W.J. Astore
I watched Trump’s speech today to the nation on Iran. It had the usual boasts about the U.S. military and its “big” and “lethal” missiles, the usual bombast, the usual lies. But this passage of his speech truly struck me as beyond the pale:
Iran’s hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013, and they were given 150 billion dollars, not to mention 1.8 billion dollars in cash. Instead of saying thank you to the United States, they chanted Death to America.
In fact, they chanted Death to America the day the agreement was signed. Then Iran went on a terrorist spree funded by the money from the deal and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.
That’s right: the missiles used against U.S. forces last night we’re paid for by the Obama administration. Not only that: Iran went on a “terrorist spree” funded by the “foolish” Iran nuclear treaty, spreading “hell” throughout Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. I’m sure glad Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United States, and other military actors in the region never spread any “hell,” despite all those Hellfire missiles launched from American drones.
So here’s a new claim for you. If the U.S. military is losing in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, the culprit is clear: the Obama administration and by extension the Democrats, the appeasers who funded Iran and made possible all of its “terrorist” activities.
Best of all, Trump wished peace and prosperity to the Iranian people, but you heard nothing about working peacefully and in prosperous ways with the Democrats.
Clearly, Trump sees the real enemy of America: Obama and the Democrats.
Bracing Views 
I have a great nostalgic longing for the days when the government, media, corporations and assorted politicians and pundits at least tried to feed us a not-completely-ludicrous and occasionaly minimally internally logical and consistent line of B.S. They don’t seem to consider the public today deserves lies that take a little effort to craft.
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Really? I was always under the impression that Yanks “like their bullshit out in the open, where they can get a good, strong whiff of it; that’s why they elected and re-elected Bill Clinton,” to quote George Carlin. But then, what do I know? 2012 was the first general election I was old enough to vote in, I saw two identical candidates, and stayed home. 2016 was a different story, because to me, it’s better to have the liar I can see through than the liar whose motives I can’t quite figure.
I jest, but perhaps you should consider that the public of today is easier to impress (and to fool), and ratings are more important than facts, or even stories, at this point.
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I would opine (“would”? By Jove, I will!) that an anti-intellectual pall has hung in the air over the US for many, many decades. Nixon hated intellect (while believing he, too, was “a stable genius” no doubt) and Reagan probably didn’t even understand the concept, but hated it even more vigorously. And now we are ruled by their political offspring. With the rise of ubiquitous social media, it’s entirely possible that the US public has NEVER been as mis- and dis-informed as it is right now. I smell a Trump second term and it’s not a pleasant aroma.
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I know I risk appearing a bit of a ghoul if I say I am “disappointed” at Iran’s response to the assassination of their general. But really, is that all they’re going to do, a handful of missiles that did minor damage? The risk I’m trying to subtly hint at here is that this kind of response can have no effect but to further embolden the US aggressors and give Trump a great stump speech about how he cowed the Iranians. Hello, second term for this guy. I understand he boasted that US is now “energy independent.” So, how to explain the US’s ongoing great interest in the oil and natural gas producing regions of the world??? “Nation-building,” are we, Donald? I thought you disapproved of that. Methinks there will be added chapters to this tale.
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I think it was Joseph Goebbels, Propaganda Minister for the Third Reich who said it was more effective to tell a big lie than a little lie.
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Perhaps, but I was under the impression that Hitler himself said “make the lie big, make it simple, keep repeating it, and eventually they will believe it.” As for Göbbels, I find it profoundly telling that, aside from the occasional key note speech, his only known writing is a three-part fiction novel.
I had to re-read Professor Astore’s post several times in order to determine if he was being sarcastic; I’ve not only been following his blog for years, but I’ve also taken three of his classes, so I tried reading it in his voice, and I’m still not quite sure. However, this shortcoming reminds me of one very important fact: we now live in a time when we cannot trust anyone’s word, and can no longer reliable distinguish between satire and reality (Poe’s Law). We can choose to either believe our sources, or shut out all external voices and find the information for ourselves. In the early days of social media, this was easy, but then companies such as FakeBook and OurTube began burying news from sources other than those that are “trusted” (i.e. alphabet soup networks), and now, trending posts are dubious sources at best. Finding out what is really going on is now a full-time job. At least I have inside sources for disease epidemics and Ukrainian politics!
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” – George Orwell
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Yes, it’s meant to be sarcastic, but at the same time my sarcasm is reality for Trump. He really does see the Democrats as his/America’s chief enemy (remember, like Louis XIV, Trump is the state).
Trump sees Iran as a foreign competitor that just needed a lesson taught to it. But the Democrats — they’re the enemy within. He can lose to them in November. They impeached him! So they are the real enemy of America/Trump.
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I figured it was something like that. The mixture threw me off a bit. I think I need to stop reading The Onion for a while.
