Posted on 11/02/2004 12:36:18 AM PST by kattracks
AMERICANS will certainly have 9/11 in mind when they vote today. But they should keep another date in mind, too — one almost exactly a quarter-century ago: Nov. 4, 1979. A clear path runs to 9/11 from the day of the raid on the U.S. embassy in Tehran and the seizure of American hostages.The 1979 embassy attack came at a time when the administration of President Jimmy Carter was trying to prop up the new Khomeinist regime in Tehran.
Carter had decided to support Khomeini in the context of the so-called "Green Belt" strategy developed by National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. That strategy was based on the assumption that the United States and its allies were unable to contain the Soviet Union, then expanding its zone of influence into Africa, the Indian Ocean region and, through left-leaning regimes, in Latin America. To counter that expanding threat, Brzezinski envisaged the creation of a string of Islamic allies that, for religious and political reasons, would prefer the United States against the "godless" Soviet empire.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
...
Ahmad Khomeini's memoirs echo the surprise that his father, the ayatollah, showed, as the Carter administration behaved "like a headless chicken."
NO NUCLEAR IRAN!
The rape of our embassy in Tehran gave birth to terrorism. And Carter had a big hand in creating it. Before the embassy take over, Americans were respected all over the Middle East - free to travel the whole area with respect. How do I know this? I was there.
My children went to the Tehran American School - with 12,000 kids enrolled, complete with homecoming, baseball, football, buses and everything.
Nixon got the whole place on their knees.
Again the media never blamed Carter. In fact he was given the Nobel Peace Prize which is a joke.
These liberals with their "political correctness" mentality is considered out of control.
We need GWB again to clean their mess.
Some background:
The Disasterous "Desert One" Rescue Operation of 1980
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/547308/posts
The arab world first tried to bankrupt the US by simply raising the price of oil. That failed thanks to Kissinger and Reagan.
Their new way to bankrupt us is to strike directly at the US economy as they did at the World Trade Center in 2001.
It amazes me that the democrat's message with Kerry is the same as the impotent Carter and Clinton responses....this time with greater consequences for the US.
If we do not repudiate democrat impotence by re-electing President Bush, we are indeed finished.
Thanks for bringing this up. Many youngsters fail to realize this or weren't around to experience just how it started. Forget about Clinton (although he played a major role in his indifference), blame cannot be laid at his feet alone. Carter set the tone for arab illusions that America is weak and will do nothing. It escalated over the years from 1979 on. Only President's Reagan and Bush Sr. held the arab world and it's radical spin off's responsible.
More reason than ever to get off your tails feathers and vote today. This is an important election and you youngsters can really make a difference and take control of your country. Don't let a treasonous half baked four month wonder lead us back to 1979 or worse yet 1971. Defeat him and give your fathers, uncles and grandfathers the welcome home that was never received.
I hate to say it but I have run into a few vets who hate bush more then they hate kerry and it goes back to Bush Sr.
I found this particularly chilling or, rather, the prospect that because of today's election we could return to that Carteresque mindset.
* * *
What especially surprised Khomeini was that Carter and his aides, notably Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, rather than condemning the seizure and the treatment of the hostages as a barbarous act, appeared apologetic for unspecified mistakes supposedly committed by the United States and asked for forgiveness and magnanimity.
Once he had concluded that America would not take any meaningful action against his regime, Khomeini took over control of the hostage enterprise and used it to prop up his "anti-imperialist" credentials while outflanking the left.
The surprising show of weakness from Washington also encouraged the mullahs and the hostage-holders to come up with a fresh demand each day....
Matters worsened when a military mission to rescue the hostages ended in tragedy in the Iranian desert. The force dispatched by Carter fled under the cover of night, leaving behind the charred bodies of eight of their comrades.
In his memoirs, Ahmad nicely captures the mood of his father, who had expected the Americans to do "something serious," such as threatening to block Iran's oil exports or even firing a few missiles at the ayatollah's neighborhood.
But not only did none of that happen, the Carter administration was plunged into internal feuds as Vance resigned in protest of the rescue attempt.
It was then that Khomeini coined his notorious phrase, "America cannot do a damn thing."
He also ordered that the slogan "Death to America" be inscribed in all official buildings and vehicles. The U.S. flag was to be painted at the entrance of airports, railway stations, ministries, factories, schools, hotels and bazaars so that the faithful could trample it under their feet every day.
The slogan "America cannot do a damn thing" became the basis of all strategies worked out by Islamist militant groups, including those opposed to Khomeini.
That slogan was tested and proved right for almost a quarter of a century....
Thats very interesting that the muslim street had some respect for Americans and that we lived together peacefully. I would like to hear or read more about that. I do know that Russia was once feared all over the world and nobody including the muslims touched them. That has changed though. It appears Islam was just sleeping for a few decades before continueing their quest for world domination ala Ren & Stimpy
Just think, those freaking Jimmy peanut boy cabinet folks and his insane idealogy would go to the White House were the Communist John Kerry to win...thank God Bush wins.
bttt
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