Created test for converting post to Markdown

This commit is contained in:
Paul Kirby 2018-10-11 18:55:43 -05:00
parent 1e9b37f970
commit 0438109921
6 changed files with 163 additions and 2 deletions

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@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ class LBRY_Network_Parser
$this->converter = new HtmlConverter(array(
'strip_tags' => true
));
add_action('save_post', array($this, 'convert_to_markdown'));
}
public function convert_to_markdown($post_id)
@ -31,7 +30,9 @@ class LBRY_Network_Parser
$featured_image = get_the_post_thumbnail($post);
$content = $title;
$content .= $featured_image . '<br />';
if ($featured_image) {
$content .= $featured_image . '<br />';
}
$content .= apply_filters('the_content', get_post($post_id)->post_content);
$converted = $this->converter->convert($content);

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Markdown Test!
==============
**([FAIR.org](https://fair.org/home/trump-admin-follows-corporate-media-playbook-for-war-with-iran/))** — Three years ago, as Americans debated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran—popularly known as “the Iran deal”—I highlighted a troubling media trend on **FAIR.org** ([8/20/15](https://fair.org/home/giving-war-a-chance/)): “For nearly all commentators, regardless of their position, war is the only alternative to that position.”
In the months since US President Donald Trump tore up the JCPOA agreement, his administration has been trying to make good on corporate medias collective prediction. Last week, John Bolton (**BBC**, [9/26/18](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45647863)), Trumps national security advisor and chief warmonger, told Irans leaders and the world that there would be “hell to pay” if they dare to “cross us.”
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BBC-John-Bolton-610x343.jpg)John Bolton (**BBC**, [9/26/18](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45647863)): “Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you.”That Boltons bellicose statements do not send shockwaves of pure horror across a [debt-strapped](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-budget/u-s-government-posts-214-billion-deficit-in-august-idUSKCN1LT2XL) and [war-weary](https://nyti.ms/2N7cg3m) United States is thanks in large part to incessant priming for war, facilitated by corporate media across the entire political spectrum, with a particular focus on Iran.
Back in 2015, while current “resistance” stalwarts like the **Washington Post** ([4/2/15](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-nuclear-deal-with-iran-is-the-best-option/2015/04/02/bc8292d2-d978-11e4-8103-fa84725dbf9d_story.html)) and **Politico** ([8/11/15](//www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/iran-deal-rejection-121257.html)) warned us that war with Iran was the most likely alternative to the JCPOA, conservative standard-bearers such as **Fox News** ([7/14/15](//insider.foxnews.com/2015/07/14/dick-cheney-hannity-iran-nuke-deal-brings-world-closer-nuclear-war)) and the **Washington Times** ([8/10/15](//www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/10/ed-feulner-iran-nuclear-deal-makes-war-more-likely/)) foretold that war with Iran was the agreements most likely outcome. Three years hence, this dynamic has not changed.
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NYT-Iran-Deal-War-610x411.jpg)Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (**New York Times**, [5/10/18](https://nyti.ms/2I9LCnJ)) presents Trump and Boltons “deal” for Iran.To experience the full menu of US medias single-mindedness about Iran, one need only buy a subscription to the **New York Times**. After Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, the **Times** editorial board ([5/8/18](https://nyti.ms/2HXldJD)) wrote that his move would “lay conditions for a possible wider war in the Middle East.” Susan Rice (**New York Times**, [5/8/18](https://nyti.ms/2FXt4kH)), President Barack Obamas national security advisor, agreed: “We could face the choice of going to war or acquiescing to a nuclear-armed Iran,” she warned. Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (**New York Times**, [5/10/18](https://nyti.ms/2I9LCnJ)) was characteristically more direct, penning an image of Trump alongside Bolton, holding a fictitious new agreement featuring the singular, ultimate word: “WAR.”
On the other hand, calling Trumps turn against JCPOA a “courageous decision,” **Times** columnist Bret Stephens ([5/8/18](https://nyti.ms/2FWTz9O)) explained that the move was meant to force the Iranian government to make a choice: Either accede to US demands or “pursue their nuclear ambitions at the cost of economic ruin and possible war.” (Hardly courageous, when we all know there is no chance that Trump or Stephens would enlist should war materialize.)
Trumps [latest antics](https://youtu.be/KfVdIKaQzW8) at the United Nations have spurred a wave of similar reaction across corporate media. Describing his threat to “totally destroy North Korea” at the UN General Assembly last year as “pointed and sharp,” **Fox News** anchor Eric Shawn ([9/23/18](https://video.foxnews.com/v/5838934710001/)) asked Bill Richardson, an Obama ally and President Bill Clintons ambassador to the UN, whether Trump would take the same approach toward Iran. “That aggressive policy we have with Iran is going to continue,” Richardson reassured the audience, “and I dont think Iran is helping themselves.” In other words, if the United States starts a war with Iran, its totally Irans fault.
**Politico** ([9/23/18](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/23/trump-iran-war-foreign-policy-836411)), meanwhile, reported that Trump “is risking a potential war with Iran unless he engages the Islamist-led country using diplomacy.” In other words, if the United States starts a war with Iran, its totally Trumps fault. Rice (**New York Times**, [9/26/18](https://nyti.ms/2N4AZjF)) reiterated her view that Trumps rhetoric “presages the prospect of war in the Persian Gulf.” Whoever would be the responsible party is up for debate, but that war is in our future is apparently all but certain.
**Politico**s article cited a [statement](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/coalitionagainstirannukes/Statement_Sept18.pdf) signed by such esteemed US experts on war-making as Madeleine Albright, who presided over Clintons [inhuman sanctions](https://nyti.ms/2tvy0MU) against Iraq in the 90s, and Ryan Crocker, former ambassador for presidents George W. Bush and Obama to some of Americas favorite killing fields: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. James Clapper, Obamas National Intelligence Director, who also signed the letter, played an [important role](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/4/likely-intel-chief-clapper-held-disputed-wmd-view/) in trumping up WMD evidence against Saddam Hussein before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. When it comes to US aggression, theyre the experts.
