The Best Slave Thinks He's Free

I have said for the past few years, under BushCo, while the leftwing blogosphere and progressive "leaders" incessantly fear-mongered that Bush would wage war on Iran, that I had no fear of war with Iran - it wasn't going to happen under Bush, and I reminded folks that both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo/Bosnia, etc. were all initiated by Democrat presidents. (Both republican Bush wars in Iraq have been an anomaly - are the Bushes closet democrats?)

Now, with current election protests in Iran, and a Democrat in the White House - I suspect the threat of US war in Iran is closer.

Watching massive doses of reports online and on cable, it's time for concern. Both left/right, conservative/liberal, dem/rep in the US are chanting support for the protesters in Iran because - the protesters want democracy, human rights, freedom. Hard to believe our government blabbers on and on about freedom and rights for Iranians while curtailing and interfering with our own at home.

When the US "right" holds up a photo of an Iranian woman being stoned for adultery the "left" accuses the right of using it as an excuse to go to war. When the "left" holds up the same photo it's issuing a demand for human rights. But it's political deceit and spin - because neither the democrats nor the republicans have a problem with dropping "smart stones" from the air on the same people - to free them of course.

The media is saturating us with the bloody images, arson, screams, fear, terror inside Iran, supposedly through twitter, facebook, etc. Why the Supreme Leader Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have not cut power to the www and cell towers is any one's guess, although initially it was reported there was a media blackout.

But let me point out a few things. Iran has a population of approximately 71 million, 50-60% said to be under 30. These would be the children of the 1979 revolutionaries who overthrew the Shah. It is very unlikely that these offspring have turned against the revolution of their parents and grandparents. The number of protesters has been cited as anywhere from tens of thousands to 1 million. Even if the number of protesters approached 1 million, say 710,000, that would be only 1% of the population, and it is likely the numbers are smaller. At 1% this is not a popular uprising - it is one political faction attempting a coup over the other faction.

Consider, 98% of Iranians are Muslim and the majority more or less support their theocracy - they do not seek a Western styled democracy.

I remind you too that whether Ahmadinejad or Mousavi was selected/elected - both men were handpicked by the ruling mullahs to run for office. Mousavi, contrary to what we are being told, is as much a hardliner as Ahmadinejad. And regardless how we as Americans feel about the system in Iran - it is the system made by Iranians.

The election protests in Iran are not about "freedom" as it pertains to the image conjured up by Bubba and Joe Blow - it's the equivalent of the Bush/Gore 2000 election. Had Americans responded with protests as the Iranians have, there would have been death and chaos - and troops, and Bush would still have been sworn in. Whether Ahmadinejad or Mousavi, Bush or Gore, they will always institute the policies of the ruling class, whatever that may be during that particular term of office.

Mousavi, has now stated he is ready for martyrdom. A martyr for what? Democracy, rule of the majority? 1 percent is not a majority.

Facts to remember regarding Mousavi:
• The son of a tea merchant, Mousavi, 67, was born in Khameneh, in northwestern Iran — also the hometown of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to a relative, Mousavi is the grandson of Khamenei's paternal aunt.

• Served as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1988, guiding the country through its war with Iraq and earning plaudits for his stewardship of the economy.

• While in office, he severed ties with Great Britain over the U.K.'s refusal to disavow Salman Rushdie, the British author whose The Satanic Verses spurred Ayatollah Khomeini to declare a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death.

• Was placed on the leadership council of Lebanon's Shi'ite militant group Hizballah by Ayatollah Khomeini when the group was founded in 1982. Mousavi does not recognize Israel, though he has condemned the Holocaust.

• Defended the seizure of 52 American hostages at the U.S. embassy in 1979. The hostages were held for more than 400 days; the two countries have not had normalized relations since.

• Has not served in the government since 1989, the year the prime minister's post was dissolved. Since then he has been a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, which advises the Supreme Leader, and of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, which monitors artistic expression.

• Emerged as the leading challenger to Ahmadinejad after former President Mohammad Khatami, the leading moderate candidate, dropped out of the race in March, explaining that he did not want two reformist candidates to split the opposition vote. (Others have suggested his exit was spurred by fears of assassination if he remained in the race.)

Be careful, when the ruling parties and pundits on both Fox News and CNN agree on an agenda and are offering the same interpretation of events - especially tucking the words "democracy and freedom" in every other paragraph - it usually signals that the US is meddling and preparing to liberate someone at gunpoint.