Years ago, I had a pizzeria coworker who loved to talk about combat sports. He would always go on about fighting techniques and how he would handle different scenarios. One night a drunk threatened the staff and as I blocked the man from coming behind the counter, I called for my coworker to come up front and back me up.
Instead, he cowered in the dishroom. He later made up five different excuses to why he didn’t back me up.
That memory has been running through my mind over the past two months. My wife is from Iran and still has family in the theocratic nation. The war that kicked off on Feb. 28th has brought us both hope and fear. We desperately want the violent Islamic regime dismantled, but we believe it can only be ripped out through external military action.
Adding to the frustration are the local conversations we have had with our progressive friends and neighbors. These are the people who proclaim they are the champions of the downtrodden and tell stories about what they would have done in 1930s Germany or the 1960s American South, yet history has given them an opportunity and they have changed their minds.
In January, unarmed protesters flooded the streets of all of the major cities of Iran, demanding freedom and liberty. The regime didn’t trust their military to kill them so it imported mercenaries to slaughter an untold number of protesters, perhaps 30,000 murder victims by some reasonable estimates.
Where were our friends and neighbors’ attention when this happened? They were debating use of force and immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
The Islamic Regime in Iran has female prisoners raped before they are executed because they believe it dooms them to Hell. Feminist author Margaret Atwood has stated that the treatment of women in Iran inspired “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Folks in Somerville will wear $50 costumes from the series to domestic protests, but show no interest in the actual plight of women in Iran.
Sure, if you corner them they might spit out a vague message of sympathy, but now that we’re at war they’ve made it clear that their real priorities are gasoline prices and polling for the midterms. I’m sure every one of them would rather women in Iran be free then not, but at what cost? Well, apparently not at the cost of $4 a gallon.
One case we have heard brought up, repeatedly, is the regime’s claim that a US missile struck a girls school and killed 170 young pupils. As of the time of this writing, the story is plausible and there are independent reports that claim we are responsible. It is entirely possible that many children died when the military compound where their school was located was hit by US missiles.
The regime regularly presents AI images and video game footage as if it were real in propaganda. It’s possible that the regime is giving a true number of deaths, but we have no independent verification. Regardless, every single death of an innocent person is a tragedy and we hold them in our hearts.
You know what we don’t appreciate, however? People who don’t care about the 30,000 victims who only bring up the 170 to score cheap points. They are stomping on the graves of children and waving the bloody shirt.
If you think it’s just rank and file people who have prioritized the price of an Egg McMuffin over the safety of our brothers and sisters in Iran, look at our legislative branch.
Back in January, my wife and I made repeated phone calls to our three representatives in Washington DC: US Rep. Jim McGovern, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and US Sen. Ed Markey. We wanted to talk about the situation in Iran, but our calls went to voicemail and were never returned.
Yet over the last few years, all three of them have repeatedly Tweeted out Holocaust Memorial messages with the hashtag “NeverAgain.” It’s easy to declare at a podium that the next Rwanda Genocide needs to be stopped quickly, or that we have a “Responsibility to Protect” civilians from crimes against humanity.
Just like it was easy for my coworker to talk about fights he’ll never be in and opponents he’ll never face.
President Donald Trump is a deeply flawed man and there are many reasons why I’ve voted against him every time he’s run for office, but he’s the one who actually showed up. There are legitimate concerns about the executive pulling our nation into a war when the Founding Fathers clearly wanted congress to declare all wars.
But we called Congress. They never called us back.
Some people are concerned that Trump won’t be able to usher in a successful rebuilding. We share that concern, which is why we asked progressives to get involved. They changed the subject.
General George Patton is often credited with the mantra “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” My dear friends and neighbors, this is a hostage rescue operation for 90 million of our brothers and sisters. If you won’t help us free the people of Iran, will you please get out of the way?
Michael Hartwell is Leominster resident and former Sentinel & Enterprise reporter.
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