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Peace on the news

It's been raining so hard my Freeview digi box can only pick up half the normal number of channels today.  Right down the end, past the 'Buy Stuff' and Childrens' TV channels, and somewhere just before where the porn starts are a couple of news channels I am always am impressed by if I make it that far - Russia Today and Al Jazeera.  The latter hadn't started broadcasts for the day yet so I fell back on RT and was spellbound by an interview with a former American army colonel, Douglas A. MacGregor.  What stopped me in my channel-hopping tracks was that even though he looked like one more fully paid-up warmongerer he was in fact eloquently making a case NOT to support aggression against Iran, and also lucid on why Western intervention hasn't happened in Syria, despite the escalating civilian death toll.

It was astonishing to hear someone who's analysis is adamantly not for war and who spoke not at the behest of those lobbyists with deep pockets who buy pro-Israeli opinion everywhere it's for sale.  He was hopeful about Iran but acknowledged an attack from Isreal will probably come - and that the time will be such that it fits carefully around the US elections timetable to create a surge (in heady pro-attack voting) but not be too premature as retaliatory consequences unfold and suck votes away.   He also argued that another war would 'tank' the US economy.

Even though it changes nothing it's stunning to hear someone argue for peace and hope for the future and not indulge in more, tired politic-speak for justifying the killing of a lot of people on the basis of no evidence.



Doug's page is here.  And yes, he replies if you email him : )