Aharef

I recently stumbled across this joke on Greg Palast's blog:  

So, Osama Walks into This Bar, See? and Bush says, “Whad’l'ya have, pardner?” and Osama says, “Well, George, what are you serving today?” and Bush says, “Fear,” and Osama shouts, “Fear for everybody!” and George pours it on for the crowd. Then the presidential bartender says, “Hey, who’s buying?” and Osama points a thumb at the crowd sucking down their brew. “They are,” he says. And the two of them share a quiet laugh.

This, I think, is a pretty good summary of what's happening at the moment. I'm glad that the situation in Europe doesn't seem to be as bad as in the US. Here's the most recent example: A couple of people have said that today, the 22nd of August, is going to be the end of the world, as Iran will attack Israel and the rest of the world, most likely with nuclear weapons.

In Switzerland, people who say such things are usually comedians. If not, they are certainly ignored by the public media. In the US, however, this seems not to be the case. Here's a couple of recent public statements from non-comedians (copied from thinkprogress.org):

- “What is the significance of Aug. 22? […] This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.” [Bernard Lewis op-ed, Wall Street Journal, 8/8/06]

- “We all hope and pray that August 22 is not the day Ahmadinejad has chosen to launch the apocalypse, but there is little doubt in the White House and at the CIA that the Iranian leader is feverishly trying to build, buy, or steal nuclear weapons, and that he will quite likely use them once he has them.” [Joel Rosenberg, National Review, 8/10/06]

- “Will [Ahmadinejad] attempt to make good on these threats this year on the anniversary of the Miraj [August 22], illuminating the night sky over Jerusalem? Will Western powers heed Farid Ghadry’s words and move to stop Iran before it is too late?” [Front Page Magazine, 7/27/06]

- “It’s an important symbolic day for jihadists. And I’m curious to see what happens on Tuesday. [Ahmadinejad] may just say no or he may do something a little more dramatic, launch a missile or something, to show that - Iranian defiance of what looks like an impotent West.” [Bill Kristol, Fox News Sunday, 8/20/06]

- “‘The only thing we can know is that the date was not chosen by accident,’ said Robert Spencer, Director of Jihadwatch.org and an adjunct fellow at the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think tank. ‘It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has something major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we will soon see.’” [The Blotter, ABC News, 8/21/06]

It's pretty clear that people how believe this sort of propaganda must be seriousy frightened. Me, I'm frightened by people how believe this sort of propaganda.

In Iran, it's pretty close to midnight, and the 22nd will be past in just a few hours as I am writing this. In the event that the apolcalypse is coming in the next few hours, I'm gonna stick with this comment on the thinkprogress site:

"I’m pretty pleased the end of the world is on a workday. I could imagine it really spoiling my weekend."