Comments on: The Great, International, Demonic, Truly Frightening Iranian Threat

By: rosemarie jackowski

rosemarie jackowski — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:20:34 +0000

Thanks for another great article from Bill Blum.

I have been saying for a long time that the only nation to have used nuclear weapons to kill people, should have no say in which other countries should or should not be allowed to have nukes. Based on its irresponsible use of weapons, the US should be disarmed.

In addition, the US should pay reparations to Iran for the overthrow of their government in the 50s.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:33:11 +0000

Great comments, people.

By: bozh

bozh — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:59:22 +0000

mulga, yes
and US elite had teachers: mullahs, aghas, rabbis, priests, pharaohs, lords, kings, princes/princesses, barons, earls, counts, machiavelli, beys, deys, hitler, franco, shahs, sultans, emirs, ‘educators’, ‘lawmakers’, many right wing people. tnx

By: Mulga Mumblebrain

Mulga Mumblebrain — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:40:05 +0000

The US ruling elites have long indoctrinated their masses with the twin poisons of fear and loathing. It takes their minds off the grotesque inequality of US life. Of course for a long time the material standard of living of the US masses was the envy of theplanet, achieved by a little sharing of the fruits of the US’s incomparable natural advantages in agriculture, mineralogy, particularly cheap hydrocarbons, forestry, hydrology etc, and decades of ruthless colonial and imperial pillaging, first of the Western Hemisphere, then the world. Even in those times the parasite elites used their media dominance and the new technologies and techniques like radio, film and television, and the studied science of brainwashing byPavlovian, behaviourist, stimulus and response that is advertising, to indoctrinate the masses. The plebs were taught to love and admire their rich betters, to hate and fear unions and those with ‘un-American’ opinions. Above all they were indoctrinated in racial and cultural supremacism, where the ‘American Way of Life’ of endless, mindless consumption, competition in place of co-operation, individual solutions rather than collective to all problems and fear and contempt for the alien ‘other’ who was always coming to steal their wealth, became a quasi-religion. The dehumanisation of all that was other than American or slavishly obeisant to America, allowed wars of mass murder and pillage to be launched in the Philippines, most of Latin America, Japan, Korea and Indochina, with tens of millions of civilian casualties. In all this time the US civilian death-toll, at home, numbered in the single figures. Yet the American public was still roused to ecstasies of horror at the threat of the teeming masses of various types of ‘nigger’, ‘sand-niggers’, ‘jungle-bunnies’, ‘gooks’, ‘rag-heads’ etc out ‘there’.
After the strategic decision of the US ruling class in the 1970s to abrogate the social arrangements of the New Deal, and to end the stand-off with the Soviet by any means necessary, US median wages have collapsed in an orgy of union-busting, off-shoring, bankruptcies to allow contracts to be abrogated etc. To divert the serfs, who elsewhere might have become restive, the overlords have used various techniques. Mass incarceration, particularly of the despised black and Hispanic populations. ‘Titietainment’ as Brzezinski called it, part titillation part entertainment, with pornography, sexual and violent, spreading widely. And more and even more murderous wars of aggression, with a clear strategic doctrine that envisages world domination, achieved by overwhelming military might exercised with extreme brutality, forever. The dear old US of A has ended up as a great machine of murder and maniacal self-adulation, feared and despised around the world by all but the very, very, worst. And to make our predicament the graver, indeed I’d say inescapably bleak, at the same time the US has blocked all efforts to address the various ecological crises, that have latterly, clearly, passed the point of no return.

By: RH2

RH2 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:22:26 +0000

Deadbeat,

“The point is that the ruling class seems to be doing well indoctrinating the masses with BAD ideas.”

This does not happen through hypnosis, but through the readiness of the masses to accept indoctrination. The mental set among Blacks and Latinos who elevated the slave Obama to peerage at the White House is, if our Messiah of change says it, it must be true. One’s credibility correlates with one’s assessment by the masses. This correlation is well known to people striving for influenc and power. Obama is not that remarkable intellectual of the 21st century, but he is undoubtedly a very clever politician. With his hypocrisy and soft eloquence he is a success among the U.S. illiterate masses and monsantonized popcorn consumers.

By: dino

dino — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:47:13 +0000

If Iran is not a real “threat” why the West -the West is Israel which leads the campaign,Sarkozy,who ,probably,owed his presidency to Zionist support how said Boumediene and who has now about 30% suport of the French people but, of course, he speaks in the name of France in slogans like “France wants Iran ..bla,bla,bla, or France not agree with Iran..bla,bla,bla,and the American neocons wants war knowing what a high price would be paid by the so called Western coalition ?Seems so so stupid especially after the “democratization” of Iraq which Obama considers a succes because Iraki’s people is now better off without Saddam and without 1 million killed and without 4 millions who left.Why these “Westerns” are so determined to make war?And in the present economic conjecture.Usually a war is motivated by some economic advantages which follow the war.What are its now?

