[Grovenet] New to me.

[Eric Canon]

--- Carol Morgan <camorgan at stanfordalumni.org>
wrote:

> So when a country (or at least whatever
mouthpiece ends up getting through to us) with
these kind of limitations voices the oxymoronic  
wish to be free to vote in tyrannical or
theocratic dictators if they please, there is an
obvious problem, and any democratic-like reforms
implemented in them will last about five minutes.
 They do need a bit of protection from more
mature 'republics' or whatever, or any movement
in that direction will be futile, until some of
the important civil liberties mentioned are also
included to ensure their vote means anything more
than dictatorial influences in the area
disguising themselves as votes.>

<snip>

It would be wonderful and appropriate for our
country to give such a helping hand as you
describe, along with respect for people's will.
But when the "helping hand" produces such as
Batista in Cuba, the Shaw in Iran,  Pinochet in
Chile, Mubarak in Egypt, Somoza in Nicaragua, and
even Saddam in Iraq in the early days, do you not
agree such "help" crosses the line into the realm
of the inappropriate and destructive?

Certainly if we are capable ourselves of bringing
George W Bush to the White House, other countries
can get it wrong as well. They, and we, it would
seem, need to learn from our mistakes.
Interference, with the rationale that we somehow
know better than they, that's wrong. We don't
know better. And such thinking (installing
someone not the choice of the people) produces a
back lash, and a time for correction.

I think we are much better off when we let
countries follow their course.

In the case of Serbia, and some of the countries
of Africa, where there is a government that
murders masses of people, the world needs a force
to send in to restore order so that a vote is
possible. The people can usually find their way
when there is safety.

I was amazed yesterday to listen to an
administration official talking about "the help"
we will offer Cuba once Castro passes on. Yikes!
Here we go again!