Since When did "Muslim" Mean "Terrorist?"

The US Right have long been mocked for their hate-fueled descent into madness. They've only gone and convicted Iran of being behind the 9/11 attacks in a Manhattan courtroom. So, the question is, are we heading for a war with Iran? It goes without saying that the West would win, but what will the costs be to Iran, to ourselves, and to our economies? And what's it really all about? Oil, religious nutbaggery, or something else?

Look, we all know the Right is champing at the bit to get into a war with Iran. It's more a matter of when than if. Let's take a look at the actual, proven facts about Iran, shall we?

Iran/Hezbollah and Al Qaeda hate each other

Let's take it from the top: Iran and its alleged terrorist group Hezbollah are natural enemies of Al Qaeda. They absolutely hate each other, and for good reason: Al Qaeda are Wahhabiyyah Sunni Muslims who are akin to the fundamentalist Protestants of Christianity. Austere and mistrustful of "idolatrous practices," they have been behind the bombings of shrines and sectarian attacks on other groups of Muslims — including Sunnis who aren't as strict as they are. While it's true that some incidental assistance has been provided, the 9/11 Commission Report states unequivocably,

We have found no evidence that Iran or Hezbollah was aware of the planning for what later became the 9/11 attack. At the time of their travel through Iran, the al Qaeda operatives were probably not aware of the specific details of their future operation.

After 9/11, Iran and Hezbollah wished to conceal any past evidence of cooperation with Sunni terrorists associated with al Qaeda. A senior Hezbollah official disclaimed any Hezbollah involvement with 9/11.

More fuel for the conspiracy sites, which claim that the possible invasion of Iran is a pre-ordained power and oil grab. Getting the public behind an attack on Iran after the failure of the Iraq venture is going to be hard, considering the fact that Iraq had no connections with Al Qaeda until after the US-led invasion. Here's the fun part: I've been unable to find a conspiracy site that blames Iran for what happened. They mostly blame the Bush administration. Basically, the only real grounds for a possible attack on Iran would be the threat of their developing nuclear capability, and the apparent plan is to work with Israel on that.

What would happen if there was a war with Iran?

Israel is so far leading the charge, it seems, and pretty much demanding that the US do something about Iran's nuclear ambitions. The Right's not far behind. Already, mad stories exaggerating Iran's military prowess are being circulated to build up support for a prospective strike. Even the more sedate news sites accept that war is inevitable. In some ways, it's actually happening. Syria's Assad regime is in the throes of being toppled with help from Western powers — its relationship with Iran is seen as one of the reasons for this. Britain is using its financial muscle to cut off supplies and enforce sanctions. If a war was to actually happen, it would end up as a long-drawn-out conflict with conventional weapons that would utterly destroy the country's economy.

Regime change would be easy enough, it's the long term game that would be the kicker; basically, it's Afghanistan II, the gritty reboot. Or even WW III, depending on your outlook. Needless to say, it's all about the oil. One spark of light on the horizon is that the mutually assured destruction of the US economy will probably keep them at the negotiating table even though the war hawks are squawking away. If they do go to war, it will be ideology, not facts, that drive the decision-making — on both sides. The US has been moving further to the Right since 9/11 and what was once unthinkable is now accepted as normal.

Tensions are high and although there is a significant anti-war movement it may happen anyway. We need to stand against this nonsense because ultimately there can only be one winner: the miliary-industrial complex that makes a mint from the death and destruction of human lives. It's a multi-billion dollar industry, so their worst nightmare is if everyone decides to stop fighting and be friendly with each other instead. We have the truth on our side: Iran isn't much of a threat because the Stuxnet and Flame malware have hampered their nuclear development program and they're ideologically opposed to the use of nuclear weapons. Besides, their scientists are being killed off and they're surrounded by hostile forces. What chance have they got in the event of a full-scale war?