Credibility Contests Aside...
Like the boy who cried wolf, who would ever believe the pompous over-statements and shrilly hubristic incitements issued from the likes of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? The culture and tradition that produces such utterances of inflammatory rhetoric, that demands 'respect' through acts of imposed humiliation run so counter to the rational mind-set of the West they seem like the outpourings of raving lunatics. Which is why we think of them as inhabitants of a mad-house.And that causes us to think of them as being painfully troublesome, irritatingly stupid and in their barbaric simplicity dangerous. They are all of that, and more. They counter rational points of view with illogical, theologically-driven statements of divine intent. The West has only its intelligent retrospection to rely upon; Iran has the serene knowledge that it acts always on the direct orders of divine intervention in man's affairs. It's a no-contest argument; who can contest god's word, after all?
Now Iran is exhorting its people to rally around the ruling clerics and their intemperate president to defy the demands of the West and specifically in this instance, of Britain, for the return of the 15 British hostages by calling for the death sentence to be imposed upon these impious invaders of Iran's territorial waters on suspicion of espionage. In the court of Muslim extremist public opinion through its state-sponsored enmity toward the West, suspicion equals fact equals condemnation equals death.
"The occupation forces of Britain have strayed into our waters and our border guards have captured them with courage, knowledge and generosity," stated Mr. Ahmadinejad. "But instead of apologizing to the Iranian nation the arrogant play the martyr. The arrogant powers in the world are issuing statements and delivering speeches instead of offering their apologies and expressing their mea culpa." If it were not so serious, it would be a matter for laughter.
The mantra of god-blessed infallibility, and 15th century medievalism becomes them well. What defence does a logical, fair-minded and enlightened community have against the passion of divine righteousness, after all?
Labels: Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, April 01, 2007
<< Home