Many people who have been dead for longer than 25 years are more significant than you Holly.
That's why people still write about them,and never will about you. On Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 5:07 PM, Hollywood <[email protected]>wrote: > > bruce, > > Who cares what you THINK she MIGHT have done. Woman's been dead for 25 > years. > > On Jul 3, 3:19 pm, bruce majors <[email protected]> wrote: > > Ayn Rand vs. Barack Obama on Iran Column by Erika Holzer - Jun 30, 2009 > 40 > > ratings from readers > > After Iran's recent clampdown on protesters, it took Barack Obama a full > > week to denounce the regime's brutality. Ever wonder what Ayn Rand's > > reaction to the same circumstances would have been? > > > > How would Ayn Rand’s response to the Iranian crisis have differed from > > Obama’s? For many conservatives, libertarians, and even some > Objectivists, > > the answer is not self-evident. > > > > It depends on one’s definition of “self-interest.” > > > > An articulate critic of California’s spendthrift politicians recently > > blasted away at a seemingly infinite list of special-interest groups > > lobbying for government handouts — until he veered off track with a > > wisecrack remark about “Randian self-interest” being in the same league > with > > the “self-interest” demands of teachers’ unions, civil service > bureaucrats, > > and the like. > > > > But anyone conversant with the philosophy of Objectivism and its > > uncompromising defense of individual rights is acutely aware that when > Rand > > spoke of self-interest, it was with a crucial modifier in mind: > > rationalself-interest. And to seek the > > unearned, as the above-named special-interest groups do, is both patently > > irrational and antithetical to the concept of individual rights. > > > > Bearing this in mind, what would be Ayn Rand’s take on the current > Iranian > > crisis? > > > > In “The Wreckage of the Consensus” Rand wrote about the “...need for a > > foreign policy based on long-range principles, i.e., an ideology.” > (Emphasis > > Rand’s.) “But,” Rand stated emphatically, “a revision of our foreign > policy, > > from its basic premises on up, is what today’s anti-ideologists dare not > > contemplate....” She went on to point out that “[a] proper solution would > be > > to elect statesmen — if such appeared — and with a radically different > > foreign policy, a policy explicitly and proudly dedicated to the defense > of > > America’s rights and national self-interests…” (emphasis mine) (The > > Objectivist, April 1967). > > > > In other words, unlike Obama, whose “foreign policy” is so fuzzy as to be > > almost devoid of principles (not even short-range, let alone long-), Rand > > would have advised a newly elected president to give high priority to a > > clear-cut foreign policy as soon as he took office, thus eliminating the > > possibility of being caught off-guard — as Obama was — five months into > his > > first term by the Iranian crisis. > > > > Nor is it hard to predict how Ayn Rand would have defined America’s > > “self-interest” today in dealing with the likes of Ayatollah Khamenei or > > Mahmoud Ahmadinejad if some talk show host were to interview her. All one > > has to do is extrapolate from a revealing 1964 Playboy interview, > > substituting Iran for Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia or Cuba. > > > > Playboy: What about force in foreign policy? You have said any free > nation > > had the right to invade Nazi Germany during World War II.… > > > > Rand: Certainly. > > > > Playboy: ...And that any free nation today has the moral right — though > not > > the duty — to invade Soviet Russia, Cuba, or any other “slave pen.” > > (Emphasis mine.) Correct? > > > > Rand: Correct. A dictatorship — a country that violates the rights of its > > own citizens — is an outlaw and can claim no rights. > > > > Playboy: Would you actively advocate that the United States invade Cuba > or > > the Soviet Union? > > > > Rand: Not at present. I don’t think it’s necessary.... I would advocate a > > blockade of Cuba and an economic boycott of the Soviet Union; and you > would > > see both of those regimes collapse without the loss of a single American > > life.... ” > > > > Rand also told her interviewer: “I do not believe that an individual > should > > cooperate with criminals, and for the same reason, I do not believe that > > free countries should cooperate with dictatorships.” > > > > In other words, Ayn Rand would disagree with well-meaning conservatives > and > > Objectivists who think that we necessarily have a duty to intervene in > Iran. > > > > Robert Tracinski, in his June 22, 2009 TIA Daily newsletter, writes that > > “[w]e have the opportunity to encourage the collapse of the > > longest-standing, most militant modern Islamic regime — a leading sponsor > of > > terrorism.” He also makes this understandable