The Power of Community

By Katherine Smith

In September 2006, the world experienced a paradigm shift when a strong lobbying effort by grassroots organizations effectively derailed an initiative: A move that was tantamount to a declaration of war on Iran.

U.S.: Iran Resolution Shelved in Rare Defeat for Israel Lobby

In a significant and highly unusual defeat for the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has decided to shelve a long-pending, albeit non-binding, resolution that called for President George W. Bush to launch what critics called a blockade against Iran.

But an unexpectedly strong lobbying effort by a number of grassroots Iranian-American, Jewish-American, peace, and church groups effectively derailed the initiative.

The decision by the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Howard Berman, to shelve HR 362 marked an unusual defeat for AIPAC, according to its critics who charged that the resolution was designed to lay the groundwork for the Bush administration or any successor administration to take military action against Iran.

MSM: Israel launches covert war against Iran

Israel has launched a covert war against Iran as an alternative to direct military strikes against Tehran’s nuclear programme, US intelligence sources have revealed.

MSM: Iran Is Helping Taliban in Afghanistan, Petraeus Says

Bloomberg – Iran is helping Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, said General David Petraeus, who is in charge of U.S. forces in the Central Asian nation and Iraq.

MSM: Bolton – Iran defeated U.S.

Former U.S. envoy to the UN John Bolton says Washington has suffered a humiliating defeat in its drive against Iran’s nuclear activities.

MSM: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – Barack Obama should apologise for 60 years of ‘crimes’

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanded on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama apologise for the “crimes” committed by the United States against Iran over the past 60 years.

Iranian president blames US for market collapse

Iran’s president blamed U.S. military interventions around the world in part for the collapse of global financial markets ahead of his speech Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said the campaign against his country’s nuclear program was solely due to the Bush administration “and a couple of their European friends.”

“The U.S. government has made a series of mistakes in the past few decades,” Ahmadinejad said an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “The imposition on the U.S. economy of the years of heavy military engagement and involvement around the world … the war in Iraq, for example. These are heavy costs imposed on the U.S. economy.

Does the Economic Meltdown need a New War?

Historically, the US has gone to war every time the value of the greenbacks plummeted or the economy drastically slumped. Is today’s economic disaster and weakened dollar a symptom for a new war?

Dutch intel: US to strike Iran in coming weeks

The Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, has called off an operation aimed at infiltrating and sabotaging Iran’s weapons industry due to an assessment that a US attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program is imminent, according to a report in the country’s De Telegraaf newspaper on Friday.

Ex-CIA official: WMD evidence ignored

’60 Minutes’ report: White House disregarded good intelligence

Mofaz: Israel will attack Iran

An Israeli deputy prime minister has claimed that the Israeli regime will attack Iran if the country continues its nuclear program.