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US Media Omission: Iran Calls for Global Nuclear Disarmament
The American public has not been informed by the US news media about highly newsworthy statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday February 12.
He said the era of nuclear weapons is over, suggesting Iran has no plans to build "inhumane" A-bombs. Ahmadinejad called for a world free of nuclear arms in an interview with Russia's NTV channel.
"We believe that not only the Middle East but also the whole world should be free of nuclear weapons because we see such weapons as inhumane," he said.
"Today, no one can use a nuclear weapon and we believe that the US is taking a wrong move by stockpiling nuclear weapons," he added. "Those who claim that they are against nuclear weapons should dismantle their nuclear weapons first to prove that they are honest."
So far, the libertarian-leaning Antiwar.com has been the only American media outlet to cover his statements.
Considering Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's calls for sanctions over Iran's nuclear program, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position that new sanctions should be "crippling," one might think the US media would pay attention to Ahmadinejad's statements.
Instead, the media's Sarah Palin obsession means that more Americans heard repeated calls to start a new war with Iran in the past week.
Iran has continually denied it plans to build nuclear weapons. The country's high-profile stance is that enriched uranium will be used for Tehran's medical reactor.
The interview Friday was given to Russian channel NTV, once critical of all-powerful Vladimir Putin, but now controlled by the state-owned Gazprom conglomerate. CNN published a timeline of the changes to the station nine years ago.
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38 Comments so far
Show All"Those who claim that they are against nuclear weapons should dismantle their nuclear weapons first to prove that they are honest."
But that's precisely the problem. They're not honest. In fact, Israel might well be regarded as more honest than most of the nuclear powers in having refused outright to sign the non-proliferation treaty.
Of course those who already possess the weapon honor the part of the treaty that inveighs against the acquisition of 'nuclear deterrence' by other countries. But keeping their own part of the bargain is another matter altogether.
Seeking honesty from a nation whose very existence is and has always been based on extreme hypocrisy is a total waste of time. You might as well ask the tiger to give up its teeth or the snake to give up its venom as to ask the U.S. et al to forego their ultimate instrument of global blackmail.
As for the "media omission", surely that surprises no one.
"But that's precisely the problem. They're not honest."
That is why he SAID it... he said they SHOULD be honest and dismantle nukes.
I don't believe Mr. Ahmadinejad is truthful. Iran does need nukes to fend off the hostilities of the USA and Israel.
The example for Iran is N. Korea. Once a successful A-Bomb was detonated the USA backed off.
Iran knows the hostile intent of the ruling elite in Washington. A real change in attitude of the Washington ruling class would be more effective than all the bellicosity.
The ruling elite in Washington are still smarting from the 1979 revolution in Iran which through out the corrupt puppet regime controlled by the USA. The USA rules by fear. AS the world grows independent of the USA hegemony the ruling elite become more fearful of their own loss of control.
One catches more flys with sugar than vinegar.
Why do you disbelieve Mr. Ahmadinejad? Surely suggesting global nuclear disarmament is entirely consistent with his own country's best interests which, one might surmise, is less concerned by mere hostile attitudes than by the devastatingly lethal instruments of their potential expression.
In the absence of the latter, it's by no means clear that Iran would need nukes to fend off the former.
Iran getting nukes wouldn't make it any safer. The US and Israel would continue clamping down on Iran through sanctions, blockades, subversion, creating instability... to the point that it would be disfunctional, with or without UN support. In addition, Iran allows UN inspectors into the country so if the 11th hour ever came that Iran would be at the point of developing a nuclear weapon, we'd probably know and would bomb Iran at that point. Another thing, Ahmadinejad doesn't control the country, rather it is the Supreme Leader. Ahamedinjad is not the leader of military in Iran and couldn't "push the button" if he wanted to. Much of what he says serves his political interest as a politician, just as John McCain saying "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran". The US media downplays this.
I believe what s/he is saying, is the same thing i hinted at in my comment, which is that The Democratic and Peaceful government of the United States ONLY seems to attack and Bully those Nations who do NOT have nuclear weapons themselves, to well, basically defend themselves from the Aggressive WAR Corporation, known as the United States Government.
