“(T)o the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.  Stay sheltered.... When we are finished, take over your government.  It will be yours to take.  This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

Notably, the United States and the Central Intelligence Agency carried out a coup in Iran in 1953 that overthrew popular Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh to protect British and U.S. oil interests.  

With approval of the Iranian parliament, Mossadegh had nationalized the Iranian oil industry. Iranian oil had been controlled by the British Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later BP).

After the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was reinstated as authoritarian ruler, he signed over significant portions of Iran’s oil fields to U.S. companies.

The coup ended Iran’s first experiment with democracy and ushered in over two decades of dictatorship under the Shah.   His regime was notorious for human rights abuses conducted by the secret police (SAVAK), which was trained by the CIA and Israel’s Mossad.

In the words of Mossaddegh: “Yes, my sin... is that I nationalized Iran’s oil industry and discarded the system of political and economic exploitation by the world’s greatest empire.”

Until the U.S. confronts its record of overthrowing other nations’ governments, its claims to defend freedom will ring hollow.

It cannot expect to gain the world’s trust, and its wars will keep breeding the very instability it claims to prevent.

 

TERRY HANSEN

Grafton, Wisc. 

 

 

 

 

New federal holiday called for... along with term limits

The ignorance of humanity, the failure of individuals to adhere to God’s word is portrayed daily in the our notation in the abhorrent, dastardly acts against the innocent often as a result of generational, dysfunctional stone walls causing much hardship and suffering. 

A clear depiction in disrespect towards another.... a plague which easily describes the obvious foot soldiers of Lucifer who walk among us.

In America, the Judeo-Christian nation WE are Blessed to be worthy Citizens and lawful in our ways, it is incumbent upon each of us to fend off the devisive OBAMATEERS who portray anti-USA, anti-law enforcement treasonous wheras it behooves the citizens to stand together and demand accountability from each duly elected political office-holder who turns cheek to their oath in promise to safeguard the citizen and our laws to be expelled by a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall, as a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through such referendum before that official’s term of office has ended. 

Recalls even appeared in the constitution of ancient Athenian democracy.

Citizen Tingus calls for a federal holiday as National Prayer Day and a National Referendum for TERM LIMITS NOW!

CHRISTOPHER TINGUS

Nantucket , Mass.

 

Spam Bondi: President Donald Trump’s DOJ fixer

Donald Trump, as we all know all too well, has checked all the ego-driven authoritarian boxes: from demeaning the Constitution and undermining the peaceful transfer of power to scapegoating the media, weaponizing the Department of Justice and unleashing the Gestapo ICE Picks. 

Remember when the bully pulpit wasn’t a MAGA cudgel? TR would. 

Trump is Trump, an authoritarian. He’s had historic predecessors; none have been this impactful. All authoritarians have things in common: from narcissistic personalities to brute power cravings. But they all have help. In the case of Trump, from Congressional invertebrates to Administration sycophants and enforcers.

But some are just street-smart, self-serving, amoral opportunists who have fully supported the despot along the way: from in-house vile enablers, such as national security assistant Stephen Miller, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who knows he works for a “con man.” 

Then there’s Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose position of institutional power is supposed to be insulated from any partisan politicking emanating from the White House. Now she’s the Redaction Queen.

We could see it coming.

While still a Florida prosecutor, she became a regular Fox guest. When first running for Florida attorney general in 2010, she was endorsed by Sarah Palin. Trump contributed to her campaign. Not coincidentally, she shielded the sham Trump University from fraud charges. She endorsed Trump in the 2016 Florida presidential primary. She was one of his impeachment attorneys and was appointed by Trump to the (then) JFK Center for the Performing Arts board of directors. She spoke in Trump’s support at the 2020 GOP convention and supported voter fraud accusations in the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.

She turned the AG role into that of a de factor Trump fixer, a DOJ successor to Michael Cohen. A moral compass that was once aimed at human trafficking and pill mills had now morphed into MAGA magnetics.

Her Judiciary Committee performance was all too fitting. She had her unrelated talking points about the stock market and Trump (“The greatest president in American history”) fealty.

She had snarky (“You’re a failed politician!”) punch lines at the ready. It was an embarrassment for the DOJ and the country. 

Maybe Matt Gaetz would have been the better choice.

JOE O’NEILL

Asheville, N.C.