TEHRAN (Reuters) - Ultra-conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to a stunning landslide victory in presidential elections on Saturday and immediately vowed to turn Iran into a strong and exemplary Islamic state.
Great! The conservatives are marching strong. If it is good for us, it's got to be good for them too. Why should that poor people miss out on enjoying the anti-science, religious zealousy, 16th century morality (or earlier), disregard for the environment, greed and other benefits of neo-conservatism?
It appalls me to see that we (they) hope and expect the liberal philosophy of tolerance, noninterference and science to win everywhere else in the world, especially in Islamic countries, but not here in the United States. It is anti-patriotic and evil; it lacks "values" etc.
I fear that the rise of conservatism in the strongest country in the world will continue to trigger extremism (that's how I see and understand conservatism) elsewhere. Now we have an ultra conservative Iran, the secular regimen of Iraq has been replaced by violence and turmoil, which will (I except) cradle another ultra conservative, religious state in that region. Our soldiers are still dying, suicide bombs are tearing apart any appearance of normal life in Iraq, the only stable countries in the region are our friendly dictatorships (like Saudi Arabia), Osama is nowhere to be found (there are a plenty of "third in command"s found though), Kim Jong Il is developing what ever he wants, etc. Conservatism is marching strong indeed and only that we can do is sit helplessly and contemplate the relationship between "religion, opium and masses".