Conspiracy Theorists Who Lead Governments & President Ahmadinejad's Retirement

Take this for what it is worth, but this post which I published an hour or so ago vanished from my blog moments later. Fortunately for me, I had a nearly completed version saved, which I'm republishing below:

An interesting idea from Saman Mohammadi over at The Excavator. I never thought of politicians in this context, but I believe Saman's thesis is correct:

Conspiracy Theorists Who Lead Governments: Two Current Examples

"If you gather 200,000 people, I can gather a million," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told protesters. Source of photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas.

Governments are led by conspiracy theorists. Most successful political leaders, no matter what political system they represent, have a conspiratorial bent of mind. It doesn't matter if it is a democracy or not. And this is only natural because politics is a ring of conspiracy. You don't last long as an ambitious politician in Washington, Moscow, Beijing, or any capital in the world if you are not constantly thinking about what your political enemies are devising. And that's just in the political arena.

So, when people throw the word "conspiracy theorist" around as a tool of ridicule, don't think nothing of it, and remember that the most successful and legendary leaders in history have been paranoid conspiracy theorists. 

Here are just two current examples of conspiracy theorists who run governments, taken from recent headlines.

1) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan believes that the present uprising in Turkey is mainly a product of a foreign-based conspiracy directed against his rule. Here is an excerpt from,"Erdogan Raises the Stakes," by Yavuz Baydar that contains revealing quotes about Erdoğan's mentality and his view of the nature of the protests.

He quoted Erdogan as saying: “We have to listen to those kids. We need to understand what these sociological movements mean and what they may result in. We will conduct studies on the issue. The problem is not about those kids; it is something beyond them.

“I see the plot and I know what lies beneath it. I have information, documents. I see clearly who the actors are — both at home and abroad. They have one target: Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I have uncovered their foreign links. I will struggle against them. And I know well how to do that.”

In the prime minister’s view, there are three reasons for “the conspiracy”: economic success, the peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkey’s rise as an international player.

2)  In the wake of NSA leaks by Edward Snowden, some leading politicians and media figures in the United States accused Snowden of defecting to China without presenting evidence to back up their claims. They publicized a conspiracy theory to tarnish the image of a whistleblower. Snowden clearly stated on record that his intentions were pure and patriotic, and that if he really wanted to financially benefit by selling sensitive information to the Chinese or the Russians then he could've done it.

II. Leaders As Conspiracy Theorists: When Are They Right And When Are They Wrong?

Is Erdoğan wrong to charge that the protesters are misguided and that a bigger agenda is afoot that will harm Turkey's long-term interests? No, just as Assad wasn't wrong when he said in speeches and interviews in 2011 that the protests in Syria are led by provocateurs and are filled with foreign terrorists. Assad turned out to be right in his assessment.

I'm not defending Erdoğan. Readers of this blog know what I think about him and the party he leads. But what is going on in Turkey at the moment is not a simple case of David vs. Goliath, people vs. tyranny, innocent protesters vs. oppressive police. It is more complicated. And that's where conspiracy theories come in. Some conspiracy theories are legitimate and enlighten one's thinking, while others are just plain trash.

It should count for something that Erdoğan received almost fifty percent of the vote in the last election that was held in 2011. 21 million people voted him in. The person who came in second place, who heads the secular and liberal Republican People's Party, got the backing of 11 million people. So, Erdoğan has a point when he says that he could turn out more people. The angry protesters probably don't care about that fact, but it means something to any objective observer. 

An observant point by Saman. 

Interesting too when one keeps what Saman wrote in the back of one's mind and then reads this from Rehmat's World:

On June 11, 2013, the Amnesty International (AI) slammed Putin government after the state Duma in Moscow passed two new bills, almost unanimously, which oulaw blasphemy and activism by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals and other supporters.

The AI in its statement called the passage of those two laws: dark day for freedom of expression in Russia.

“In the space of mere hours, the Duma succeeded in adopting two pieces of legislation that testify to the shrinking space for freedom of expression in Russia. They represent a sorry attempt by the government to bolster its popularity by pandering to the most reactionary elements of Russian society – at the expense of fundamental rights and the expression of individual identities,”

The bills are part of an effort by the regime to promote traditional Russian values instead of the so-called “Western liberalism”, which the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church see as corrupting Russian youth and contributing to the protests against Putin’s rule.

According to the bill, “public actions expressing clear disrespect for society and committed with the goal of offending religious feelings of the faithful” would be punishable with jail terms of up to one year and fines of up to 300,000 rubles ($9,200). While “publicly expressing clear disrespect to believers, including actions undertaken at places of worship,” would be punishable by up to three years in prison, fines of up to 500,000 rubles, and compulsory correctional labor.

The Russian Orthodox Church has blessed both bills. Vladimir Putin, who allegedly has Jewish family roots, has embraced Orthodox Church as a moral authority. He supports both bills – but claims there is no discrimination against LGBTI communities.

In September 2011, Rev. Ted Pike wrote: “The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is the most powerful anti-Christion pro-homosexual, pro-abortion attack group in America. Yet because ADL, like its sister attack group SPLC, is entirely staffed by far left Jews, Christian groups virtually never criticize it“.

In May 2, 2012, Ted Pike wrote: “Jews dominate such anti-Christian “civil liberties” groups as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and People for the American Way. No Jewish attack group more completely represents the liberal Jewish community than the Anti-Defamation League. While Jewish-dominated Hollywood and “big three” TV networks have normalized homosexuality in culture, ADL has worked to establish it legally and make homosexuality not only protected but privileged.” 

