>If leftists in the West trust "the people of Iran to condemn the
>crimes committed by their own government and deal with them
>appropriately in due course," they must then _refrain from usurping_
>the Iranian people's right to do so at their pleasure.
>
>It's possible that there is a silent majority of leftists who actually
>think like you and me, though, and it is only a vocal minority of
>opinion-makers among us who insist that we all condemn the crimes of
>other peoples' governments to gain "credibility" among the Americans
>who they think want to hear such condemnations _early and often_.*
>
>If that is the case, the silent majority ought to speak up and change
>this self-defeating practice of leftists that does not cultivate the
>habit of democracy and republicanism and that only contributes to the
>dumbing down of political discourse (X is a "monster," a "new Hitler,"
>a "cruel dictator," etc.).
>
>What the public need from leftists is not condemnation but description
>and explanation -- regarding the political economy, social structures,
>and other relevant facts of Iran (we've yet to get them to study Iran
>101), imperialism today and its history, and so on.
Can you take the cumquats out of your mouth 'cause I don't know _what the fuck_ you're talking about?