No reasonable person attempts to justify the actions of the Sept 11, 2001 hijackers. They certainly had their reasons but everyone's(from OBL to flight school instructors to airlines) acts of commission or omission contributed to the tragedy. US foreign policy respects no sovereign unless respect for that sovereign serves our interests. We do not universally value human life above all other concerns. We do not universally support democracy. We do not universally support market capitalism. We are not the world's greatest hypocrite . . . but we are close.
Fortunately, most world religions give us an out . . . it is never too late to do right. Hate is an emotion of evil and given enough hate and time everyone is susceptible to commiting evil acts. But why not try . . . "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?
Many of you show so much hatred towards Middle East governments (granted most of you appear to direct your vitriol directly at the people; strange considering most of you don't know any of them) but drive vehicles getting less than 20mpg. Why not build Iran, North Korea, and Iraq's nuclear power plants? The only valid reason would be to build solar, geothermal, and wind instead. Why not support one of the largest neodemocracies in the Middle East (Iran) by staying out of their internal and regional affairs? Khomeni is a dead prick
in his prime
"'War is a blessing for the world and for all nations. It is God who incites men to fight and to kill. The Koran says, "Fight until all corruption and all rebellion have ceased." The wars the Prophet led against the infidels were a blessing for all humanity. Imagine that we soon will win the war.
: That will not be enough, for corruption and resistance to Islam will still exist. The Koran says, "War, war until victory! . . ." The mullahs with corrupt hearts who say that all this is contrary to the teachings of the Koran are unworthy of Islam.
: Thanks to God, our young people are now, to the limits of their means, putting God's commandments into action. They know that to kill the unbelievers is one of man's greatest missions.'
It was December 1984 and he was largely referring to Iraq. He used Islam and the Koran to justify his war with Saddam and all others who didn't meet HIS criteria. His ideology lives on in the aged cleric class of Iran, OBL (maybe), and zealots worldwide from Saudi Arabia to 1600 PA Ave. The
elected leader has been waging a pitched battle for the sake of his people and their desire to be true to their religion and true to themselves.
An intelligent superpower would say, "Umm, sorry about overthrowing your previous elected leader and your popular king in favor of our CIA-approved stooge . . . our bad."
Khatami's response, "Umm, yeah the hostage thing was pretty much mob violence supported by that maggot-food Khomeni"
(OK, he probably wouldn't use THAT phrase).
Powell: If you keep it on the DL this is an official apology . . .
Khatami: Ditto . . . but the hostages still want payback.
Powell: Keepin it real brother man, keepin' it real.
Khatami: Why don't we settle by giving them frozen assets in the US?
Powell: Fair enough, but arms supplies to Hezbollah and the PLO . . .
Khatami: Suicide bombing has no justification in Islam. I know I have degrees in philosophy and education. But how can we not support our brothers with arms when you support Israel with Apaches?
Powell: True, true . . . let's stick with the easy stuff . . . you people need a revolution!
Khatami: We prefer evolution. Our version of democracy which respects our religion and the rule of law (nonreligious). Get real . . . your courts actually consider money to be speech and that corporations have the same rights as citizens.
Powell: Well, you've got a towel on your head!
Give the
Iranian Constitution a read. They love caveats but in principle it's not bad. Articles 1 through 177.
our pattern of behavior in the region
Forget their view of history, you just have to read ours to know we do not respect the ideals we purport to export.
PresidentMusharraf our point man in Pakistan . . . the same one tinkering with his country's constitution to fit his regime. At the very least you have to respect him for actually
considering the rule of law instead of making much of it up (Ashcroft and other members of the Bush hegemony). The same Musharraf preventing the last legitimately elected leader (Bhutto) from entering the country.
No one is perfect. Every policy is flawed. But rank hypocrisy cannot be defended.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend?! Not only was the author an idiot with the faintest grasp of logic but he also didn't have many friends. I'm sure he followed his musing with an astute observation . . .
"with friends like this who needs enemies." Marriage of convenience? More BS . . . I challenge anyone to show our "rent-a-regime" foreign policy has served the long-term interests of the US. Furthermore, the State Department's goodwill information campaign will fail b/c 1) we have a history of being FOS and 2) actions speak louder than words. Saddam is a threat to the region and arguably a threat to the world but what about drought, famine, pollution, weapons of minor and mass destruction, criminals with global reach, crimes against humanity, loss of habitat, subjugation of women, access to vaccination, access to clean water, religious persecution. Why put OUR interests at the head of the queue?
your fault, not mine.
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