Excuse me while I rant a bit....

I have to agree with Stu-6, let Israel worry about Israel. I don't think anybody elected the US military to be the world's police force in any popular elections either. The fact that our culture and our history has led us to believe that democracy is best for us does not imply that it is best for the Iranian people - let the Iranian people determine what kind of government they have. If they don't like the current one, there are enough of them to do something aout it.

Ghandi, speaking to the colonial superpower that ruled his country, pointed out that a few British rulers could not continue to rule India if the millions of Indians did not want them to. The same is true of Iran - a small group of despots in Tehran cannot continue to rule Iran if 68 million Iranians really do not want them to do so. Patrick Henry said something much the same about British rule to our forefathers. In my opinion, it is not our job to impose democracy on people who have not seen fit in all this time to take it for themselves. I know there are some who wish for it but wishing for it without having the support of the majority is not enough. Either they have to convince their fellow citizens to do something or they have to leave - it’s the same for any people of any country. You either do something to change it, fight to inspire others to join you, learn to accept it and live with things as they are, or you get fed up and go somewhere else. But you don't ask your neighbor to come fight and die to give oyu something your own people have not seen fit to fight and die for themselves already.

As for nuclear weapons - I'm afraid it is impossible to keep them out of the hands of every despot that wants them. I am not especially fond of Pakistan or Nkorea having them either. I'm even less happy that China has them. So what do we do - occupy every country we don't like having them? Its an impractical plan at best and one likely to backfire at worse.

OK, I'm done