The enemy within

Will the U.S. have a woman president?


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The enemy within
by Ali A Parsa
05-Jan-2008
 

While we rightly eulogize Behnazir Bhutto's violent death it is also appropriate to ask whether America, or for that matter, any place else in the world is a haven for women's equal rights and equal opportunity. The sad reality is that women have always occupied a lower spot in the stage of life. They have always had to fight tooth and nail to get what has been men's as a birth right. It is therefore ludicrous and unfair to single out extremist groups of Moslems and Taliban for the plight of women.

A look at the short history of America and the contemporary time with respect to status of women will prove that not only this most industrial and progressive nation is no exception for the plight of women but is still behind many nations in that respect.

American history is a witness that its founders did not even include women, of any color including white, blacks and Hispanics in the political process. It is similarly unfair to blame the founders for not addressing women's issues some two hundred years ago when we have only addressed them partially some two hundred years hence during this twenty first century.

Originally the voting right in this new nation was limited to white male who owned property. Until 1869 and the passage of 15th Amendment each black man was equal to 3/5 of a white man and the women counted as nothing and had no voting rights. In fact women did not have voting rights until 1920 and even Hispanic Americans gained voting rights in 1965 during MLK's Civil Rights movement. With the Moslems as new target of demonization and discrimination it seems like the American history is repeating.

The universal culprit for this great disparity has always been a die-hard core of machos that were ignorant, arrogant, and greedy and in favor of status quo. In their small world or cocoons they were threatened by any change. With no offense to all conservatives, far more of these groups felt more at home with conservatives than liberals and more in religious groups than secular. Who were these groups, you might ask. In a way, these could be called the America's Taliban! The hidden truth is that Taliban were not born recently in Afghanistan. They have been around as long as humans have.

Rush Limbaugh, the mouthpiece of the neocons who could be considered as an American Taliban, symbolizes one major contemporary anti-feminist movement. Rush refers to the women's movement as Feminatzis! One major anti-Moslem could be the newspaper columnist Ann Coulter of the Universal Press Syndicate, who refers to Barack Obama as B. Hussein Obama to frighten the people of blacks and Moslems. There are of course others, but no time to go over them all.

One would expect that if there is one country in the world in which women have become equal to men, that country is America. In fact, the number one question of twenty first century is, why does America remain the only industrial nation in which a woman has not been allowed to become president, or even vice president when even in many developing countries that has happened many times. Therefore, the anti-women factions mentioned above, with some of the big media at their service have managed to neutralize the women's struggle for more equality or place it on the back burner.

The America's extremists have not only delayed equal rights for women, but have also taken major steps to undo the American Revolution and change the "government of the people, by and for the people" to government of a few, by and for a few to better achieve their agenda. Their secret weapon for doing this has been to make a mockery of public education, pacify the people with consumerism, luxury consumption, substance abuse and apathetic attitude to reach their goals unchallenged.

In the meantime while the extremists fought to maintain the status quo, the rest of the world moved forward. This hypocrisy has managed to keep not only the American public, but also the women opposed to equal opportunity for women. It was the continuation of that anti democracy movement that led to Electoral College, defeat of campaign finance reform that in effect excludes the people with less money from the political process. Not only that, but also the rich people's votes and popular votes were manipulated and ignored during the last presidential elections.

It is also the continuation of that anti-American policy that has turned the establishment and media against Hillary Clinton. No, this is the truth and not a paid campaign ad for Hillary. It is the resistance of the America's extremism to women and human rights.

There will never be a woman president in America unless the public and especially women realize that America's enemies are more domestic than foreign. Thomas Jefferson said it best, "An empire collapses more from within than from without." One can only hope that the American public wakes up to the reality that no future president, man, woman or in-between will be able to ruin America and our world more than GWB. This comes from the keyboard of a person who was misled to vote for GWB once.

The silent and apathetic public through no fault of its own is conditioned to self-destruct and to disappoint the world that used to look up to us as an example. As long as we have double and multiple standards in dealing with other nations with respect to human and women's rights, as long as we go to bed with regimes with notorious human and women rights in exchange for submitting to our bullying, we are damaging the moral authority of America. As long as we support terrorist regimes in the name spreading democracy and freedom we will be breeding terrorism. As long as we bomb Iraq to get rid of Ben Ladin in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and as long as we plan to bomb Iran for thinking of nuclear power and let Israel go scott free with more than 300 nuclear warheads, we are least likely to be looked at as the champion of women and human rights.

Even a simple common sense condemns our recent role as 'policeman of the world'. We never think a teacher can enforce discipline in a classroom by letting his fair-headed boy get away with misbehavior while the rest are told to put up or shut up and yet that is what we are doing in our global village and global classroom. In the Middle East this is called planting thorn bush and expecting to harvest dates!