**Vanity Fair** ([9/26/18](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/09/john-bolton-iran-united-nations)) interviewed John Glaser of the Cato Institute, who called Trumps strategy “pathetic,” and also warned that it forebodes war. In an effort to “one-up Obama,” Glaser explained, Trumps plan is “to apply extreme economic pressure and explicit threats of war in order to get Iran to capitulate.” Sound familiar? As Glaser implies, this was [exactly Obamas strategy](https://theintercept.com/2015/08/06/obama-summarizes-record/), only then it wasnt seen as “pathetic,” but rather reasonable, and the sole means for preventing the war that every US pundit and politician saw around the corner (**The Hill**, [8/9/15](https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/250683-sanders-war-the-alternative-if-iran-deal-fails)).
When everyone decides that war is the only other possibility, it starts to look like an inevitability. But even when they arent overtly stoking war fever against Iran, corporate media prime the militaristic pump in more subtle yet equally disturbing ways.
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CNN-Netanyahu-610x343.jpg)Benjamin Netanyahu speaks for the Iranian people on **CNN** ([9/29/18](https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/29/labott-netanyahu-iran-regime-intv-sot-vpx.cnn)).First among these is the near-complete erasure of Iranian voices from US airwaves (**FAIR.org**, [7/24/15](https://fair.org/home/side-by-side-coverage-of-cuba-and-iran-highlights-shift-in-us-media-villain-making/)). Rather than ask Iranians directly, national outlets like **CNN** ([9/29/18](https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/29/labott-netanyahu-iran-regime-intv-sot-vpx.cnn)) prefer to invite the prime minister of Israel, [serial Iran alarmist](https://theintercept.com/2015/03/02/brief-history-netanyahu-crying-wolf-iranian-nuclear-bomb/) and regional pariah Benjamin Netanyahu, to speak for them. During a jovial discussion this weekend over whether regime change and/or economic collapse is Irans most likely fate, Netanyahu explained to the audience that, either way, “The ones who will be happiest if that happens are the people of Iran.” No people of Iran were on hand to confirm or deny this assessment.
**Bloomberg** ([9/30/18](https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-30/what-s-not-to-like-about-trump-iran-oil-sanctions-100-oil)) similarly wanted to know, “Whats not to like about Trumps Iran oil sanctions?” Julian Lee gleefully reported that “they are crippling exports from the Islamic Republic, at minimal cost to the US.” One might think the [toll sanctions take](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/iran-doctors-sanctions-endangering-patients-lives-180830064012071.html) on innocent Iranians would be something not to like, but **Bloomberg** merely worried that, notwithstanding the windfall for US refineries, “oil at $100 a barrel would be bad news for drivers everywhere—including those in the US.”
Another prized tactic is to [whitewash Saudi Arabia](https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/03/05/the-1-5-billion-campaign-to-whitewash-genocide-in-yemen/), Irans chief geopolitical rival, whose genocidal destruction of Yemen is made possible by the United States, about which corporate media remain overwhelmingly silent (**FAIR.org**,[ 7/23/18](https://fair.org/home/action-alert-its-been-over-a-year-since-msnbc-has-mentioned-us-war-in-yemen/)). Irans involvement in Yemen, which both Trump and the **New York Times** ([9/12/18](https://nyti.ms/2MqieXJ)) describe as “malign behavior,” is a principal justification for US support of Saudi Arabia, including the[ US-supplied bombs](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/middleeast/us-saudi-yemen-bus-strike-intl/index.html) that recently ended the brief lives of over 40 Yemeni schoolchildren. Lockheed Martins stock is [up 34 percent](https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/LMT/historical?siteid=mktw&date=01%2F20%2F2017)from Trumps inauguration day.
Corporate media go beyond a simple coverup of Saudi crimes to evangelize their leadership as the liberal antidote to Irans “theocracy.” Who can forget Thomas Friedmans revolting puff piece for the Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman? Extensively quoting Salman (**New York Times**, [11/23/17](https://nyti.ms/2i0mwfg)), who refers to Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “the new Hitler of the Middle East,” Friedman nevertheless remains pessimistic about whether “MBS and his team” can see their stand against Iran through, as “dysfunction and rivalries within the Sunni Arab world generally have prevented forming a unified front.” Oh well, every team needs cheerleaders, and Friedman isnt just a fair-weather fan.
While Friedman (**New York Times**, [5/15/18](https://nyti.ms/2GmBgLo)) believes that Trump has drawn “some needed attention to Irans bad behavior,” for him pivotal questions remain unanswered, such as “who is going to take over in Tehran if the current Islamic regime collapses?” One immediate fix he proposed was to censure Irans metaphorical “occupation” of Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Isnt this ironic coming from an unapologetic propagandist for Washingtons decades-long, non-metaphorical occupation of the two countries to the east and west of Iran (**FAIR.org**, [12/9/15](https://fair.org/home/friedman-goes-after-trump-hey-massive-bombing-was-my-idea/))?
In a surprising break from corporate media convention, **USA Today** ([9/26/18](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/26/iran-united-states-foreign-policy-iraq-war-column/1379872002/)) published a column on US/Iran relations written by an actual Iranian. Reflecting on the [CIA-orchestrated coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) against Irans elected government in 1953, Azadeh Shahshahani, who was born four days after the 1979 revolution there, wrote:
> “I often wonder what would have happened if that coup had not worked, if \[Prime Minister\] Mosaddeq had been allowed to govern, if democracy had been allowed to flourish.”
“It is time for the US government to stop intervening in Iran and let the Iranian people determine their own destiny,” she beseeched readers.
