Hey ya'll. I don't post too many diaries here on dkos. I think I've only made two, and my focus is usually on electoral politics. I don't usually get into the geopolitical stuff.
But can we get something straight here?
The people who run the Iranian government are evil.
EDIT II: Here's LondonYank's diary that provoked this one: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/13/73625/672
Yes, evil. Not "controversial," not "just as bad as the Republicans," not "misunderstood and mistranslated."
EVIL. As in, cartoon supervillian evil.
They are BAD PEOPLE who have committed crimes that, if they had not been done under state sanction, would fit the legal definition of murder, kidnapping, torture, etc."
None of this applies to the Iranian people. I'm sure that your average Iranian on the street is a decent fellow, particularly the idealistic college students who are Iran's only hope.
But to sugarcoat the governance of Iran as some sort of progressive paradise is a joke, and only lends credence to Republican charges that we cannot be trusted with the reins of government.
"Vibrant gay subculture?" Are you kidding me? From Wikipedia:
Homosexuality and adultery are criminal acts and punishable by life imprisonment or death, and the same sentences apply to convictions for treason and apostasy. Those accused by the state of homosexual acts are routinely flogged and threatened with execution. [13]. Iran is one of seven countries in the world that apply the death penalty for homosexual acts; all of them justify this punishment with Islamic law. The Judiciary does not recognize the concept of sexual orientation, and thus from a legal standpoint there are no homosexuals or bisexuals, only heterosexuals committing homosexual acts.
The social and economic achievements of the revolutionary regime in Iran in the past 25 years look quite progressive in reducing poverty and social inequalities, and as the society liberalises toward a more secular democratic regime, even better progress can be expected in the future.
Again, is this some sort of joke? Wikipedia: "As an Islamic state, Iran's legislation which is derived from a highly conservative interpretation of Islamic law re-enforces male supremacy...This creates numerous problems in issues regarding rape, where the female is at fault by default. In such cases, the act of sexual penetration must be attested by at least four male Muslim witnesses of good character. The ultimate punishments are reserved to the legal authorities however the law states that false accusations are to be punished severely. [19][20]. According to these views, the principles are so rigorous in their search for evidence, that they create the near impossibility of being able to reach a verdict that goes against the suspect in any manner. [21] Legal imbalances such as this can be seen in the case of individuals such as Atefah Sahaaleh who was executed by the state for 'inappropriate sexual relations', however was most probably a rape victim."
"If Iran, rather like Venezuela, becomes a regional leader and examplar of social democracy..." Well, this ain't gonna be happening any time soon. Do you know what happens to people who speak against the Iranian regime like we oppose the Republican regime?
"A Reporters Without Borders report indicates permanent restriction of the press and denounces an application of censorship found to be systematic. Iran is one of the ten most repressive countries of the world concerning freedom of the press. Journalists detained in prison are often harassed and humiliated, as was Zahra Kazemi, an irano-canadian journalist who died in prison. The Canadian government broke off relations with Iran following his death, suspected to have been backed by the authorities and executed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
In its report published on the 16th International World Press Freedom Day, Wednesday May 3, 2006, Reporters Without Borders denounced 37 "predators of press freedom", of which many were political leaders or armed groups. Reporters Without Borders groups Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad among the "predators of freedom"."
And on and on it goes. Sure, Iran may be relatively ahead of its neighbors in some respects, but that's like being the tallest guy at the midget festival.
For the record, I oppose an attack on Iran. It will not achieve any measure of social justice and just harm innocent civilians.
But just because Ahmenijad opposes Bush and just because attacking Iran is foolish doesn't mean we need to pretend it's some sort of paradise!
Snap out of it. Daily Kos is becoming a bigger and more important part of the Democratic Party. But that means increased responsibility. Reccommending... rose-tinged... analyses like LondonYanks' does nothing to further our cause.
To those who read his diary and thought this site had gone mad, you're not alone. I'm with you guys.
EDIT: Here's the source link. Apologies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran