Get Tough With Tehran (Canada's righteous rage will bring the mad mullahs to heel, eh?)

The Toronto Star ^ | July 25, 2003 | Editorial

[quidnunc]

Pulling Canada's ambassador from Iran, as Prime Minister Jean Chretien has done, should be but the kickoff in a spirited campaign to draw global attention to the fatal injury suffered by a Canadian photojournalist in gravely suspicious circumstances in a Tehran prison.

Ottawa should also lobby for a United Nations probe of Zahra Kazemi's death, and press for the return of her remains.

Nor should we be put off by Tehran's allegation yesterday that Vancouver police "criminally" killed an Iranian earlier this month. Keyvan Tabesh was shot brandishing a machete at police.

Kazemi suffered a fatal blow to the head after she was arrested for taking pictures. Canadians want to know who authorized her arrest, how the injury occurred and whether anyone will be held to account.

Canada imports millions of dollars worth of luxury goods from Iran every year. We can get along with fewer Persian carpets, and less caviar and pistachio nuts, if Iran doesn't co-operate. And we don't have to continue hosting Iranian students here.

Kazemi's arrest and death was "horrible," as Chretien noted. And her speedy burial this week, thwarting a Canadian post-mortem, was contemptuous. Canadians are outraged, as are many Iranians. That anger must show.

[quidnunc]

Quote:

Canada imports millions of dollars worth of luxury goods from Iran every year. We can get along with fewer Persian carpets, and less caviar and pistachio nuts, if Iran doesn't co-operate.

Do the idiots at The Star really think the mullahs will care one whit, or that the people who will suffer most from a boycott can influence Iranisn policy one iots?

And we don't have to continue hosting Iranian students here.

Brilliant! Turn your backs on those very Iranians who are doing the most to oppose the mullahs!

How very … Canadian.

[Diogenesis]

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Keyvan Tabesh was shot ....

Shot? Do they have guns in Canada? Is their military armed? Do they even have a military? I hope they don't consider it impolite when Iran, or any other dictatorship, yawns in their face.

[Paleo Conservative]

At least you can't accuse Chretien of speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

[.cnI redruM]

One perk of working at OTC is getting to know Candian Army soldiers. They, unlike their Prime Minister, are class act people just like most of our soldiers are. They would like nothing more than to open the 40oz Whoop A$$ Malt Liquor on the Wacked-Out Iranian leadership and then go party with the coeds at Tehran University.

However, the Canadians simply lack the werewithal to make thier displeasure with Iran adequately felt via military options. A stronger Canadian military would change their outlook, but Iran has called and Canada doesn't hold anything higher than a lonely pair of jacks.

[singletrack]

The less Iranain students that are walking around Toronto (70 miles from here in Buffalo) the better I feel. Who cares if they oppose the Mullahs. If they were any use as opposition they would be home opposing.