I just found this article by one of the true leaders of the conservative movement in America. He says "it's not too late for our country to be more bold in proclaiming support for the Iranians..." Thank God for genuine leaders like him.
Iran Revisited
By Paul M. Weyrich
Just four years ago, July 9th was the start of mass student protests in Iran to protest their repressive government. While the protests failed to usher in a new, more democratic government, many Iranians continue their fight to bring about a freer society.
Unrest continues to dominate the citizens of this country, particularly among young Iranians, and while there were demonstrations earlier this summer, the government had taken steps to prevent open displays of unrest from marking the fourth anniversary. But that didn't stop Islamic vigilantes from seizing student leaders after a news conference yesterday. Silence on the streets of Tehran should not be taken for approval of Iran's governing regime.
Many Americans have unfavorable memories of Iran from the takeover of our hostages that was perpetrated by the followers of Ayatollah Khomeni over two decades ago. Indeed, Iran, ruled by a so-called `reformist' faction for the last seven years, was identified a few months ago as having links to an Al Qaeda cell.
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) has earned a reputation as a sensible, committed advocate of human rights. When the news broke a few months ago about new evidence that Iran had links to an Al Qaeda cell, Brownback made clear his belief that the Iranian regime is a terrorist regime.
"A longstanding truism of American foreign policy has been that you cannot and should not negotiate with terrorists. I hope that the current revelations will put an end to the dangerous desires by some to make a deal with these tyrants."
However, the tyrants still hold the reins of power for the time being. Just a few weeks ago, Iran's `reformist' president, Mohammad Khatami, insisted his government was not operating an atomic weapons program. This week, however, Iran announced that it had completed testing of a long-range, surface-to surface missile that experts say has the capability of being deployed against Israel.
Many Americans think the clerics exercise total control over the citizens of Iran. But as the demonstrations that took place earlier this year and in 1999 show, the current Iranian regime like the failed Soviet Communist government cannot sate their people's thirst for true freedom.
Now, Brownback is promoting the Iran Democracy Act, which will: a.) expand pro-democracy broadcasting into Iran; b.) increase the participation by Iranian-Americans in the U.S.-Persian radio service, Radio Farda, and increase grants for translating materials into Persian; c.) establish as U.S. policy support for an internationally-monitored referendum to let Iranians to change their system of government; and d.) clearly place the United States on the side of the Iranian people rather than the misidentified "reform" faction that holds power.
When Brownback introduced the Iran Democracy Act, he appeared with several Iranian-Americans who related how their friends had suffered violence, even death at the hands of the Iranian regime's so-called reformists. "How can a regime that would do this to its own people ever be trusted?," he asked.
The choice is between cutting a deal with the so-called reformists who offer a softer, gentler kind of blood-soaked tyranny or being steadfast in support of a whole new system.
The passion and commitment that Iranian exiles have to change their country's system for the better is demonstrated by Zia Ataby who has used his own family's money to help finance National Iranian TV, which is based in Los Angeles, and which broadcasts into Iran. It's just one of a dozen radio and TV stations based in LA which is broadcasting anti-regime messages. One of the former Iranian presidents even used a prayer sermon to warn Iranians against becoming ensnared by the "evil" TV networks established by his country's expatriates. Iran's government has jammed Ataby's signals and those of other anti-regime stations, even Voice of America programming. But the pro-change message continues to be sounded, and protest leaders in Iran call the stations to let others know what is happening.
The situation in Iran is not exactly comparable to the crackup of the Soviet Union. However, continued resistance to the regime by student demonstrators is a sign that the grip of the ayatollahs over the nation's young is weakening. The nation's economic ills suggest the discontent is more widespread and deeper than kids who just want to listen to rock music. It's been estimated that seventy percent of the nation's gross domestic product is concentrated in government-controlled entities that are inefficient. Inflation, high unemployment, and a high rate of poverty plague Iran.
As one who saw firsthand how badly many of our government's foreign policy "experts" failed to recognize the massive changes underway in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, it's hard not to wonder if history is repeating itself again. In fact, the American Enterprise Institute's Michael Ledeen had argued that we would have been better off to tackle Iran first, rather than Iraq, because of the discontent that is prevalent throughout Iran's citizenry. If Iran's regime had fallen and a democratic government put in its place, then that might have inspired an uprising in Iraq.
It's too late for that exact scenario to occur. But it's not too late for our country to be more bold in proclaiming support for the Iranians who seek a better system of government that truly serves their needs, not just those of the governmental and clerical elites. The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee so far are not considered to be supportive of Senator Brownback's Iran Democracy Act. But there may come a day when the leaders of a new Iran ask us: "Whose side were you on, the government's or the people's?" Is there any doubt what our answer should be?
http://toogoodreports.com/column/general/weyrich/20030710.htm