As protesting and riots break out over the Danish funny pages in Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Somalia, Kashmir, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Syria, and Iran (see timetable below, as to who started what when), what do the opportunist war mongers in the White House do? But of course, blame it all on the two countries we just happen to want to attack (surprise surprise) and try to drum up support for a new war with another bogus bait and switch tactic.

Said Condoleeza Rice today,  "I don't have any doubt that ... Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to inflame sentiments and to use this to their own purposes. And the world ought to call them on it." 

It makes me want to vomit, the utter propaganda shoved down our throats. Iran and Syria were certainly not alone in their protests, nor did they host the first or the worst mobs of angry Muslims in the whole cartoon brouhaha.

Iran, a country which has had a peaceful nuclear energy program and has signed the non-proliferation treaty, as have we, and many other countries, since at least the 70's, is now suddenly being accused of (wait, where have I heard this before?) trying to develop weapons of mass destruction, even though there has never been any evidence to the contrary. But we (meaning the current U.S. administration) are hell bent on controlling Iran and Syria, and those A-holes in the White House know from experience that the American public will swallow anything, and the media will regurgitate any accusations and claims without much research into what the TRUTH is. Hence, we get nuclear weapons accusations and blaming the very two countries they don't like for inciting violence which has pretty much crossed all Muslim borders. The White House is no better in this case than the Muslim rioters who are attacking American bases over the cartoons, even though they were printed in a Danish newspaper. Super. Everyone gets to use this crisis as propaganda for their own crusade, no matter how flimsy the justification.

Mark my words, people. I have been saying this for three years, that they wanted to go after Iran and Syria next (after Iraq). They are utterly predictable, and Condi's comment proves it definitively for me. They have planned to attack Iran and Syria for a very long time now, and are now casting around for a justification, any justification. They want to march us into more war with countries who have never attacked us or threatened to. And at least half this country is bleating and marching behind them, without ever stopping to look into the truth. Be wary, be very wary of any of this administrations' claims.

Timeline
30 September: A series of cartoons, some depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist, are published by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. 

20 October: Ambassadors from 10 Islamic countries complain to the Danish prime minister about the cartoons.   (um, TEN. TEN countries. Not TWO, as in Syria & Iran)

 26 January: Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador to Denmark, while Libya says it is closing its embassy in Copenhagen.  (Saudi Arabia was first to "inflame sentiments". Oh, but I forgot, they don't count because they're our friends, right, Condi? Libya sounds like "Syria", but they're two different countries, actually. Still waiting for it...)

 30 January: Gunmen raid the EU's offices in Gaza, demanding an apology over the cartoons. (Gaza is in Iran, right? Or is it in Syria? Can't remember...)

 4 February: Syrians attack Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, prompting UN chief Kofi Annan to call for calm. (Finally, THERE! Forget all that other stuff. SYRIA should be blamed, unless...)

 5 February: Lebanese demonstrators set the Danish embassy in Beirut on fire. Interior Minister Hassan Sabeh resigns over the violent protests. (No. Of no interest...Wait for it...)

 6 February: Protests claim lives - at least five people are killed in Afghanistan, and a teenage boy dies after protesters attack police in Somalia. (Afhanistan and Somalia? No, and no. Wait for it...)

 7 February: Several hundred Iranians attack the Danish embassy in Tehran as the country announces it is cutting all trade ties with Denmark. (There! It's the IRANIANS. I knew it!)

...That's all for now. Getting off the soapbox.