They go after Iraq, who had no nukes, no weapons of Mass Destruction.
But they only bicker with N. Korea. If North Korea did not have nukes, I bet we would have already invaded them.
Just check the facts, if a nation does have Nukes, we do NOT invade. If they don't have nukes or some way of protecting themselves, we probably have a Military base in their country, some form of occupation or WAR is going on in those countries.
the USA is attacking Nuke armed Pakistan
The USA is not attacking Pakistan. It is supporting an ally against the Taliban evil doers.
Iran would want a nuke now if they were suicidal.
That would be the excuse to demolish Iran as Clinton has already warned.
They are better off without the bomb and they know it.
They are winning this issue for sure.
Clinton and Obama's lies are the same as the WMD lies that got our war criminals in Iraq.
For the moment, I believe you are correct. Because the Iranians have a credible delivery system for poison gas, it hardly matters at this point.
The USA cannot attack Iran for fear of Iran attacking Israel. It is all about oil, anyway.
" The American Public has not been informed by the U S news media".Even though very true,that is an old and trite statement on Iran, dating back to at least 1953 when the CIA installed the Shah,who was a brutal tyrant and dictator and engineered a coup d' etat of the democratically elected government of Iran.
We better get our CIA in action, or peace might break out.
Purely a "minor oversight" on the part of our Warmongering Corporate Media, of course.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State (and War?) Hillary Rodham Clinton is beating the alarmist drums by saying Iran is becoming a "military dictatorship". FEAR! FEAR! FEAR!
I guess she "forgot" the 25 years various U.S. administrations not only supported the Shah's Iranian dictatorship after the CIA overthrew Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically-elected Iranian President in 1953.
Or how our CIA trained the SAVAK, the Shah's secret police, to torture anyone opposed to the U.S.-backed Shah's brutal, repressive regime.
Or why the Iranian people finally rose up and overthrew the Shah in 1979, and why some seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran after President Jimmy Carter said he would grant asylum to the Shah.
Or all the weapons we sold to the Shah to arm him, then, after he was deposed, that Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush armed "terrorist" Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, during which we also armed Saddam Hussen's Iraq.
But, after all, who can believe Iranian President Ahmadinejad's call for nuclear disarmament? He's not like U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Barack Obama, who has called for eventual elimination of nuclear weapons while asking for $7 billion more to "upgrade" our current nuclear arsenal of nearly 10,000 warheads as part of his historically-high 2011 national "security" budget of close to ONE TRILLION DOLLARS. Everyone knows that Iranian Presidents lie, but U.S. Presidents are sincere and never lie, especially about weapons of mass destruction.
"So far, the libertarian-leaning Antiwar.com has been the only American media outlet to cover his statements."
Once again, Only the Anarchists and Libertarians are covering the real news - while the Liberals are too busy worshipping their messiah Al Gore and bending over and kissing Obama's WAR Mongering Behind. And the Neo-Cons and Republicans are too busy figuring out what is going on with their party.
Obama pays lip service to Nuclear disarmament, while simultaneously America is rebuilding the out-of-date nuclear warheads - then they put sanctions on Iran for wanting nuclear energy.
Even if they were building a nuke, it would be for self protection. Notice, how America never attacks or invades a country who also has nukes. Our government only picks on those who cannot defend themselves against the bullies called the United States Government, our so called Peace and Democracy spreading STATE Power.
oh, and as for Antiwar.com, I implore you all to listen to Antiwar radio, check out Scott Hortons show, he is very informed on the topics of Iran and the Middle Eastern Wars and has tons of great guests on his show.
peace. love. anarchy
Ditto that. Scott Horton at antiwar/radio.com says it like it is, has excellent guests and has the best show going, by far.
Liberals are asleep on a road to nowhere. They need to wake up and take a hard left turn.
North American mass media should collectively be renamed "Pravda".
Why, when there are alternatives, do the majority of people -including highly educated ones- read the rubbish that the MSM churns out? Infoganda is my word for it.
