The Iranian Debacle

"In a pitched battle, you might want to choose fighting hell, before fighting Donald Trump and Israel. Just saying..."

Anyone remember the beginning of the mayhem in Iran? About 41 years ago, the last Shah of Iran was "invited" to leave. To go into exile. And take your entire family with you. Then a crusty old religious zealot named "Grand Ayatollah Ruhhollah Khomeini" was invited to take control of the very fractured, very disorganized, and very dysfunctional government. So long as you were in favor of living under at theocracy, and ready to go back to the 7th century for rules and customs, and most importantly - had a visceral hatred for America and Israel - you were in. 

I was working at Sperry Univac at the time. The Shah had sent some of his best pilots over to America to learn how to fly the aircraft he had recently procured, as well as how to use the avionics. The avionics is where Sperry Univac came in. Many times, we saw the pilots over at the company lunchroom. They mostly stuck to themselves, and were not the friendliest bunch I had run across. Then the revolution came - and these pilots became orphans. To go home, meant to change. To give up their 20th century life and live a life much different than a fighter pilot. Soon, they all disappeared from the facility, to head to parts unknown.

Our embassy in Tehran did not get the word soon enough. The Ambassador, Bruce Langdon, who had strong Minnesota roots, let a bunch of radical students capture OUR embassy. Not only capture, but ILLEGALLY hold our embassy staff hostage for 444 days! Why 444 days? Jimmy Carter was President. They became grand bargaining chips with a wimp like Carter as POTUS. Then the next election came. Ronald Reagan was elected. The hostages were released.

I, like many Americans my age, have had a chip on my shoulder for Iran for decades. Against the Iranian people? Not a chance. THEY are our friends. Against the theocracy who rules them? Absolutely. They have gotten away with way too much, for way too many years. If this current bunch of yahoos running Iran want to mix it up with the US and Israel - bring it. This fight has been smoldering for over 40 years now, and it is time to put it to an end. To wait much longer, would mean the fight would be nuclear. Now - it does not.

Just a word of caution to Iran. You are not dealing with Jimmy Carter anymore. Nor are you dealing with Barack Obama. You are not even dealing with Ronald Reagan, who was most respected. Our current President will kick your ass so hard, it will take you till Tuesday to realize what just happened. In other words, stand down, and relinquish being a terror state. Most importantly, stop your illegal manufacture of nuclear weapons. 

Why should you do this? To quote Wyatt Earp in the movie Tombstone - "I am coming, and bring hell with me!". In our case, bringing "hell" with us, is bringing Israel with us. In a pitched battle, you might want to choose fighting hell, before fighting Donald Trump and Israel. Just saying...