Boycott the big guys
A consumer boycott of the companies that do business with the Islamic Republic and their agents will have as effective a repercussion as in the case of the South Africa's apartheid regime
January 27, 2006
iranian.com
As the saga of the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear negotiation or lack there-of, is painstakingly coming to its crescendo, yet again, it is time for some unvarnished talk.
Peeling away the usual fluff and meaningless platitude in the form of lip service to the "great Iranian nation", the bottom line is, withstanding the NPT; the sane world is not about to trust the ruling Islamists of Iran with either the practical, hands-on knowledge of an independent full nuclear production cycle -- or, even, the possession of enough rudimentary equipments that could at some point down the line be utilized in the production of the A bomb, the so called surge point.
It says a lot about the dire urgency of the matter that the usually indiscriminatingly business minded French and German governments have turned on their cash cow, the Islamic Republic, jeopardizing the many lucrative preferential sweetheart deals. Albeit gingerly, the Russians too have begun to feel the un-palatability of the prospect of having nuke packing Ayatollahs breathing down their necks.
In a nutshell, the Mullahs' access to the doomsday weaponry in conjunction with their imported and currently deployed ballistic missile capabilities in light of their cultish ideology and rabidly anti-Semitic pronouncements, spells a giant hole in the head that nobody needs.
Although, in hope of buying time for the rotten apple to fall off the tree on its own, calls for coming to some sort of compromise with the Ayatollahs similar to the détente policy with the former Soviet Union, continues. Fortunately, relevant world decision makers seem to have gleaned the fact that the Islamic Republic is not the Soviet Union.
To validate the point, one only needs to read the text of the Friday prayer sermons of two of the stalwart pillars of the Islamic Regime, Ayatollahs Janati and Meshkini. Respectively the heads of two of the most important institutions of the Islamic Republic Inc, the Council of Guardians of the Constitution and the Assembly of Experts. Both these power brokers are on the record repeatedly asking for the annihilation of infidels. Jannati, as recently as two months ago, branded all as "animals".
The question now, as before, is what to do. The good news is that the regime is loathed by the brutally subjugated nation, negating any need for external military intervention to effect a permanent furlough plan for the mullahs in all their different masks (whether reformer, conservative, pragmatic, ...).The bad news is that in the short run a select few corporations will not be making their annual projected stock increases, and for the rest of us, it is going to cost a few cents more per gallon to fill up.
New York City's comptroller William Thompson Jr who oversees the city's pension plans has announced a directive to all fund managers to abstain from investing in any enterprise that does business with the terror states. His commendable pioneering effort and those of NY pensioners need to be duplicated. On the individual level we also have a choice to make.
A consumer boycott of the companies that do business with the Islamic Republic and their agents will have as effective a repercussion as in the case of the South Africa's apartheid regime. For instance, to the chagrin of Rafsanjani's pistachio empire, one can make certain that snacking on the delicacy does not enrich the "millionaire Mullah" as Forbes magazine calls him.
Or, the Daimler/Chrysler Corporation is set to open a chain of dealerships and set up automobile assembly operation in the Islamic Republic. The announced price tag for the luxury automobiles range between equivalents of $94,000 to $140,000. To put those figures in perspective, it should be noted that an average teacher's salary, should they get paid at all and on time, hovers around $140.
A consumer boycott of the luxury car manufacturer for as long as it is providing comfy rides to the regime favorites will in no shape or form hurt the average Iranian. On the contrary, it will deliver a heart warming message of world's solidarity with their plight, which sooner rather than later will embolden them to do the right thing.
All those vigilant consciences who in opposition to the Iraq war took to the streets in droves have the opportunity now to help avoid a deja vu.
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