January 26, 2018
Rep. Dana
Rohrabacher,
101 Main
Street #380
Huntington
Beach, CA 92648
Dear
Congressman,
Re: “Reagan Doctrine”
I note that the “American Conservative” disapproves
of your call for a “Reagan Doctrine” to combat the mullahs in Iran:
[…] the “Reagan Doctrine” usually involved
stoking internal conflicts that did serious harm to the affected countries. If
the U.S. tried something similar in Iran, it would most likely lead to
pointless bloodshed and deeper repression. The problem with Rohrabacher’s
proposal isn’t just that U.S. meddling would harm the cause of those it is
supposedly trying to help, but that it mistakenly takes for granted that the
U.S. has some right to force political changes in another country.
You might be surprised to hear that I agree
with this conservative voice. I have no great love for the Iranian regime, but
your desire to stir up trouble for those in power there is to court disaster in
that country and further turmoil in the region. We have no business sticking
yet another finger in that hornet’s nest.
I know that you, along with most of your
colleagues, are a big fan of Ronald Reagan. I see things differently. For me he
remains a false idol, whose tenure in the White House gave impetus to a
downward spiral in our culture and our politics that persists until this day;
given the historical precedent of Reagan, it’s no surprise that we ended up
with Donald Trump.
What is more surprising, perhaps, is that
Ronald Reagan would have despised the unmannerly and undisciplined Trump and
most of what he appears to stand for—if indeed he stands for anything. If you
wish to be a good Reaganite, I say: join the resistance!
Respectfully,
Peter Clothier, Ph.D.
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