"Strong opposition of uniformed military" STOPS Iran War – Ray McGovern

[autorank]

Highly recommended reading for those who want to understand why we're NOT currently at war with Iran.

On edit. Timing: "Coincidence"?

1) Jan 7, 2007 ABC reports "Iran threatens U.S. Ship" Straits of Hurmoz
2) Jan 9, 2007 NSA study says Gulf of Tonkin naval incident was a fake (the incident that started the Viet Nam War).
3) Jan 10, 2007 Reuters U.S. Sends formal protest to Iran over incident.
4) Jan 10, 2007 Think Progress Pentagon Backtracks on Naval Confrontation]


consortiumnews.com

CIA, Iran & the Gulf of Tonkin

By Ray McGovern
January 12, 2008

McGovern tells the story of his early career when he learned just how things work when the president wants a war. Specifically, President Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin NON INCIDENTto start the Vietnam War. This incident was an intelligence fabrication at the behest of the administration. The report in 1964 claimed that boats from North View Nam attacked U.S. war ships off the coast of Vietnam. This was used as an excuse to give the president powers to protect our interests. Those powers lead to the presence of over 2.0 million U.S. soldiers in Viet Nam over the course of that war. CONGRESS NEVER DECLARED WAR. ALL IT TOOK WAS A FAKE INCIDENT AND A LIMITED RESOLUTION.

The Straights of Hormuz incident unraveled due to honest intelligence analysis.

From the article: The situation is so reminiscent of what happened—and didn’t happen—from Aug. 2-4, 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin and in Washington, it is in no way funny.

At the time, the U.S. had about 16,000 troops in South Vietnam. The war that was “justified” by the Tonkin Gulf resolution of Aug. 7, 1964, led to a buildup of 535,000 U.S. troops in the late Sixties, 58,000 of whom were killed—not to mention the estimated two million Vietnamese who lost their lives by then and in the ensuing 10 years.

SNIP

Good News: It’s Different Now

It is my view that the only thing that has prevented Bush and Cheney from attacking Iran so far has been the strong opposition of the uniformed military, including the Joint Chiefs.



As the misadventure last Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz shows, our senior military officers need all the help they can get from intelligence officers more concerned with the truth than with “keeping lines open to the White House” and doing its bidding.

SNIP

This is a great article. Well worth reading.

Link: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/011108a.html

[gateley]

1. K&R! nt

[autorank]

3. This enough to blow your mind or what? n/t

[gateley]

8. Yeah. It was MORE than enough to blow my mind! nt

[Mnemosyne]

2. Yes! Thank the Universe for small miracles!

:woohoo:

Good news for a change!

Thanks Mike!
:hi:

[autorank]

It's called "the loyal opposition";)

[Mnemosyne]

41. .

:patriot:

[Kurovski]

4. Yep. It's good to see the speculation has been correct...

it's also good to have some word that we have sane folks in the military to balance the whack-a-doodle White House crew.

Now if only they'd physically remove them from office for crimes against The nation, Iraq, or just that plain old Constitution-stomping they be so fond of.

[autorank]

5. Isn't that something.

We've speculated about a civil war in "management." Well, here's the loyal opposition in action,
stopping an insane war. Thanks to the :patriot:'s

[Stephanie]

11. What makes you think they can stop it?

Bush is over there in the ME now trying to wrangle support.

[bleever]

6. Five and up.

Now, you belong to the ages.

Great stuff. The game keeps changing, and now that's the game.

[autorank]

9. Curiouser and curiouser;)

[gratuitous]

7. That's . . . reassuring; sort of

I guess the military hit its limit at two unprovoked aggressive invasions of another country. Three was just going to be too much.

[postulater]

10. Are those dates correct?

Did you mean 2008 instead of 2007? Or was there another incident last year?

[Mnemosyne]

15. OP is living in the past, it does seem. Hope he's not writing checks! lol

:evilgrin:

[autorank]

17. They're all 2008. That's a typo - thanks for pointing this out.

[jasmine621]

12. Just a damn kick! nt

[Mnemosyne]

13. The Gulf of Ton, er, Hormuz "incident" would have been laughable

if not for the realization of how determined *co is to attack Iran.

Okay, I did laugh for a few minutes, at the absurdity of their attempt. Then I felt totally infuriated at the gall of those criminals with all they've put the country/world through, to still dare to act with such blood lust.

