Death to the Dictator

Today Iranian students at the Amir Kabir Technical University staged a demonstration against President Mahmamoud Ahmadinejad which included an exploding firecracker and the burning of the Iranian President's photograph. More amazingly, this happened while Ahmadinejad delivered a speech at the university.

When the students began chanting, "Death to the dictator," Ahmadinejad responded calmly, "We have resisted dictatorship for many years. . . nobody can bring back a dictatorship even in the name of freedom."

Ahmadinejad supporters began chanting in response, and according to the Associated Press, the chanting silenced the protestors. There was no report of arrests.

I don't care what Ahmadinejad says (elected in 2005), for the past 30 years Iran has been ruled by an authoritarian regime which ignores the rights of its own people and constantly imprisons, tortures and murders those who peacefully dissent against its holy regime. Student activism for democracy and freedom is alive and well in Iran. The protest I wrote about above began and ended completely peacefully. The concern here is that the Iraq Study Group Report states that the United States ought to negotiate with Iran and Syria, but leaves out anything about any dialogue about Iran’s nuclear program. Doesn't matter, I highly doubt Iran would come to the table with anybody's interests in mind other than their own, and they would spend the whole time knowing that no matter what everyone else desires, they are going to go forward with their nuclear plans. The violence Iran and Syria puts forth through groups like Hezbollah is something the architects of the ISG report either forgot, or misunderstood since such violence is constandly downplayed to the American public by the mainstream media.

How do you bring to the table people who could care less what you have to say?

Ahmadinejad has made it clear to everyone. He believes that Israel is a threat and will disappear under his hand, replaced by a Palestinian nation. Israel, according to Ahmadinejad, will collapse, and the West will follow.

The Iranian President has also made it clear to everyone that he doubts the Holocaust ever existed and that America will fall under the pressure of Islam. Specifically, America must convert, or die.

Two days ago the Iranian foreign minister also said that Iran would be pleased to assist an American withdraw from Iraq, promising to help with the stability in Iraq.

Yeah, right.

And does Iraq agree with the liberal recommendation of a U.S. withdraw?

Of course not. In fact, the Iraqi President called the Iraq Study Group Report dangerous, and claimed that the recommendations of the report are not fair or just and they undermine the sovereignty of Iraq and their constitution.

The Kurdish leader also criticized the report, and added that an increase in troops could also be detrimental, because it would be seen as a sign of little faith in Iraq's security force. Remain in Iraq, but don't over do it, I take it.

That largest criticism came in regards to the report's call for the approval of a de-Baathification law that could allow thousands of officials from Saddam Hussein's ousted Baath Party to return to their jobs.

The protesting students in Iran made a clear statement. They are tired of having a dictator rule their country. Yet, through the recommendations of a report that carries nearly no value we are ready to hand Iraq over to the Iranian regime.

I just hope that Bush keeps his sanity and holds his course.

The mainstream media, as expected, is still having trouble reporting the facts and what they mean in the real world - preferring to continue their verbal shots at Bush in their attempt to convince everybody of their "Bush is a menace to the world" agenda.

And since when is it our place to ask Israel to give up the Golan Heights, or for us to launch a Middle East Peace Effort without Israel's involvement? What was that? Yes, without Israel's involvement. Specifically, an organized conference promoted as a forum to discuss Iraq's future, and Baker proclaimed that Israel is not invited because the conference is a unique opportunity for the United States to strike a deal without Jewish pressure.

Hey, Baker, listen to Israel for once. Don't negotiate with terrorists. They will break every promise. They will break every treaty. They cannot be trusted. They never have been capable of being trusted, and never will be.

Makes me sick.