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Yup. Poor Onion. Getting outwritten by the “reality” show reality occupying the White House from More-and-Large-0h.
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I enjoyed Andy Borowitz’s work until The New Yorker parked him behind a pay wall. (Grrrrr.) I’ve never subscribed to The Onion, but see occasional excerpts on Facebook. But really, with the advent of the TrumPence administration, I’m afraid real life is way out ahead of the efforts to satirize it!! Which ultimately is TRAGEDY for the whole world. Trump just signed latest orders for stripping what environmental “protections” (they were, by intention, never very effective to begin with!) had been in place.
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From the Web Site Common Dreams:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/08/strike-choice-us-lawmakers-decry-utterly-unconvincing-trump-briefing-soleimani
Congressional Democrats emerged from a classified briefing presented by Trump administration officials on Wednesday afternoon and decried the “sophomoric and utterly unconvincing” body of evidence that was put forth to justify last week’s assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, told reporters the briefing “was sophomoric and utterly unconvincing.”
Connolly said he was “unpersuaded about any evidence about the imminence of a threat that was new or compelling.”
Disgust with the presented case did not only come from Democrats. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), standing beside an equally unconvinced Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), told reporters after the closed-door session that it was “the worst briefing I’ve had on a military issue in my nine years” serving in the Senate.
“I find this insulting and demeaning,” Lee added, telling reporters that he now plans to vote in favor of a War Powers Resolution put forth by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
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As you say WJ, Clearly, Trump sees the real enemy of America: Obama and the Democrats and I am sure the 40% or so of Americans who believe body and soul everything President Agent Orange says, will take it as undisputed fact.
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I didn’t expect a break in GOP ranks over this “intel briefing”! It must’ve really been pathetic! Meanwhile, US and Canada claim Iran shot down the Ukrainian plane. My initial reaction is to disbelieve that claim, though in a war atmosphere mistakes can be made. And the fault must be laid at Trump’s doorstep for having launched the whole chain of unfortunate events.
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Why does the phrase “an eye for an eye” and the ending of “Fail Safe” stick in my mind over these latest developments? And this: “I see a madman beget more madmen.”
Only Americans would be so foolish and arrogant to believe “we’re even now.”
I never served in the military, but I’ve seen enough movies – going back to “Sink the Bismark!” – to know you find the range with your opening rounds. I’m thinking Iran was just finding the range.
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I was disappointed by the “Fail-Safe” movie; “Dr. Strangelove,” based on same novel, is so far superior there’s no contest!! But allow me to offer this bit of dialogue from one of my very favorite movies, “Diva” (France, 1981): “The Abyss calls the Abyss.” It derives from a Latin phrase, which I’m not equipped to provide here. Guess I should jot it down somewhere for future use!…If Iran demonstrates remarkable cool-headedness in this affair, it will make the lopsided military aggressions of the US look even worse in world public opinion (about which Trump and Co. couldn’t care less). However, “lone wolf” ops against US assets done in the name of avenging Islam will almost certainly invoke more US attacks. “An eye for an eye” is precisely the attitude Trump relishes exuding, and when both sides in a conflict practice that philosophy there’s no telling how ugly this could get.
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Can somebody answer a question of 2 financial figures: $150Bil, in credit, and $1.8Bil in CASH, airlifted to Iran in 2013. Agent Orange, along with slews of others throw these exact figures around, for years! It is my understanding those figures represent Iran’s American investments under the Shah, that were frozen after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. (I remember distinctly a toney 5th Ave. Manhattan office building, that sported the Iranian crest at the entrance.)
So whose money is this? Certainly not “US taxpayers money”. Who collected the rents and were rewarded with dividends on Iran’s stock portfolios from 1979 to 2013 I have no idea, but it could be the $1.8Bil Iran insisted on in cash.
Please advise….
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I automatically “discount” any nonsense the Trump regime spouts. I know GOP is claiming Obama was essentially funding terrorism (after all, he’s an undercover Muslim, right?!) by releasing those funds (allegedly). I confess I do not have a handle on the truth of this affair, either. And now the US will further tighten sanctions against Iran to try to strangle its economy to point where the populace will rise in revolt against the Iranian regime. The regime change games continue, business as usual.
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All is good now because I saw today the Trump administration had “exquisite” intelligence on an Iranian attack.
Exquisite! A perfect hyperbolic word for our Trumpian moment.
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I guess “exquisite” surpasses “Great!” and “Fantastic!,” you know, like the new plan for healthcare we were gonna get once “Obamacare” was completely rescinded!! If the Trump camp contained anyone with “exquisite” intel, they should’ve warned him in October 2016 that he had an excellent chance of actually winning the election. Then he could have withdrawn in time! Now that he’s stuck with the job, he vents his fury daily at the whole world over the (minimal) demands imposed on his personal time.
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