I appreciate your comments but you really didn’t answer my question. Melissa has said on this blog that she believes that abortion is the taking of innocent life. I just looked at your blog and I see that you sat that don’t have strong beliefs on abortion (I was looking at your comments on the DHS memo). I too don’t have a strong a belief on abortion. So I understand your feelings that our government is better. But Melissa believes that the U.S. government is allowing the large scale taking of innocent human life — something that is clearly not happening in Iran and Venezuela. And yet she then states that our government is so much better than these governments that our leaders should not even meet with them. It seems to me that either her stated abortion position is greatly exaggerated or she is not intellectually consistent.

Moving away from my point about Melissa’s inconsistency, let me ask you about your statement that “Venezuela is a dictatorship and I’m sure Chavez does some nasty things to his people.” Well, I agree that Chavez does some nasty things, but where is the evidence that it is a dictatorship? Even the Bush Administration accepted that Chavez was legally elected multiple times as do all the countries in the OAS. That is why he is invited to these summits and the Castro brothers are not. Now Chavez has abused his powers but he he still has continued to win elections. He did try to expand his power through a referendum but he narrowly lost because the Venezuelan people don’t want Chavez to have unlimited power. But just the fact that he held a referendum and didn’t rig the results disproves your point that is a dictator. It seems to me that Chavez is doing a lot of damage to Venezuela right now but the average Venezuelans still thinks he is a better alternative than the oligarchs who used to run the country. That will probably change at some point, but that is up to the Venezuelan people. We ought to follow John Quincy Adams’ words explaining why America did not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries: “Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.
She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. “

Last time I checked, Britain, Israel, India, Poland and and France are thriving democracies with the rule of Western law.

Now, you may consider stoning a woman to death for adultery or the idea that a woman’s testimony in a court of law is much less than a man’s to be “advanced,” but that is how it is in Iran. Venezuela is a dictatorship and I’m sure Chavez does some nasty things to his people. So yes, I’d say that, as retarded as our government is right now, it’s a damn sight better than the two countries you stated.

Of course, your argument is not really concrete, but I hope this response helps.

Mat

“If by Fireworks, you mean small scale nuclear War with India, then yeah, I agree.”

Among other things, yes. Of course, I’m sure India won’t be the first target for the nukes though, given the nice juicy target our own soldiers make in nearby Afghanistan. Of course, their loss wouldn’t bother liberals so much. After all, they’re only military…

“Jimmy Carter’s biggest mistake on Foreign Policy was letting the Shah of Iran fall.”

Carter made a number of mistakes on Foreign Policy (did he actually make any right decisions?), but yes, Iran was his defining moment as a foreign policy stumbler. I would also mention his limp dick response to the Russians in Afghanistan and his giving away the Panama Canal were also two major blunders as well.

“Obama’s biggest mistake on Foreign Policy may be letting the current Pakistani Government fall.”

Don’t forget Iraq, since he doesn’t seem to be concerned about that government either, given his hell-bent attitude on getting our troops out of there as soon as possible. I think a disintegration of Iraq could be as much, if not more, destructive than the dissolution of Pakistan. I say this because an Iraq collapse could (and probably will) destabilize the entire Middle East with massive economic implications.

Of course, these problems are merely “distractions” for our Dear Leader. What’s more important is that people like you and I are dangerous “right-wing extremists”
because we dare to question the Messiah’s vision.

If by Fireworks, you mean small scale nuclear War with India, then yeah, I agree.

Jimmy Carter’s biggest mistake on Foreign Policy was letting the Shah of Iran fall.

Obama’s biggest mistake on Foreign Policy may be letting the current Pakistani Government fall.

You criticize Obama for supposedly believing that “There is no better or worse government. Iran and Venezuela deserve the same, if not more, respect than loyal, strong democracies like India, Poland, Israel, Britain and France (well, they’re kinda loyal).” I’m sure Obama would say that he doesn’t believe that but your comment got me wondering. You apparently believe that the governments of Iran and Venezuela are so much worse than the other governments you list. How does that square with you statements elsewhere in this blog that abortion involves the taking of human life? In Iran and Venezuela, the government only allows legal abortion if the woman’s life is in danger. In the U.S., India, Britain, and France abortion is available on demand while in Israel and Poland there are significant restrictions on abortion but less restrictions than in Iran and Venezuela. If you believe that the protection of innocent life is the most important duty of a government (as I assume you do) and if you believe that abortion is the taking of life (which you say you do), how can you say our government is better than Iran or Venezuela?

Nixon thawed relations with China so that they weren’t cozy with the Soviets. What’s Obama’s excuse? We’re cozying up to Venezuela so we can do what exactly?

Melissa,

It is what it is. We will eventually pay the price for the foreign policy that the Messiah enacts. Meanwhile, the Taliban are now 60 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. Can’t wait to see the fireworks when that country breaks apart…