[sono]

You might, therefore, endorse the Hitchens Approach. The elephant in the room, however, still remains the Messianic Mahmoud's Nuclear Vision. How does the world deal with nuclear weapons for one who views "Mutual Assured Destruction" as a ticket to paradise.

[Alberta's Child]

Finally she broke in to ask shyly, in faultless English, "Would it be possible for the Americans to invade just for a few days, get rid of the mullahs and the weapons, and then leave?"

This is exactly why any attempt to promote the development of a free society is utterly futile. The mindset of people like this is remarkably similar to that of poor inner-city neighborhoods here in the U.S., where people in a dysfunctional culture and social order despise the police because "they abuse us" but at the same time demand their constant presence because "they keep us safe."

Hitchens' experience in that story pretty much supports my contention that Iran is no more capable of flourishing as a free society than Detroit is.