Hypocrites on the march to Iran

Though it is largely doubted by flag waving hypocrites, I am proud to be an American. I believe that this is a great country with nearly as many freedoms as it claims to have. I am also intelligent enough not to believe those who tell me America is perfect. I have seen too many other countries, talked to too many politicians, and read too many policies to think America cares first about humanity and second about itself.

Still, America is a great country, and if not the best country then it is one of the best countries in the world. Unfortunately, there is an active group of people who want to take America away from Americans and keep it for a few people while controlling as much of the world economy and politick as they can. It is acceptable for such people to have their opinions. The fearful thing is that these people also happen to be the country's present leadership, and their erratic opinions lead to action.

When hypocrites drive the course of a nation it unavoidably creates a nation of hypocrites. I do not like being a hypocrite; however, I am a citizen of a nation that contains the largest stockpile of nuclear armaments in the world. This same nation forbids Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, and others to build the only thing which may give them protection from our bullying while we continue to produce and invent new forms of nuclear armaments.

I am not saying those countries should have nuclear weapons. I am not saying those countries are not in huge moral fault on levels of human rights and basic dignity. I believe in many cases they are. I am saying that we have no right to tell a sovereign nation that it must not create weapons when we continue to create them. There is no reason to create a weapon if there is not some intent upon the possible use of that weapon. So to say these "Axis of Evil" nations may use them if they had them is silly. So would we. In fact, we have used nuclear weapons against civilian populations, something no other nation in the entire world has done.

Terminology like "Axis of Evil" is a large part of why I dislike the leadership of America. They use psychological tricks to enlist the support of their citizenry. "Axis of Evil" sounds like terms we learned in high school labeling Nazi Germany with their cohorts, Italy and Japan. If you have been paying attention to the news, though, you see President Bush and Condoleezza Rice throwing around terminology like that. You also see them invoking the U.N., NATO, and the European nations.

It is interesting to watch how U.S. diplomacy works under the Bush regime. With North Korea we use "multi-lateral" talks: code for making it an Asian region problem. With Iraq, we used the U.N. (for about a week) until it failed. With Iran we are using France, Germany, and England. We hate getting our hands dirty if it means the country does not end up a democracy. We require a "democratic" outcome that we can control. As they say, diplomacy has limits. This week Rice said Iran has "no deadline, no timeline." Wait until next week or the week after and I bet we will see a deadline. Rice and Bush are giving ultimatums and threats all over the newswire.

Bush said, "The Iranians just need to know that the free world is working together to send a very clear message: Don't develop a nuclear weapon, and the reason we're sending that message is because Iran with a nuclear weapon would a be very destabilizing force in the world."

That is an interesting comment, coming from a man who in four years started two wars out of his region of the world. It is an interesting comment, coming from a man whose administration is speaking in terms backed with military presence in Iran.

It seems to me that having nuclear weapons could make Iran a very destabilizing force in the world. In fact, they might almost be as destabilizing as America.