From: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: Iran bombs "guerilla" bases in Iraq
Date: 16 Apr 92 16:07:33 GMT
Reply-To: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Organization: North Carolina State University

In article <dfs.702665929@data>, dfs@doe.carleton.ca (David F. Skoll) writes:
> A fine demonstration of hypocrisy in action follows:
> 
> In <1992Apr6.202815.2675@ncsu.edu> hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad
> Hernlem) writes:
> 
> >Thank you for offering me this opportunity to express my opinion about
> >these events. Let me start off by suggesting that those who are
> >interested in these events should look into the news group
> >soc.culture.iranian as there are several recent postings about this
> >news. I believe that the Mojahedin Khalq Organization is a violent
> >oppresive party which has its own interest placed well above that of the
> >Iranian people.
> 
> Does that justify bombing an Iraqi village, and killing an estimate 150
> people, many of them civillians?  (Source: "As it Happens", CBC Radio,
> 6 April 1992.)  That's *50* times as many as Israel killed in the
> raid on the Palestinian bases in Lebanon.  Do those innocents deserve
> to die??  According to Mr. Hernlem, yes.

For what its worth, both the Mojahedin and the Islamic Republic of Iran
claimed the attack was on the Mojahedin military base and not the
village of Khalis nearby, as the Iraqis claimed. According to the Iran
Times from last Friday, reporters which went to the scene confirmed that
the attack was not on a village. I have not heard any clear reports on
casualties. The number you give sounds like something the Islamic
Republic would have claimed but I have heard no such claim from them,
only that much damage was done.

Iraq has a duty, just as Lebanon does (and has carried out, BTW), to
insure that any rebel groups harbored within its borders are not armed
and carrying out attacks against its neighbors. Failure to do so is the
same as supporting such attacks. I believe that Israel had a legitimate
right to defend itself from any attacks coming from Lebanon but I do not
believe that that right included seizure and occupation of Lebanese
land. The Mojahedin came to Iraq because they needed a place from which
to stage their attacks upon Iran. You can decide for yourself how
innocent were the people at the attack site. Refugees usually do not
flee to a country with which they are at war. 

> >On the occasions that the MKO has infiltrated Iran, it
> >is my understanding that the local villagers have not embraced them as
> >liberators nor cooperated with them and consequently the MKO have killed
> >many of them as pasdaran sympathizers.
> 
> Ditto for PLO in Lebanon, and also Hezbollah.
> 
> >If these people want to change
> >Iran, I believe it would be better for Iran and its people for them to
> >try to work within the framework of the existing government rather than
> >to propose violent revolution. The violence that they carried out
> >against Iranian embassies and missions throughout Europe and in Canada
> >and the U.S. (which included the taking of a hostage in New York for a
> >while) is testimony to the nature of this organization.
> 
> Ditto for Hezbollah, which, let's not forget, has proposed a Nazi-like
> program of genocide.  Remember what Islamic Jihad said after murdering
> almost 30 people in Buenos Aires:
> 
> 	``It is an open war until the elimination of Israel and until the
> 	death of the last Jew on earth,'' the statement said.

Despite what you say, Hezbollah (Lebanese) has never infiltrated Israel
and all evidence shows that they are fighting to free Lebanon from
Israeli occupation. Neither of us knows who made that statement and no
physical evidence has yet been found to verify the claim of responsibility. 

> 
> Brad, let's face it:  Your position is completely hypocritical and you
> expose yourself as a hateful anti-Israel bigot while ignoring much larger
> Iranian atrocities.

Let us both do our best to try to change what we can. One evil does not
excuse another.
  
> Oh, and lest anyone accuse me of hypocrisy, I condemn the attacks on the
> Iranian embassies.  Embassies are not fair targets.

I agree.

> --
>                      |         | "Step up and shake the hand
> David F. Skoll       | ||||||| |  Of someone you can't stand,
> |_ _ _  __   __ _ __ |  \\V//  |  You can tolerate him if you try..."
>  / |  | |_|   | |  | |  __|__  |  -- Tom Lehrer, "National Brotherhood Week"
>
_____|________________________________________________________________________

Brad Hernlem

BTW, according to the Voice of the Islamic Repulic of Iran (9022 kHz,
2330-0030 UTC, April 15-16, 1992), the U.N. team which visited the
villages which Iran claimed were attacked by the Mojahedin, has confirmed this.