“It is so much easier to be an idiot than forced to live with one.”
Mohammad Ali Guilak
Tuesday, November 5, marked a significant historical moment as the peaceful election concluded. The 47th President of the United States, President Trump, was elected, and Madame Vice President, in her speech the following morning, gracefully accepted the result. Plans for the transfer of power are now in motion.
As an observer, I was deeply invested in this election than any previous ones, and anxiously awaiting the outcome. The potential for an adverse reaction from Mr. Trump and his supporters was a heavy concern. In the weeks leading up to the election, I closely monitored the behavior of my American compatriots and the reactions of the immigrants who have embraced their new American identity.
I found out long ago that Americans, notoriously, make less informed citizens than the people of other nations, which I had an opportunity to observe closely, including those in my birth country, Iran. I noticed that the behavior of the foreign-born citizen in the United States drastically depends on their cultural uprising. Iranians, who have a long tradition of having a head honcho
called KING, still prefer, by a significant margin, to have a macho in the White House. To those people, being a “yes man” is the proper way to serve the country; the Grand Pappy knows much more and should be obeyed. This habit makes them act as creatures of time and undependable. A famous, thousands-of-year-old Persian saying is still being used: “The Shah is the Shadow of God on Earth,” and another one says, “Edicts issued by the King are like a decree given by the Lord.” It is challenging for people of that background to get used to a democratic way of self-governing.
Most Iranian Americans, with their long-standing cultural past, favor individuals like Trump. They seem to be talking the same language: they cannot comprehend that their opponent can be correct; using derogatory remarks is an accepted method to combat the adversaries. I was utterly disturbed to see that one of my Iranian American friends placed a photo on Facebook depicting Trump throwing away two garbage bags bearing the picture of President Biden and Vice President Harris; in another instance, flushing the V.P.’s photo in a toilet bowl. I respect the individual opinion, but I wouldn’t say I like the disrespect toward the adversaries. Much to my dismay, this action is widespread among my Iranian American friends. By committing this horrible act, they try to show their sophistication and intelligence, usually giving the opposite result.
Let me elaborate on the title of this writing and why it was chosen. Long ago, I wrote an essay about this subject. It was in one of my Persian communiqués, and it dealt with the situation of my country of birth and its politicians. A few days ago, I learned that the owners of two major national newspapers, “The Washington Post” and “The Los Angeles Times,” have broken the tradition and refuse to endorse the approved individual for the country’s presidency by their editorial boards. Why was this unusual step taken?
A phto place in facebook by some of my Iranian compatriots-
An extremely poor taste and unbecoming of anyone with a shred of intelligence..
The answer depends significantly on the individuals in question, why they took their steps, and what their concerns were, self-interests, and societal needs may dictate such drastic action. Based on a personal investigation, the two significant publishers did nothing but protect and safeguard their financial wellbeing. How far can one go with such an understanding while the stakes are as high as the welfare of the nation and the country? Where the “Limit” should be placed.
According to the news, Mr. Musk spent 160 million dollars to help Trump’s campaign. Also, he advertised that he would pay a million dollars daily to an individual who would meet an array of rules put forth by him. Many believed that this action was completely illegal and that it was a bribery. Undoubtedly, he had procured sophisticated attorneys help to withstand the laws governing these types of crimes, (U.S. Code Title 18 clearly states).[1] Mr. Trump won the presidency, and Musk’s stocks soared. He gained 26.5 billion, Jeff Bezos’s stock rose 7.1 billion, and the list goes on (Bloomberg report).
So, what? They were sound business decisions. Well, then, one should evaluate the results of their gains vis-à-vis the effect of their action on the national wellbeing.
MR. JEFF BEZOS AND MR. PATRICK SOON-SHIONG, you have committed, if I may say so, an act of political or professional prostitution. What did MR. TRUMP promise you? Are you sure he will keep his word? Is your financial wellbeing more precious than your country’s and nation’s integrity? Is amassing money worth more than your duties to your country?
Trump is a first-generation American; his mother was an immigrant; his present wife, Melania, is an immigrant from Novo Mesto, Slovenia, and his first wife, Ivana, was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia, yet he pretends that he despises immigrants. Maybe he hates only those coming from South of the border and Central America, or those with darker skin, or any of the developing countries that he feels don’t deserve to emigrate to the country and to be considered equal to his mother and his wives.
As I have mentioned numerous times, I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I voted based on individual candidate’s qualifications rather than their specific ideology. In previous decades, I voted primarily Republican rather than Democrat. I believed in their philosophy more than those of their opponents. This trend continued up to the first election of George W. Bush. Somehow, I was not impressed by his choice of the V.P., Mr. Dick Chaney. However, as a V.P., he would have a minor role in the administrative policies. How wrong was I! My fear started shortly after the election; the situation contradicted my beliefs. Chaney was acting as President, and Bush fit the position of vice president well. He was a disaster as a president and caused more harm to the country than all our enemies put together. Bush became a symbol of incompetency and inaptitude who should never have been the President of our country.
Reviewing U.S. history during the past few decades, it becomes clear that the Republicans have been completely deprived of any political integrity in conducting the affairs of the nation. Such disasters are visible in every branch of their organization: the legislature, the administration, and the judicial sections. Most of the Supreme Court Judges appointed by them have been puppets in the hands of his administration and the Senate Republicans.
Our freedom is being replaced by despotism, our rule of law has changed place with anarchy, our help for the underprivileged has been reversed to demeaning the neediest, and our lack of leadership has brought us to the lowest possible level in the eyes of the world populace. HOWEVER, WHAT IS LEFT FOR US TO BRAG ABOUT IS OUR MILITARY! WE ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONE MAY WIN WITH THE MILITARY BUT CAN NOT PERMANENTLY RULE BY IT! Trump’s rhetoric about the deportation of illegal immigrants is incomprehensible. An estimated eleven million of them are in the country; what means he will use them to accomplish his views? It was estimated that this deportation would cost the nation one trillion dollars.
Our educated individuals function well within the scope of their knowledge; however, they are handicapped by their lack of intelligence. The intelligence of most of our American compatriots is way below that of the people in civilized nations. I have elaborated on this subject in my previous writings and shall discuss it soon, again.
In our recent election, there was no doubt that Mr. Trump was no match for the Vice President. He could not carry on a conversation, had no reason for what he was saying, and most of his talks were baseless and accompanied by lies. His speech contained nothing but insults to others. However, he was well-received by many Americans. He got the popular votes (74,708,357) and the electoral votes (312).
Considering the general intelligence of the American populace, I am not surprised by this outcome. Madame Vice President, Maybe you are lucky that you were not elected. Is there any privilege to be the leader of a nation where its majority feels that women are second-class citizens and that they should not be treated if they have problems with their bodies? I don’t know which religious sect favors such action: Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.
It is my sincere hope that the fight will go on with our ballots, in our blogs, our podcasts, and in any other legal means to achieve the human integrity we deserve.
[1] – Generally, it means a person, who engages in sexual action for payment. The word comes from Latin PROSTITUERE; PRO, meaning before and STATUERE, meaning set up, place.
[2] – Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote or to vote for or against any candidate; and
Whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, Ch. 645, 62 Stat. 721; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 601(a)(12), October 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3498.)
Guils of Guilan 