
Hypocrisy or democracy?
Talk about bombing Iran's nuclear facilities
should not be taken lightly
January 29, 2005
iranian.com
Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever
is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
-- Pascal
President Bush says he is committed to spreading freedom throughout
the world. Yet when the people of a sovereign nation like Venezuela
democratically elect a government the U.S. does not like, the
Bush Administration raises questions about the validity of the
electoral process after having failed an attempted coup. Indeed,
when now Secretary
of State Condoleeza Rice was questioned about Venezuela by Democrats
in her Senate confirmation hearing, her answers raised serious
questions about the Bush Administration's
commitment to freedom and democracy in those countries where the
outcome of an election does not necessarily match the administration's
interests. Does this approach to foreign policy signal a desire
to foster freedom around the world, or is it simply hypocrisy?
The Bush Administration says they oppose the hard line Islamic
rulers in Iran because they are evil and are producing nuclear
weapons. Most Iranians are against the theocratic regime, but for
their own reasons. Mr. Bush has signaled his support for freedom
and publicly thrown his support behind democratic movements around
the globe. But if his stance toward countries like Venezuela is
any guide, we must ask: Freedom for whom and freedom for
what purpose?
Democracy and freedom, justice and economic prosperity,
go hand in hand. In many so-called democracies, poverty is worsening
and people are in more in need of bread than freedom. This
administration rails against tyranny, yet it supports regimes that
routinely brutalize their own citizens.
Pakistan, one of our closest
allies in the War on Terror, has implemented some of the most repressive
laws in the world in hopes of silencing the voices of dissent.
We should not forget that Musharaf, a good friend of this administration,
came to power in a military coup not by elections. Similar questions
can be raised about Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. How does the
Bush doctrine apply to these countries?
The
tune of war in Iraq has changed from finding the nonexistent WMD
to ending Saddam's tyranny and
bringing freedom to the
Iraqis. How many thousands of Iraqis have been killed in
the process? How many maimed, how many children have become orphans?
And which companies are benefiting from the Iraqi invasion: Bechtel,
Halliburton, etc... ? Which other US companies? Who else? Where
is the peace, freedom, and prosperity the Iraqi people were promised?
Will a hurried election remedy all the destruction?
This tragic and illegal war has destroyed the infrastructure of
the country. U.S. troops allowed the museum in Baghdad to be ransacked
while the oil ministry was the only building surrounded by American
troops. The city of Babylon, the birth place of civilization, has
been destroyed. The city of Fallujah was completely ruined and
many of its people killed or forced to seek refuge elsewhere.
And
now the U.S. seeks to legitimize the government it wants with a
handpicked candidate who was on its payroll. Meanwhile, the
Administration wonders why a growing insurgency is countering and
attacking US troops with suicide bombs and uncivilized behaviors.
The other night,
CNN showed the killing of a mother and a father who were driving
with their 6 kids in the evening. Apparently,
the family failed to stop for a patrol of soldiers. To
their misfortune, the soldiers opened fire and the passengers in
the front seat were killed. The children were left bewildered,
wondering what had just happened to their parents. Fortunately,
one of the officers took the children away from the scene so they
wouldn't have to look at the bloody bodies of their parents.
Is
this the way to bring democracy and freedom to a land which has
never known it? Will these children or the many other families
forget and forgive?
Khomeini and the Islamic regime in Iran also claimed that they
represent God's will on earth for the people. In his
remarks at the Washington Cathedral, Rev. Billy Graham also said
it was God's will to have GW Bush re-elected. God works
in miraculous ways!
Exit polls suggest that moral values were the deciding factor in
Mr. Bush reelection. What kind of moral values are represented
by an unmanageable deficit, an illegal war that promises to bring
home more dead and wounded sons and daughters, and the Patriot
Act, which is an assault on the constitution? I wonder if those
who speak of moral values are not disturbed by a war that has killed
many live children in Iraq but argue that a fetus is sacred? Is
this Hypocrisy or morality?
And now it's Iran's turn. While most Iranians will
be glad to see a tyrannical government whose rule has brought them
more destitution than the Shah's government ever did go. It is
ludicrous to think that they will rise up when their land is being
bombarded
by a
foreign power.
Freedom seekers should think twice. Iran is no Iraq. Iranians are
even more nationalistic than Iraqis. Iranians will bring hell to
earth if their land - even if their unwanted and unnecessary nuclear
facilities - are touched. If their historic sites or their cities
are destroyed by an "accident," the consequences will
be frightening. When we had an elected government, the freedom
seekers brought it down. Why? Same reasons: Oil and profit, self-interest.
When the Shah became too greedy, they got rid of him, not even
letting his majesty rest in peace in time of sickness.
And now they have the audacity to support the
democratic movement against theocracy by suggesting military intervention
or clandestine
operations. Iranians, with much sacrifice have already started
this movement, and will finish it. But attempts to impose democracy
from the outside by force will galvanize the country against any
aggression. The Middle East will be ablaze and Iranians will respond
by saying: "you bomb Iran over our dead bodies... "
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