Let us also add that as long as we shortchange the American public in education, health care, social security and the best use of their taxes, other countries will not believe that we are out to help them to gain freedom and democracy. America has the wherewithal to reverse this tragic situation and once again be an example of solving seemingly insolvable problems. As long much of our foreign policy is based on arrogance and colonial mentality and underestimating the intelligence of other countries and progressive human and women rights groups we make more enemies and pay for it too!

We should not forget that we as Iranian Americans have an obligation to protect this adopted country from all enemies, we equally have the responsibility of protecting our motherland Iran and the wrol from the erratic foreign policies of America especially that of neocons.

We have to realize that historically America's progress has largely been due to the constant influx of immigrants who kept this Nation of Immigrants vibrant and alive before becoming complacent and apathetic and taking its blessings for granted. We are also indebted to volunteer work of millions of decent Americans at home and abroad who are doing their best to counteract the destructive work of America's extremists and keep America's image until there is more public awakening.

Philosophically speaking, let us not forget that we are indebted to GWB and cohorts for making such a mess of things that will take us a few steps closer to saving America and the world from the grip of extremism.

Please visit my revised website
TerrorismAndHowToStopIt.org


Balatarin
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more from Ali A Parsa
 
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Get off of your pedestal buddy.

by Dan (not verified) on Sun Jan 06, 2008 03:32 PM PST

If you have anyone to thank for elucidating your bigotry, it's you. It's clear you have no sense of the concepts you're grappling with as you find it not only apt to besmirch America by comparing it with the Taliban, but now an ordinary citizen for voicing his disdain of your premise (that the Taliban, in your own words, has received "unfair" representation). I may express myself in vulgar terms, but I would never label someone as "a Taliban" for their mere dissenting opinion -- because I, for one, can appreciate the horrid rancor the label wields. You, for all your claims of "civility" and knowledge, have no problem associating me with rapists, murderers and heinous oppressors merely because I'm not reticent to express myself frankly. You may throw around words like "civility" and use as many exclamation marks as you wish, but it won't change the fact that you're a dilettante.

You say "you hide your identity and then say all you want against someone you happened to disagree with. Where is your courage, tolerance and power of pesuasion?"

You make perfect sense, if you ignore that whole logic thing. How exactly am I "hiding" my identity? Because I haven't readily provided you with my home address, phone and social security numbers? And exactly what is wrong with me saying "all I want" to "someone I happened to disagree with?" I'm "a Taliban" for voicing my dissent to your shitty little article?

You ask where is my "courage, tolerance, and power of persuasion?" Have I told you lately that you make absolutely no sense? Exactly how would you like me to exhibit "courage?" And just so you know, "tolerance" doesn't mean not disagreeing with people. Tolerance means not persecuting people for their mere opinion, and as far as I recall I haven't persecuted you for spewing your petty remarks. Oh, and "persuasion?" Why would you think I care enough about you to want to "persuade" you of anything?

"You are a master of using foul language rather than civil tongue to express a simple counter argument. That method is universally used by those who, due to their lack of logic resort to force and beat their opponents into submission."

I'm free to use "foul language" as I desire, and in case you dissent, you can go fuck yourself. I'm honest enough with myself that I don't need to hide behind a veil of self-righteous language. And just because I find you too insignificant and bigoted to deign you any respect doesn't mean I am part of any "universal" entity of people forcing and beating others into submission. If there's one thing "lacking logic" it's your pitiful attempt at making that case. How exactly have I "forced" or "beaten" anyone into submission? Quit talking out of your ass. I've presented you with perfectly valid arguments, even if I've disparaged you. Take the time to digest them before you go on calling me "a Taliban."

"Taking words out of context instead of their collective meaning is another excellent way to evade the issue and the truth."

I haven't taken anything "out of context." You said the Taliban has received "unfair" representation and that we have unjustly singled them out. And I think that that is bullshit. It's that simple. Call me an "enemy" of the United States and praise yourself as its friend, see if your inconsequential opinion matters to me.

"Why does this fellow conceal the fact that my writing condemns Taliban mentity regardless of where it is, in America or Afghanistan!"

I am not concealing anything. Again, you have poor comprehension skills. I said you are wrong to compare the United States with the Taliban, merely because we haven't had a female president. Would you like me to dumb down the conversation any further?

"Dan states that there is no law in America to prevent women from being president. Where did I say that there was one?"

In a land with laws, laws are the only constraints limiting citizens. When you say "a woman has not been allowed to become president" in the United States, by virtue of the fact that you say "not allowed," you're insinuating that there is some iniquitous force (i.e., a law) restraining women from becoming president. The fact of the matter is, nothing has disallowed women from becoming president, and to suggest otherwise is to blindly conjecture.

