George Rebane

[This post was published in the op-ed pages of the 23jul26 Union]

On 20 June last The Union published my short piece ‘The MOU to nowhere’ in which I criticized President Trump’s continued attempt to negotiate with Iran’s murderous regime, which has vowed the destruction of Israel, the United States, and through nuclearization has promoted the global spread of Shia Islam for almost the last half century.  During that time the regime has sponsored the deaths of thousands of Americans, Jews and fellow Muslims, and killed hundreds of thousands of its own citizens.  Practicing their scripturally mandated taqiyah, they have never negotiated in good faith, nor have they ever kept a single promise they have made.

In the 18 July edition of The Union local socialist Pauli Halstead took my piece to task in a most curious manner in which she demonstrated the sweep of national ignorance, especially as it afflicts the radical Left and the Democratic Socialists of America, both cohorts of which she most certainly qualifies as a member.  She attacked my four points, all absent in the MOU, with arguments that clearly indicated that Iran, as a sovereign nation state, was equivalent to Switzerland as it fights for its claimed regional rights and promotes its geo-strategic objectives.

Specifically, she claims the mullahs have the right to continue enriching weapons grade uranium for their internal energy needs.  Since we attacked them with missiles, they have every right to continue their production of long-range missiles and use them against their neighbors.  They have every right to sponsor terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis since the US has also sponsored Israel and anti-communist rebels to liberate their own countries.  And finally, she claims that “the Strait of Hormuz is within the territory of Iran (and) Iran will maintain control.”

The latter really illustrates the depth of her general knowledge.  Nowhere in the world are narrow straights, bordered by two or more sovereign nation-states, considered to be a territory in the control of one country.  Such straits as those of Gibraltar, Mandab, Taiwan, Malacca, Bering, English Channel, …, and most certainly Hormuz have always been unrestricted waterways open to international commerce.

In the end Ms Halstead’s critique supports Iran’s continued program of developing a nuclear weapon and its long-range missile delivery system.  She does not know that the theocratic thugs will only respond to overwhelming force, which today must include the decimation of elements of their transportation, power generation/distribution, communication, and energy production infrastructures.  Voters like Halstead are ignorant of Iran’s 40-plus year practice of breaking every agreement they have claimed to negotiate in good faith.  This was demonstrated most recently by Obama’s sophomoric attempt with his Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that generously funded Iran’s ongoing nuclear weapon program and support of terrorist organizations.

If any negotiated peace short of the current regime’s removal from power is accepted, President Trump and the civilized world will have lost both politically and existentially to the gathered forces of global evil, which our children will inevitably have to face.  As a disciple of Marx, Ms Halstead and her ilk understand none of this.