Monday, November 22, 2004

 

Deja Vu All Over Again

Despite Iran's claim that it has suspended its uranium enrichment program and has no nuclear weapons, George Bush says that "there must be verification." In other words, Georgieboy needs proof. Does this sound familiar? It should.

Last week I posted about the similarities between the current situation with Iran and pre-war Iraq. Both instances revolved around a rogue nation, nuclear weapons, deception, and defiance. In each case, Secretary Powell assured us that this was based upon reliable intelligence from reliable sources. And in both situations, the burden of proof was on the other country to prove that they had indeed disarmed.

So with all of the similarities, I'm taken back to a question that I asked before the invasion of Iraq: How does a country prove that it doesn't have something? I've often wondred how I, if put in a similar situation, would prove that I didn't have something. I could of course consent to a search of my property, but if my accuser believes that I'm lying, then he could say that I had hidden it somewhere else. So how does one prove that something doesn't exist? I would think that it would be rather difficult.

What I find most interesting about this situation is that if the roles were reversed, the United States wouldn't stand for it. In our country, the burden of proof falls on the accuser, not the accused. Apparently innocent until proven guilty only applies to Americans.

Sidenote: After the election, I came to the realization that if the Democrats are to regain control, that it has to start at the local levels. With that in mind, I set a number of goals for myself to become more active in my city and county. One of those goals is that I will write at least one letter to the editor of my local paper per month. Not a snarky, partisan letter, but one of common sense. Something that all clear thinking, decent Americans can agree with. Here's the first:

I urge everyone to get involved in some way. Whether it's by writing letters, volunteering with your local Democratic organization, or running for office yourself, you can make a difference. It has to start somewhere, and it may as well start with you.



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