist target, how hard would it be for terrorists to poison the water supply to one of our major cities? “Targets” such as this exist throughout the country, and in order to mitigate the threat of attacks against crucial resources which could affect millions of lives, it will take the citizenry itself to help defend ourselves against what I believe will be several attacks that will occur in multiple areas of the country; we won’t be able to thwart every attack, but remaining vigilant and understanding the risk we face will help to energize those of us who believe that our primary responsibility directly after an Iranian War begins is to attempt to mitigate the loss of life at home in any way that we can - and that means banding together in the defense of this nation. We didn’t start the war, and the majority of America is against such a war, but if Bush and Cheney start it, we will be under attack - and I believe that in order to survive, we must work together to protect ourselves and worry about Bush and Cheney if we survive the international outrage and retaliatory strikes that will follow…
Further, massive protests place huge numbers of Americans in extremely compact groups, one’s that could be attacked with devastating consequences! I’m always hearing about “false-flag” attacks, and if you believe this government is capable of a false-flag attack, then what method would immediately stop any large-scale protests? That’s a no-brainier, and an attack against a large protest could easily be blamed on “terrorists” - and in all honesty, exactly that could happen - and by that statement I am hypothesizing that such an attack could emanate from either source - and if it did occur, who would we blame, terrorists our our own government? In the short-term, we would have no idea of who orchestrated the attack, but make no mistake, if we attack Iran, terrorists will seek targets where they can cause the greatest amount of damage, and like it or not, a million Americans taking to the streets may be a target that becomes irresistible to those whom are seeking revenge for an attack against their homeland as they attempt to destroy ours!
Soon after the war starts, those that seek to harm our nation will eventually play-out whatever resources they have, and then it may suit us to protest and seek other means of public disapproval, however, directly after such an attack begins, the choice to become a target or a survivor is one that each of us will have to make, and from my standpoint, especially in consideration of my children and grandchildren, I will choose to be a survivor rather than a victim - although the probability is that I will be rounded-up and placed in an internment camp with others that have been vocal opponents of the Bush administration. Nevertheless, reality is a b*tch, and now that we know an attack may be imminent, it’s time to look forward and do whatever we can to survive, and if we do, then will be the time to emerge and address the war crimes that this administration will be accused of and will have to face!
If you believe that an attack is imminent, then we can expect that our food and gasoline supplies will be disrupted for a period of time that no one can even begin to speculate upon, and if you do intend on surviving, then it’s time to begin stocking-up on both items. DO NOT start “panic buying”, but instead, begin a gradual but steady stocking-up of essentials such as beans, rice, canned goods and other essential food stuffs that will help to keep your family healthy and with enough food to last for at least sixty to one-hundred and twenty days - and do not forget essential and life-saving medications that members of your family depend on - otherwise, they may go without, and again, we have no idea of “when” normal supplies will begin to re-emerge. FEMA is not equipped to feed or take care of the medical needs of an entire country under attack, so survival becomes a matter of how you respond to a threat that is becoming more obvious by the day, and when you read the above article entitled “15 REASONS WHY AN ATTACK ON IRAN MAY BE IMMINENT”, it explains why there is a window of time in which this attack must take place if it does happen this year, so the time to prepare becomes shorter by the day!
I advised against panic buying for a good reason, and please heed my words! Panic buying will ensure that the government will institute immediate food and gas rationing which will severely compromise your ability to stock-up on essentials; in fact, panic buying would force the government take such measures, so if you intend to prepare your families for the worst, do it in an intelligent manner and one that will respect the needs of others who are attempting to do the same. If you do choose to stock-up on essentials, it is also important to take measures to protect what you have stored, as those who fail to prepare will do anything to feed their families in times of emergencies - and that includes taking what you have - by force if necessary! The instinct to protect and feed our families is strong and often results in anarchy when the system we have relied upon all of our lives fails, so remember Katrina and take appropriate measures to ensure the survival of your family.
I am writing this article with the expectation of being widely criticized for doing so; some will believe that I am switching sides and attempting to push the “Bush agenda”, and to those who will make those allegations, please measure your criticism with a dose of the reality that I drank before deciding to write this Op-Ed. I have worked for over three years attempting to get people to join together in solidarity to prevent a war with Iran from the beginning - and like other authors who have sought to do the same, have found out that our nation is too fractured and complacent to act while there is still time, and based on my analysis of the many articles cited above, plus a hundred others I didn’t list, I have now taken the position that we are out of time - and now must look to being survivors rather than victims. I am still a harsh critic of the Bush administration and always will be, but reality is a b*tch - and she is speeding toward us at breakneck speed - and if you wish to avoid the head-on collision between reality and wishful thinking, it’s now my opinion that it is time to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The choice of being a survivor or a victim is yours, and although many of us will have no choice on our destiny, millions of us will, and those that survive the catastrophe that is brewing will one day understand the difference in wishful thinking and the stark reality of a situation that we once had the time to change - but because of a complicit mainstream news media and an abject refusal to believe that “it could happen to us” - millions are likely to wake-up one day and cry out to a God that isn’t listening and doesn’t appear to care, much like the people that got us into this predicament to begin with…
William Cormier
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