Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, The Budget???
I’m ready to pull my hair out, if I had any that is. In reality I’ve been in this state of mind for some time now—frustrated, angry, beside-myself—and growing more so every day. Oh yes, I hear you; you’re not interested in my issues after all you’ve got your own stuff to worry about, right? But listen, if I haven’t lost you yet please hang on a few lines more to see if you agree with my concerns that have me frustrated, angry and beside-myself.
Look at what is fresh off the press today February 8, 2010:
- Officials with the Council on Foreign Relations tell us that Iran is continuing to provide funding, weapons, training and sanctuary to numerous terrorist groups based in the Middle East.
- Reuters headlines read, “Iran has rejected Western overtures and the international community has no choice but to move toward imposing new sanctions over its (Iran) nuclear program…”
- The New York Times: “Iran’s president ordered his atomic scientists on Sunday to begin enriching their stockpile of uranium in order to power a medical reactor…”
- L. A. Times: “Iranian officials trumpeted new nuclear and military ambitions Monday in the face of domestic political discord and stepped up international talk of tightening economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.”
These are but a few of the headlines specific to Iran, and with our own surplus of domestic troubles our government seems to be paying less and less attention to the looming crisis the Islamic Republic is presenting. Iran, whether they realize it or not, have the US over a barrel and here is why. The US is facing its worst financial crisis since the depression years resulting in deeper debt to countries that, just a few years ago, were considered adversarial—how comforting is that? Secondly we are engaged in two wars—one of which has been conducted by men with rusty weapons who reside in caves and ride horses. And thirdly a humanitarian effort of epic proportions that is costing us more than money. All this under the U.S. Commander in Chief most enemies and allies alike see as weak—whether he is or not it’s the perception that counts.
My frustration comes from what I perceive as our own government locked in a stalemate. A pissing contest that makes the 2010 Super Bowl appear minor league. The government impasse (including all office holders of the legislative branch and the executive branch, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, TEA Partier, left wing nut, and right wing moral majority fanatic) has created a gridlock forcing the central nervous system of those humans to shift gears without benefit of engaging the clutch. The gears are shredding and the transmission is about to fail. Instead of using our collective heads to resolve these serious matters our leaders from the president on down insist on playing childish games, accumulating tiny bits of egregious knowledge, blowing that information out of proportion and hammering the perceived opponent with it. Political leadership are assuredly in the midst of a drunken brawl, intoxicated with the need to be right as well as their need for power and authority. The nervous system has triggered the production of adrenaline in those men and women and in turn their bodies have redirected blood flow to muscles waiting for the signal to fight or run. The physical effect of conducting government business in this manner results in less cognitive interaction and with that—consequently—less cooperation and with that less bridge-building and with that more disorganization… It seems to this average American that we are getting no where and along the path to no where a workable solution too many of the worlds problems remains illusive.
The point of referring to the four—among many—headlines mentioned above is to say that nothing new is happening to resolve this crisis. Those “official reports” aren’t enlightening or informative, it’s just more of the same.
Marvin Wiebener