I can only assume it is because people believe what they want to believe and filter everything else out. The MSM, catering to the lowest common denominator, gives and continually refines what they want. Sensationalism and fear sells so it pays to exaggerate and play on fear.
Critical thinking is a skill that is sorely lacking everywhere.
Some people are so gullible. The "peace loving" Soviet Union was calling for nuclear disarmament all the time. Didn't get access to western media during that time (what with the censorship and communist oppression and all) but I bet there were people who believed them too.
Speaking of gullible...
Have you ever spoken with someone who lived in the USSR? The people there knew that the media was full of shit, but they knew how to read the press to get the information that was denied them. I'd say they were far better informed about the world than their opposite number in the land of the us media. Don't forget the usa has a habit of proclaiming itself as a 'peace loving' nation as well. All of the wars launched by the us gov't are fought to 'bring democracy' or to 'fight for freedom', you'll never hear the gov't admit that they overthru a democracy because that evil evil 'communistic' government was advocating land reform, or that they didn't want to give their resources away to us multinational corporations.
As an example, the sov's had a habit of lauding expected things. So, if the press was talking about a new type of rocket design for a week or so, then no one heard about it again, the people knew that something had gone very wrong with the 'new' rocket. Same thing for issues relating to agriculture, roads/rails/infrastructure, nuclear energy, and yes, even the rhetoric of nuclear disarmament.
Do you not think that the people of Iran, who also live in an area where people know that the media is full of it, are not able to tell that their government is not necessarily telling the truth?
On this issue, I'm torn. I know that in some ways the Iranians would be foolish for developing a nuke, in others they'd be foolish not to develop one. While the usa might not be very willing to attack a nation that built a nuke, that can't be said for other nations. I think a 'war for freedom and democracy' is in the near future for Iran. It doesn't matter what they do or say before the usa again opts to go to war. The powers that be in the us media and the elite are in favour of attacking, so a reason will be found. Iran's government could do a total volte face and declare Christianity is the state religion and that they'll pay 'reparations' to Israel for all acts of terror against them and everyone else in the world, and still the usa is going to invade them.
Socialism presents modernization in a generation, capitalism, you get a few wealthy people in a few countries and the rest look like Mexico. That was and remains the greatest threat to capitalism-no socialist government anywhere will long be able to exist before being overthrown by the USA and her proxy nations, basically the G8. An honest look at our so-called liberal democracies...they never say capitalist in the press or the word class either unless it is an undefinable middle that is shrinking...( Marx's proletarian thesis ) and must be rescued ( fergetabout that) as compared to socialist societies even the deformed worker states promulgated by the former ( sniff sniff ) Soviet Union, SHOULD tell us all we need to know. Unfortunatly, the lie that planned economies don't work has been so ingrained in our consciousness for the past 50 years ( since the October Revolution actually) that people automatically reject the only real alternative available to humankind and that is to democratically socialize ownership of the productive capacities of the world. Production is already socialized, ie integrated on a global scale, so should the ownership and benefits. All arguments against this have been proven false either in practice or at least theorectically. And Marxism as the critique of capitalism is still the most formidable weapon that can be weilded against the ruling class and it's superstructure. Marx was not wrong about things, that fact that all of our intellectual resources have served to try to undermine it should tell you something.
RR
Lemme tell you why it doesn't work.
Let's take Joe and Jack two lathe operators working for ACME, a state owned enterprise with equal wages for everyone. Joe works hard and exceeds his norm (go look it up), whereas Jack slacks. At the end of the month, both Jack and Joe get the same salary, both of them being at the same level of qualifications. Joe, in addition gets a nice diploma and his face on the honor panel. Jack does not get fired as the state guarantees employment to everyone. It is only a matter of time until Joe figures out the rewards are the same and stops woking as well. There goes the economy.
How do I know that? Am I genius? Maybe... but i have also experienced it first hand.
Of course, under the western brand of capitalism...
Both lathe operators get laid off because their job can be done in China by paying 20 cents an hour rather than the 15-25 dollars an hour that they'd have earned if the company didn't shut their North American plant down.
