Posted on 01/22/2005 5:01:01 AM PST by DoctorZIn
"The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.
God bless you, and thank you."
Ronald Reagan
1/21/81
A lot of those editorials were surprisingly positive and the ones that were not were not surprising.
I agree that HOW the message is put is just as important as the message it's self. BUT this is something we must try to do, as the world is a very small interconnected place and getting more so all the time. We simply cannot leave vast parts of the world mired in tyranny, as sooner or later it will impact(?) on us.
Now what shall we do? This message needs to be broadcast not just once in a while and by one person, but often..everday and by many(memo to the State Dept., Get with the program).
" F/'em, we're going in"!
The problem is (weather you and I like it or not) we need them, or at least a large number of them.
While I don't agree with your feelings on the Patriot Act, I do agree with these :
"we should give their concerns due weight.
Obviously the US cannot impose its will on the whole world"
"I think that what the US wants to do is honorable and necessary, but unless we can proceed w/ a proper and truthful modesty that bears witness to the community of nations (I know that's a corny phrase) the end result of all our actions could be terrible and disasterous, both to everyone else and to ourselves."
Thank you.
bravo!
DoctorZIn,
I think this format is pretty good. I usually visit regimechangeiran.com every day, but some days I just scroll through it when I'm short on time, looking for articles of interest. This would probably make it easier. You run a great blog, DoctorZIn! Thank you for all your hard work.
Now, about this concern that the United States might be imposing its will on the rest of the world.... I disagree. The revised Bush Doctrine is based on the [correct] premise that deep down, the vast majority of the inhabitants of this planet want freedom. So, we won't be necessarily forcing anything on other peoples. It may be perceived as such, but we're really just giving people want they really want. It is the dictators and their ilk who are against freedom for their people. Surely no one here will argue that people enjoy a lack of freedom.
If you want to talk about America forcing its will on the rest of the world, then it's World War II. We raised up a 10 million-man military to take the fight to maybe somewhere like a dozen or more countries on two continents on opposite sides of the world. What Bush proposes in less ambitious, but just as necessary to do. We're going to spread democracy around the world, not the American version of it. For instance, the Afghan constitution says that you must be a Muslim in order to run for president. That's most definitely not in the US constitution. We're not at war with other cultures. We have found through experience that democracy and freedom is the best way to go. True, the US was one of the first modern democracies. But that doesn't make freedom a distinctly American product. No more than money is strickly American or Western.
And I don't react favorably when people try to say that freedom is un-Islamic, and so it can't be done in Islamic countries. Look at Afghanistan's October 9th election last year. Turnout was about 70%. In Iraq next weekend, turnout is expected to be around 80%. I don't recall an American national election where turnout was that high! Freedom is for all peoples of all cultures and nationalities. We are all humans. We are have similar desires. Freedom is one of them. The United States was born out a desire for freedom. I submit to you that in the late 18th century, we wouldn't call Europe any more democratized than Saudi Arabia is today (although Saudi Arabia may today be more oppressive). Democracy isn't a thing that can only happen in the West. The United States perhaps discovered it first. 60 years ago, it was said that democracy would never take hold in the religious fanatic land of Japan. Today, Japan is a democracy and an economic powerhouse. 60 years ago, they (such as the New York Times) were saying almost the exact same things that the mainstream media says about Iraq today. It took five years to establish a government and have elections in Germany. Democracy has swept through Europe over the years, and continues to do so (such as the recent example of Ukraine, which will inaugurate their new leader tomorrow).
From the fires of World War II, the fire of democracy and freedom has been ignited, as Bush said on Thursday. It has been spreading throughout the world, thanks in large part, I believe, to modern technologies. Back then, it was the radio, TV, and rapid transportation around the world. Today, it is now the Internet.
The Internet is the ultimate conduit for free speech, freedom, and true democracy.
Iran Loans Cuba $26 Million
Turkish Press
Jan 22nd, 05
Iran is loaning cash-strapped Cuba $26 Million.
The loan is part of a bilateral cooperation agreement between the two countries covering key areas such as banking, farming and biotechnology.
Cuba's state-run newspaper Granma Friday reported details of the agreement.
The newspaper says Iran will offer Cuba assistance and equipment to help it fight the effects of a drought plaguing the eastern portion of the island.