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Real-News-Code-Pink-610x343.png)Code Pinks Medea Benjamin confronts the head of Trumps “Iran Action Group” (**Real News**, [9/21/18](https://youtu.be/peJGmeg6ZE8)).Shahshahanis call is supported by some who have rejected corporate medias war propaganda and have gone to extreme lengths to have their perspectives heard. Anti-war activist and Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin was recently forcibly removed after she upstaged Brian Hook, leader of Trumps Iran Action Group, on live TV, calling his press conference “the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen” (**Real News**, [9/21/18](https://youtu.be/peJGmeg6ZE8)). Benjamin implored the audience: “Lets talk about Saudi Arabia. Is that who our allies are?”
“How dare you bring up the issue of Yemen,” admonished Benjamin as she was dragged from the room. “Its the Saudi bombing that is killing most people in Yemen. So lets get real. No more war! Peace with Iran!” Code Pink is [currently petitioning](https://www.codepink.org/dont_iraq_iran?utm_campaign=iran_national_sept25) the **New York Times** and **Washington Post** to stop propagandizing war.
Sadly, no matter whom you ask in corporate media, be they spokespeople for “Trumps America” or “the resistance,” peace remains an elusive choice in the US political imagination. And while the public was focused last week on Supreme Court nominee [Brett Kavanaughs ](https://youtu.be/7zVOkb3CdZ0)[perjurious testimony](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/09/how-we-know-kavanaugh-is-lying), the Senate finalized a[$674 billion “defense” budget](https://www.democracynow.org/2018/9/20/headlines/senate_passes_674_billion_military_spending_bill). Every single Democrat in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, [explicitly naming Iran](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6157/text) as persona non grata in the United States[world-leading arms supply network](https://www.sipri.org/news/press-release/2018/asia-and-middle-east-lead-rising-trend-arms-imports-us-exports-grow-significantly-says-sipri), which has seen a 25 percent increase in exports since Obama took office in 2009.
The US governments imperial ambitions are perhaps its only truly bipartisan project—what the **New York Times** euphemistically refers to as “globalism.” Nowhere was this on fuller display than at the funeral for Republican Sen. John McCain (**FAIR.org**,[ 9/11/18](https://fair.org/home/maverick-media-use-mccain-funeral-to-shore-up-us-imperialism/)), where politicians of all stripes were tripping over themselves to produce the best accolades for a man who [infamously sang](https://youtu.be/o-zoPgv_nYg)“bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran” to the tune of a Beach Boys song.
McCains bloodlust was nothing new. Nearly a hundred years ago, after the Wests imperial competition culminated in the most destructive war the world had ever seen, the brilliant American sociologist and anti-colonial author WEB Du Bois [wrote](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15210/15210-h/15210-h.htm), “This is not Europe gone mad; this is not aberration nor insanity; this *is* Europe.”
Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they do not want war with the US (**AP**, [9/27/18](https://apnews.com/1cb23ee1641041c5910595715f2ea334)), but US corporate media, despite frequently characterizing Trump as a “mad king” (**FAIR.org**, [6/13/18](https://fair.org/home/why-do-us-media-only-worry-about-one-authoritarians-nukes/)), continue to play an instrumental role in rationalizing a future war with Iran. Should such an intentional catastrophe come to pass, we can hardly say that this would be America gone mad; war is not aberration, it is always presented as the next sane choice. This *is* America.
*By [John C. ODay](https://fair.org/author/john-c-oday/) / Republished with permission / [FAIR.org](https://fair.org/) / [Report a typo](mailto:edits@theantimedia.org)*
*This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy.*

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<p><strong>(<a href="https://fair.org/home/trump-admin-follows-corporate-media-playbook-for-war-with-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAIR.org</a>) </strong><span style="font-weight: 400">— </span>Three years ago, as Americans debated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran—popularly known as “the Iran deal”—I highlighted a troubling media trend on <b>FAIR.org</b> (<a href="https://fair.org/home/giving-war-a-chance/">8/20/15</a>): “For nearly all commentators, regardless of their position, war is the only alternative to that position.”</p>
<p>In the months since US President Donald Trump tore up the JCPOA agreement, his administration has been trying to make good on corporate medias collective prediction. Last week, John Bolton (<b>BBC</b>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45647863">9/26/18</a>), Trumps national security advisor and chief warmonger, told Irans leaders and the world that there would be “hell to pay” if they dare to “cross us.”</p>
<figure id="attachment_170151" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-170151" src="https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BBC-John-Bolton-610x343.jpg" alt="" width="610" height="343" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">John Bolton (<strong>BBC</strong>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45647863">9/26/18</a>): “Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you.”</figcaption></figure>
<p>That Boltons bellicose statements do not send shockwaves of pure horror across a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-budget/u-s-government-posts-214-billion-deficit-in-august-idUSKCN1LT2XL">debt-strapped</a> and <a href="https://nyti.ms/2N7cg3m">war-weary</a> United States is thanks in large part to incessant priming for war, facilitated by corporate media across the entire political spectrum, with a particular focus on Iran.</p>
<p>Back in 2015, while current “resistance” stalwarts like the <b>Washington Post </b>(<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-nuclear-deal-with-iran-is-the-best-option/2015/04/02/bc8292d2-d978-11e4-8103-fa84725dbf9d_story.html">4/2/15</a>) and <b>Politico</b> (<a href="//www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/iran-deal-rejection-121257.html">8/11/15</a>) warned us that war with Iran was the most likely alternative to the JCPOA, conservative standard-bearers such as <b>Fox News </b>(<a href="//insider.foxnews.com/2015/07/14/dick-cheney-hannity-iran-nuke-deal-brings-world-closer-nuclear-war">7/14/15</a>) and the <b>Washington Times</b> (<a href="//www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/10/ed-feulner-iran-nuclear-deal-makes-war-more-likely/">8/10/15</a>) foretold that war with Iran was the agreements most likely outcome. Three years hence, this dynamic has not changed.</p>
