[DoctorZIn]

DoctorZin Note: The following letter was writen by freeper, TZIM. Congrats!

Letters

US needs clean, strong hand in dealing with Iran

Regarding Pat Holt's Jan. 6 Opinion piece "A good next step in Iran: restore diplomatic ties": If we as Americans truly wish to demonstrate that we are serious about a policy of promoting democracy, we must demand evidence of a reciprocal level of human rights before we engage diplomatically or commercially. We bent over backwards to provide China with Most Favored Nation trade status before its consideration of membership to the WTO, and the Chinese still cannot practice freedom of religion and are enduring fresh crackdowns on their journalists. Engagement produced nothing but soil upon our conscience for the expediency of cheap labor.

We are in a position to demand basic standards of human rights and judicial transparency as a prerequisite for establishing commercial, economic, and diplomatic relations with Iran. To fail to make such a demand will prove to the Iranian people that their lives, dignity, and respect are subservient to business interests.
Troy Zimmermann
Playa del Rey, Calif.

[TZIM]

Thanks, DoctorZIn, for your inspirational and tireless effort in moderating this forum. Thanks to The Christian Science Monitor (and the very nice Christa Case at the editorial desk) for its publication in an only slightly truncated form that still gets all of the jist of the point across. All submittals to the Letters department are limited to 200 words and I think we all know how it difficult it can be to refrain from venting for pages and pages.
Sincere Gratitude and Hoping for A Better World in 2005, TZIM