Tochter aus Elysium

The change in Germany's leadership has manifested itself in perceptible, if small, ways in the growing concerns over Iran's nuclear program.

Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted as saying Saturday that "the threat posed by the Nazis in their early days, as top U.S. officials urged a tough line to stop Tehran from making an atomic bomb."

It is of some significance for a German leader to refer to the Nazi past. It is also significant for a German leader to warn of the dangers Iran poses because Germany has been part of the feckless diplomatic efforts over the past couple years designed to rein in the Iranian nuclear program. Merkel's comments could be taken as self-repudiation.

In a region where history is piled on top of itself, Merkel's comments came in a place of note in Germany's history.

Addressing the annual Munich security conference, Merkel said countries around the world had underestimated the Nazi threat as Adolf Hitler rose to power.

"Looking back to German history in the early 1930s when National Socialism (Nazism) was on the rise, there were many outside Germany who said 'It's only rhetoric -- don't get excited'," she told the assembled world defense policy makers.

"There were times when people could have reacted differently and, in my view, Germany is obliged to do something at the early stages ... We want to, we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program."

As she was speaking a few hundred metres (yards) from the Munich pub where Hitler launched his "Beer Hall Putsch" in 1923, the board of governors of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency voted in Vienna to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council over concerns it is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Germany still needs to prove the mettle of its words, however. If "we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program" simply means "we must wring our hands and talk more", then Ms. Merkel really hasn't taken to heart her own words about the dangers of ignoring the rise of a virulent, aggressive power. (On the other hand, perhaps Ms. Merkel reads this blog.)

Regime Change Iran has a compilation of executions carried out in Iran from Dec 5 to Jan 5. Here are a few.

4- Dec. 28 – Two men, identified only by their first names as Naeem-Abdollah and Jaleel, were hanged in public in the volatile city of Ahwaz, southwest Iran, the official state news agency reported on Wednesday. They were accused of being “mohareb”, or waging war on God. In the past, Iran’s judiciary has executed political opponents of the Islamic Republic on the charge of being a mohareb.

5- Dec. 27 – Iran’s State Supreme Court upheld stoning and amputation sentences for four men and jail terms for several dozen other members of a gang in the north of the country, according to a report in a semi-official daily.
The men, who had been arrested in January in the town of Nowshahr in the northern province of Mazandaran, were all part of a gang called the “Wild West" Three of the men – Eskandar M. (also known as Abbasi), Jamshid E., and his unnamed brother – were each given two death by hanging sentences and one death by stoning sentence. Another man, identified only as Afshin R., was sentenced to have his fingers amputated and receive prison time.

Regime Change Iran also links to some very graphic photos of some victims of Iran's thugs. WARNING: Do not click the link if you don't want to see the photos.

The corrupt, brutal regime in charge of Iran holds a proud, ancient people under its heel. They would expand this violence to other nations if given the chance. Iran does export violence in the terrorism it supports, support given to organizations like Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Hamas.

In the comments of another post, Psycmeistr said this:

Just as the call of the WWII generation was to stand up to tyranny, so, I believe, is the call of our generation to stand up to Islamo-fascism...

Soldier's Dad added:

We didn't stand up in '79. Unfortunately, that sets the stage for a huge miscalculation.

Anonymous added:

Psy; very apt analogy. Nothing good has come from that region of the world for a very long time. And it finally came to this and the Pres and others decided it was time to face facts and do something. Some disagree but the status quo offered nothing but more trouble.

SD; interesting point. Many now would say Carters ineffectual response emboldened the persians to run a mile with their inch. See how much trouble entrusting our national security to a Dem pres is so detrimental?

Indeed, we are facing the challenge of our generation. With growing violence over cartoons published in newspapers, Muslim extremists show yet again their intolerance goes hand in hand with a desire to destroy.

Iran, perhaps encouraged by our lack of response to their acts of war in years past, feels they can intimidate us into backing down and letting them acquire the nuclear weapons they want. And armed with those weapons, they can commit violence such as that described above, sit back with a smile and their finger on a big red button and say "What are you going to do about it?"

And what would we do about it then?