Pessimists, skeptics, and conspiracy theorists often have a fairly similar point of view. The difference is in the packaging of their arguments. It’s hard to tell where Guernica’s Russ Baker falls on the Chicken Little spectrum with his latest essay, which questions whether or not the federal government is grooming U.S. citizens for a war with Iran.
Baker’s evidence is of two types. First, he cites that the discourse around Iran’s nuclear ambition sounds very aggressive. Of course it’s important to note that many policy makers and analysts are still throwing their hands up on the Iranian nuclear situation, and Baker notes this. Further, there seems to be whispers, by Baker’s account, that the U.S. is trying to pin a financial donkey-tail on Iran for involvement with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “This one may gain traction due to powerful lingering emotions on the topic,” he adds, soberly. The other type of evidence he draws from is historic, namely the well-funded campaigns to depose Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.
Although Baker doesn’t provide links or extended quotes to back his argument, it remains persuasive—at least in a knee-jerk sense. But even if it turns out to be merely armchair speculation, it serves as a reminder of why we should keep a critical eye on mainstream media and federal government.
Image by AZRainman, licensed under Creative Commons.