This is a crisis. There is no time to wait, no time to debate. The time for talk is over. We must act now or it is our doom.
During these past eight surreal months we have heard this mantra time and time again.
Economy is in CRISIS! We must past the stimulus by Tuesday or the the economy is over and we will all be eating from dumpsters!
Automotive is in CRISIS! Too big to fail! We must buy GM or risk the unions not contributing to my campaign! The time for debate is over! We must act now!
The environment is in CRISIS! We must pass the most massive tax hike in history by 3:30 pm or 4pm latest or else the ice caps will melt and the world will get hot or cold. The time for debate is over. We must act now!
Health care is in CRISIS! Sure 90% of people are satisfied with their coverage and our care is second to none – even for the uninsured! But this is a CRISIS I tell you! We must act now!
The (illegitimate) government of a country repeatedly denies the holocaust and regularly threatens to wipe Israel off the map is maybe only months away from possessing a nuclear weapon. By its own admission it is increasing its nuclear capability in defiance all international efforts. A Crisis? No no no. We must let cooler heads prevail. No need to move fast on this. Let diplomacy take its natural course. This is not a time to act but to talk.
The US currently has more sanctions against Honduras (HONDURAS!) then it does against the deadly thug regime in Tehran. The president addresses the general assembly of the UN as says nothing. Nothing other than how terrible we are and how wonderful he is. The only real crisis is the one this administration treats as an unimportant distraction.
Yes, we have a crisis in this country. The crisis is undeniable. A crisis of leadership. The time to act to resolve this crisis is now. Before its too late.
September 28, 2009 at 1:06 pm
The US does have sanctions against Iran.
Many other countries do not.
Your buddy Barry will have to convince other countries to participate in sanctioning Iran and the double-secret location that was revealed last week should help alot.
Looks like oil company profits will be going up just in time for winter since sanctions will magically lead to "volatile" oil prices.
September 28, 2009 at 1:23 pm
The current administration is in a quandary. After all, the current occupant of the white house has reached out to islamic hardliners… he has bowed and kissed the ring… he has distanced his administration from Israel… he has thrown them a sop by pointedly stated that ours is not a Christian nation… he has weakened our armed forces presence in Iraq, failed to act strategically in Afghanistan and caved in to thinly veiled aggressive Russian expansionism. Now Iran throws a wrench into everything by actually telling the truth about what Conservatives have been long been saying about a nuclear program designed and built for war. Maybe what he needs to do is get some poster board and markers and stage a march! Yes a march would do the trick! He could stage a march outside the Iranian embassy. He could give a speech about the situation. That would be a big help! He's good at talking, as long as he is reading from a teleprompter. He could do a speech. But if anyone expects anything of substances to be done by this administration, they had best get ready for a very long wait indeed. For when it comes to issues either domestic or foreign, this current administration is very long on speechifying but very short on production.
September 28, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Holy moley, Craig! You've just pointed out another crisis! Oil companies will make a profit!! Oh no! That's much much worse than an unstable nation having nuclear weapons!
/sarc off
September 28, 2009 at 2:16 pm
LarryD,
Mr. Archbold is the one wailing about a crisis.
I'm just pointing out that our dependence on foriegn oil is why there are so few enforceable sanctions against Iran coupled with the fact that patriotic, freedom-loving, oil companies won't be losing any sleep over this particular "CRISIS!".
BTW, Pakistan is an unstable nation that has nuclear weapons plus Al-Qaeada freely operates within its borders. It is actually a much larger "CRISIS!".
Iran has a semi-functional government and does not harbor Al-Qaeada.
Here is a sane assessment of the situation if you choose to read it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/opinion/28iht-edcohen.html
September 28, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Sound like a sleazy sales technique that rushes you into a deal that is about to end. Unfortunately, many have given their confidence to this person; now everyone else is getting conned. I don't think that's how democracy should work.
September 28, 2009 at 4:57 pm
It already has gone beyond crisis.
We now live in a pre-muslim country
which will contune to make it a crime to be Roman Catholic, forget the nice houses, forget food on our tables, health care, on-ward to-death care that we have another new way to be MARTYRed.
Sorry about the anonymous posting – I don't want them to come knocking on my door just yet.
