Averting a National Crisis

 Another special post today, this one dealing with the Israel/Iran episode, the 12-day war.  I am about to present an opinion on this that is a little uncharacteristic for me, but it does need to be said because more people feel the same way.  And, that includes our President, who made clear on no uncertain terms that these hostilities need to stop or else.  

There are two core issues in this.  First, support of Israel.  Second, regime change in Iran. I want to take these one at a time, and hopefully give a new perspective on the whole situation.

I have been a strong supporter of the state of Israel since as long as I can remember, and I still support its right to exist.  Israel IS the Jewish homeland, and the historical record backs that up.  That being said though, it does not mean Israel is perfect, and in this instance they made a boneheaded mistake.  After our own bombers successfully bombed the main Iranian nuclear facility a few days ago at the Fordow location, in all honesty it cancelled Iran's position as a major threat.  And, the Iranians sued for peace with us in a strange way - they launched six badly-aimed missiles at a US base on Qatar, but we successfully intercepted those too and no harm was done, and on top of it, the Iranians told us they were doing it!  That experience enabled Trump to broker a ceasefire between the two countries - Israel and Iran - and  everything looked like it was in order.  Then, just after the announcement, Israel launched MORE planes at Iran, claiming Iran fired a missile at them, which the Iranians flatly denied.  At that point, Trump had lost his patience with both countries, and in a very candid news interview, he said that Iran and Israel were both essentially acting like petulant children, and that they had been fighting so long that "neither knew what the **** they were fighting for anymore."  Trump's understandable frustration necessitated that little drop of his own bomb, in this case a proverbial "f bomb."  After chewing out Bibi Netanyahu earlier today over the whole mess, a REAL ceasefire was finally announced.  Now, if they don't get crazy and do something else stupid, maybe this war will be over. 

Our support of Israel's existence needs to be more nuanced in all honesty.  Just because they are a "Chosen People" does not make them perfect, and in recent years Israeli leadership has been doing some boneheaded things.  I dealt with one in particular, namely that Israel has been arming Azerbaijan to commit genocide against Armenians in Artsakh.  And now, they are trying to foment hostilities to start World War III with a hostile and psychotic ayatollah that rules Iran.  I will get to Iran in a minute as well, but want to say that we don't have to agree with everything Israel does - we can still support their right to exist, and even on Biblical grounds we can believe they exist for a reason.  But, they too are sinners just like the rest of us, and not every time an Israeli passes gas is it going to smell like lilacs.  Support Israel where support is warranted, but also don't be afraid to criticize them when necessary either. 

Now, onto Iran.  Iran is ruled by some rather maniacal and very radical individuals, and that nation has been in the grip of a bunch of religious fanatics since 1979, and our own left-wing politicians have enabled that.  That being the case, I fully would rejoice at a regime change there, but here's the thing - it is not up to us to make that happen.  We need to let the Persian nation liberate itself from the oppressive grip of the radical ayatollahs, and if history has taught us anything, we tend to make things worse when we try to initiate regime changes in that region.  In studying the history of the region, we may be culpable in giving Ayatollah Khomeini power because for some reason some of our career bureaucrats at the time wanted to get rid of the Shah, who was honestly a much more stable leader.  Well, we accomplished that, and the ones that took over were far worse and took our own citizens hostage.  I remember as a 10-year-old kid seeing that play out on the news on my grandmother Elsie's television.  Thankfully, the Shah has an heir, and his son has been talking recently.  While a regime change there would be great - especially if the Shah's throne is restored - it is best that we let the country handle it and keep our bumbling noses out of it.  Trust me, it will be much better that way if we can control ourselves from giving into the urge to get involved.  We did our part - Iran's nuclear capability has been crippled, and there is a growing unrest among younger Persians against the repressive puritanical rule of the Ayatollahs, and that gives hope.  Let the situation play out, and then offer support once they liberate themselves.  If we do that, the transition will be less volatile. 

These two nations - Israel and Iran - are the descendants of two great and ancient peoples.  We would do well to respect the legacies of both without blowing up half the planet in the process.  Israel needs to be called out when she is wrong, and Iran needs to remedy its own political system.  Doing those two things will carry much weight in the long run.  Thanks again for allowing me to share.