The end result; there goes the economy...
One big problem with the Russian communist economy was it lacked prices. The Soviets produced, but there was no "price" to indicate how much should be produced at that price. Therefore, too much or too little was produced. Price is the ultimate regulator. The guy who was the slacker knew this, the guy who was the hard worker finally figured it out.
The soviet figured it out too, but never let it be the over all regulator. Most of the food was produced on three percent of the land, because the private plots could regulate the production according to price. The little home farmer knew what would pay to grow and what would not.
Indeed, price works in the capitalist system, but it has the effect of pricing labor lower and lower when cheaper production is allowed to "compete". Capitalism finds the cheapest price which drives all other cost lower and lower.
Indeed, this is what is causing the trouble in the USA. Workers are being forced to compete with cheap labor countries, therefore, the USA is loosing manufacturing plants to over seas production, and homeland manufacturers are cutting cost by paying labor less.
You would think Americans would put a stop to this capitalist gutting of our nation. But, they love the Wal Mart solution.
Have you ever spoken with someone who lived in the USSR?
Have I? I have stood in line for basic food and other neccesities at 4AM on winter days, studied for college on the light from a car battery at 10 degrees Celsius inside the house. I bribed doctors and nurses with western cigaretts and coffee to get better care when I was sick.
I was also there when it all came down. I still consider thet the best week of my life.
What pisses me off most is that people have already forgotten those things, and it's only been 20 years. Some even wanna try it again. "We'll get it right this time" they say.
" I have stood in line for basic food and other neccesities at 4AM on winter days, studied for college on the light from a car battery at 10 degrees Celsius inside the house. I bribed doctors and nurses with western cigaretts and coffee to get better care when I was sick. "
Sounds like modern day poverty in the good ole USA..
I beg to disagree with you. It's not even close.
Some people are so gullible. The "peace loving" USA is calling for everyone else not to have nuclear weapons all the time. Western media never points out that the "peace loving" US is the only country to use a nuclear weapon, TWICE, on women and children and civilians, spends about half the world military budget, but I bet there are people who believe that the US too.
Well, somebody had to do it - that is, to call for global nuclear disarmament. It used to be India under Nehru in the 1950's that used to take a moralistic approach to such things. Even after realizing that the fledgling nuclear program could be used to produce a weapon, Nehru had strict orders to just keep the option open, but not to pursue it. Of course, that all changed in 1974, when India conducted a "peaceful" nuclear test, when Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. And India gradually stopped talking about universal disarmament.
The reason I mention India's case, is that the hypocrisy of the nuclear weapons states is so obvious if looked at from the point of view of other countries. Consider this:
The so-called Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was adopted by a whole bunch of countries in 1996. But France was conducting a whole series of test explosions in the Pacific - in the "French Polynesia" - until just a few months before the treaty was signed. The motives were so ridiculously obvious - that they wanted to update and upgrade their weapons before signing the treaty that would prohibit anyone to test afterward.
So, anyway, it turns out that some of the countries that signed the CTBT are yet to ratify it: USA, China, Israel, Egypt, Iran.
And some countries have so far refused to sign it: India, Pakistan and North Korea. India still occasionally calls for universal disarmament, not really believing that it would work. So, can you blame countries wanting to have this deadly toy? Hypocrisy can be dangerous sometimes. And the "Golden Rule" is more potent than many people realize.
Obama said his goal is to rid the world of nuclear bombs. Amadiejad said he shares that goal. Why not give it a go and make the world safe for our children and their children?
Gee and after all the trouble the MSM has gone through to demonize him.
If the next country rushes, I mean works very fast they could come in second. Nelson Mandela had the South African bombs disassembled. They got the fissionable material from anyone, anyone? Israel.
This is a perfect moment for Obama to follow up on his call for the elimination of nuclear weapons by calling Ahmadinejad's bluff. He should call for an immediate worldwide ban on nuclear testing and development, in exchange for Iran halting all their nuclear activities.
