I wrote an article a while back on Iran and was thinking of publishing it to see if there was any interest.  Lo and behold, the Colonel has Iran on his mind.  Will lead with his thoughts and post my article as a comment.

d13thecolonelsays:

First there has been work. A lot of work. As many of you know, last year I decided to completely change careers and leave the world of managing in the consumer electronics industry and pursue a new life in the pharmaceutical research industry. Quite a change, for sure, and one that I had no idea if I would be good at or happy doing. But it was time for a change as I had pretty much hit the ceiling as to where I could go where I was. As it turns out, it was absolutely the right thing to do. My options for the future became vastly more numerous, which I would never take for granted.

What I didn’t foresee was the sheer amount of work that was going to go into the career change. I am sure most of you can relate to the concept of being at the top of your game in one industry, but have to completely re-prove yourself in a new one. In my old world, I was the vet, the go-to guy, the one who had all the answers and didn’t have to work hard at being good at what I did. Experience had given me an edge. In the new one, not so much. I was the new guy. And no one took for granted that I was good or hard-working or worth their time, to be honest. I found that I had to start from scratch, something I hadn’t had to do in over a decade.

I am happy to report that I have thus far not made a complete ass of myself in the new world that is my career. A few mistakes here and there. But the reality is that I am from the old mold. You guys know the one: Works hard, strives for quality work, doesn’t shirk responsibility. These young cats competing with me didn’t really have much of a chance with their entitlement mentality. In just 15 months I have been there, I have watched many come and go because they were not given a promotion fast enough to suit them, when the reality was they were nowhere near ready. Am I ready? I don’t know yet. But I haven’t yet done anything to hurt my future, which is a satisfying thing for me.

But the sheer hours that I am working is draining. I don’t mind. I knew I was signing up for a challenge. I just didn’t know the sheer hours required. The end result has been that I most often don’t find the time to research or write like I want to do. It is all I can do to keep up with work and also find time to devote to my lovely wife who deserves much better than she gets.

On top of all this work is the political climate of today. I have to admit that I am frustrated when it comes to politics. I know that many of you are as well. Where to start…

The President – I am not impressed. I think that he is arrogant. I think that he is as dishonest as anyone in Washington. He twists the truth radically. He plays partisan politics and class warfare at a world class level. The class warfare may be what bothers me the most (there may be a post on this coming soon, but no promises as I don’t want to break them). All the while, he is in bed with the 1% just like every other politician. Has the economy started to improve? Perhaps, but it wasn’t his policies that did it, despite what the left claims. And the second most bothersome thing for me currently is his belief that he has the right to do an end-around the system anytime he likes. Can’t get Congress to do his bidding, then he will just claim that they are obstructionist and issue a presidential order. Do I believe that G-Man is right and there won’t be any elections? No, but we are certainly to the point where that kind of prognostication isn’t quite as outlandish as it used to be, aren’t we?

Congress –  Is there anything more amazing than these 535 assholes actually believing that the people are behind them while sporting an approval rating that consistently flirts with single digits. Think about that. One in Ten people in America think they are doing a good job. Yet there they are, controlling everything, getting reelected over and over again. These are the least ethical, most hypocritical, most arrogant people in America. And we have put them in a position where they completely ruin our lives daily with nearly every decision they make. Wake up people, Congress IS the 1%. You can’t rally against the 1% and actually think that Congress is going to do anything about it.

The GOP Candidates – This is really like some sort of sick joke. We have an old man that probably makes the most sense of the group, in terms of preserving liberty, but has zero chance of winning (and he admits it). We have a former governor who has made his way politically by holding no principles, instead switching to whatever is popular at the moment. We have a former Senator who wants to eliminate contraception, is severely homophobic, and who wants to revert to some sort of fundamental “christianity” to save the rest of us heathens. And finally, we have a former Speaker of the House who opposes gay marriage as damaging to the sanctity of marriage, but who had multiple affairs during his two previous marriages, and who could only get 17 members of the House he used to be the Speaker of to endorse him for President. I am guessing that those folks know him pretty well, and none of them think he should be President.

Those are the choices that the GOP has offered America. So we have a choice between four horrible choices on one side and an already selected horrible choice on the other side. There is no good choice for America. That is how it is, and that is how it will remain. This isn’t Americans choosing a person to lead them. This is the elitist leaders giving America the choice between which elitist member gets the spotlight for the next four years.

Young Liberals – Watching the occupy protests has been painful. Thousands of young people who have no clue in life at all, bought into propaganda, and deciding the best way to make their statement is to disrupt the lives of normal Americans, destroy public property, and block avenues of commerce. For any of you who have Facebook accounts and happen to have a plethora of college age kids on your list, you get to see this on a daily basis. Seeing the ridiculous posts made by these kids who really believe that they are “enlightened” makes me weep for our future. Constant charts and graphs that show patently false information have become rampant (I saw one yesterday that showed that Obama had increased the debt 1/10 of the amount Bush increased it, with it’s source listed as US Treasury,  and it was passing like wildfire through the college kids as if it were true).

