Iran: Another Foreign Policy Failure.

Stephen Kinzer wrote a book on the 1953 overthrow of the popular Iranian government to restore the dictator and thug Reza Shah who oppressed and murdered 10’s of thousands who opposed his rule and loss of freedom. “All The Shah's Men” tells how presidential decendent and CIA spy Kermit Roosevelt orchestrated the overthrow out of the US embassy in Tehran, paying thugs to stage violent riots against a forewarned police, then pressuring a corrupt military chief to announce that the chaos was brought on by a treasonous prime minister, and stability demanded restoration of the self-exiled monarch. The 25-year reign of Reza Shah made Sadam look like a Boy Scout.

Since over half of the population in Iran today is under 30, few will remember that defining event. But not the supreme leader Ali Khamenei. He was around during those days, as well as in 1979 when fermenting Islamic radicals took their opportunity to strike and take back control of their country from the grips of the US-placed tyrant.

How did that experience shape the response of Khamenei yesterday when declared a clear winner in the presidential election, even as thousands march in the street in protest? Does he think the protesters today are speaking for themselves, or acknowledging the US dollars and effectiveness of the Iran Democracy Fund? We have been spending tens of millions of dollars each year since 2006 to 'promote democracy' in Iran by fermenting instability. Don't you think he had some basis in history in questioning whether the riots were the result of genuine political discontent, or foreign influence?

The Iranian election simply points to another example of how our federal government takes dollars that should be spent on educating our kids and taking care of our seniors, and blows it on foreign folly. While we are struggling to come up with $3.6 million to return pink-slipped teachers and restore full-day kindergarten, our congressional delegation has no problem with spending $65-million to create enough chaos in one country to justify spending $30-billion to defend another.

Our responsibility is to our kids, our city, our retirement, our future. Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and 9/11 are examples of huge investments in ill-concieved foreign policies that have all come back to haunt us. In most cases, it has created enemies where before there were none, and isolated us from what should have been trading partners.

We need to shed the influence and failures that dictates who our enemies are, and how we should spend our money, and where we should send our soldiers to die. We need to ensure that the counties we defend actually support freedom, democracy, and equality. We don't have the money to do this any more.

If we can't afford full day kindergarten and Friday night football, then we can't afford to interfere with the government, elections, and freedoms of other countries. If we really want to spread freedom and democracy, then lets make teaching that a priority to our own children.

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Joe Briggs is co-host of the 2Joes show that airs Wednesday's at 7PM on MCAM-TV23.