<figure id="attachment_170150" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-170150" src="https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NYT-Iran-Deal-War-610x411.jpg" alt="" width="610" height="411" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (<strong>New York Times</strong>, <a href="https://nyti.ms/2I9LCnJ">5/10/18</a>) presents Trump and Boltons “deal” for Iran.</figcaption></figure>
<p>To experience the full menu of US medias single-mindedness about Iran, one need only buy a subscription to the <b>New York Times</b>. After Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, the <b>Times</b> editorial board (<a href="https://nyti.ms/2HXldJD">5/8/18</a>) wrote that his move would “lay conditions for a possible wider war in the Middle East.” Susan Rice (<b>New York Times</b>, <a href="https://nyti.ms/2FXt4kH">5/8/18</a>), President Barack Obamas national security advisor, agreed: “We could face the choice of going to war or acquiescing to a nuclear-armed Iran,” she warned. Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (<b>New York Times</b>, <a href="https://nyti.ms/2I9LCnJ">5/10/18</a>) was characteristically more direct, penning an image of Trump alongside Bolton, holding a fictitious new agreement featuring the singular, ultimate word: “WAR.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, calling Trumps turn against JCPOA a “courageous decision,” <b>Times</b> columnist Bret Stephens (<a href="https://nyti.ms/2FWTz9O">5/8/18</a>) explained that the move was meant to force the Iranian government to make a choice: Either accede to US demands or “pursue their nuclear ambitions at the cost of economic ruin and possible war.” (Hardly courageous, when we all know there is no chance that Trump or Stephens would enlist should war materialize.)</p>
<p>Trumps <a href="https://youtu.be/KfVdIKaQzW8">latest antics</a> at the United Nations have spurred a wave of similar reaction across corporate media. Describing his threat to “totally destroy North Korea” at the UN General Assembly last year as “pointed and sharp,” <b>Fox News </b>anchor Eric Shawn (<a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/5838934710001/">9/23/18</a>) asked Bill Richardson, an Obama ally and President Bill Clintons ambassador to the UN, whether Trump would take the same approach toward Iran. “That aggressive policy we have with Iran is going to continue,” Richardson reassured the audience, “and I dont think Iran is helping themselves.” In other words, if the United States starts a war with Iran, its totally Irans fault.</p>
<p><b>Politico</b> (<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/23/trump-iran-war-foreign-policy-836411">9/23/18</a>), meanwhile, reported that Trump “is risking a potential war with Iran unless he engages the Islamist-led country using diplomacy.” In other words, if the United States starts a war with Iran, its totally Trumps fault. Rice (<b>New York Times</b>, <a href="https://nyti.ms/2N4AZjF">9/26/18</a>) reiterated her view that Trumps rhetoric “presages the prospect of war in the Persian Gulf.” Whoever would be the responsible party is up for debate, but that war is in our future is apparently all but certain.</p>
<p><b>Politico</b>s article cited a <a href="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/coalitionagainstirannukes/Statement_Sept18.pdf">statement</a> signed by such esteemed US experts on war-making as Madeleine Albright, who presided over Clintons <a href="https://nyti.ms/2tvy0MU">inhuman sanctions</a> against Iraq in the 90s, and Ryan Crocker, former ambassador for presidents George W. Bush and Obama to some of Americas favorite killing fields: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.  James Clapper, Obamas National Intelligence Director, who also signed the letter, played an <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/4/likely-intel-chief-clapper-held-disputed-wmd-view/">important role</a> in trumping up WMD evidence against Saddam Hussein before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. When it comes to US aggression, theyre the experts.</p>
<p><b>Vanity Fair</b> (<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/09/john-bolton-iran-united-nations">9/26/18</a>) interviewed John Glaser of the Cato Institute, who called Trumps strategy “pathetic,” and also warned that it forebodes war. In an effort to “one-up Obama,” Glaser explained, Trumps plan is “to apply extreme economic pressure and explicit threats of war in order to get Iran to capitulate.” Sound familiar? As Glaser implies, this was <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/08/06/obama-summarizes-record/">exactly Obamas strategy</a>, only then it wasnt seen as “pathetic,” but rather reasonable, and the sole means for preventing the war that every US pundit and politician saw around the corner (<b>The Hill</b>, <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/250683-sanders-war-the-alternative-if-iran-deal-fails">8/9/15</a>).</p>
<p>When everyone decides that war is the only other possibility, it starts to look like an inevitability. But even when they arent overtly stoking war fever against Iran, corporate media prime the militaristic pump in more subtle yet equally disturbing ways.</p>
<figure id="attachment_170149" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-170149" src="https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CNN-Netanyahu-610x343.jpg" alt="" width="610" height="343" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Benjamin Netanyahu speaks for the Iranian people on <strong>CNN</strong> (<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/29/labott-netanyahu-iran-regime-intv-sot-vpx.cnn">9/29/18</a>).</figcaption></figure>
<p>First among these is the near-complete erasure of Iranian voices from US airwaves (<b>FAIR.org</b>, <a href="https://fair.org/home/side-by-side-coverage-of-cuba-and-iran-highlights-shift-in-us-media-villain-making/">7/24/15</a>). Rather than ask Iranians directly, national outlets like <b>CNN</b> (<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/29/labott-netanyahu-iran-regime-intv-sot-vpx.cnn">9/29/18</a>) prefer to invite the prime minister of Israel, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/03/02/brief-history-netanyahu-crying-wolf-iranian-nuclear-bomb/">serial Iran alarmist</a> and regional pariah Benjamin Netanyahu, to speak for them. During a jovial discussion this weekend over whether regime change and/or economic collapse is Irans most likely fate, Netanyahu explained to the audience that, either way, “The ones who will be happiest if that happens are the people of Iran.” No people of Iran were on hand to confirm or deny this assessment.</p>
