Posted on 10/26/2002 12:35:14 AM PDT by efnwriter
efreedomnews WAR ON TERRORISM - AN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE |
IRAN: The Despotic Mullahs October 25, 2002 efreedomnews.com On July 3, 2002 Michael Ledeen wrote in National Review Online:
Elected President Khatami has become more impotent as his term in office goes by. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has organized new police directly under his control to "reestablish social order and to fight against all forms of depravity" - meaning to physically and brutally enforce strict fundamentalist Islamic behavior - while the youth of Iran continues to organize and flaunt pro-Western "sinful behavior as listening to Western music, dancing together, drinking alcohol or, in the case of women, failure to wear appropriately Islamic garb." On August 5, 2002, major demonstrations for democratic freedom took place in every major city in Iran, commemorating the establishment of a constitutional monarchy long before Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic fundamentalists deposed the Shah of Iran. The Revolutionary Guard and religious militia forces attacked the demonstrators to put down the demonstrations. National Review Online's Michael Ledeen reported:
Not only has President Khatami been emasculated, but Khamenei's forces have jailed over 400 clerics from Qom who were followers of the two clerics who have openly challenged Khamenei, Ayatollahs Taheri and Montazeri. The military has been purged of any officer not completely loyal to the mullahs. Iran is backing attacks against the new fledgling government in Afghanistan and US troops there. Iran gave birth to Hezbollah, fully backs Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Al Qaida is strongly and safely entrenched, and fully supported within the Iranian borders. Despite the horrible war fought with Saddam Hussein in the 1980's, the current regime is openly assisting Saddam, selling him munitions, missiles and aircraft and condemning their common enemy, the United States. Along with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are allies in maintaining their vicious despotic rule - and allied against the United States - not because they hate the United States per se - they hate the freedom and democracy the United States represents, and the threat that poses to their rule. Khatami is powerless, a figurehead, but continues his public struggle to empower the elected side of the Iranian government. His real problem is not just that Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei is not about to allow the government to take away any of his power. The fact is, the Persian population, kept in check only by physical violence and fear, are no longer interested in Khatami's democratic version of Islamic rule. The Persian people see the current regime as unacceptable. They are demanding full democratic freedoms, unlike this twisted Islamic version of democracy, where women and non-Muslims are not equal, and human rights do not belong to dissidents.
The UN has failed. On April 24, 2002, the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva defeated an American resolution to condemn Iran for its many egregious actions against its own people. On April 23, 2002 "the regime hung six young men in public, under the pretext that they had "disturbed public order." [Iran on the Brink] The Europeans placate the Iranian mullahs along with Saddam so that oil contracts worth billions can stay in place. The US is just as guilty for not standing up to the Sauds. It is up to the United States, and her allies, to support the movement for freedom in Iran, to stop the despotism, internal and exported terrorism of the Iranian Mullahs, Saddam, the House of Saud, the Syrians and their puppet Lebanon. The worry of a "potential" all-out middle east war is unnecessary. The war is well underway. The worry is the lack of recognition by the politicians, the media, and the free people of the world.
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Saudi- target #4
Is it any wonder the Democrat Party as presently constituted feels such a close affinity?
I hope not. The people want freedom -- from their government.
"It is up to the United States, and her allies, to support the movement for freedom in Iran, to stop the despotism, internal and exported terrorism of the Iranian Mullahs, Saddam, the House of Saud, the Syrians and their puppet Lebanon. The worry of a "potential" all-out middle east war is unnecessary. The war is well underway. The worry is the lack of recognition by the politicians, the media, and the free people of the world."
Pray for freedom for the people of Iran.
Do you really think the WTO,that can afford the best PR firms on Madison Avenue would choose to "export" that image? You are not wrong that many Americans (and europeans, Japanese and Chinese) drink to excess and in fact have institutionalized after hours "partying" as part of the business of doing business. But I doubt the WTO is spending any money to foster the image you describe.
While you concentrate on that US image, consider the image of "Tea Rooms" in the Arab countries where heavy lidded Muslims sit next to their hookah's stoned "to -the-Allah-belt", the image of babies with bomb belts, the image of "revolutionaries" with AK-47's and head scarves or balaclavas hiding their faces-do you blame the WTO for those images as propaganda?
