This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

I needed a day off. I had to take a mental vacation day. The whole situation is looking more and more like the beginning of an apocalyptic nuclear drama. It’s difficult to explain how today is just the same as yesterday, only worse. More bombing, more airstrikes, no change. Just the same today as yesterday. American society is Schizophrenic and torn. Propagandized and befuddled. Trained since birth to revere the troops, uber allis, but uncomfortable with what those troops are now doing.

This country historically, honestly or delusionally fraudulently at least tried to mouth some sort of truth, justice and the American way out of a war. Casting an illusion of seeking a fair outcome. This war is different. This is a beat the shit out of someone to coerce compliance from them by war. If they don’t do what we want, then we attack. And we’ll keep on attacking until they’re all dead or until their stuff is in ruins. We’re not attacking Iran to make the world a better place or to advance democracy. We’re just beating the shit out of Iran because we’ve always wanted to.

Russia is too tied up with Ukraine to help Iran any. Russia has lost Syria. Russia is losing Iran. Russia can see the United Snakes is eliminating her allies, one by one. So, with Russia occupied, Iran is isolated. Attack now! With no pretense about doing the right thing or making the world a better place. This is international thuggery and buggery. It is no different because it’s our flag. When the Russians tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia, it destroyed the illusion that the Warsaw Pact was voluntary. When Russia rolled into Afghanistan, it was a bridge too far. The plan was entirely dependent on pacifying the locals.

When we bomb Tehran, we show our weakness, not our strength. Because no matter what Mayor McCheese blusters or threatens. We can only bomb Iran so hard. We can’t turn the dial up to 8.5 on the discomfort meter. The media speaks only in abstract terms about successful targeted strikes. But no discussion of the strategic situation as a whole. All Iran has to do is take the bombing and close, or threaten to close the Straits of Hormuz. It looks like Iran has / will, is about to do just that.

The misadministration went for a quick decapitation strike on a foreign government. But that plan failed. New plan, threatened to bomb the shit out of them, and then bomb the shit out of them! You know, “Hit em again!” Now we’re beginning to stew in the unintended consequences. How far is Donald Trump prepared to drag the world economy into the mud? To wake up in a nuclear apocalyptic film and Donald Trump is the president. “Ah! Someone wake me! Someone wake me, please! Doctor, doctor, you’ve gotta help me!”  And despite the absurdity of the situation, everyone keeps acting normal. It’s normal when a crazy man is in charge of our government. It’s normal when we attack nations who don’t follow our orders. It’s normal when the President gives these crazy, fuzzy little excuses.

Mayor McCheese had a chance to back out after Iran signaled they wouldn’t strike other Gulf States. That was a diplomatic effort to mitigate the crisis. Iran does something nice, so, now you do something nice. Instead, we get Unconditional Surrender Trump. As his plan II is now failing. The quick strike didn’t work and the bombing’s not working either.

Iran is attacking ships and has effectively closed the Straits of Hormuz. Your move McCheese. The war is expanding and intensifying. Nations are dumping their strategic oil reserves onto the world market, trying to save their economies. But how long can that last? They are buying time but paying double the price. They will have to refill the reserves with their economy under stress.

Mayor McCheese has said, “We will escort those tankers through the straits.” Let’s hope that’s just another Trump lie. God forbid, you send a Navy destroyer or frigate attempting to drive into a confined space. Now, you’re going to need air cover and maybe an air tanker for refueling missions. The US blusters, “we’re not ready to escort tankers, yet.” They’re playing for time because they can’t get ready for escort duty anytime soon. You’d need a fleet of Coast Guard cutters, not a Bluewater navy.

The markets are acting like an abused child, cheering every move where they don’t get hit.  It’s a quick war! Trust me! It’s going to be a really quick war, not more than a couple of weeks. A month or two, tops! The Iranians will give in any day now. I’m sure of it! Any day at all! The trap is sprung. Trump must obtain a surrender, and fast, or all is lost. Every day the Strait is closed , the noose tightens. Trump must either back down (not likely) or he must escalate. But how?

Only adding troops will suffice. But how? Where do you start? The world wouldn’t stand for it. The markets will crash. Escalating this to full-blown world war status. All for an ideological wet dream some creepy nerds had where we could whip Iran in a couple of days and take their stuff. The tens of millions of innocent people affected by Trump’s buffoonery, what do they get out of this? What does anyone get out of this? The world isn’t a better place, and we haven’t advanced democracy or the rights of humanity. This is a stick-up! A mugging! Two big guys stomping on a little guy. And maybe the little guy is a jerk, but that doesn’t justify a massacre or a primal conquest.

There is no grand goal. This isn’t a war to end all wars. This isn’t a war about the allies fighting for freedom over fascism. It isn’t Western Civilization fighting back against the godless communist red horde. This is two big guys dragging a little guy into the alley. Then they beat the crap out of them, demand their wallet and demand they give up all sovereignty. Gangster rule! We can if we want to, and we want to, so we will. Reasons? You want a reason? Really? “The Mullah’s are evil. They’ve been trying to build a bomb for forty years and use it on Israel. But next week, next week is the big day! They’ll have the bomb ready by then. Israel was going to attack, and we figured we might be attacked too, so we went ahead and attacked them, first. (Pretty smart, huh?)

The reason, the only real reason for the attack is that the United States wants regime change to obtain wealth and riches at the expense of the Iranian people. They had a lousy government, so what we will do is we’ll bump those guys off and set up our own lousy government that works for us. Law? Common decency? Basic humanity? 18 Century Colonialism meets 21^st Century Colonialism.

The quick decapitation plan failed. Bombing them into the Stone-age has failed. And now Plan 3 is failing. The clock is set, we’re in a long-term war. The Straits of Hormuz are closed and 20% of the world’s oil is shut off and almost 50% of its natural gas supplies. It is a countdown to conflict. It’s like living in an apocalyptic nightmare. Somewhere between “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and “Apocalypse Now!”  

 “We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” ― Ray Bradbury,