Nobel peace laureate, Elie Wiesel: Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped

[pointblank]

"at any price"

I found this interesting.

from msnbc.com

“I am against war, I cannot bear to hear myself say that I am in favor of war. I am not a general, but maybe it is necessary to send in a commando team to destroy the (Iranian nuclear) facilities,” Wiesel told Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who speaks out frequently on human rights, said Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped “at any price.” He also said Ahmadinejad has become “the world’s number one Holocaust denier.”


more at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13201140/


Perhaps if Bush hadn't tainted our country's reputation and honor with an illegal war in Iraq, the world and maybe our country would be more solidly behind some kind of immediate action.

I'm not saying I am, but I like to look at all points of view.


What do you all think?

[texasleo]

1. Israel is free to spill its own blood

but not ours.

[MadHound]

2. Hey Elie, can we put a halt to Israel's nuclear program?

After all, they're the only one's in the Middle East with an actual bomb or more. And if you say no, can we stop it "at any price"?

[applegrove]

5. I don't think Israelis would look to their god and think he wants them

to drop the bomb on anyone else. That is the problem with Iran. It may not have a habit of invading other places.. but its god is really fucked up... and people in power can be fucked up by that kind of god (a mean one who wants infidels all dead). And such believers in martyrdom can spread the technology to small cells.

Iran's absolutely loco leader may be pulling a Rummy "I'm one crazy asshole so get out of my way and give me what I want". They & he know they would be dead as ducks if they tried anything with a bomb. Problem is the god some jihadists worship.. deterrence doesn't work for them.. because.. they want to die.

So perhaps you have to make sure the bomb only gets into the hands of people who want to use it as a deterrent. Which means you have to follow a merciful god and the culture of leadership in your country has to follow a merciful god. Look at the Indians? They follow many merciful gods.. even Allah. And everyone gives them the bomb.

That being said. I think sanctions would work. If it came to that. No need for war. Just stop those huge ocean going container ships filled with New Zealand and Australian Lamb.

War is not an option. I think Iraq proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[mom cat]

6. The head religious leader in Iran has issued a Fatwa against the use

of nuclear weapons. I have not seen Isreal make such a sacred vow. Demonizing any religious group only inflames the mistrust.

[applegrove]

7. As I pointed out - everyone gives the bomb to India. Seems to Pakistan

too. The problem isn't muslims.. it is jihadists. The bomb is bad. I wish it would go away. Like smallpox. But that isn't happening.

People are not saying the Iran itself would drop the bomb and kill everyone in its own country when retaliation happened. But that some people in Iran worship a mean and nasty scapegoating god. And they may pass on the technology to groups who would want to kill everyone.

[mom cat]

8. I think that it could also be said that some people in the US and Isreal

"worship a mean and nasty scapegoating god. And they may pass on the technology to groups who would want to kill everyone."
Furthermore, how can you say that nukes are not bad?

[applegrove]

10. Nukes are bad. So are fundies who scapegoat and attack other humans

for simply being who they are. But the fundies are not in power.. they are just being used. And the fundies are not killing people as a practice... right wing supremacists have that passtime and they are not fundies. Perhaps fundies are killing people by voting for * and voting against a national health care program. And many of them see Liberals as killing babies.. so they don't actually like the idea of killing. And sure.. politicos in the GOP have been uping the rapture language and trying to create a more vengeful christian right..that will then support the war mongers... but again.. that is the right wing GOP that are responsible for that and the oil industry. Again.. industry is very easily murderous.. and needs to be held back with regulations. and good government cause corporations are not human..though they have lives and needs and such. And it is looking bad in the USA... and Rummy's desire to "let me drop one.. just one... a little one... " is a good reason to get rid of this lot in the WH. One among many. But other than their horribly dangerous and immature utopianism... well it is the neocons who worship the god of "self" that is the problem. The problem is that they use religion & myth (the problem isn't that pastors left to their own would not run around and try and make the world better. The problem isn't god in the west. It is other things. In a word neocons try and turn culture in the WESt back in time to a medieval one..into a series of power networks which is the problem with Jihadists.. except the neocons want to get away with power grabs.. get away with building a culture that refuses to have intelligent health care, intelligent stops on power, neos & GOP they actually want to get away with all their crap and live another day. The jihadists.. not so much.

But yes. With all the talk of clean energy it is easy to get familiar with the nukes and such. Nukes are bad. A good reason to hold your nose and vote Dems since they may actually try and restart the disarmament programs * has stopped or slowed down.

[Crunchy Frog]

3. He also heavily promoted the war in Iraq

in an editorial just prior to the invasion.

I lost a great deal of respect for him at that time, and I think it taints anything that he may currently be saying about Iran.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

4. Correct. He may be against war, but not the war in Iraq.

9. I find that very strange and wonder what his complete thinking

on this is? Why is he offering up opinions on this subject anyway.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. War is just fine if it's for a "good" purpose.

Of course, every war in history was started and carried out for "good" purpose. Just ask the guys who start them.