Iran - Time to Change an Oppressive Regime

Today marks the anniversary of the collapse of the old regime in Iran and the triumph of the Iranian Revolution.  Prior to the revolution, Iran had been ruled by the military fist of the Shah.  Beginning in 1978, a mass movement drove the Shah out of power and the country, leading to the rise of an Islamic Republic in 1979 - which still stands today.

There is no question that the Shah embodied a corrupt, dictatorial regime and should have been driven by power – but this is one of those cases where the cure is worse than the illness (or, stated another way, be careful for what you ask for).

Iran is now ruled by a corrupt, dictatorial, theocratic regime - which uses an internal terror apparatus to steal elections, suppress women’s rights, violate free speech and press, and imprison and execute dissenters.  Not content to oppress its own people, it literally exports terror by supporting various terrorist groups across the world.

The Iranian people have a long and proud civilization, which has been usurped by an oppressive regime.  The current regime is established on principles exactly opposite of America’s First Principles.  The rule of law has been supplanted by the rule of force; unalienable rights are violated; there is no Social Compact – the regime imposes its will on the people; equality – especially for women – is subverted; the government is unlimited; and there is no right to alter the government.

Let us hope that the protest movement continues to take hold, brings down this unjust regime, and introduces our First Principles to a people that so desperately deserve them.