The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), headed by Kenneth Roth, a Zionist Jew, also criticized Russian lawmakers for passing the anti-LGBTI bill. Graeme Reid, director of HRW’s LGBTI program, said in a statement: “Russia is trying very hard to make discrimination look respectable by calling it ‘tradition’, but whatever term is used in the bill, it remains discrimination”. 

In December 2012, HRW fired top UNHRC envoy, Jewish professor Richard Falk for criticizing Israel for its human rights abuses against native Muslim and Christian Palestinians.

Russia seems to have no problem thumbing her nose at the NGO's who work feverishly to destroy culture and peoples' sense of history and belonging. 

Finally, this is the curtain call for Iran's President, the honorable Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I don't know what he thought in his private moments 8 years ago, but I figured there was little chance he would survive his two terms in office. That shows what I know, right? But if there's one thing I take away from the doctor's service to his country and fellow man it is this: one need not be big, strong and powerful to push back against the evil that eminates from Tel Aviv and London and New York and D.C. 

That's a lesson for all of us. Whether delivered with a thousand wee cuts or an ice pick to the temple, death is death. Dr. Ahmadinejad delivered a few cuts to the zionist's system. It is our job (bloggers and writers)  to inflict small, seemingly meaningless wounds via language. Taken individually of course appear to have no effect at all. Together though, enough tiny cuts will kill the beast. If you haven't yet screwed up the courage to do your part, take incentive from others and realize now is the time to act. Write a blog or write music and lyrics. Whatever suits your fancy. Just preach non-violence. If there's one thing the System despises, it is peace. That's why it is so adept at giving us war and terror and heartache. Teach your children peace. Explain to them why they have no business 'serving' the machine's military. Inform them of the reality of their situation on this planet. Empower them to act by setting an example of yourself. That's a legacy to leave won't be noted in a public obituary, but will be remembered by your blood relations in future generations. 

Also from Rehmat's world:  
  

Today, marks the end of Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s two-term (8 year) presidency. Today, tens of millions Iranians are casting their votes to elect a new president to guide the nation for the next four years. Ahmadinejad, no doubt, is the most hated Iranian president by the world Zionist movement. He has been called Hitler, a Jew, dictator, mad-man, antisemite, and by dozen other names.

On July 11, 2009, I posted an article, titled ‘Ahmadinejad beyond Zionist propaganda‘, in which I wrote:

“The ordinary citizen in Islamic Iran – and they constitute the majority of population – considered Ahmadinejad to be one of their own. And he pretty much said what was on their minds. Ahmadinejad comes across to the average person in the Republic as honest, modest, and free of artificiality. His body is slim just like theirs; his face is not puffed up with the layers of affluence that come from being a “president”. One could easily confuse Ahmadinejad with any worker or craftsman in a field or in a shop. The majority of people in Islamic Iran knows Ahmadinejad’s simple lifestyle well. He comes from a blacksmith family in the small town of Aradan – which has about forty families – a place so vague and remote that it barely appears on the map!”

To the above, I would like to add some of tributes paid to Ahmadinejad by Jewish, Christian and Catholic bloggers in the past.

In September 2006, after hearing Ahmadinejad’s first speech at the UN General Assembly, American writer and women rights activist, Joanna Francis, said thatIranian President Sounds More Like a Pope than Benedict XVI.

“The battle between Ahmadinejad and Blair is not political or diplomatic one, it’s not about points. It’s actually a clash between civilizations, a fight between humanism and cold pragmatism. As it emerges, in this battle, it’s Ahmadinejad rather than Blair who reminds us where goodness rest. Seemingly, a man who has been repeatedly presented by our deluded Western media as a ‘radical’ ‘fundamentalist’ and ‘Islamofacist’ has proved beyond doubt that it is actually him who knows what forgiveness and grace are all about. It was Ahmadinejad who has pardoned the enemy (British sailors and American Jewish spies), it was Ahmadinejad that evoked some prospects of a peaceful future,” said Gilad Atzmon, an Israeli-born Jew who served in Jewish army.

On September 25, 2009, American writer John Kaminski said: “I wish we had a president as decent as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current and outspoken president of Iran. I mean, just compare the two men as human beings. Mr. Ahmadinejad seems like a decent guy from the neighborhood, trying to tell the truth while being trampled by the demonic Jewish spin machine. And here is George W. Bush (interchangeable with Barack Obama, as have been all American presidents since U.S. Grant), revealing himself to the world as a lying, pathological killer. Hey, which one would you choose?”.

On March 22, 2011, United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) top envoy, professor Richard Falk (Jewish) in an interview with Kevin Barrett, Ph.D, praised Ahmadinejad while challenged the official 9/11 story.

On June 14, 2013, Mark Glenn, an American Catholic author and radio talkshow host, posted an Open letter of gratitude from the people of the world to Iran and Ahmadinejad. In the article, Glenn compared Zionists’ crusade against Ahmadinejad to Jewish persecution of Christ over 2,000 years ago:

I am sure, Mr. President–as much as I am sure that tomorrow follows today–that we are not alone in our appreciation for you and for all you have done for the cause of justice and truth over the last 8 years. As much as I know my own skin, I know there are people the world over – good people who have not been infected with this virus of evil that seem to have pervaded so much of the world these days–who are also reflecting on the importance of what today – your last day in office – represents to them in a very personal manner.

In the Christian tradition, we read about how Jesus Christ said something which was as much a warning to His enemies as it was a source of hope to his friends and followers when He personally condemned the Jewish leadership of His own day by saying – “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town…,

And finally, listen below to a delegate of Torah Jewish leaders who met Ahmadinejad in New York in September 2012, and praising and blessing the President.