Let’s talk about Iran. Can we he have an adult conversation? Let’s assume for a second some alternate universe where the Iranians had covertly overthrown the Washington presidency under the guise of popular revolution and instead installed an authoritarian regime. Let us then apprehend the facts that Washington was going to nationalize the natural resources in its newly governed territory. Let us now make the jump from hyperbole to reality and realize that we’re talking about the Mossadegh presidency. I’m only 25, but I’ve received enough of an education to know that there’s more to the war drums than what we’ve heard recently in the mass media when it comes to the most recent showdown in the Middle East. In 1948, the modern state of Israel was created and along with that creation was the spawning of at least 700,000 refugees, none of whom, or their descendants, has ever been granted right of return since being displaced, despite and perhaps in spite of continued Israeli settlement expansion (which the International Court has judged to be illegal).

I won’t presume to sicken you with a full history lesson on what has happened since 1948 because frankly it is sickening, at least from the point of view of Palestinians. These facts are often overlooked in the narrative of this seemingly never ending blood-feud, and for that reason a proper understanding of the situation is almost impossible to attain. Ahmadinejad never said he would wipe “Israel” from the map, only “the Zionist regime”, which to his credit the U.N. once decreed to be inherently racist (see Resolution 3379).

So do we really need to pretend that Iran doesn’t have a legitimate reason to want a nuke -- especially when one considers Israel’s competent nuclear arsenal? Now before I get ahead of myself, I don’t believe that the Iranians should in fact have nuclear weapons. Nor do I believe that the Israelis should. I don’t believe that any nation founded in an explicitly religious nature should be trusted with nuclear weapons, period. That being said, I fear for the future of this country when we forget what it means for the state and church to be separate.

Thomas Hibler

Tremont Street