The Mushroom Effect
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
09 January, 2010
Countercurrents.org
One could be forgiven for thinking that the neoconservatives who nudge us towards war with Iran are under the effect of the magic mushroom. Obsessed with Iran, their trips take on the shape of a 'mushroom cloud'. Christopher Hitchens is one such example. Writing for The Australian, one of Rupert Murdoch's papers, Hitchens' Mullahs indubitably fancy a mushroom betrays a sly mind that lacks lucidity.
Unable to give strength to his argument, he 'borrows' from Murdoch's other publications such as The Times and repeats the same unfounded allegations that Iran is engaged in non-civilian nuclear activities: " UD3, when used in a neutron initiator, emits a stream of neutrons that ignite the core of a bomb". This 'news' has systematically been debunked by The Guardian. But it would seem that Hitchens is on another cloud.
He would have the reader believe that Hezbollah sports a new poster with a 'mushroom cloud' in front of Iranian embassy officials. Is Hitchens implying that such a parade, 'poster' and all, took place under the watchful eyes of the Lebanese authorities? Surely this would not have been in keeping with what Mr. Obama had in mind when on December 22, 2009 he said Lebanon is a crucial U.S. ally. Curiously, where was Murdoch's Fox News to give this audacious act live coverage?
It is at this juncture in Mr. Hitchens' article that absurdity makes way for manipulation. Having painted a picture of a mushroom cloud with a brush dipped in lies, he shamelessly brings Iran into every family room by connecting this imaginary picture to Flight 253 - the Christmas flight that almost killed 300 passengers. He connects the pretense, the lies, and the fear felt by a real and unrelated event to further demonize Iran. Although not a single Iranian has been responsible for a terrorist act, Israel must have an enemy at all times and Iran is the ogre du jour. Murdoch and his media empire will turn Iran into that enemy. His support of Israel is so strong—surpassing business interests, that a former London Times correspondent by the name of Sam Kiley stated: “No pro-Israel lobbyist ever dreamed of having such power over a great national newspaper.”
Mr. Hitchens closes by saying that our intelligence " coddle and excuse our enemies and treat us like criminals ......" Regrettably, he and his cohorts do not get treated like the criminals that they are. By way of lies, manipulation, and deception, they hypnotize us with fear until they win our consent for yet more killing. They are the culprits that cause our soldiers to die, the treasury be emptied, and our country be hated. They are the ones who are responsible for the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent people across the globe. Travel? Only on his mushroom-enabled trips. For the rest of us, we can only survive by staying away from pens dipped in toxin.
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on U.S. foreign policy towards Iran and Iran’s nuclear program, and the role of lobby groups.
