Blake Ashby Blog: OurAmerican Journey

Our American Journey

Sometimes it seems as if "Conversation" has become a bad word in our country, as if talking to someone not in complete agreement with you is a sign of weakness. Sometimes it seems as if Anger is the only energizing force we now allow ourselves. But that’s not America. In America two people can disagree but still respect the basic humanity of the other person. In America it’s possible to disagree without hate, to talk without shouting. I believe, even still, in the ideal of the United States of America, a democracy where each person has the right to pursue their own life and have their own opinion. If our country is less great than it once was, it is because we have slipped away from this idea, this belief that all men and women have the right to choose the course of their own lives, and their own opinions. It is both the left and the right that have slipped away from this idea, allowed their anger to somehow convince themselves to question the humanity of the other side. Sometimes it seems that fighting anger with reason is impossible. But if history has proven anything, it is that reason does always eventually win. This blog is my effort to again have a conversation, to replace anger with reason. I hope you will join me in a conversation, and together we can recapture the faith in our country and our citizens that made America great.

I’d love to have your contribution to the conversation. If you’d like to leave a comment, you can do so at https://www.facebook.com/BlakeAshbyPage. Thanks for reading.

Iran Needs to Allow a Vote on Being a Theocracy

1/30/2020

We need to make Democracy a condition of any future nuclear deal with Iran. Iran insists that it is a responsible nation and can be trusted with nuclear technology. Recent unrest has shown yet again that the nation doesn’t trust its own people, and the people are losing their trust in their leadership. Iran is not a democracy, it is a theocracy, run in the name of God by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Supreme Leader has control over every aspect of society, and a private army, the Revolutionary Guard, that only answers to him.

Certainly, it’s fine if Iran wants to be a Theocracy, that’s the right of its citizens – every country has the right to choose its own government. But the citizens of Iran should have the right to periodically affirm that choice through a vote or choose to end the Theocracy.

If Iran really is committed to being a responsible, democratic world citizen, it should prove that commitment by holding a national vote, by verifying with the people of Iran that they want to continue to be ruled by the Supreme Leader. The United States should make this national vote a precondition to any agreements. It’s not unreasonable of the United States to ask Iran to prove that its citizens support the Supreme Commander’s decisions and the actions of his private army, the Revolutionary Guard.

I am not questioning the right of the people of Iran to live in a theocracy. If they want to be ruled by clerics, in the name of God, that is certainly their right. But that choice must be validated by the people of Iran – the people of Iran must periodically be given the chance to vote on whether or not they want to continue to be ruled by clerics. A dictatorship in the name of God is still a dictatorship.

Holding a vote on the Supreme Leader matters because democracy matters – we as a nation believe that people of every country deserve the right to select their leaders. This is one of our core beliefs. And it matters even more because Iran in intent on developing nuclear power. Iran claims it is for peaceful purposes. But the world will not, cannot, trust Iran with nuclear power as long as it is a dictatorship. Nothing is scarier than a dictatorship with nuclear weapons. We cannot let that happen – the world cannot let that happen.

We do trust the people of Iran. We trust that given true democracy they will make the right choices for their nation. Ali Khamenei can prove to the world that Iran is ready to take its place on the world stage. He can prove to the world that he trusts the character and wisdom of the citizens of Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, let your people vote.

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