<p><b>Bloomberg</b> (<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-30/what-s-not-to-like-about-trump-iran-oil-sanctions-100-oil">9/30/18</a>) similarly wanted to know, “Whats not to like about Trumps Iran oil sanctions?” Julian Lee gleefully reported that “they are crippling exports from the Islamic Republic, at minimal cost to the US.” One might think the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/iran-doctors-sanctions-endangering-patients-lives-180830064012071.html">toll sanctions take</a> on innocent Iranians would be something not to like, but <b>Bloomberg</b> merely worried that, notwithstanding the windfall for US refineries, “oil at $100 a barrel would be bad news for drivers everywhere—including those in the US.”</p>
<p>Another prized tactic is to <a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/03/05/the-1-5-billion-campaign-to-whitewash-genocide-in-yemen/">whitewash Saudi Arabia</a>, Irans chief geopolitical rival, whose genocidal destruction of Yemen is made possible by the United States, about which corporate media remain overwhelmingly silent (<b>FAIR.org</b>,<a href="https://fair.org/home/action-alert-its-been-over-a-year-since-msnbc-has-mentioned-us-war-in-yemen/"> 7/23/18</a>). Irans involvement in Yemen, which both Trump and the<b> New York Times </b>(<a href="https://nyti.ms/2MqieXJ">9/12/18</a>) describe as “malign behavior,” is a principal justification for US support of Saudi Arabia, including the<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/middleeast/us-saudi-yemen-bus-strike-intl/index.html"> US-supplied bombs</a> that recently ended the brief lives of over 40 Yemeni schoolchildren. Lockheed Martins stock is <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/LMT/historical?siteid=mktw&amp;date=01%2F20%2F2017">up 34 percent</a>from Trumps inauguration day.</p>
<p>Corporate media go beyond a simple coverup of Saudi crimes to evangelize their leadership as the liberal antidote to Irans “theocracy.” Who can forget Thomas Friedmans revolting puff piece for the Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman? Extensively quoting Salman (<b>New York Times</b>, <a href="https://nyti.ms/2i0mwfg">11/23/17</a>), who refers to Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “the new Hitler of the Middle East,” Friedman nevertheless remains pessimistic about whether “MBS and his team” can see their stand against Iran through, as “dysfunction and rivalries within the Sunni Arab world generally have prevented forming a unified front.” Oh well, every team needs cheerleaders, and Friedman isnt just a fair-weather fan.</p>
<p>While Friedman (<b>New York Times</b>, <a href="https://nyti.ms/2GmBgLo">5/15/18</a>) believes that Trump has drawn “some needed attention to Irans bad behavior,” for him pivotal questions remain unanswered, such as “who is going to take over in Tehran if the current Islamic regime collapses?” One immediate fix he proposed was to censure Irans metaphorical “occupation” of Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Isnt this ironic coming from an unapologetic propagandist for Washingtons decades-long, non-metaphorical occupation of the two countries to the east and west of Iran (<b>FAIR.org</b>, <a href="https://fair.org/home/friedman-goes-after-trump-hey-massive-bombing-was-my-idea/">12/9/15</a>)?</p>
<p>In a surprising break from corporate media convention, <b>USA Today</b> (<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/26/iran-united-states-foreign-policy-iraq-war-column/1379872002/">9/26/18</a>) published a column on US/Iran relations written by an actual Iranian. Reflecting on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat">CIA-orchestrated coup</a> against Irans elected government in 1953, Azadeh Shahshahani, who was born four days after the 1979 revolution there, wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&#8220;I often wonder what would have happened if that coup had not worked, if [Prime Minister] Mosaddeq had been allowed to govern, if democracy had been allowed to flourish.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>“It is time for the US government to stop intervening in Iran and let the Iranian people determine their own destiny,” she beseeched readers.</p>
<figure id="attachment_170148" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-170148" src="https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Real-News-Code-Pink-610x343.png" alt="" width="610" height="343" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Code Pinks Medea Benjamin confronts the head of Trumps “Iran Action Group” (<strong>Real News</strong>, <a href="https://youtu.be/peJGmeg6ZE8">9/21/18</a>).</figcaption></figure>
<p>Shahshahanis call is supported by some who have rejected corporate medias war propaganda and have gone to extreme lengths to have their perspectives heard. Anti-war activist and Code Pink  founder Medea Benjamin was recently forcibly removed after she upstaged Brian Hook, leader of Trumps Iran Action Group, on live TV, calling his press conference “the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen” (<b>Real News</b>, <a href="https://youtu.be/peJGmeg6ZE8">9/21/18</a>). Benjamin implored the audience: “Lets talk about Saudi Arabia. Is that who our allies are?”</p>
<p>“How dare you bring up the issue of Yemen,” admonished Benjamin as she was dragged from the room. “Its the Saudi bombing that is killing most people in Yemen. So lets get real. No more war! Peace with Iran!” Code Pink is <a href="https://www.codepink.org/dont_iraq_iran?utm_campaign=iran_national_sept25">currently petitioning</a> the <b>New York Times</b> and <b>Washington Post</b> to stop propagandizing war.</p>
<p>Sadly, no matter whom you ask in corporate media, be they spokespeople for “Trumps America” or “the resistance,” peace remains an elusive choice in the US political imagination. And while the public was focused last week on Supreme Court nominee <a href="https://youtu.be/7zVOkb3CdZ0">Brett Kavanaughs </a><a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/09/how-we-know-kavanaugh-is-lying">perjurious testimony</a>, the Senate finalized a<a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2018/9/20/headlines/senate_passes_674_billion_military_spending_bill">$674 billion “defense” budget</a>. Every single Democrat in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6157/text">explicitly naming Iran</a> as persona non grata in the United States<a href="https://www.sipri.org/news/press-release/2018/asia-and-middle-east-lead-rising-trend-arms-imports-us-exports-grow-significantly-says-sipri">world-leading arms supply network</a>, which has seen a 25 percent increase in exports since Obama took office in 2009.</p>