"Anyone knows that, but the question is why we have not had a female American president yet. This is a philosophical question and you have just proved that you are not expected to entertain."

Oooh, a "philosophical" question. Actually, de facto segregation is a widespread -- and unfortunate -- phenomenon, and it has little to do with "philosophy" professor Parsa. But that is no basis for comparing the Taliban with the United States.

"Congratulations. By displaying your ignorance by defiance of rules of law and civility, logic and abuse of freedom of speech."

What rule of law and civility is it that bars me from using profanity? And how does my mere use of words to express my opinion register as an abuse of freedom of speech? Because I hurt little Ali's feelings? T'm sorry, but the first amendment doesn't quite work that way buddy.

Clearly, you aren't content with deigning people who aren't particularly fond of you with the freedom of speech. And you're working to "prevent America from deviating from its ideals?" Oh the hilarity.


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R. Dear Mr. Ali A Parsa

by Mona 19 (not verified) on Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:05 AM PST

Dear Mr. Ali A Parsa

Thank you for your Beautiful article,unfortunately At present in spheres of human activity woman does not manifest her natal prerogatives, owing to lack of education and opportunity.

The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment.

The equality of men and women is not, at the present time, universally applied, and until this equality is established, true progress and attainment for the human race will not be facilitated.

Best wishes,
Mona


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rebuttal to Dan

by A.Parsa (not verified) on Sun Jan 06, 2008 05:34 AM PST

The whole point of my article is a warning about not ony Taliban, but Taliban mentality!
I admire the way you proved to be a Taliban yourself in the following ways:
You hide your identity and then say all you want against someone you happened to disagree with. Where is your courage, tolerance and power of pesuasion?
You are a master of using foul language rather than civil tongue to express a simple counter argument. That method is universally used by those who, due to their lack of logic resort to force and beat their opponents into submission. So who is a Taliban or Taliban defender?
Taking words out of context instead of their collective meaning is another excellent way to evade the issue and the truth. This is falsehood. It was the truth that made America free and it is falsehood that is ruining it. With friends like you America needs no enemy!
Please, anyone out there? Do you see a pro-Taliban statement in my writing? Why does this fellow conceal the fact that my writing condemns Taliban mentity regardless of where it is, in America or Afghanistan!
Dan states that there is no law in America to prevent women from being president. Where did I say that there was one? Anyone knows that, but the question is why we have not had a female American president yet. This is a philosophical question and you have just proved that you are not expected to entertain.
Congratulations. By displaying your ignorance by defiance of rules of law and civility, logic and abuse of freedom of speech. You are truly a living example and testament to the fact that how much work we have to do to prevent America from deviating from its ideals. Thank you for helping me to state my concerns for disappearance of our freedom.
As someone said,'what is left when freedom goes'


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Pull Your Head out of Your Ass

by Dan (not verified) on Sat Jan 05, 2008 09:05 PM PST

"Why does America remain the only industrial nation in which a woman has not been allowed to become president..." The only industrialized nation? I highly doubt it. And "not allowed?" Just what the fuck are you talking about? What law is there that bars women from becoming president in this country - now or ever in recent decades? I'll tell you: none. Don't pass off your conjectures for facts, and if you're going to set up a website dealing with an issue as serious as "how to stop" terrorism, expend more effort towards your education first.

You go on to say "it is [...] ludicrous and unfair to single out extremist groups of Moslems and Taliban for the plight of women." First off, get it right, it's Muslims with a U. Second, did you just speak out against an "unfair" portrayal of the Taliban with regards to their repression of women? What kind of a fucking animal are you? Excuse us all to hell for "singling out" the Taliban for raping and murdering and repressing women in every fucking way possible in an entire country. And for you to compare the Taliban's despotic reign to the fact that America has yet to have a woman president (something that is not barred by the law and which stands negligent to the fact that women in this country have no fewer rights here than in any other country around the globe) is yet another testament to the fact that you need to pull your head out of your ass.

Do you want to know what's "unfair?" The treatment innocent women received under the Taliban, NOT the depiction of the Taliban as what they are: fascist animals.

You're among the slew of abhorrent, self-appointed instruments of "peace" who really haven't a fucking clue what's going on in the world and who have devoured liberal bullshit to the extent that they're crying out for the "unfair" representation the Taliban has received. And what's more, you fucking parasites bask in the blessings of America while trumpeting the cause of its enemies.

Get a vasectomy the first chance you get and go fuck yourself.


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Ali Jan

by Jamshid_R (not verified) on Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:46 AM PST

Great article. I am just not too sure about Hillary becoming the "First" woman President.

She just has "TOO MUCH" baggage :) - of "ALL" kinds !!


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