Then he should propose that the next step be to start talking about reducing the arsenals of all countries, including Israel. Iran, in return, should be asked to allow nuclear inspection experts into the country to verify compliance.
If Ahmadinejad doesn't go along, he will be exposed as disingenuous thus strengthening a call for further sanctions.
You wrote, "[Obama] should call for an immediate worldwide ban on nuclear testing and development, in exchange for Iran halting all their nuclear activities... inspections... the next step to start talking about reducing the arsenals of all countries"
--To "start talking about reducing" the US's arsenal? The US has tens of thousands of nuclear warheads and a matching appetite for oil. What intelligent leader of an oil-rich country would agree to dismantle his nascent nuclear programme because the US, the only nation to ever drop an atomic bomb on a foreign city in violation of everything decent SAID something? Anything? The US cannot, in this generation and possibly in the next 3 or 4 generations, SAY anything that will be taken seriously by ANY informed Muslim, much less the Iranian government.
We do not have enough credibility to even "call their bluff". Any move we, or our proxy, make against Iran would be seen around the world as an illegal act of aggression, even while US media would exploit American patriotism to manufacture support for a new war for profit.
The truth is, Iran is no threat to anyone. All this manufactured paranoia about Iran has to do with US media prepping the US public for what I think is an inevitable confrontation with Iran that will signal the start of the all-out oil wars. Non-nuclear states will not use any oil in the final years of oil as we know it, even if the oil is under their soil. Lots of people will die to keep our houses heated and our cars running in the final years.
Yes, and Hillary, maybe Iran's "dangerous policy decisions" come from your dangerous ability to nag, nag, nag. Could it be that Iran has decided that you are a hag, hag, hag?
"The libertarian-leaning Antiwar.com" has also CENSORED this citizen journalist who is the only reporter in the whole f'n world to have bothered to report on the FREEDOM OF SPEECH TRIAL of Mordechai Vanunu-The Whistle Blower of Israel's WMD Program since it began 25 January 2006!
LEARN LOTS @ http://wearewideawake.org
The Vanunu Saga: 2005-2010
And tune into You Tube:"Message to President Shimon Peres and The You Tube Nation"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mwk4LTw_CQ
Which was inspired by the Colbert Nation's activism, so the Founder and Senior Correspondent for WeAreWideAwake.org issued a call to the You Tube Nation to Do Something because THE MEDIA have all been MIA!
Only in Solidarity do "we have it in our power to begin the world again."-Tom Paine
Eileen Fleming,
Founder of WeAreWideAwake.org
A Feature Correspondent for Arabisto.com
Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"
The media reports what it is fed and that which is most profitable and beneficial to them. They are bought like congress...
The USA Media also routinely fails to mention that IRAN is perfectly within its rights to manufacture uranium as a signitory to the International Nuclear Nonproliferation Agreement.
Or that the USA is in violation of that same agreement for failing to dismantle its huge nuclear arsenal as it promised as a signatory.
Or that IRAN used to have a democratically elected President...until the USA had him murdered, and replaced by a brutal torturing fascist dictator who was more to the liking of Big Oil....which lead directly to the revolution and the hostage taking in the 70's...where the USA refused to hand the dictator back to Iran to face justice for his crimes against humanity.
That was finally resolved by a secret deal Presidential Candidate Ronald Regan made with the revolutionary guard...to KEEP HOLDING THE HOSTAGES until after the election against Jimmy Carter....when he won Regan traded Iran's US hostages in exchange for weapons...then traded the weapons to the illegal Central American terrorists called the Contras ( fighting against the democratically elected government of El Salvador...see a pattern here?) in exchange for cociane..which the CIA then sold on the streets of the USA, to get money to buy more illegal weapons...
There is not enough space on the entire internet to list all of the things that Big Mac sucking Americans dont know...
Why bother telling people the truth? Same as with Iraq...lies, lies and more lies in order to justify war. This too is a holocaust!
The US mainstream media beats the drums of war again. These jack asses in these media outlets are so pathetically predictable, always at the service of the power elites in the USA with same elites fully corrupted by same power and now having way too much of a false sense of entitlement.
AD