Ray McGovern has been a hero of mine since he stood up to Rummy. He da' man! :applause:

People of honor and integrity still do exist in our government, though in minute numbers it seems, and it's the one hope we can continue to grasp. :patriot:

[seemslikeadream]

14. Coincidence Theory:

IMPEACH CHENEY




They Thought They Were Free - Read by Dave Emory

The Germans, 1933-45

Excerpt from pages 166-73 of "They Thought They Were Free" First published in 1955

By Milton Mayer

But Then It Was Too Late

"What no one seemed to notice," said a colleague of mine, a philologist, "was the ever widening gap, after 1933, between the government and the people. Just think how very wide this gap was to begin with, here in Germany. And it became always wider. You know, it doesn�t make people close to their government to be told that this is a people�s government, a true democracy, or to be enrolled in civilian defense, or even to vote. All this has little, really nothing, to do with knowing one is governing.

"What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could understand it, it could not be released because of national security. And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.

....

"Yes," I said.

"You see," my colleague went on, "one doesn�t see exactly where or how to move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, THE SHOCK DOCTRINE will join with you in resisting somehow. You don�t want to act, or even talk, alone; you don�t want to �go out of your way to make trouble.� Why not?�Well, you are not in the habit of doing it. And it is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also genuine uncertainty.

"Uncertainty is a very important factor, and, instead of decreasing as time goes on, it grows. Outside, in the streets, in the general community, �everyone� is happy. One hears no protest, and certainly sees none. You know, in France or Italy there would be slogans against the government painted on walls and fences; in Germany, outside the great cities, perhaps, there is not even this. In the university community, in your own community, you speak privately to your colleagues, some of whom certainly feel as you do; but what do they say? They say, �It�s not so bad� or �You�re seeing things� or �You�re an alarmist.�



Michael Parenti - Terrorism, Globalism & Conspiracy


Terrorism, Globalism & Conspiracy, and the functions of fascism which has not been told in conventioonal history

"Coincidence Theory: By shear chance things just happen repeatedly and coincidentally to benefit their interests without any conscious connivance by them, which is most uncanny. There is also: Stupidity Theory, Innocence Theory, Momentary Aberration Theory, Incompetence Theory, Unintended Consequences Theory and Innocent Cultural Proclivities Theory."

- Michael Parenti

[autorank]

16. You, specifically, converted me to this coincidence theory stuff.

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. I really think that the missing nuke story was a big one too.

That put a handbrake on going to war, by exploding a low level nuke
on the border and blaming it on the Iran.

Interesting times, but the this is not over and will get worse. The economy that
they created needs to be perpetuated for their profits and
the War Machine and their economy is a powerful entity.

By the destruction of the middle class home values they have created
a dystopia that they think the middle class will be so oppressed that they will just struggle
to survive and not revolt if given enough small tokens of appeasement as a brain dead
mall zombie.

[autorank]

19. That was one Hell of a story...

You bet that was a big story. And the MSM dropped it like a hot potato but what else is new.

There are several potential eruptions of epic proportions out there. They'll only be covered
as fait accomplis, after exposure by those in the system who are fighting this regime. The
Franklin trial in Federal Court, Virginia Eastern District may go right to the WH for spying.
The Osama is dead claims, some by U.S. military officials, is another block buster, the most
far reaching imho if that's true and it was before Oct 2004. The economy is the real basis for
action by the people. The sad thing is that we're no better off than the Iraqi public, which favors
withdrawal w/in a year by about 80%. We're at 68% or a big higher. Neither group of citizens have
representatives who will honor their wishes. I'm more optimistic than you are about the people
standing up and doing something. The fact that this has not happened shows the total lock down
of the news, which is still MSM dominated, but the exclusive is over. We'll see.

Here's a member of the loyal opposition:

From The Star-Telegram, 10/7/07:
http://tinyurl.com/2zxztx
(and an interesting interpretation
http://impactglassman.blogspot.com/)

Nuke transportation story has explosive implications

By ROBERT STORMER
Special to the Star-Telegram


Last month, six W80-1 nuclear-armed AGM-129 advanced cruise missiles
were flown from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale AFB in
Louisiana and sat on the tarmac for 10 hours undetected.

Press reports initially cited the Air Force mistake of flying nuclear
weapons over the United States in violation of Air Force standing
orders and international treaties, while completely missing the more
important major issues, such as how six nuclear cruise missiles got
loose to begin with.

Opinion columns and editorials appeared in America's newspapers, some
blasting the Air Force for flying nukes over the U.S. and some
defending the Air Force procedure.

None of the news reports focused on the real questions of our nuclear
security.

Let me be very clear here:

We are not talking about paintball cartridges or pellet gun ammo.

We are talking nuclear weapons.

There is a strict chain of custody for all such weapons.

