On Jun 27, 2007, at 11:35 AM, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> Some leftists in the West, including some Iranian leftists in the
> diaspora, appear to believe that to portray Iran in the worst possible
> light is in the best interests of Iran's workers, women, GLBTQ
> individuals, and so on and that correcting misinformation in the
> corporate and other media and presenting information about the
> services that the Iranian government does provide its citizens is to
> engage in so-called "apologetics" for the government and to act
> against the interests of the Iranian people. They have yet to
> demonstrate, however, why their line of thinking, and action based on
> it, is in the interest of any segment of the Iranian people _when the
> empire is working hard to tighten sanctions on their country_
> (obstructed thanks only to Moscow, Beijing, Eurasian commercial
> interests, and residual NAM sentiments, as well as Iraqi and Afghan
> resistance, not at all because of any left-wing opposition in the
> West). The way they talk about Iran, it's a miracle if those who
> listen to them don't think that Iran ought to be sanctioned or at
> least sanctions on it shouldn't be opposed. -- Yoshie
Let's turn this point back onto you: what good does it do Iranians, many of whom think things are rather bad in their country, to have Western leftists saying things are pretty good in Iran? If George Bush wants to bomb Iran, then nothing you do or say will stop him - at the same time you discredit opposition to the attack by circulating apologetics. The bellicose will always say that antiwar forces are simply apologists for the enemy. Why make their job any easier? Why is it so hard to say that sanctions are criminal and will only make things worse than they already are for Iranians?
Doug