Iranian President planning apoclaypse on August 22nd?

[JTD]

Drudge Flash:

WSJ: Scholar Warns Iran's Ahmadinejad May Have 'Cataclysmic Events' In Mind For August 22
Tue Aug 08 2006 10:22:35 ET

In a WALL STREET JOURNAL op-ed Tuesday, Princeton's Bernard Lewis writes: "There is a radical difference between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other governments with nuclear weapons. This difference is expressed in what can only be described as the apocalyptic worldview of Iran's present rulers."

"In Islam as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time -- Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined."

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the US about nuclear development by Aug. 22," which this year corresponds "to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1).

"This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind."

Developing...

[Derek Ortt]

can we just carpet bomb Tehran and every other major Iranian city and take care of this nutcase regime? Don't worry about world opinion, as world opinion has been dead flat wrong so many times in the past... and almost certainly is now.

[Brent]

[kevin]

can we just carpet bomb Tehran and every other major Iranian city and take care of this nutcase regime? Don't worry about world opinion, as world opinion has been dead flat wrong so many times in the past... and almost certainly is now.

No.

[Derek Ortt]

I'd rather do that now... not after he has attacked anyone

We must be proactive, not reactive with regarding to this nutcase

[Cookiely]

I'd rather do that now... not after he has attacked anyone

We must be proactive, not reactive with regarding to this nutcase

We never learn our lessons of the past because we have a regard for human life that others do not have. I tend to agree with you Derek and I have a soft and compassionate heart but my gut is saying protect ourselves. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if something were to happen this month and others I've talked to feel the same way.

[x-y-no]

can we just carpet bomb Tehran and every other major Iranian city and take care of this nutcase regime? Don't worry about world opinion, as world opinion has been dead flat wrong so many times in the past... and almost certainly is now.

That's an absolutetly appalling idea. No.

[gtalum]

can we just carpet bomb Tehran and every other major Iranian city and take care of this nutcase regime? Don't worry about world opinion, as world opinion has been dead flat wrong so many times in the past... and almost certainly is now.

No, because then we would be the war criminals.

[yank]

"...bear the possibility in mind" - what the HECK does that mean?

That's the last thing I want to think about. What a terrible thought.

[Pearl River]

Derek wrote

can we just carpet bomb Tehran and every other major Iranian city and take care of this nutcase regime? Don't worry about world opinion, as world opinion has been dead flat wrong so many times in the past... and almost certainly is now.

Let's go for it. Make a parking lot out of Syria and a large Wal-Mart out of Iran or we can just sit back and watch them do the same thing to us that Al-Qaida did. This is a whole new world we live in. Let's strap a bomb to our sons and daughters and have them step on a school bus full of children and push the button. That is the mentality of what we are dealing with. It's a shame when a country is attacked that the retaliation of that country on the perpetrator is called terrible, but nothing is said about the original attack.

[The Sandcrab]

I, for one, am thrilled it's not your decision to make, Derek.

Can you name another major Iranian city?

I seem to remember something about a smoking gun and a mushroom cloud . . . oh yeah, the "Bush Doctrine" of preemptive war, which has been thoroughly discredited in Iraq. World opinion seems to have been dead flat right.

Who all is on this list of nations we carpet bomb on behalf of? Just Israel, the 51st state? Carpet bombing worked like a charm in Vietnam, didn't it?

Cookiely, you tend to agree with Derek on levelling a nation of 70 million, many of whom do not support Ahmadinejad, but you have a soft and compassionate spot in your heart?

There is a radical difference between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other governments with nuclear weapons LOL, the difference is Iran doesn't have 'em, yet

And sadly, there's not a helluva lot we can do to keep them from getting them. They can't get 'em here, they don't have ICBMs. Nor can their rockets deliver a heavy enough payload to get 'em from Lebanon or Iran to Israel even if they were ret to go. (I'm not getting into the logistics of a SADM-type deployment)

As far as eliminating their program, forget it. We can't farm it out to the Israelis, they don't have heavy bombers. The Iranian sites are hardened, deep underground, in urban areas, and duplicated, so we'd have to take out several crowded inner city neighborhoods with lots of civilian deaths (doesn't seem to bother folks here), but if we missed even one, it would be for nothing.