assumption: “The success of > > the new Iranian revolution is, of course, vital to American’s interests.” > > > > But is it? > > > > Despite the heart-rending plight of literally millions of Iranians (many > of > > them young men and women whose “Death to Dictatorship” protests and brave > > defiance of a monstrous regime have been met with bloody slaughter), from > > Ayn Rand’s perspective whether our government should intervene — and if > so, > > how — rests on what is in America’s self-interest. > > > > That said, I think a strong case can be made that Ayn Rand would conclude > it > > is in America’s rational self-interest to intervene. > > > > On June 22, 2009, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late Shah of Iran — > > who normally keeps a low profile — addressed a packed room of sobered > > reporters at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. ten days after > the > > protest movement began. “If the popular uprising in Iran is crushed,” > > Pahlavi warned, “this would not only threaten global stability but could > > lead to nuclear war.... [F]anatical tyrants who know that the future is > > against them may end their present course on their terms: a nuclear > > holocaust.” > > > > Columnist Pat Buchanan recently noted that despite Obama’s efforts to > > sweet-talk the ayatollahs into linking their nuclear program to energy > > purposes, the regime has continued to engage in the process of enriching > > uranium. > > > > Columnists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann are convinced that Iran is a > “dire > > threat to our national security.” That the president of the United > State’s > > “pathetic performance vis-à-vis Iran...cannot but send a message to all > of > > America’s enemies that his “transparent appeasement of Iran’s government > and > > it’s obvious lack of reciprocation” show him to be “a wimp” and sends a > > clear signal to rogue nations that Obama is “clueless” about handling > > foreign policy crises (emphasis mine). That “...[A]s North Korea prepares > to > > launch a missile on a Hail Mary pass aimed at Hawaii, Obama’s Democrats > > slash 19 missile interceptors from the Defense Department budget.” > > > > To be a “wimp” under these circumstances is to be an appeaser, which is > what > > Barack Obama is. And in Ayn Rand’s view, rogue nations like Russia and > Nazi > > Germany (read Iran, North Korea, Putin’s Russia) “...like any bully, feed > on > > appeasement.” Such bully regimes, Rand stated, would “retreat placatingly > at > > the first sound of firm opposition” (emphasis mine) (Los Angeles Times, > Nov. > > 11, 1962). > > > > Obama has proved deaf to the arguments Ayn Rand would have made about how > to > > deal with the revolution in Iran. It took him one week of dithering with > his > > advisors before he saw fit, in the words of Jonah Goldberg, > Editor-at-large > > of National Review Online, to give “a full-throated denunciation of the > > regime’s clampdown and a statement of support for the protesters.” (And > only > > after Congress and the Europeans had beat him to it, Goldberg noted > dryly). > > “[I]f the clerical junta prevails,” Goldberg warned, “anyone who shakes > > hands with Ahmadinejad will have a hard time washing the blood off his > > own....” > > > > All things considered, I think that Ayn Rand would have quickly sized up > the > > Iranian crisis and weighed the threats to our country’s national > security. > > She’d have grasped that if the most powerful man in the world — the > > president of the United States — did not confront the ayatollahs and > > voice strong > > unqualified support of the protesters, our country would risk nuclear > > proliferation, not just in Iran, but in other rogue nations. That the > > unthinkable — nuclear holocaust — was a real possibility. > > > > I think that, as Robert Tracinski correctly argued, “The success of the > new > > Iranian revolution is ... vital to America’s interests.” > > > > And I have no doubt that Ayn Rand would have written a scathing > denunciation > > of President Barack Obama for not recognizing and acting on his moral > > dutyto — if not invade Iran — then at least to support the Iranian > > revolution > > with all the means at his disposal. > > > > Erika Holzer < > http://www.theatlasphere.com/directory/profile.php?id=11740>’s > > vigilante suspense thriller Eye for an > > Eye< > http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0595.. > .>was > > a Paramount feature film directed by John Schlesinger and starring > > Kiefer Sutherland and Sally Field. For more about her other books, > fiction > > and non-fiction, and her most recent book, Ayn Rand: My Fiction-Writing > > Teacher< > http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=theatlas...>, > > seewww.ErikaHolzer.com<http://www.erikaholzer.com/>. > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
