Supporting 'Democratically Elected' Enemy Is Nuts

The U.S. cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Egypt, according to The Associated Press, after the "military ouster last summer of the nation's first democratically elected president."

The "democratically elected president" was Mohammed Morsi, who had previously served as chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party when it was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood. Once elected, however, Morsi granted himself power to rule by decree on the pretext that he would "protect" the nation from the "Mubarak-era reactionaries."

There are a number of good reasons for ending American foreign aid. This was not one of them.

There are a great many ways to win an election. The only democratic way is to get more votes than your opponent in an open and free election. But there are many other ways that are hardly democratic. You can kill everybody inclined to vote for your opponent. You can jail opposition voters or keep them away from the polls. You can outlaw opposition political parties, and allow only supporters to vote.

A great many in the Obama administration believe America should support the Muslim Brotherhood as long as it is democratically elected, not withstanding the fact it would destroy our country if it could.

They close their eyes to how it managed its democratic win. We are asked to support a party that kills Coptic Christians and destroys their churches.

According to Wikipedia, the Muslim Brotherhood's stated goal in America "is to instill the Qur'an and Sunnah as the 'sole reference point for ... ordering the life of the ... community ... and state."

The online encyclopedia quotes An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goals for the Brotherhood in North America, 1981, which said, for the Brotherhood it is a "'Jihadist Process' with all the word means. The Ikhwan (brothers) must understand their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."

Wikipedia also links to a federal court document which states the general strategic goal of the Brotherhood in America is "Establishment of Islam in North America, meaning: establishing an effective and stable Islamic Movement led by the Muslim Brotherhood, which adopts Muslims' causes domestically and globally, and which works to expand the observant Muslim base, aims at unifying and directing Muslim efforts, presents Muslim as a civilization alternative, and supports the Global Islamic State wherever it is."

The Muslim Brotherhood, although ostensibly democratically elected in Egypt, was democratic only until it gained power. Once in power it became an intolerant, ruthless theocratic dictatorship.

Eighty years ago, another political party appeared to come to power democratically. But it won by suppressing the vote of all who opposed it. Then, once in power it "democratically" turned itself into a ruthless dictatorship. Next, it started World War II.

On Jan. 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed German chancellor. Immediately, Hitler demanded dissolution of the Reichstag and new elections. In February, in anticipation of the March 5, 1933, election, the Nazis unleashed a campaign of political terror. Hitler's stormtroopers began attacking trade union and Communist Party (KPD) offices, as well as their homes. Gangs of Nazi "brownshirts" broke up Social Democrat meetings and assaulted speakers and audiences. Newspapers were banned.

The German Catholic Centre Party was attacked. Twenty newspapers were shut down for allegedly "slandering" Hitler's government. Centre Party members holding governmental offices were dismissed from their positions. Stormtroopers viciously shut down their party meetings in Westphalia.

Six days before the election, the German parliament building was set ablaze. The Nazis blamed the Reichstag fire on a communist. Those who believed the Nazi propaganda, turned against the KPD.

Capitalizing on the "emergency," Hitler induced President Hindenburg to issue the emergency Reichstag Fire Decree. Civil liberties were suspended and 4,000 KDP members and their leaders imprisoned. As intended, the Communist vote was suppressed. The day after the March 5 election, the Communist Party was banned.

The Reichstag Fire Decree also handicapped Social Democrats. Party leaders fled to Prague. Members were forced underground. The Nazi terror worked as intended, and on March 5, the Nazis won 43.91 percent of the vote, and 288 seats out of 647. To keep his majority, Hitler continued his coalition with the Black-Red-White Struggle Front.

To the outside world, it appeared Hitler had been democratically elected, and that he had democratically formed a coalition government.

But Hitler wanted to rule by decree -- to have dictatorial powers. He got his constitutionally required two-thirds vote when he persuaded the Center Party and a number of the smaller parties to vote in favor of his March 23, 1933, Enabling Act which gave him power to rule "by decree." Forty-two days later, he abolished trade unions. Leaders were arrested. In July, he decreed it was a criminal offense to start or be a member of any political party other than the Nazis.

The Western Democracies deluded themselves into believing Hitler really didn't mean what he said in Mein Kampf.

America needs to see the Muslim Brotherhood for what it really is. It makes no sense to support someone who would destroy our Western way of life.

A dictatorship, even with the trappings of democracy, is still a dictatorship.
John Donald O'Shea, of Moline, is a retired circuit court judge.

Posted Online: Nov. 07, 2013, 12:00 am - Quad-Cities Online
by John Donald O'Shea

Copyright 2013
John Donald O'Shea