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It Was a Pretty
Bad Week
By Kate Burch
Sometimes it’s hard not to be dispirited. First there was the
spectacle of the new fascisti persecuting and financially ruining small
business owners in Indiana in their campaign to force mainstream
acquiescence to the homosexual activist agenda. How is it that a
small, vicious special interest group, purportedly representing 1-3% of
the population, (though, actually, they are probably merely committed
troublemakers) gets to run over the rights of peaceable people to live
their religious values, causing absolutely no real harm to anyone?
Then, there was the Iran “framework of a deal.” One can only
speculate about the possible motives for the concessions that have put
Iran in the catbird seat, but it’s pretty obvious that the world is a
lot less safe because of them.
For some reason, Iran, that “tiny” country, according to the president,
has been allowed to totally hijack the negotiations, relentlessly
violating U.N. resolutions by increasing the number of their
centrifuges from 100 to 20,000 during the course of the negotiations;
and behaving as if deigning to sit at the table, all the while refusing
to make any good-faith efforts, should be gratefully received by
us. That tiny country has shown, and has been crowing, that it
triumphed in Lausanne.
The framework is quite problematic with regard to verifiability and
enforceability. Iran gives up none of its equipment or
facilities, and there are no firm requirements regarding proposed
constraints and inspections. Meanwhile, sanctions will be lifted,
allowing Iran to improve its economy and oh, by the way, its ability to
threaten and subdue its neighbors.
Once sanctions are lifted and some of our European allies resume
trading with Iran, will they be quick to “snap back” sanctions when it
inevitably becomes known that Iran is in violation?
Iran’s neighbors will likely perceive that the United States is willing
to allow a nuclear weapons capability to a nation that they consider to
be their principal threat and adversary. A Mid-East arms race is
the only expectable outcome, and Saudi Arabia has already signaled that
it will undertake development of nuclear arms. Not only has Iran
stated, clearly and on numerous occasions, that it opposes Western
values and wishes “death to America,” but it is also entrenched in
sectarian enmities that have endured for centuries and will not be
modified by attempts at diplomacy. Not only are Iran’s
Middle-Eastern enemies put at serious risk by this likely nuclear
proliferation, but also you and me.
Whoever succeeds Barack Obama as President will have a real mess to
clean up. I don’t envy him, or her.
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