SNIP

All of us owe a great debt to whomever made sure we got the information that we had a right to receive.

[Swamp Rat]

20. k&r

[Kurovski]

21. Kick. (nt)

[Indi Guy]

22. K&R

:wtf:

[LibertyorDeath]

23. Thanks for this & Happy New Year auto !!

Your info is always Rock Solid and Well worth reading.

Cheers!

Rec..

[LibertyorDeath]

24. Thanks for this & Happy New Year auto !!

Your info is always Rock Solid and Well worth reading.

Cheers!

Rec..

[autorank]

25. Happy New Year to You!

I love that clown-guy you've got. It always frightens me real good for just a moment.

Clowns in general are creepy (e.g., Gacey) but this one is astride continents making people
miserable;)

It will be a good year for truth, I truly believe.

[Kolesar]

26. Yes, but Americans are going to "remember" that the Iranians came out and challenged the US Navy

The retractions never have the impact that the original misinformation had. "Don't think of an elephant", to steal a meme from linguist/activist George Lakoff .

Thanks for posting this, though, Autorank. "Whatever year it happened" :)

[mod mom]

27. Exactly, let the initial reports seep into the minds of the public as a whole, while

the truth is known to those either willing to follow up on a story or happen to hear the less recounted corrections.

[mod mom]

28. Weird update: It may have been a prankster (Navy Times)

Navy Times: Prankster May Have Been Behind Radio Threats
By Paul Kiel - January 11, 2008, 6:11PM

It just gets more and more bizarre. From The Navy Times:
The threatening radio transmission heard at the end of a video showing harassing maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz may have come from a locally famous heckler known among ship drivers as the �Filipino Monkey.�...

In recent years, American ships operating in the Middle East have had to contend with a mysterious but profane voice known by the ethnically insulting handle of �Filipino Monkey,� likely more than one person, who listens in on ship-to-ship radio traffic and then jumps on the net shouting insults and jabbering vile epithets....

Rick Hoffman, a retired captain who commanded the cruiser Hue City and spent many of his 17 years at sea in the Gulf was subject to the renegade radio talker repeatedly, often without pause during the so-called �Tanker Wars� of the late 1980s.

�For 25 years there�s been this mythical guy out there who, hour after hour, shouts obscenities and threats,� he said. �He could be tied up pierside somewhere or he could be on the bridge of a merchant ship.�

-snip
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/005061.php

[bleever]

29. So WWIII was almost started by a prank caller?

That really is bizarre.

[autorank]

32. Do you have Prince Albert in a can? n/t

[HCE SuiGeneris]

33. Oh gawd

I'm laughing and crying at the same time.

"meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."

K & R

[Me.]

36. Is Your Fridge Running

:rofl:

[autorank]

31. BoredAvenger,'s correct. VERY SPARSE MSM COVERAGE. Yes it was 2008;)

It's either a misspelling of a simple word or something like being stuck in 2007. As my mother said, think how smart you would have been if the doctor hadn't dropped you on your head.

You make a good point on the public perception. There's a reason you're right, that we can see right here.

Here's a google search, NEWS by date, for - "straits of Hormuz" Navy - http://tinyurl.com/yqc2m4

There's not one US mainstream media source, although BBC has it. There's not one clear headline saying "Bogus Data for Iran Attack" or something more elaborate. But this was an internal battle among the folks in "management." I can't believe that it's so out in the open we can watch it.

Would this have been the Iranian version of the Gulf of Tonkin? Maybe but some faction wanted to make sure it wasn't. Amazing stuff.
----------------------------------------------

Tehran warns US over nuclear row
BBC News, UK - 1 hour ago
... to defend the Straits of Hormuz - the strategic waterway at the mouth of the Gulf. So, whatever really happened in that naval confrontation, ...

Iranian Navy Sinks Itself
The Spoof (satire), UK - 2 hours ago
The actions came on the heels of yet another provocative encounter between a flotilla of Iranian vessels and the US Navy in the Straits of Hormuz. ...

George in Jihadland
RealClearPolitics, IL - 7 hours ago
And after the confrontation between the US navy and Iranian forces in the Straits of Hormuz, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that the US ...

US-Iran stand-off: Mere propaganda or prelude to war?
Aljazeera.com, UK - 7 hours ago
The Navy’s admission that a threat radioed to US warships in the Straits of Hormuz might not have come from Iranian boats raises new fears about the chances ...

La Navy veille dans le Golfe
de defensa, Belgium - 9 hours ago
L’autre facteur que développe Jim Lobe est centré autour de la présence de l’US Navy comme acteur central de l’affaire, – la Navy dont on sait qu’elle n’est ...