September 28, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Just a note to Craig on Pakistan. Pakistan has recently been collaborating with us to rid themselves of al Qaida in their country. Although it's a delicate relationship, it is much better than the one we have with Iran. Remember, Iran is a totalitarian regime with the Ayatollah running it with a puppet president. Pakistan is a fragile democracy with genuine interests in growing its influence and increasing internal stability. Much easier to reason with.
Besides, all of the nukes in Pakistan are trained on India. Iran wants to take us out- they repeatedly send money to terrorist organizations like al-Qaida and Hamas. A nuke in the hand of the Iranian government would end up, well, here, not somewhere else like India.
Taking those facts into account, I'd say that Pakistan is a more minor crisis when compared to Iran. Still a crisis, yes, but a lesser one than Iran.
I think the point of this post was not to dicker over which of the potential sources of nuclear anihilation were the most pressing (N. Korea anyone??), rather the fact that the President seems more concerned with his vanity and domestic policy (which could be better handled by the states themselves…) than these serious matters of international consequence.
Domestic policy is just that- domestic. Leave it to our stateside governments to hash it out. As the international figurehead of our common union of states, President Obama would proabably be better advised to truly represent this country in a POSITIVE manner on issues of greater importance than healthcare (like nukes and the crazies who possess them!).
September 29, 2009 at 2:55 am
Just some food for thought.
What makes the government of Iran illegitimate? They've had the same government for 30 years. Was the 1953 Iranian government which was overthrown by the U.S. also illegitimate? Was the Shah's government legitimate? Is the U.S. government legitimate? After all, the legitimate government was overthrown in 1776. Or was that pre-1776 government also illegitimate? And had it been illegitimate from the beginning? Or did it do something to become illegitimate between 1607 and 1776? And who decides what countries have legitimate governments? The people of the country itself or foreign governments?
Why is it OK for some countries to have nuclear weapons and not others? Isn't what's good for the goose also good for the gander? Is it OK for you to have a rifle but tell your neighbors they can't have one? Who should decide what countries can have nuclear weapons? The country itself or other governments? Do you know the only country to have ever used a nuclear weapon against another country?
What is an unstable nation? Does using nuclear weapons qualify you as an unstable nation? Does killing one million unborn babies a year qualify you as an unstable nation? Does promoting the Satanic culture of death throughout the world qualify you as an unstable nation? Does threatening acts of war against other countries that pose no threat to your own qualify you as an unstable nation? Does waging war against other countries that post no threat to your own qualify you as an unstable nation? Should unstable nations have sanctions imposed upon them? Should other countries overthrow the government of an unstable nation?
September 29, 2009 at 11:08 am
Sarah,
Pakistan has nukes right now.
Iran has none.
Pakistan is infested with the Taliban and Al-Queada right now.
Iran is not harboring either group and is the Taliban's mortal enemy.
If the Taliban or Al-Qaeada get a hold of a nuke in Pakistan, do you honestly believe it will end up in India?
I understand that the point of this post is to cast aspersions on Barry, I'm just trying to point out that there are more important things to worry about than Iran someday getting the bomb.
October 1, 2009 at 1:10 pm
True, and good point Craig. For now though, the government that does have control of the nukes in Pakistan is (reportedly) our ally. It is unstable and you're right- if Taliban or Al Qaida get control of Pakistan, those nukes are not just aimed at India, but at us as well.
I still think that we should be concerned about Iran getting the bomb. In my book anytime a repressive regime controlled by any sort of permanently installed extremist gets their hands on atomic weapons, the world becomes more unstable. The Ayatollah in Iran is the true one running the show, and I'm sure we're all aware of the repressive regime he has kept in place all these years (if not, read: Reading Lolita in Tehran- it's a great way to familiarize yourself with the modern history of Iran, Shah on and very well written). And I think we can all agree here that Kim Jong Il in N. Korea having access to a nuke is also bad for the world. Two extremists, installed for life, not caring much about the fate of the world once they're set to leave it with nukes… not a recipie for world peace in my mind:).
Either way, regardless of who is most deserving of our worry at the moment, I think that anything threatening the peace and stability of our country should trump domestic matters (barring a Katrina like disaster) in the President's attention.
And what use is it for us to worry any way? Has anyone added time to their existance here by worrying?
I think I need to take my own advice here and stop worrying…