The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend: A Fatuous Position that Continues to Cost Lives

The murders taking place in Iraq are being carried out, post-invasion, by terrorist elements of the old Baathist regime who seek to bring back tyranny and stomp out all hopes for democracy. That fact, which is beyond dispute, is distorted when reporters refer to these killers as "insurgents," which grants them a patina of legitimacy they don't deserve.

But at least reporters refer to them (and with gusto). After all, they highlight what the far left (and far right) see as efforts by indigenous forces to drive the Yankee invader out of their nation; to "reclaim" it, they chant, for Iraqis. This stance, which costs its advocates nothing, shouldn't surprise us, though, because we've seen it all before in Iran (and Vietnam, and Afghanistan, and Cuba, and Nicaragua, and El Salvador, and even the USSR).

In Iran, we saw in the West's response to the overthrow of the Shah an excellent example of the moral nihilism Pope Benedict has condemned. When the Shah was expelled, there was much rejoicing among academics in America, who saw the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as the embodiment of justifiable, indigenous anti-Americanism. Even after the mass executions begin, I recall hearing a distinguished history professor at UGA declare that we weren't in a position to condemn anyone, since this was "indigenous culture" at work. That argument is echoed in some of the reporting from Iraq today.

In contemporary Iran, where the mad mullahs slay and torture their people with abandon, few Western journalists transmit an accurate picture of just how awful life there is for those who love freedom. Search Google News for "Iran" this morning, and you'll discover that the only execution reported is of a convicted rapist.

This MSM silence means that bloggers need to take the lead in ensuring that democracy activists in Iran are not forgotten in the West. The blog American Daughter has catalogued, in two recent posts you'll find here and here, the torture and execution of these brave souls. Warning: these photos are alarming, and sickening, and you should steel yourself before viewing them.

But view them you should, and, if you're a blogger, link to them as well. The fascistic regime in Iran poses a grave threat through its nuclear programs, yet there exists a home-grown opposition. But few in the West know much about it, or its sufferings, because it has received precious little attention from elite media here. After all, the mullahs are anti-American, and so, like the Iraqi "insurgents," they can't be all bad, can they?

Update: American Daughter has linked to several posts that follow up their superb, and vital, work on this unjustly neglected story. I urge you to follow the links and, again, spread the word if you're a blogger. There is really no excuse for the silence this story has received from the MSM.