Another Iranian Act of Aggression: Gordon Prather
Antiwar.com, CA - 14 hours ago
Why not have the USS Port Royal , escorted by the USS Hopper and the USS Ingraham steam in and out, through the Straits of Hormuz, ...

George in Jihadland
Town Hall, DC - 15 hours ago
And after the confrontation between the US navy and Iranian forces in the Straits of Hormuz, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that the US ...

Talk About Town
The State, SC - 15 hours ago
IRANIAN SPEEDBOATS HARASS US NAVY SHIPS IN STRAITS OF HORMUZ Incredibly, videotape showed that wacky Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to be ...

US-Iran naval incident gets murkier
AFP - 17 hours ago
"There have been other situations where certainly ships transiting the Straits of Hormuz have been approached," Mullen said. "To my knowledge, I've not seen ...

US, Iran Boat Brawl Fallout
KNX1070, CA - 18 hours agoLOS ANGELES (KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO) -- The top US military officer says the recent confrontation between Iranian and US Navy forces in the Straits of Hormuz ...

[Me.]

34. Aah, The Old Huston, Atwater, Rove School Of Perception Management

Which naturally goes back in time, as each new 'genius' figures out ways to trick, distract the eye and use sleight of hand. Overtones of Gulf of Tonkin (quite as stated above).

[Kurovski]

30. Kick. (nt)

[bonito]

35. K&R!

[malaise]

37. Superb article

I love Ray McGovern.

[AntiFascist]

38. K&R, bring the neocons to a dead stop. n/t

[MissWaverly]

39. Let's hope we get a little smarter about this rushing to war

Esp. when it's based on false intelligence, we rush in but then we spend years staying the course, the best strategy would
be to have a congress that represented us and seriously examined any and all proposals to commit troops.

[slipslidingaway]

40. K&R What have the top three candidates said about this

incident? Should they not be using some of their time in front of cameras to call attention to the recent war drums.

Who will challenge them in the eyes of the American people?


Gareth Porter on Iran Boats Lies

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/30043


"From Democracy Now!

Gareth Porter, Investigative historian specializing in U.S. national security policy. He writes regularly on Iran for the Inter Press Service. His latest book is called �Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam.�

...GARETH PORTER: Well, this alleged crisis or confrontation on the high seas is really much less than what met the eyes of the American public as it was reported by news media. And the story really began from leaks from the Pentagon. I mean, there were Pentagon officials apparently calling reporters and telling them that something had happened in the Strait of Hormuz, which represented a threat to American ships and that there was a near battle on the high seas. The way it was described to reporters, it was made to appear to be a major threat to the ships and a major threat of war. And that�s the way it was covered by CNN, by CBS and other networks, as well as by print media.

Then I think the next major thing that happened was a briefing by the commander of the 5th fleet in Bahrain, the Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, which is very interesting. If you look carefully at the transcript, which was not reported accurately by the media, or not reported at all practically, the commander�or rather, Vice Admiral Cosgriff actually makes it clear that the ships were never in danger, that they never believed they were in danger, and that they were never close to firing on the Iranian boats. And this is the heart of what actually happened, which was never reported by the US media..."

[autorank]

42. Nothing

Thanks for that material. Calls from the Pentagon to boost a story. If they'd made those calls to our or me to tell us the truth about this mess, they'd have been yanked from their offices and sent to Club Fed for some serious political "re-education".

:hi:

[slipslidingaway]

44. A more discerning mind perhaps :))

"Calls from the Pentagon to boost a story. If they'd made those calls to our or me to tell us the truth about this mess, they'd have been yanked from their offices and sent to Club Fed for some serious political "re-education"."


I certainly wish one of the leading candidates would try and beat back the war drums before it's too late.

:banghead:


YW and thank you for the McGovern article...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/011108a.html

"...The situation is so reminiscent of what happened�and didn�t happen�from Aug. 2-4, 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin and in Washington, it is in no way funny.

At the time, the U.S. had about 16,000 troops in South Vietnam. The war that was �justified� by the Tonkin Gulf resolution of Aug. 7, 1964, led to a buildup of 535,000 U.S. troops in the late Sixties, 58,000 of whom were killed�not to mention the estimated two million Vietnamese who lost their lives by then and in the ensuing 10 years..."

[Didereaux]

43. DO NOT say military thwarting them...Say US NAVY! They remain the...

only remaining branch of the military that was not decimated by Rumsfeld and Cheney. The Admirals are digging in their heels, they are the only fighting branch left that has some resources, and the ONLY branch with a relatively in tact general staff.