Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Something is baffling me. Obviously, assassinating the top general of a country is an act of war. Historically, it is. It's how World War 1 got started, assassinating the Archduke Ferdinand. Trump's comment that he killed Suleimani (and 8 others) to STOP a war is patently absurd. It's like saying one squirted gasoline on a fire to put it out. But, here's what I don't get: 

The U.S. government says that Suleimani is responsible for killing hundreds of Americans and planning terrorist acts that would have killed many more, but where's the evidence? They're telling us that, but why should we believe them? They told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but he didn't. They told us that Osama bin laden planned 9/11 from Afghanistan, but the only evidence they ever gave us for that was a video tape, which they claim they found after they invaded Afghanistan, in which this younger, fat-faced guy, who is obviously not bin laden, is smiling and laughing it up about having done 9/11. That evidence was obviously faked and poorly so, and yet, here we are, 18 years later still fighting, killing, and dying in Afghanistan. 

And in the case Suleimani, Trump, in his tweet, referred to Suleimani having killed "millions." Millions! I am reminded that anyone can say anything. You just have to wag your lips or press keys on your I-phone.  

But, none of that is what baffles me. What baffles me is: How can the U.S. media repeat what the U.S. government says without demanding evidence? They're supposed to be the Fourth Estate that speaks truth to power in a free country. So, how did it become that the media just parrots what the government says?

Recently, and I mean currently, Iran has been in the midst of military exercises with both Russia and China, and I think that had a lot to do with the timing of killing Suleimani. But, isn't it obvious that Russia and China don't think that Iran engages in terrorist acts? China buys much of its oil from Iran- in defiance of U.S. sanctions. And Russia sends military equipment, military advisers, and even technical assistance in oil production to Iran. Russia is very supportive of Iran, and I know that from being involved in film. You know that I am the maker of an anti-war movie, the only anti-war movie of the 21st century, My Stretch of Texas Ground, and I have entered it in some Russian film festivals, so far having reached the finals of one. They charge fees to enter their festivals, and all festivals charge, but in the Russian festivals, Iranian filmmakers can enter for free. And I mean across the board. It is, apparently, a nation-wide policy, from Moscow to Vladivostok, that Iranians enter Russian film festivals for free.   

So, I'm thinking that Russia and China do not believe that Iran commits terrorism, and it's ironic that Suleimani's Quds forces were explicitly assigned to fight terrorism. 

But, the U.S. government says that Suleimani and his Quds forces have committed terrorism. So, where is the evidence for that? And why does anyone, particularly the U.S. media, believe it and accept it without any evidence? How did we become so totalitarian that government decrees are accepted carte blanche?