Iran's President Held Americans Hostage

NewsMax.com ^ | September 23, 2007 | John LeBoutillier

[alloysteel]

On Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York and the United Nations: isn’t it amazing that no one in Congress, the White House or the so-called mainstream media - or even talk radio or Fox, for that matter - ever mentions the fact that most of the remaining 52 American hostages from the 1979 illegal seizure by so-called Iranian 'students' are certain that Ahmadinejad was one of their captors?

In fact, most remember him quite well as one of the toughest and roughest anti-Americans who advocated torturing the hostages and discussed executing some of them - within earshot of the hostages.

So - assuming that he is indeed guilty of this international crime - and we should take the word of our fellow Americans that he was one of their tormentors - then how can we allow him into the United States without arresting him?

When Austrian President - and former U.N. General Secretary - Kurt Waldheim was found to be a Nazi officer guilty of war crimes and hiding his past for more than 40 years, he was put on a 'watch list' here and not allowed back into the U.S. - not even to visit the U.N. in his official capacity as head of the Austrian government - despite the 'diplomatic immunity' automatically accorded to visiting heads of state.

But Ahmadinejad is going to come here - and get away with his crimes from 1979-1981? He is going to come here and speak at Columbia University - one of America’s best universities - and no one is even going to bring up the hostage crisis?

Are we going to allow him to get away with it?

In fact, all the so-called 'students' - and their Iranian governmental patrons - have escaped unpunished for what they did back then: seizing sovereign American territory - our embassy and consulate - and illegally detaining dozens of American citizens in often deplorable conditions for 444 days. They still have our embassy, by the way; they have turned it into an anti-American museum detailing their glorious defeat of President Carter and the USA.

Even the sanctions Carter imposed on the Iranian government back then were dropped as he tried to recover the hostages.

For those who might say, "Oh, drop it! That’s 30 years ago! Let bygones be bygones" - here is the (sad) truth: when criminals break the law and get away with it they feel above the law and thus are likely to do other criminal acts.

Ahmadinejad - and the radical mullahs who are his source of power in Tehran (and in Qum, the home of radical Islam) - is indeed an international war criminal who is operating with total impunity!

No wonder he happily breaks more international laws: 1) Shipping millions of tons of weapons to Hamas on the West Bank to use against Israel - and, it turns out, on the more reasonable Fatah branch of the Palestinian leadership; 2) Supporting, training and equipping Hezbollah up in Lebanon as they cause repeated trouble for both Israel and for the moderates in Lebanon; 3) The covert arming of Shi'a Iranians in their uprising against the Sunnis - and against U.S. troops.

Yes, he has said awful things - such as the Holocaust never happened and that Israel will soon "cease to exist" - but saying them is not a crime, even though they give us a peek into this war criminal’s twisted mind.

He should be punished for his tangible actions.

And that begins with his 1979 crimes against the United States.

His defense?

He has admitted to being one of the 'students' but says he was not involved with the seizure of the U.S. Embassy; instead, he has claimed, he was advocating the seizure of the Soviet Embassy. (Oh, how we should wish they had tried that one! Iran would cease to have exist!)

His consciousness of guilt is clear here: he was indeed one of the radical ringleaders for the 1979 embassy seizure.

The United States is a paper tiger if we try to sweep this war criminal's crimes under the rug.

What has become of our once-great country?

[alloysteel]

So-called "war criminals" were convicted years after the fact, in cases relating to whether certain immigrants to this country had in fact served as part of the Nazi SS camp guard, based SOLELY on the testimony of former prisoners in these camps. Now that same criteria cannot be applied?

[depressed in 06]

Which question is more likely to be asked at Columbia:

1. Did you personally take part in holding Americans hostage in Tehran in 1979?

or

2. Is President Bush a terrorist for trying to kill a patriotic bin Laden?

[Fresh Wind]

[Diogenesis]

"What has become of our once-great country?"

[nikos1121]

This is exactly what I fear most. Every word out of his mouth will only add to his credibility at home.

[Peter Libra]

I take note that he parrots off the same line of the effete rotters of Europeans. This is that "The American People" are the ones that we have no quarrel with. It is the administration that we are against.

I hope the crafty cunning of this man is taken into account. How he likes and respects the American people and how it is GWB and his staff who are the bad guys. He has learnt from Goebbels, or Machiavelli.

Somehow I think if some foreign leader came to Canada and said Canadians are nice people, but that Harper (re Afghanistan) is the bad guy, even the politically correct Canadian would say "take off eh".

[Bryan24]

The people of the rest of the world have figured out how to destroy the US - Use the liberal mindset to let every anti-American idea have full voice in the Universities and on the Media.

We are being destoyed from within by liberals.

[Lions Gate]

He should be arrested the moment he steps off that plane.

Allowing him to come to our country and spout his vitriol is an absolute disgrace.

[Teacher317]

That clearly isn’t him. Nutjob is 5’2 (at most). Unless the other captors and the captive are all under 5’5, that isn’t him.

[monday]

“When Austrian President - and former U.N. General Secretary - Kurt Waldheim was found to be a Nazi officer guilty of war crimes and hiding his past for more than 40 years, he was put on a ‘watch list’ here and not allowed back into the U.S. - not even to visit the U.N. in his official capacity as head of the Austrian government - despite the ‘diplomatic immunity’ automatically accorded to visiting heads of state.

But Ahmadinejad is going to come here - and get away with his crimes from 1979-1981? He is going to come here and speak at Columbia University - one of America’s best universities - and no one is even going to bring up the hostage crisis?

Are we going to allow him to get away with it?”

Our politicians are afraid of Muslims. They are afraid that if we hold Ahmadinejad to account for his crimes, they will call it racism or whatever. Bush and the state department are cowards. If any of our politicians had any courage, they would make a big deal out of this and demand that he be banned from the country at the very least. He should be arrested and tried for kidnapping, torture, and terrorism.

[El Gato]

So - assuming that he is indeed guilty of this international crime - and we should take the word of our fellow Americans that he was one of their tormentors - then how can we allow him into the United States without arresting him?

It's not too late, he doesn't speak at the UN until tomorrow.

Citizen's arrest anyone? New York City police, New York State troopers, or any of the plethora of federal law enforcment types (FBI, BATFE, DEA, Marshalls, etc. is going to do it, that for sure and for certain. Maybe if he'd sold a gun that was a little too short, BATFE would raid his hotel room, but for kidnapping and holding Americans hostage for 444 days, Nah!

[El Gato]

That clearly isn’t him. Nutjob is 5’2 (at most). Unless the other captors and the captive are all under 5’5, that isn’t him

That one is probably disinformation, to discredit the actual evidence that he was involved in the hostage taking and the interogation of the hostages as the Ayatollah's man on the scene. A few articles indicating that he was indeed involved:

www.nysun.com/article/19982

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={1D422343-BEAC-4FF0-9BE3-AD725C2CF05F}

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/118176/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-06-29-iran-hostages_x.htm

For more articles search on "David Roeder Air Force Ahmadinejad".

The Russian publication Kommersant has published a newly located photograph of a U.S. hostage-taker in Iran circa 1979 bearing a striking resemblance to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.