Look, I am not condoning public drunkeness, etc - and I hated disco in the 70's (I was a "dead-head"and country fan)- but if you dislike bars you are bucking a century old trend in western culture. Drunkeness has been with us throughout history.In the middle east it is Hashish and opium - still "drunkeness" in my mind. The history of mankind is filled with man's attempts to alter his mind - to escape his reality. In the west it is alcohol - because it is legal. In the east it is drugs because they are "legal" and alcohol is not.
You said the problem with the islamic revolution is that it has no christian values. I think you have been propagandized to believe the leaders of the islamic fundamentalist movement actually are true believers. I find that America is an easy target as America is the only world power in existence. The fundamentalist islamics have their own agenda of turning the world into a pre-medieval horror show with them in charge. Whether they are "believers" in their religious zealotry I seriously doubt. I believe these men are no different than any other despotic megalomaniacs using religion, or like Hitler using nationalism and anti-semitism to blame the German economic problems on a convenient enemy. America is just a convenient enemy. The poverty and dissatisfaction of the third world is blamed on America and Israel (anti-semitism is alive and well, and if you wonder, I am not Jewish), defering the anger of the masses away from their despotic "leaders"
You are right that the WTO is exporting capitalism - but let me ask you a question: What other socio-economic concept has achieved a higher standard of living for more people in less time in the history of the world? A second question: What socio-economic concept would you suggest the WTO export instead in order to address the paralysing poverty of the third world?
If your answer is "The Dissenters [who] themselves gave up on England, came to North America, and tried to duplicate the new society here. But, over the generations, the same kind of "Establishment creep" set in and the institutions which were founded on religious precepts were purged of those values." - then this failed so it has not "achieved a higher standard of living for more people in less time in the history of the world" than Western (US) capitalism.
Your answer to # 2: What socio-economic concept would you suggest the WTO export instead in order to address the paralysing poverty of the third world?
I posed the question because you criticised the WTO's "exportation" of capitalism.
Your answer was the WTO should not "export" anything. Well, that is not going to happen, so I find your "answer" inadequate.
Third, you campare OPEC to the US as a "world power". Yes, OPEC has significant economic power but this has been severely marginalized by oil exports from the former Soviet Union and South America. Besides, I was talking about military power - which, when used, makes economic power irrelevant (in the short term).
Overall, I see your devotion to Christianity (a good thing) limiting your vision regarding the realities of the world. We are discussing apples and oranges. I wish you well. The missionary efforts of Christians across the globe has been a quite successful humanitarian effort and in the long run can have a significant positive spiritual and economic impact. I suggest to you though, that rather than cast aside the non-faith based organizations of the world trying to achieve purely economic progress for the third world, that you embrace the positive impact these organizations can and do have and become more active with them rather than less. In this way you can impact those organizations with your Christian values. Remember "Render unto Ceasear what is Ceasar's." I think Jesus was a realist.
In doing so it sounds to me like you catagorically deny any positive impact of such organizations. To me, that catagorical denial sounds prejudiced. I used that "non-pc" word in its literal sense - not in an attempt to insult you. I can understand if you do not want any personal involvement with non-Christian organizations, but my point is that I see positive results from non-Christian organizations and I think you should give them their due.
Let me ask you - Can you accept a separation of conservative politics from Christianity? Can someone, in your opinion, truely be a conservative without being a Christian?
You said in an earlier post that the problem with Islamic Fundamentalism was their lack of Christian values. I don't disagree with that, but I think their real problem is the "FUNDAMENTALISM" itself - the inability to allow religious freedom as well as separation from and respect for the secular government separate from their religious laws.
May you be improved and uplifted by such a "good guy" (more or less) someday.
Perhaps if he had slaughtered 90% of the native population if Ireland instead of a mere 40% you would subtract the "less" and give him the "all around good guy" seal of numbskull approval.
There is a nauseating similarity between mohammedans and some protestants.
To you--and your spiritual brethren--I say, with all my heart: "SMASH THE ICON-SMASHERS".
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