Old Conservatives – I have to tell you that I am as disgusted with this group as I am with the young liberals. This is not ALL Christians. I am talking about the fringe that call Mormonism a cult, prattle on about the sanctity of marriage, and generally behave as if they have a right to force the rest of America to adopt their religious stances because “God says they are right.” The Westboro Baptist Church crossed the line into lunacy, but some of these others are not really all that far behind them in terms of homophobia and any-other-religion-but-christianityaphobia. Hard core christians have become perhaps the most judgmental people on earth, which is bizarre given what their scriptures say on the subject.

Unions – I know this will throw Charles into a tizzy, but the reality is that the unions in America are some of the most dangerous groups out there. Pure propaganda BS on nearly every topic. Ridiculous rallying against any state that happens to enact a law that doesn’t give the unions some sort of special powers (particularly right to work states). The whole legal action against Boeing having the gall to build a plant in a state that was friendlier to their business is a prime example of the evil that unions have become. Throw in the way Obama has stacked the NLRB and you have a recipe for disaster in America’s workforce. This lie that they are somehow the protector of the American worker stopped being the truth decades ago. Now they are nothing but a hinderance on the American economy.

So what has all this meant? It has caused me to begin to lose faith that this government can turn itself around from its current path of destruction. The two major parties that exist today are simultaneously batshit crazy, 100% manipulative, inherently dishonest, and in bed with big business. To top it all off, they both have no intention of ever making things better for the average American, or in the left’s case, the below average American.

It has left me with so little to write because there simply is so little that I can any longer defend from either side.

We need a change. A real change. We need a Very Damn Small Government. We need individual liberty restored. We need a re-education program for all these folks that believe that communism/socialism/fascism will somehow make this a better country. This isn’t a swipe at the left. I think that the two parties have become little more than different variations on how to enact communism/socialism/fascism.

So what does that mean at SUFA? Well, the reality is that I simply don’t have the time to write like I used to have. That capitalistic society that I value so much just takes so much of my time! But that doesn’t mean that SUFA should go away. To the contrary, I believe that we need to grow it back to what it used to be!

What I am going to do is attempt to write at least one article every week again. Obviously there will be times when it cannot happen, but I can do a lot better than I have over the last few months. I have seen that some of the regulars here at SUFA who have the ability to write here have taken the initiative to keep things going when I haven’t been available. I greatly appreciate you guys doing so.

What I will ask of the SUFA community is to write some articles. Some of you do it already. Others do it on other sites. Others don’t at all. I am not asking for you to become a regular writer, doing it every week. That has proven a tough commitment to make for anyone. But take some time and work on writing about what you want to talk about. Don’t worry about whether you are a great writer. I will help you format and get the wording together. But take those first steps. For those that have already been writing here, keep it up! You have been life savers for me. That especially goes for LOI who has consistently worked to create new material.

And when you aren’t writing an article, get people to come over to SUFA and become part of this community. I think about all those who come here regularly, and I value you all so much. I feel like I have gained so many new friends and allies throughout the country. Whether on the left or on the right or none of the above, I respect you and value what you bring to the table. There isn’t a single one of you that I wouldn’t cherish the opportunity to sit down and have dinner with. I would like to continue to grow that base so that we all have more opinions to learn from and people we can count on. More important, we have to expand the base of those getting some form of education on the concepts of liberty and individual rights.

So I am open to all suggestions, points of view, ideas for SUFA’s future, etc. I don’t have enough time to keep it afloat on my own. But I certainly don’t have any desire to see it fade away either. The stakes are too high.

After reading this piece – a piece that I am in great agreement with – I am very disturbed.

Rozeff articulates in this essay parts of  my Theory of Hegemony, where I suggest that it is always the actions of the Hegemonic power that is the causation to political events and not the Weaker power – the Weaker power always and only can react to the actions of the Hegemonic power, and cannot be the cause.

Therefore, just as he points out, whether there is war or not is completely dependent on the action of the US/Israel.

And – as also he points out – those that are charged with the rational calculation of losses are not, themselves, at risk in such a war.

Therefore, I believe There will be War.

When Might War Between the U.S. and Iran Occur?

By Richard N. Weltz

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/hows_that_government_meddling_workin_out_for_ya.html#ixzz1jLrPHuYF

To be fair, Holder didn’t claim race was the factor for all his critics. He merely said that it was the motivating factor for the “extreme” ones. Of course, according to the Obama administration, nearly anyone opposed to their agenda is considered “extreme.” Veterans returning from combat, Tea Party protestors, GOP candidates and members of Congress, they have all been called extreme by the left. So I guess Holder only thinks GOP folks, returning veterans, and Tea Party members are racist. The rest of the country is fine, except the ones who are not smart enough to not be “tricked” into agreeing with those extremists.

I have news for you, Mr. Holder. The reason people have been so critical of you is because you are a liar, you use the office you hold as a political weapon, and you generally suck as the Attorney General.

