www.antiwar.com
I grew up in Iran and immigrated to US to avoid living in a theocracy. Lately though, the trajectory of US politics is something to worry about, not only to me, but also to many others in my predicament.
Wednesday night at the Republican convention was an especially poignant moment. I was watching Sarah Palin deliver her acceptance speech. As I was watching her, her family, and her adoring fans in the Republican convention, I could not overcome a feeling that I have seen this scene before...
Right after the Revolution in Iran and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the Iran-Iraq war was started. To be fair, Iraq started that war, but the new revolutionary leaders of Iran saw the war as a godsend. They milked it for all it was worth. They labeled anyone against the war as a traitor or unpatriotic. Anyone who suggested that there may be a negotiated settlement was ridiculed and purged from power. Even Ayatollah Khomeini once said that this war is a blessing from God himself. You may see the parallels here already, but keep reading.
punditman says...
The article points out that Ayatollah Khomeini once said that the Iran-Iraq war is a blessing from God. Sarah Palin once said that the (current) Iraq war is a "task that is from God."
Recall that the United States is supposedly all about the separation of Church and State. Recall also a time when religious activism meant standing alongside the poor and the beaten down, challenging the money changers and marching alongside the Peacemakers in the tradition of Jesus, Ghandi and Martin Luther King. Then, starting around forty years ago, the American right-wing began a rather successful campaign to appropriate Christian political activism. The result is that they now have much more in common with the mullahs in Iran than with any true lover of freedom. The lethal combination of militarism and religion adds up to theocracy, not democracy.
The author sees this clearly, having looked at two sides of this ugly mirror.