By: Andres Kargar

Andres Kargar — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:46:26 +0000

The revolution of the Iranian people has brought about an independent voice in the Middle East that has not been subservient to the edicts of the Western imperialism. It is this path of independence which has been so disturbing, not only to the Western imperialists, but also for the corrupt regional puppets such as those in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan or even Pakistan. These rulers whose response to any voice of dissent is repression and torture and who are generally immune to condemnation by imperialist liberal groups, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty or the International Criminal Court, have been conspiring all along to isolate Iran. The despots feel so threatened that they offer bases to the US and the French imperialists, but they cannot stifle their own people’s desires for social justice. Independent voices such as those in Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, … will slowly be changing the face of the Middle East. The pace of change might not be as extensive as in Latin America, but it is nevertheless happening.

By: Deadbeat

Deadbeat — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:43:55 +0000

rh2,

There is bad ideas as well as good ideas. Clearly “God Bless America” is a bad ideology and the ruling class has promoted nationalism as an opiate. The same is true about religion. The same is true about White Supremacy. The same is true about Zionism and the same is true about Reaganism. All of these idea have been promoted by the ruling class. The point is that the ruling class seems to be doing well indoctrinating the masses with BAD ideas. What then is need are GOOD ideas and ideas that advance the interest of the working class — ordinary people.

Unfortunately many on the Left want to abandon ideas since there are so many BAD ideas permeating the body politics. That premise is definitely a BAD idea.

By: RH2

RH2 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:50:40 +0000

Deadbeat,

“Ideology is necessary to inspire the masses.”

The wretched and imperial “God bless America” is an ideology which unites the American masses around their coca cola and popcorn vending machines more than on coming to senses, vigilance and resistance. The masses believed Bush as he told them that Iraq and Saddam Hussein were a threat to the U.S. and the “free world”. And if the tearfully celebrated black Messiah Obama tells the masses that Iran is a threat to the U.S., then they are psychologically even more receptive to this distortion of reality. It is hopeless for Iran with the American masses and FoxNews.

By: bozh

bozh — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:20:37 +0000

at this time there may be 10mn toddlers in US under 5yrs of age. Their understanding and experience is, methink, is exactly the same as the toddlers under five in afrika, asia, europe, australia, and americas.

such children don’t know anything about religion, country, constituation, wars, conquests, etc.
but once in schools, they are awed at the flag; in awe with a prez, white house, fathers of confederation, priests.

we can see from this that amers are not this or that- amers become this and that.
‘education’ in america is similar to ‘education’ elsewhere. Some amers become as cool killers as ‘jews’ , russians, gurkhas, afghanis, french, et al.
amers are people; people everywhere trust the leadership; amers trust their leadership. After alll amers are neither a sub- nor supraspecie.
every people i know of had been deceived. And not for a day. And deceiving nations or ethnicities started millennia ago.

socalled social science or political sciense studiously shun studying how and why deception is carried out.
but we on DV know the HOW and the WHY. tnx

By: Deadbeat

Deadbeat — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:41:42 +0000

It’s part of America’s ideology to pretend that it doesn’t have any ideology.

Correct!!! And those who argue against ideology should remember Blum’s words. Ideology is necessary to inspire the masses.

By: John S. Hatch

John S. Hatch — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:22:03 +0000

*’so they can’t recount tales of how they were kidnapped and tortured.’
Sorry about that.

By: John S. Hatch

John S. Hatch — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:19:27 +0000

Given all the pompous, self-righteous shrieking about the imagined dangers posed by Iran (but not Israel, which has 250 nukes and would deploy them without blinking), one would almost forget (but thanks for reminding us, Barack) that in 1953 the US engaged in a coup against an elected Prime Minister, and deposed him in favor of the brutal and corrupt Shah who exercised blanket terror to govern and allow US and British interests to steal Iranian oil.

The stupidity, the self-delusion, the hypocrisy, the brutality, the hubris!

And now Barack is the new Shah of the USA, building on Bush’s imperial power, imprisioning innocent men forever (or maybe killing them) so they recount tales of how they were kidnapped and tortured.

Some change!

By: RH2

RH2 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:40:07 +0000

“Men go mad in herds, but only come to their senses one by one.” — Charles Mackay, 19th century Scottish journalist

Men can only come to their senses one by one if they have the intellectual capacity of differnetial analysis, a capacity which the American masses do not seem to possess. On the other hand there is no cohesion among the American masses. Based on slavery and submissiveness the masses grew up in a tyrant capitalism and imperialism resulting in a society of culturally alienated individuals. The masses are intent on survival, but also on comfort and indolence, through melting into the stream of plutocarcy and thus servincg and ensuring the empire of alienation and destruction. This article merely reflects hopeless dreams.