<p>The US governments imperial ambitions are perhaps its only truly bipartisan project—what the <b>New York Times</b> euphemistically refers to as “globalism.” Nowhere was this on fuller display than at the funeral for Republican Sen. John McCain (<b>FAIR.org</b>,<a href="https://fair.org/home/maverick-media-use-mccain-funeral-to-shore-up-us-imperialism/"> 9/11/18</a>), where politicians of all stripes were tripping over themselves to produce the best accolades for a man who <a href="https://youtu.be/o-zoPgv_nYg">infamously sang</a>“bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran” to the tune of a Beach Boys song.</p>
<p>McCains bloodlust was nothing new. Nearly a hundred years ago, after the Wests imperial competition culminated in the most destructive war the world had ever seen, the brilliant American sociologist and anti-colonial author WEB Du Bois <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15210/15210-h/15210-h.htm">wrote</a>, “This is not Europe gone mad; this is not aberration nor insanity; this <i>is</i> Europe.”</p>
<p>Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they do not want war with the US (<b>AP</b>, <a href="https://apnews.com/1cb23ee1641041c5910595715f2ea334">9/27/18</a>), but US corporate media, despite frequently characterizing Trump as a “mad king” (<b>FAIR.org</b>, <a href="https://fair.org/home/why-do-us-media-only-worry-about-one-authoritarians-nukes/">6/13/18</a>), continue to play an instrumental role in rationalizing a future war with Iran. Should such an intentional catastrophe come to pass, we can hardly say that this would be America gone mad; war is not aberration, it is always presented as the next sane choice. This <i>is </i>America.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><em>By <a href="https://fair.org/author/john-c-oday/">John C. O&#8217;Day</a> / Republished with permission / <a href="https://fair.org/">FAIR.org</a> / <a href="mailto:edits@theantimedia.org">Report a typo</a></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><em>This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy.</em></p>

View file

@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
Markdown Test!
==============
**([FAIR.org](https://fair.org/home/trump-admin-follows-corporate-media-playbook-for-war-with-iran/))** — Three years ago, as Americans debated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran—popularly known as “the Iran deal”—I highlighted a troubling media trend on **FAIR.org** ([8/20/15](https://fair.org/home/giving-war-a-chance/)): “For nearly all commentators, regardless of their position, war is the only alternative to that position.”
In the months since US President Donald Trump tore up the JCPOA agreement, his administration has been trying to make good on corporate medias collective prediction. Last week, John Bolton (**BBC**, [9/26/18](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45647863)), Trumps national security advisor and chief warmonger, told Irans leaders and the world that there would be “hell to pay” if they dare to “cross us.”
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BBC-John-Bolton-610x343.jpg)John Bolton (**BBC**, [9/26/18](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45647863)): “Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you.”That Boltons bellicose statements do not send shockwaves of pure horror across a [debt-strapped](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-budget/u-s-government-posts-214-billion-deficit-in-august-idUSKCN1LT2XL) and [war-weary](https://nyti.ms/2N7cg3m) United States is thanks in large part to incessant priming for war, facilitated by corporate media across the entire political spectrum, with a particular focus on Iran.
Back in 2015, while current “resistance” stalwarts like the **Washington Post** ([4/2/15](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-nuclear-deal-with-iran-is-the-best-option/2015/04/02/bc8292d2-d978-11e4-8103-fa84725dbf9d_story.html)) and **Politico** ([8/11/15](//www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/iran-deal-rejection-121257.html)) warned us that war with Iran was the most likely alternative to the JCPOA, conservative standard-bearers such as **Fox News** ([7/14/15](//insider.foxnews.com/2015/07/14/dick-cheney-hannity-iran-nuke-deal-brings-world-closer-nuclear-war)) and the **Washington Times** ([8/10/15](//www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/10/ed-feulner-iran-nuclear-deal-makes-war-more-likely/)) foretold that war with Iran was the agreements most likely outcome. Three years hence, this dynamic has not changed.
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NYT-Iran-Deal-War-610x411.jpg)Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (**New York Times**, [5/10/18](https://nyti.ms/2I9LCnJ)) presents Trump and Boltons “deal” for Iran.To experience the full menu of US medias single-mindedness about Iran, one need only buy a subscription to the **New York Times**. After Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, the **Times** editorial board ([5/8/18](https://nyti.ms/2HXldJD)) wrote that his move would “lay conditions for a possible wider war in the Middle East.” Susan Rice (**New York Times**, [5/8/18](https://nyti.ms/2FXt4kH)), President Barack Obamas national security advisor, agreed: “We could face the choice of going to war or acquiescing to a nuclear-armed Iran,” she warned. Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (**New York Times**, [5/10/18](https://nyti.ms/2I9LCnJ)) was characteristically more direct, penning an image of Trump alongside Bolton, holding a fictitious new agreement featuring the singular, ultimate word: “WAR.”
On the other hand, calling Trumps turn against JCPOA a “courageous decision,” **Times** columnist Bret Stephens ([5/8/18](https://nyti.ms/2FWTz9O)) explained that the move was meant to force the Iranian government to make a choice: Either accede to US demands or “pursue their nuclear ambitions at the cost of economic ruin and possible war.” (Hardly courageous, when we all know there is no chance that Trump or Stephens would enlist should war materialize.)