Let’s start with Fast and Furious. We all know the deal here. Anyone who claims that the Attorney General didn’t know what was going on is either lying to themselves or has an IQ somewhere in the double digits coupled with a complete lack of understanding of how things work. That doesn’t mean that he knew every detail, but he was aware of the program. No program like that could exist without his approval. If it did, then he is incompetent and shouldn’t be in the office in the first place. And for him to go in front of the country and claim that he wasn’t aware is a blatant lie that most of us have the ability to see right through.

Then there are the plethora of lawsuits brought forth from his office standing in the way of states enforcing immigration laws on the premise that they are the federal government’s domain, while simultaneously refusing to enforce the federal laws that you claim trump the state’s action. Here’s the deal: If you don’t like the laws then go to Congress and have them changed. But you don’t get to just ignore them. That isn’t how the law works. This radical idea that as Attorney General, you get to pick and choose which laws you enforce and which ones you blatantly ignore is downright criminal. There are lots of laws I don’t like. If I was President, I would work to have them repealed.

The only thing that is worse than the Attorney General refusing to enforce federal law while refusing to allow states to act in their own interests, is this ridiculous fascination that the left has with painting all immigration law as overtly racist and meant to allow racial profiling. If you are foreign and cannot speak english, I don’t think it is a stretch to ask to see some form of proof that you are here legally. It isn’t racism, it is common sense, something people in the political spectrum, politicians and media folks alike, both seem to have skipped school the day they issued it.

And let’s not forget the blatant attempt on election day by the Black Panthers to intimidate voters. Despite the obvious guilt, the Attorney General decided not to prosecute. That one still just sits with me in a very wrong way.

But this is about more than just the Attorney General making yet another claim of racism. This is about the fact that the left in America (and I am sorry to paint it as one side, but let’s face facts, the right doesn’t use this “racism” tactic very often) has resorted to claiming racism on every single issue where they are losing the debate. I mean the list is endless…

• Katrina wasn’t about FEMA’s incompetence, it was that George Bush hates black people.
• Arizona wasn’t trying to protect its citizens and solve its problems, they hate Mexicans.
• A verbally abusive and arrogant professor wasn’t arrested for being so, he was arrested because he was black.
• The birther madness wasn’t about a President proving he is qualified to hold the office, it was racism.
• 20 years listening to a man that says “God Damn America?” If you have a problem with it you are a racist.
• Opposed to the President’s Supreme Court selections? You are racist AND hate women.
• Fed up with high taxes and big government? Join the racist Tea Party.
• Heck even at SUFA, support capitalism or the founding fathers? Then you hate native Americans and want to return to slavery.

This is nothing but a diversionary tactic employed by those who cannot win the debates on the merits of their position. Emotional rhetoric is a staple of politics (on both sides), and it is a horrible development. It shows the shallowness of the person using the tactics position. If you want a proper gauge of the strength of a person’s position, you merely need to clock how quickly these emotional ploys are employed. The earlier they are employed, the weaker the argument of the employer.

The emotional ploys need to stop. But even more important, we need to all agree to condemn these constant claims of racism where they don’t belong. They are the most disgusting form of political tactic that can be used. Sadly, they are also some of the most effective. Besides the fact that they are baseless and desperate, they delegitimize the claims made when actual racism occurs. When every argument ends up with someone being called a racist, the claim begins to lose its power. Then when it is really occurring, many people will simply tune out the second the word racist is mentioned. You can only cry wolf so many times.

The reality is that there are racists in America. However, the election of Barack Obama, despite the claims to the contrary, completely debunks the claim that it is rampant in America. You can’t get over half the vote in the country if the majority of people are racists. Millions and millions of white people voted for Obama, and they didn’t do it out of “white guilt”. They did it because they didn’t care about the color of his skin. They cared about what his positions were.

And millions of people voted against Barack Obama. The vast majority of them voted that way not because of the color of his skin, but because they don’t believe that his vision for America is a healthy one. I am one of those people. I have never been a racist. I just think the left’s plan for America is horrendous. But I am sure tired of being labeled a racist because I don’t believe in his vision. I am tired of being told I support slavery because I happen to think that at its core, the Constitution was a good attempt at creating a great societal set-up.

If you are one of those employing the race card during political discourse, stop it. It makes you a douchebag. And worse, it makes you a very large part of the problem when it comes to race relations in America.

Further, it makes it so that when the wolves really do come, I won’t be there to help defend you.

First of all, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, I wish you a happy holiday season. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for each and every one of you who have frequented SUFA over the years and shared your wisdom, your ideas, and your angst with me. I look forward to the future and what will come next. I don’t know what will come next, which is a post that is coming soon, so stay tuned.

But rest assured, whatever is next, SUFA isn’t going anywhere. I value too much the thoughts and debates that occur here. So to all of you, Thank You for another great year at SUFA and please everyone have a wonderful day today with your friends, family, and loved ones.

Now from me… A few of my favorite Christmas Jams from the wonderful world of 1980′s rap!

And one of my favorite performers (Just ignore the stupid Obama ad that pops up, it doesn’t last long)