In return, Havana will help Tehran build a biotechnology factory to produce hepatitis B vaccines and Cuban-engineered medicines to treat heart and kidney disease.
Iran's official news agency IRNA hailed Iranian-Cuban relations, and said the agreement paves the way for further joint economic cooperation between the two nations.
The United States has accused Iran of running a secret nuclear weapons program, and has recently tightened a long-standing economic embargo on Cuba.
Source: VOA News, Some information for this story provided by AFP and Reuters.
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=2490
Need people, -yes. But we can NOT allow foreign journalists to steer our foreign policy.
bump
Stakes are high in mission to bring democracy to Iran
By Sarah Sands
22/01/2005
Telegraph daily, UK
"So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation… America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom."
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, who was watching President George W Bush's speech on television at his hotel in London, noted the language. He was relieved that the phrase "regime change" was not used.
He believes that American military intervention in Iran would be wrong: "Iranians are not willing to buy freedom at any cost. They do not want the freedom of an American general marching in. It is a matter of national pride. We do not need an American soldier to save us."
Mr Pahlavi, 44, has been actively campaigning for secular democracy in Iran since September 11. He says that it is only the regime that stands between an educated, well-resourced country and the free world: "All the unemployment and poverty in Iran is a by-product of political asphyxia."
But Mr Pahlavi says that the rising against the regime must come from within. He looks to the Ukraine or Yugoslavia as a model and rejects comparisons with Iraq: "Iran has a different history, polity, totally different scenarios. Our society is more dynamic and capable. We don't need teachers from American universities to come and teach us about democracy."
What Mr Pahlavi wants from Europe and America is "support for the Iranian people. This means refusing to deal with the regime".
He is particularly opposed to any weapons for trade negotiations: "Other countries should take a principled position on the regime. They must not be seen to cut a deal, at the expense of the Iranian people." There has been little reporting of protests against the regime since the elections last year but Mr Pahlavi's adviser, who asked not to be named, claimed the frustration is at boiling point, particularly among students.
"President Khatami addressed a meeting recently and the students started chanting 'shame on you'. It was moving," he says.
The opposition in Iraq is fastening on the May presidential elections as the moment to force the collapse of the regime. Petitions are being compiled on the internet for a referendum. The opposition claims that the election will be hollow.
"Saddam had elections," says Mr Pahlavi. "Let's not be infatuated by elections." Will the Pentagon have the patience to wait for an internal uprising? A report this week by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker revealed that special forces are already on the ground in Iran.
Mr Pahlavi responds that America must anticipate scenarios but he again rebuffs any sort of intervention. He will not accept, for instance, an American bombing of nuclear installations in Iran to pave the way for a popular uprising. He says that this would immediately strengthen the position of the Mullahs. "It has to be the right mechanism," he says.
He agrees that the stakes are high. Iraq has little chance of becoming a stable country while Iran is supporting insurgency there. "Iran doesn't need to invade Iraq," says Mr Pahlavi. "It is already in there."
He is also clear about the purpose of Iranian Mullahs acquiring nuclear weapons: "It is to blackmail the rest of the world." He says the regime is acutely aware that it is exposed by the toppled tyrannies on its borders and is ready to lash out.
Is he pushing for a restoration of the monarchy as part of a new Iran? "My political mission is over the day that Iranians have the freedom to go to the polls," he says.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/22/wiran22.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/01/22/ixworld.html
bump
Havana will help Tehran build a biotechnology factory to produce hepatitis B vaccines and Cuban-engineered medicines to treat heart and kidney disease.
Translation: Havana will help the Revolutionary Guard with its bioweapons program to attack the Great Satan and the Little Satan.
Keep it up.
Actually if memory serves several nations that are earthquake prone sent rescue teams to help in finding survivors at Ground Zero.
Great thread.....BUMP
I like your new format very much.
And thanks for posting the 'World Press' comments on the Inaugural Address.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1326006/posts
UNRELIABLE SOURCES (Seymour Hersh)
the New Yorker's star investigative reporter, has made headlines with a new expose — this time claiming the United States is conducting super-secret reconnaissance missions in Iran as groundwork for destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and/or invading the country.
(snip)
Germany sent fire fighters to help
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