Trumps [latest antics](https://youtu.be/KfVdIKaQzW8) at the United Nations have spurred a wave of similar reaction across corporate media. Describing his threat to “totally destroy North Korea” at the UN General Assembly last year as “pointed and sharp,” **Fox News** anchor Eric Shawn ([9/23/18](https://video.foxnews.com/v/5838934710001/)) asked Bill Richardson, an Obama ally and President Bill Clintons ambassador to the UN, whether Trump would take the same approach toward Iran. “That aggressive policy we have with Iran is going to continue,” Richardson reassured the audience, “and I dont think Iran is helping themselves.” In other words, if the United States starts a war with Iran, its totally Irans fault.
**Politico** ([9/23/18](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/23/trump-iran-war-foreign-policy-836411)), meanwhile, reported that Trump “is risking a potential war with Iran unless he engages the Islamist-led country using diplomacy.” In other words, if the United States starts a war with Iran, its totally Trumps fault. Rice (**New York Times**, [9/26/18](https://nyti.ms/2N4AZjF)) reiterated her view that Trumps rhetoric “presages the prospect of war in the Persian Gulf.” Whoever would be the responsible party is up for debate, but that war is in our future is apparently all but certain.
**Politico**s article cited a [statement](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/coalitionagainstirannukes/Statement_Sept18.pdf) signed by such esteemed US experts on war-making as Madeleine Albright, who presided over Clintons [inhuman sanctions](https://nyti.ms/2tvy0MU) against Iraq in the 90s, and Ryan Crocker, former ambassador for presidents George W. Bush and Obama to some of Americas favorite killing fields: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. James Clapper, Obamas National Intelligence Director, who also signed the letter, played an [important role](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/4/likely-intel-chief-clapper-held-disputed-wmd-view/) in trumping up WMD evidence against Saddam Hussein before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. When it comes to US aggression, theyre the experts.
**Vanity Fair** ([9/26/18](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/09/john-bolton-iran-united-nations)) interviewed John Glaser of the Cato Institute, who called Trumps strategy “pathetic,” and also warned that it forebodes war. In an effort to “one-up Obama,” Glaser explained, Trumps plan is “to apply extreme economic pressure and explicit threats of war in order to get Iran to capitulate.” Sound familiar? As Glaser implies, this was [exactly Obamas strategy](https://theintercept.com/2015/08/06/obama-summarizes-record/), only then it wasnt seen as “pathetic,” but rather reasonable, and the sole means for preventing the war that every US pundit and politician saw around the corner (**The Hill**, [8/9/15](https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/250683-sanders-war-the-alternative-if-iran-deal-fails)).
When everyone decides that war is the only other possibility, it starts to look like an inevitability. But even when they arent overtly stoking war fever against Iran, corporate media prime the militaristic pump in more subtle yet equally disturbing ways.
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CNN-Netanyahu-610x343.jpg)Benjamin Netanyahu speaks for the Iranian people on **CNN** ([9/29/18](https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/29/labott-netanyahu-iran-regime-intv-sot-vpx.cnn)).First among these is the near-complete erasure of Iranian voices from US airwaves (**FAIR.org**, [7/24/15](https://fair.org/home/side-by-side-coverage-of-cuba-and-iran-highlights-shift-in-us-media-villain-making/)). Rather than ask Iranians directly, national outlets like **CNN** ([9/29/18](https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/29/labott-netanyahu-iran-regime-intv-sot-vpx.cnn)) prefer to invite the prime minister of Israel, [serial Iran alarmist](https://theintercept.com/2015/03/02/brief-history-netanyahu-crying-wolf-iranian-nuclear-bomb/) and regional pariah Benjamin Netanyahu, to speak for them. During a jovial discussion this weekend over whether regime change and/or economic collapse is Irans most likely fate, Netanyahu explained to the audience that, either way, “The ones who will be happiest if that happens are the people of Iran.” No people of Iran were on hand to confirm or deny this assessment.
**Bloomberg** ([9/30/18](https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-30/what-s-not-to-like-about-trump-iran-oil-sanctions-100-oil)) similarly wanted to know, “Whats not to like about Trumps Iran oil sanctions?” Julian Lee gleefully reported that “they are crippling exports from the Islamic Republic, at minimal cost to the US.” One might think the [toll sanctions take](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/iran-doctors-sanctions-endangering-patients-lives-180830064012071.html) on innocent Iranians would be something not to like, but **Bloomberg** merely worried that, notwithstanding the windfall for US refineries, “oil at $100 a barrel would be bad news for drivers everywhere—including those in the US.”
Another prized tactic is to [whitewash Saudi Arabia](https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/03/05/the-1-5-billion-campaign-to-whitewash-genocide-in-yemen/), Irans chief geopolitical rival, whose genocidal destruction of Yemen is made possible by the United States, about which corporate media remain overwhelmingly silent (**FAIR.org**,[ 7/23/18](https://fair.org/home/action-alert-its-been-over-a-year-since-msnbc-has-mentioned-us-war-in-yemen/)). Irans involvement in Yemen, which both Trump and the **New York Times** ([9/12/18](https://nyti.ms/2MqieXJ)) describe as “malign behavior,” is a principal justification for US support of Saudi Arabia, including the[ US-supplied bombs](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/middleeast/us-saudi-yemen-bus-strike-intl/index.html) that recently ended the brief lives of over 40 Yemeni schoolchildren. Lockheed Martins stock is [up 34 percent](https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/LMT/historical?siteid=mktw&date=01%2F20%2F2017)from Trumps inauguration day.
Corporate media go beyond a simple coverup of Saudi crimes to evangelize their leadership as the liberal antidote to Irans “theocracy.” Who can forget Thomas Friedmans revolting puff piece for the Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman? Extensively quoting Salman (**New York Times**, [11/23/17](https://nyti.ms/2i0mwfg)), who refers to Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “the new Hitler of the Middle East,” Friedman nevertheless remains pessimistic about whether “MBS and his team” can see their stand against Iran through, as “dysfunction and rivalries within the Sunni Arab world generally have prevented forming a unified front.” Oh well, every team needs cheerleaders, and Friedman isnt just a fair-weather fan.
