War with Iran is a bad idea BUT Inevitable (Revelation 9:13)

Sunday Extra | War with Iran is a bad idea

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 7:00am | The News-Gazette

 

By C.G. ESTABROOK
Israel is pushing the U.S. to go to war with Iran. We shouldn't let it happen.

Fifteen years ago, the U.S. government attacked Iraq and killed a million people — on the basis of lies that Iraq had dangerous "weapons of mass destruction."

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump talked of his opposition to the attack on Iraq:

"Look at the war in Iraq and the mess that we're in. I would never have handled it that way. ... What was the purpose of this whole thing? Hundreds and hundreds of young people killed. And what about the people coming back with no arms and legs?

Not to mention the other side. All those Iraqi kids who've been blown to pieces. And it turns out that all of the reasons for the war were blatantly wrong. All this for nothing!"

A principal instigator of that shameful U.S. war against Iraq was the government of Israel, which wished to remove Iraq as a regional rival in the Middle East.

Now Israel is trying to repeat that crime, urging the U.S. to attack and kill Iranians.

The Iran nuclear deal guaranteed that Iran would not develop even one nuclear weapon. (The U.S. has thousands; Israel has at least 200.)

But Trump is violating the agreement and withdrew from the deal. The Israeli government cheers, because they want the U.S. to attack Iran for their benefit.

One commentator writes, "Trump cited Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's bogus speech from last week. Without doubt, this effort is coordinated. Will any Democrats call for an investigation of this Trump collusion with a foreign power (like 'Russiagate')?"

In order to get its war on, Israel has attacked Iranian troops in Syria (who are there legally, unlike U.S. troops). An Israeli government adviser has all but admitted that killing Iranians in Syria is designed to provoke an open war with Iran.

Meanwhile, Israeli snipers kill peaceful protesters in Gaza, including children and journalists.

We should not allow the Trump administration to expand U.S. wars in the Mideast. The president and our congressional representatives should be urged to remember the lessons of Iraq and not attack Iran — among other things a more populous and better armed country, with powerful allies, notably Russia and China. War with Iran risks a much larger war — even a nuclear war.

The largest anti-war demonstrations in history occurred around the world before the U.S. attacked Iraq. As Americans, we must do even more to prevent this new criminal war.

If the U.S. and Israel attack Iran, there should be general work stoppages — strikes — and street demonstrations across the U.S.

In the meantime, write the president and our congressional representatives — Rep. Rodney Davis, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Sen. Dick Durbin.

C.G. Estabrook is a retired visiting professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He conducts the weekly hour of news commentary, "News from Neptune " on Urbana Public Television.