“And I ran, I ran so far away. … I ran both night and day. … I couldn’t get away.”
From what am I trying to escape? That dreadful 1980s A Flock of Seagulls song whose chorus I summarized above, and a current flock of seagulls that is squawking against the Iran nuclear arms treaty without suggesting other solutions to improve matters in Iran and the Middle East.
“Contrary to what the president claimed,” wrote seagull D.W. Wilber in a July 20, 2015 column on Townhall.com, “there certainly were other options than going to war with Iran.” But he failed to list any.
Despite all the screeching, the pro – and anti-treaty advocates agree that Iran is a force of destruction led by a small group of “Islamofascists.” (For the record, I believe that Pat Robertson, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, and Sean Hanity qualify as “Christianofascist” leaders. They seem content, though, to trash the reputation of those with whom they disagree instead of torturing or beheading them.)
Additionally, both sides agree that no simple solutions exist to address Iranian despotic expansionism. (The anti-treaty flock of seagulls implicitly support this view by not proposing any solutions.) And everyone agrees that the Middle East is currently a “Ball of Confusion” (a terrific Temptations early 1970s tune). Or, as Pat Buchanan put it in his July 21, 2015 Townhall column, the Middle East is a “Game of Thrones” (a dreadful but popular TV series based on a series of endlessly dreary books).
Good reasons exist to be skeptical of this treaty. Iranian leaders have been a destructive force since 1979. Experts disagree about how effectively the nuclear inspectors can monitor Iranian compliance. Why didn’t United States negotiators insist that US citizens imprisoned in Iran be immediately released? And if the sanctions on Iran are lifted, to what extent will the flow of resources into the country support or undermine the current cabal of Iranian leaders?
Linda Chavez and others argued in recent Townhall.com columns that rejecting the treaty, combined with toughening sanctions, encouraging regime change, and supporting Iranian free enterprise, will weaken the authority of the current Iranian leadership team. But will these strategies topple the Iranian dictators before they gain possession of nuclear weapons? And as President Obama pointed out in his recent news conference, this treaty leaves all of these options on the table.
In yet another Townhall.com column, Townhall staff proposed “A Simple Solution to the Islamic State Problem”: insist that “someone” stop providing financial support to ISIS. I propose a simpler solution: let’s support Iran in its efforts to destroy the Islamic State. Yes, further strengthening Iran is scary, but exposing Iranians to the possibilities of more freedom through lifting sanctions might reduce the authority of those “Islamofascists.” Something similar happened in the 1980s in the Soviet Union under President Reagan — without the assistance of social media.
The 1980s group A Flock of Seagulls — the purveyors of that annoyingly catchy song “I Ran” — have flown away from the limelight, and hopefully are living lives filled with peace, love, and light. As for the current flock of seagulls — the ones trashing the Iran nuclear treaty without proposing alternative solutions — I suggest they fly from their cozy nests to Iran. Drop excrement onto the heads of the Islamofascist leaders there, squawk loudly, and retreat. Repeat regularly, but with no predictable pattern. I can’t anticipate the consequences, but this current flock of seagulls will show more courage than their current practice of pontificating piercingly from their protected perches.