Her Name was Neda

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Michigan) delivered a moving speech on the House floor today. The text of the speech can be found below the fold.

Her Name Was Neda:

A Generational Chance for Freedom

Thaddeus G. McCotter, United States Representative (MI-11)

United States House of Representatives, Floor

June 23, 2009

Her name was Neda.  In Farsi, it means “the voice.”  True to her name, she loved music; sought freedom; and she’s dead – shot down in the streets by the Iranian regime’s state sanctioned murderers.  She must not have died in vain.

Today, Iranians and Americans face a generational chance for freedom – one that ensures a rogue regime’s implosion prevents a nuclear confrontation. 

Regrettably, our president’s “post-American” foreign policy presumes talk can thaw the murderous mullahs’ hearts and attain a “grand bargain” for peace in our time; consequently, while Iranians demanded their freedom from a barbarous regime, the president vapidly opined:  “It is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran ‘s leaders will be…  We respect Iranian sovereignty.”

Then, as the crisis escalated, the president optimistically noted: 

“You’ve seen in Iran some initial reaction from the supreme leader that indicates he understands the Iranian people have deep concerns about the election…  And my hope is – is that the Iranian people will make the right steps in order for them to be able to express their voices, to express their aspirations.”

Tragically, the supreme leader’s deep concern drove him to step on the throats of pro-democracy demonstrators, like Neda. 

 Next, on June 20^th, the president stated, “The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.”  It was painfully evident just how far behind them he stood:  “The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States.”

With these contradictory statements of support and appeasement, the president returned to square one:  “The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.  If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.”

In truth, the Iranian people have already judged the regime and found it wonting.  The supreme leader, his cleric cronies and their puppet government have never respected the dignity of the Iranian people or governed through consent.  This is why the regime stole the election and shoots peaceful, pro-democracy demonstrators.  Implying otherwise mocks the Iranians risking and losing their lives for liberty.

As for the claim that American “meddling” in support of the demonstrators plays into the mullahs’ hands, the Iranian regime will claim this regardless, for as our president noted, “That’s what they do.”

Yet, what matters is not what the regime says about America , but what the demonstrators think about America .  Presently, brave Iranians watch as our president still holds an open hand to the regime that opened fire on them…that opened fire on Neda.  This is the passive, disastrous policy of Jimmy Carter that led to the rise of this rogue regime; not the courageous policy of Ronald Reagan that led to the demise of an evil empire.

The surest, safest termination of Iran ‘s nuclear weapons program and support of terrorism is to hasten this fanatical tyranny’s collapse by supporting its people’s liberty.  Taking its rightful place amongst the community of free nations, a democratic Iran will necessarily realize and reverse the insanity of this terrorist regime’s homicidal obsession with nuclear weapons.  Thus, for their liberty and our security, the United States and the world must do everything in our power to further the Iranian demonstrators’ sacred claim to freedom.  We know Neda did.

Further, in the grand strategy of our War for Freedom over terrorism, how we aid pro-democracy Iranians’ will remind the world who we are – we are Americans:  the revolutionary children of freedom who have lived and died defending our liberty and extending it to the enslaved and oppressed.  We will do no less today in support of our Iranian brothers and sisters. 

Today, Neda’s voice calls to our consciences and warns that the fate of Iranians’ liberty is entwined with the fate of Americans’ security.  We must not miss this generational chance for freedom – again one that ensures a rogue regime’s implosion prevents a nuclear confrontation; and that Neda and all liberty’s martyrs shall not have died in vain. As Americans, we must seize this moment and help Iranians seize their freedom.

That’s what we do.