Ahmadinejad may be a "nutcase" (wrong), but he's not completely stupid. He IS a politician playing to a certain element, just like they do here. And he is well aware of the retribution we could rain down on him should he go too far. This MAD ain't exactly mutual.

Any proponents of the "Destroy Iran" plan thought for 2 milliseconds about the consequences for the 135K Americans in the 'hood, even if the others nationalities are less than worth the trouble? Aware the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Shia, fwiw), now the leading party, has had ties to Iran since the 80s Iran-Iraq war? When laying blame for Iran's new emboldened strutting in the region, make sure to look in a star-spangled mirror, because we made it possible.

[Gorky]

Some of the opinions on this board down right scare me! Trying to justify genocide of millions is not something I'd expect from people on this forum. I thought this board had a rule against violent posts and rhetoric, yet Derek can get away with the stuff he posts? It seems like one rule for most people and another rule for those who are 'well respected'. I think it is sickening that this sort of thing is even allowed to be posted on here without a mod removing it and taking action against the poster...

I'm deeply disappointed with the attitude of some people on here

[Gorky]

In addition to my previous post, why has this post even been created. The article is published on a well known biased and sensationalist website, based on conjecture and a very tenuous link to some religious texts. It isn't news, just an article intended to scare people into believing that Iran is an immediate threat and needs to be dealt with now. Another name for this would be propaganda I guess. There is no proof whatsoever that anything untoward will happen on this date. Why is this even news. Do you like to be frightened into believing anything the media shoves down your throat. This is worse than the Nostradamus crap which comes out everytime a date seems to have some numerological connection to one of the hundreds or 'predictions' he wrote.

[george_r_1961]

Derek your opinion may be a bit extreme but in the end it may well come to that.

Gorky his post wasnt in the least violent; he merely stated his opinion. I do not entirely agree with him myself. But if the situation in the middle east keeps deteriorating if we dont do it someone else will.

[Stratosphere747]

Gorky is spot on.....

It's a shame Derek comes across this way...

When the time comes, we will not "carpet bomb Tehran and every other major Iranian city and take care of this nutcase regime."

[hiflyer]

While 'carpet bombing' a nation is abhorrant the religous quagmire that is the middle east begs for some type of solution. A few middle east countries have natural resources that guarentees their lifestyle for years....most do not...and it is the resentment in the 'do nots' that allows the extreme right religous terroism to develop. The more the 'haves' show off mercedes, HD tv, neon lights, western dress, and let women vote the bigger the attraction of extreme right wing muslim law for the have nots. The mess over there is religion and tribal going back far before political borders laid down in error by the British and the French during their colonial years.

I am far more in favor of state sponsored assassanation which is illegal in the US but not in all western countries. However, as far as the US is concerned we can't even find Osama Bin Laden...an over 6 foot arab (very rare) on kidney dialysis....so us breaking the state sponsored no shooting rule is probably a nevermind anyway...

[Stephanie]

In addition to my previous post, why has this post even been created. The article is published on a well known biased and sensationalist website, based on conjecture and a very tenuous link to some religious texts. It isn't news, just an article intended to scare people into believing that Iran is an immediate threat and needs to be dealt with now. Another name for this would be propaganda I guess. There is no proof whatsoever that anything untoward will happen on this date. Why is this even news. Do you like to be frightened into believing anything the media shoves down your throat. This is worse than the Nostradamus crap which comes out everytime a date seems to have some numerological connection to one of the hundreds or 'predictions' he wrote.

What some would call a "sensationalist news source" another may not. I am NOT going to dredge up the different nicknames of the different news channels, but you get my drift. Do you know for certain it isn't news?

Also, sometimes we just sit back and let the members handle the, uh, response back to others. That's what discussion is all about - until it becomes a bashfest, etc. We don't practice censorship Gorky.

[The Sandcrab]

Being that it is a reprint of an op-ed, i.e. opinion piece, it is by definition NOT NEWS.

[Stephanie]

Being that it is a reprint of an op-ed, i.e. opinion piece, it is by definition NOT NEWS.

Okay, so it's an opinion like an editorial. It's still something that can be discussed.

[MGC]

America as usual will wait until attacked: Pearl Harbor, WTC before doing anything. America will never be proactive, the political climate here won't allow it. We here in America have to be slapped around a couple of times before we wake up and do something. I'm just afraid the next slap will come in the form of a nuclear detonation in a major American city. Sometimes I just don't know....MGC