While Friedman (**New York Times**, [5/15/18](https://nyti.ms/2GmBgLo)) believes that Trump has drawn “some needed attention to Irans bad behavior,” for him pivotal questions remain unanswered, such as “who is going to take over in Tehran if the current Islamic regime collapses?” One immediate fix he proposed was to censure Irans metaphorical “occupation” of Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Isnt this ironic coming from an unapologetic propagandist for Washingtons decades-long, non-metaphorical occupation of the two countries to the east and west of Iran (**FAIR.org**, [12/9/15](https://fair.org/home/friedman-goes-after-trump-hey-massive-bombing-was-my-idea/))?
In a surprising break from corporate media convention, **USA Today** ([9/26/18](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/26/iran-united-states-foreign-policy-iraq-war-column/1379872002/)) published a column on US/Iran relations written by an actual Iranian. Reflecting on the [CIA-orchestrated coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) against Irans elected government in 1953, Azadeh Shahshahani, who was born four days after the 1979 revolution there, wrote:
> “I often wonder what would have happened if that coup had not worked, if \[Prime Minister\] Mosaddeq had been allowed to govern, if democracy had been allowed to flourish.”
“It is time for the US government to stop intervening in Iran and let the Iranian people determine their own destiny,” she beseeched readers.
![](https://theantimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Real-News-Code-Pink-610x343.png)Code Pinks Medea Benjamin confronts the head of Trumps “Iran Action Group” (**Real News**, [9/21/18](https://youtu.be/peJGmeg6ZE8)).Shahshahanis call is supported by some who have rejected corporate medias war propaganda and have gone to extreme lengths to have their perspectives heard. Anti-war activist and Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin was recently forcibly removed after she upstaged Brian Hook, leader of Trumps Iran Action Group, on live TV, calling his press conference “the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen” (**Real News**, [9/21/18](https://youtu.be/peJGmeg6ZE8)). Benjamin implored the audience: “Lets talk about Saudi Arabia. Is that who our allies are?”
“How dare you bring up the issue of Yemen,” admonished Benjamin as she was dragged from the room. “Its the Saudi bombing that is killing most people in Yemen. So lets get real. No more war! Peace with Iran!” Code Pink is [currently petitioning](https://www.codepink.org/dont_iraq_iran?utm_campaign=iran_national_sept25) the **New York Times** and **Washington Post** to stop propagandizing war.
Sadly, no matter whom you ask in corporate media, be they spokespeople for “Trumps America” or “the resistance,” peace remains an elusive choice in the US political imagination. And while the public was focused last week on Supreme Court nominee [Brett Kavanaughs ](https://youtu.be/7zVOkb3CdZ0)[perjurious testimony](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/09/how-we-know-kavanaugh-is-lying), the Senate finalized a[$674 billion “defense” budget](https://www.democracynow.org/2018/9/20/headlines/senate_passes_674_billion_military_spending_bill). Every single Democrat in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, [explicitly naming Iran](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6157/text) as persona non grata in the United States[world-leading arms supply network](https://www.sipri.org/news/press-release/2018/asia-and-middle-east-lead-rising-trend-arms-imports-us-exports-grow-significantly-says-sipri), which has seen a 25 percent increase in exports since Obama took office in 2009.
The US governments imperial ambitions are perhaps its only truly bipartisan project—what the **New York Times** euphemistically refers to as “globalism.” Nowhere was this on fuller display than at the funeral for Republican Sen. John McCain (**FAIR.org**,[ 9/11/18](https://fair.org/home/maverick-media-use-mccain-funeral-to-shore-up-us-imperialism/)), where politicians of all stripes were tripping over themselves to produce the best accolades for a man who [infamously sang](https://youtu.be/o-zoPgv_nYg)“bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran” to the tune of a Beach Boys song.
McCains bloodlust was nothing new. Nearly a hundred years ago, after the Wests imperial competition culminated in the most destructive war the world had ever seen, the brilliant American sociologist and anti-colonial author WEB Du Bois [wrote](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15210/15210-h/15210-h.htm), “This is not Europe gone mad; this is not aberration nor insanity; this *is* Europe.”
Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they do not want war with the US (**AP**, [9/27/18](https://apnews.com/1cb23ee1641041c5910595715f2ea334)), but US corporate media, despite frequently characterizing Trump as a “mad king” (**FAIR.org**, [6/13/18](https://fair.org/home/why-do-us-media-only-worry-about-one-authoritarians-nukes/)), continue to play an instrumental role in rationalizing a future war with Iran. Should such an intentional catastrophe come to pass, we can hardly say that this would be America gone mad; war is not aberration, it is always presented as the next sane choice. This *is* America.
*By [John C. ODay](https://fair.org/author/john-c-oday/) / Republished with permission / [FAIR.org](https://fair.org/) / [Report a typo](mailto:edits@theantimedia.org)*
*This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy.*

View file

@ -19,5 +19,20 @@ class LBRY_Network_Parser_Test extends WP_UnitTestCase
public function test_convert_to_markdown()
{
$content = file_get_contents(LBRY_ABSPATH . 'tests/convert_content.txt');
$post = self::factory()->post->create_and_get(array(
'post_title' => 'Markdown Test!',
'post_content' => $content
));
$attachment = $this->factory->attachment->create_and_get(array(
'post_parent' => $post->ID,
'file' => '/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/BBC-John-Bolton-610x343.jpg'
));
add_post_meta($post->ID, '_thumbnail_id', $attachment->ID, true);
$actual = fopen(LBRY_ABSPATH . 'tests/convert_actual.md', 'w');
$converted = $this->class_instance->convert_to_markdown($post->ID);
fwrite($actual, $converted);
$this->assertFileEquals(LBRY_ABSPATH . 'tests/convert_expected.md', LBRY_ABSPATH . 'tests/convert_actual.md');
}
}