On the justice of pointing fingers....

"If you point your finger at someone else, you have three pointing towards yourself." Nigerian Proverb

Part 1. The Right Wing Response.

The recent appearance of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmenidjad at Columbia University (and at the UN the day after), came with the usual flag waving xenophobia, from Democratic and Republican politicians, the mainstream press and many pro-Israeli groups.

some quotes:
"It is unacceptable for Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who refuses to renounce and end his own country's support of terrorism, to visit the site of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in our nation's history," Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (her official website)

"Obviously, there's some degree of capital support that has been provided to Columbia in the past. These are things people might take a different view of … knowing that this is that kind of an institution." NY State Assembly Speaker, Democrat, Sheldon Silver (New York Sun, 9/24/2007, http://www.nysun.com/article/63232 )

"We should be tightening our sanctions against Iran, not welcoming him to the world stage, and I've called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to withdraw that invitation," -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (Republican)

"What we should be doing is indicting Ahmadinejad under the Genocide Convention." -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (Republican)

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Part 2. The 10 Hypocrasies of Iran Bashing

1. Columbia President Lee Bolinger called Ahmenidjad a "petty and cruel dictator." In 1951, after Dr. Muhammad Mossadegh was popularly elected president of Iran, he promptly nationalized US and British oil fields. Under the direction of Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., a senior CIA officer and grandson of the former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the CIA and British intelligence funded and led a covert operation to depose Mossadegh with the help of military forces loyal to the Shah, known as Operation Ajax. The "Shah" (Reza Pahlavi) was re-installed and created one of the most infamous secret police forces, the "SAVAK" to repress and kill any political opposition.

2. New Year's Eve, 1977, President Jimmy Carter toasted the Shah at a state dinner in Tehran, calling him "an island of stability" in the troubled Middle East. The aforementioned dictator, the "Shah", was driven from power in 1978 by mass demonstrations and strikes. In 1979, President Carter, and the behest of the CIA, State Department and officials like Henry Kissinger and George Bush Sr., allowed the "Shah" exile into New York City. Immediately after news of his entry hit the world press, the American Embassy in Tehran was taken over in protest by a group of Iranian students in reaction. The "Shah" would remain in New York City hospitals receiving treatment for terminal cancer till the end of 1979. He traveled to Egypt in December, 1979 and died there. Egyptian President Sadat, criticised for serious human rights violations, and major US ally, gave the Shah a state funeral.

3. Quoting Socialist Worker Newspaper: The unfriendly welcome was quite a contrast to the media welcome given to "U.S. allies such as Pakistan’s military dictator Pervez Musharraf; former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a Hindu supremacist; or Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is out to destroy the Palestinian people."

4. Columbia University President Lee Bollinger ranted for upwards of 10 minutes against the Iranian president, he felt no such need when introducing the right-wing, anti-immigrant, vigilante group "The Minute Men" leader James Gilchrist last spring. Furthermore, such media outlets as the NY Times, NY Post, even the daily show felt the need to hem and haw about free speech rights when a pro-immigrant protest forced Gilchrist to end his presentation. There is no such response when it comes to trying to disinvite or stop Ahmenidjad from speaking.

5. The US was the first country to build nuclear weapons, is the only country to ever have used nuclear weapons in war (on civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki), and is the only country currently threatening to use them (tactical nuclear bunker busters).

6. Israel is the only country in the Middle East to possess nuclear weapons. Iran is a signatory to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), has never violated the terms. Israel, along with US allies India and Pakistan, are not signatories to the NPT. Despite the scrutiny of the world and the UN inspectors, no definitive evidence exists showing Iran is either developing or has nuclear weapons manufacturing facilities.

7. In response to Ahmenidjad's request to lay a wreath at "Ground Zero", US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters, "We do not support that the tragedy that happened on a site where so many people lost their lives be used as a photo op." The irony of this quote speaks for itself.

8. Iran is criticized for allowing "foreign fighters" into Iraq and Afghanistan. The largest force of "foreign fighters" in both Afghanistan and Iraq is the US Military (note: in Iraq its disputed if Private US contractors like blackwater outnumber US troops).

9. Iran is criticized for giving aid to insurgents in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The US funds every dictator in the region, including Mubarak in Egypt, the Saudi Royal Family, the Kuwaiti royal family, the United Arab Emierates, and the "Gulf States" The US used to call the Afghani "mujahadeen", "freedom fighters" when they fought against the Russians. They supplied them with arms, money and training for years. The leaders then formed Al-Qaeda in the 1990's, headed by Osama Bin Laden. Israel funded Hamas as a counter-weight to Arab Nationalism up through the 1980's. Furthermore, the US regularly funds, arms and trains, right wing paramilitary groups in South America, Africa, South East Asia, and most every other part of the world. Many times funding the dictators that come into power such as Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Mobuto Sese Seko in Belgian Congo (Zaire) now, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

10. THE US GOVERNMENT, WITH ITS SLAUGHTER OF UPWARDS OF 1 MILLION IRAQI'S, DEPLOYMENT OF OVER 250,000 MILITARY PERSONELL ON FOREIGN SOIL IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO DEMOCRACY AND STABILITY ON THE PLANET, HISTORICALLY AND CURRENTLY.

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Part 3. What should the Antiwar Movement Say?

This whole fiasco has highlighted yet again, the political weaknesses of the American Left.

When confronted with complex issues, time and time again, the mainstream antiwar groups and liberal media outlets have failed to grasp the important issue and instead let the right wing rhetoric go unchallanged, or worse, tacitly supported.

The issue is not about the Iranian government's abuse of political dissidents. The issue is not about their treatment of homosexuals, nor even their supposed development of nuclear weapons. The issue is about the US government hyping up Iranian tyranny to bolster a case for attacking and possibly invading Iran.

The "Pox on both your houses" approach misses the whole point. It gives into the claim that the transgressions of the Iranian government are EQUALLY as bad as the transgressions of the US government. When you write up that placard, "NO TO IRANIAN OPPRESSION, NO TO US IMPERIALISM!", which part of that placard do you think the media will highlight?

In fact, ramping up racism against Arabs and Muslims has been a cornerstone of the US war overseas, to convince soldiers to kill their enemy without reaction and to convince the American public to go along with it. In fact, the rhetoric calling for sanctions and agression against Iran does more to hurt movements for justice inside Iran than help them. Just think how the 9/11 attacks helped quell any legitimate criticism of American foreign and domestic policy.

In fact, I was called a traitor and a bush lackey by Antiwar movement activists for supporting Gay Marriage rights and criticising John Kerry's failure to stand up for it during the 2004 elections. You can only imagine the social effect inside Iran when someone says that Religious or sexual freedom is the MOST important issue for social justice groups in Iran after seeing a protest of thousands and a media barrage in support of toppling Iran's government. But imagine if those activists saw a counter-protest of thousands saying, "No Attack on Iran!" and "Stop the Racist Scapegoating of Arabs and Muslims", which will have more of an effect on movements in the Middle East?

The very same media who want freedom of speech for racists here in the US, roll out the gallows when a foreign leader who opposes US foreign policy struts into town, especially if they have brown or black skin. The very people who claim to support the rights of Iranians, the rights of Muslim women and the rights of minorities, are the perpetrators of banning stem cell research in Washington, Jim Crow justice in the south, massacres in the jungles of africa, military coups in South America, oppression in the Middle East, and economic strangulation in Palestine.

I think the Antiwar movement needs to put blame where blame is do. The main enemy is at home!