| July 17th 2006 - | | | | Hezbollah starts a war with Israel. |
| For the first time since German reunification | | | | In a speech carried on state television July 16th, |
| Germany is truly a world player again. With one of | | | | supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei branded |
| the largest militaries in Europe with about 76,200 | | | | "Zionists" as "an evil and cancerous being and an |
| air force personnel, 221,000 armed forces | | | | infected tumor". "The Zionists wanted Lebanon to |
| personnel, 230,600 army personnel, 26,700 navy | | | | be the meat between their teeth. The powerful |
| personnel, 2,300 tanks, and some of the most | | | | limbs of Hezbollah have prevented the Zionists' |
| advanced aircraft in the world in the modern | | | | dream of trouble from being realized," Khamenei |
| German Luftwaffe Germany is truly "loaded for | | | | said. His comments, on the fifth day of an Israeli |
| bear". | | | | onslaught against its northern neighbor following |
| Chancellor Angela Merkel likened hard-line Iranian | | | | Hezbollah's capture of two soldiers, prompted |
| President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Adolf Hitler in | | | | chants of "Hezbollah will win, Israel will be |
| April of 2006, saying the world must act now to | | | | destroyed". Khamenei replied: "Yes, that is what |
| stop him before his country developed a nuclear | | | | we say". With rhetoric like that how can you not |
| bomb. "We want, we must prevent Iran from | | | | consider Iran as a key planner in the conflict? |
| developing its nuclear program further," Merkel | | | | Obviously the Iranian president and the Ayatollah's |
| told top policymakers from around the world in a | | | | that pull his strings are being taken as madmen, |
| speech to the annual Munich security conference. | | | | and I'm sure that this is the case, however I don't |
| Referring to the rise of Hitler in the 1930s, Merkel | | | | believe that they are stupid. They must know |
| added: "Now we see that there were times when | | | | that sooner or later someone is going to take |
| we could have acted differently. For that reason | | | | action, be it Israel, the United States, or |
| Germany is obliged ... to make clear (to Iran) what | | | | Germany, so what are the Iranians planning? Now |
| is permissible and what isn't." "Iran has blatantly | | | | take into account the recent missile tests in North |
| crossed the red line," Merkel said. "I say it as | | | | Korea as a thumb in the eye to the western |
| German chancellor. A president that questions | | | | world and Japan, and the widely held belief that |
| Israel's right to exist, a president that denies the | | | | Sadam Husein's weapons of mass destruction |
| Holocaust, cannot expect to receive any tolerance | | | | were funneled into Syria before the Iraq war and |
| from Germany." | | | | I think we have a recipe for disaster. |
| In addition to the nuclear dilemma, Iran is | | | | German chancellor stated during a joint press |
| considered to be one of the biggest state | | | | conference with United States President Bush in |
| sponsors of terrorism. And now with the | | | | Stralsund, Germany on July 13th that the |
| escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, | | | | responsibility for dealing with such countries as |
| Iran along with Syria are being called "the puppet | | | | Iran "ought to be shouldered by more and more |
| masters" pulling the strings of Hezbollah and is | | | | countries -- that goes for Russia, that goes for |
| accused of supplying rockets and arms to the | | | | China." So what if Russia and China do nothing, or |
| terrorist organization. | | | | even worse and block efforts to sanction or hold |
| Unfortunately, Germany seems to also realize | | | | Iran accountable? Do we then look at yet another |
| that Iran's missile capability may also threaten the | | | | "unilateral" military action with only a handful of |
| German homeland it's self in addition to Israel. It is | | | | countries such as Germany, the United States, |
| accepted belief that Iran currently has the | | | | Brittain, and Israel? And what if Iran, North Korea, |
| capability to not only reach Israel, but major | | | | and Syria plan on creating another world war as a |
| sections of Europe including Germany. With rapid | | | | new "Axis" power? This is why I believe that |
| development of the Shahab-3 MRBM with a range | | | | Germany will not allow this to go that far, I would |
| of 1300 km it's almost a shoe in that Iran could | | | | not be surprised if we saw German "Tornado" |
| indeed reach Germany soon if in fact they could | | | | fighter bombers flying sorties over Iran in the |
| not already. Even more disturbing is The Rumsfeld | | | | next few weeks. Hitler and Nazi Germany is still |
| Commission further reported that Iran has the | | | | very much a raw nerve in Germany today and I |
| technical capability to test an ICBM-range missile | | | | would not only be surprised, but disappointed if |
| capable of hitting the United States: "A 10,000 | | | | Germany did not take the lead in neutralizing the |
| km-range Iranian missile could hold the U.S. at risk | | | | Iranian threat soon. |
| in an arc extending northeast of a line from | | | | Not only should Germany take the lead in |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to St. Paul, Minnesota." | | | | removing the current Iranian regime, it must. Iran |
| The United States, Britain, Germany and France | | | | is a huge country with waves of fanatical Basij |
| have made it clear in June they want an answer | | | | fighters that are basically units of human wave |
| from Iran by the July 15-17 summit of the Group | | | | suicide bombers. During the Iran-Iraq war Iran |
| of Eight (G8) nations in St. Petersburg, Russia. | | | | created and mobilized the Basij units against the |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran | | | | Iraqi lines which basically amounted to human |
| would give its answer by August 22, prompting | | | | waves of lightly armed (if armed at all) fanatics to |
| President Bush to complain that Iran was dragging | | | | rush the Iraqis until they ran out of munitions. This |
| its feet. This makes me wonder what Iran has up | | | | is the very tactic that kept Iraq from winning the |
| it's sleeve, when you add 2 and 2 together it | | | | war. With the United States bogged down in Iraq |
| comes up to trouble. First Iran ramps up it's | | | | and the necessity to keep troops deployed in |
| rhetoric, then Iran puts on a demonstration of | | | | South Korea the Germans will almost certainly |
| military weapons, then Iran tries to stall the | | | | need to take a pivotal lead role in any action |
| deadline on ceasing it's uranium enrichment | | | | against Iran. How about this for irony; Germany |
| program until August, and now during the G8 | | | | and Israel leading a war against a fascist regime |
| summit which was stated as the deadline | | | | that wants to exterminate the Jews? |