A recent letter by Arny Davis of Adna to The Chronicle supporting Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's second preemptive war against Iran in less than a year attempts to make the case that such wars may be a wise thing to do.
We got to this point by first term Trump ripping up the nuclear agreement President Obama negotiated with Iran, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the European Union.
By all accounts, Iran was abiding by the terms of that agreement. Intrusive inspections by IAEA nuclear inspectors concluded that Iran was abiding by the agreement. These were the same inspectors who correctly stated in 2003 that Saddam Hussein was not producing "weapons of mass destruction." Had we listened to them at that time, the United States would have saved 4,500 American dead, 50,000 injured and $1.3 trillion. Four-hundred NATO allied troops were killed as well as roughly 220,000 Iraqi soldiers and civilians.
After Trump officially pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear agreement on May 8, 2018, Iran continued to honor the agreement until Trump authorized the assassination of Qasim Soleimani on Jan. 3, 2020.
It should be made very clear to American fathers and mothers that only sending in massive numbers of American ground troops will replicate the work the IAEA nuclear inspectors were doing. Eradicating the enrichment of uranium for the production of nuclear weapons cannot be accomplished by aerial surveillance or bombardment. Trump said we "completely obliterated" Iran's nuclear program last summer. Trump lied. He is a pathological liar.
Trump is pimping American sons and daughters to do the dirty work for Israel and Saudi Arabia. American kids are unpaid mercenaries for the Israelis and the Saudis. American intelligence unanimously concluded this year that Iran posed "no threat" to the U.S. homeland.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu needs perpetual war to stay out of prison. Trump wants to distract Americans from his pervasive presence in the Epstein files. Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman likes to see journalists who challenge him murdered and dismembered. Oh, that's right. Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was dismembered then murdered by bin Salman's Saudi security forces in Istanbul, Turkey in 2018.
Iran is a nasty regime. Venezuela is a nasty regime. They are nasty regimes with oil and without nuclear weapons. Bad for them.
North Korea is a nasty regime. Kim Jung Un is executing teenagers for listening to K-Pop. K-Pop is South Korean popular music. North Korea has no oil but likely has nuclear weapons. Kim and King Donald are buds.
I do strongly agree with the letter writer that "foundational principles of the United States — religious freedom, equal protection under the law, and separation of religion and government must remain firmly protected." I also agree that there should be no "sharia" law in the US. There should also be no "Christian" law in the US.
Peacemaking by starting preemptive wars is a delusion. It does not bring peace.
It is a prescription for everyone being at war with everyone.
All the time.
Marty Ansley
Cinebar
