Terror troubles
New Castle News
New Castle, Pa.

The latest allegations of a terrorism plot fostered by Iran are disturbing.

It’s also very confusing.

The plan, as outlined by U.S. government officials, supposedly had Iranian associates contacting a Mexican drug cartel member, who was to conduct an assassination in Washington.

The target of the assassination, according to officials, was the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S., with the killing to be accomplished by bombing a restaurant.

In response to the revelations, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mused, “The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador? Nobody could make that up, right?”

We are not accusing anyone of making this up, but the allegations are puzzling. While Iran long has been suspected of supporting various acts of international terrorism, it’s difficult to understand what would be accomplished with this plot.

After all, the Saudi ambassador does not set policy. It’s unlikely that such an attack — while potentially embarrassing to America — would fundamentally alter the relationship between the two countries.

And why involve a Mexican drug cartel member? Could such a person be trusted? It’s possible that cartel member tipped off the U.S. government about the plot.

You almost get the idea that targeting an ambassador in this fashion was more an act of desperation than part of some carefully coordinated strategy. Apparently, Iran had no agents in this country capable of carrying out an attack directly. Nor did it see any opportunity for staging an attack that would have a greater impact.

This, we suppose, is good news. It suggests Iran’s capacity for terrorism in America is limited.

But we need to see what other information exists regarding this plot. The Obama administration wants to beef up international sanctions against Iran and sees this plot as a means of making it happen.

The real goal here, no doubt, is Iran’s purported attempts to produce nuclear weapons. The Tehran government denies its nuclear program is intended to make bombs, but the international community has no particular reason to trust it.

The U.S. government wants to restrict Iranian access to technology and materials that would aid its nuclear program. Reports of this terror plot may assist in that effort.

But with various countries still hoping to benefit financially from dealing with Iran, America faces an uphill struggle — no matter the outrageousness of Iranian acts.

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Freedom of speech
The Joplin Globe
Joplin, Mo.

Does Occupy Wall Street deliver a scattershot message? Yes. Can the movement make something happen politically? Maybe.

Is it un-American? Absolutely not.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain last week criticized the Occupy Wall Street movement suggesting that the liberal protesters were “un-American.”

Whether we agree with Occupy Wall Street’s message, we can think of nothing more American than exercising First Amendment rights.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

We support legal public protests or expressions of opinion, one way or the other. We may not always agree with the message, but the Founding Fathers were adamant that government should not interfere with those who want to speak their minds, repulsively or not, individually or in groups.

The protesters say they’re fighting for the “99 percent” or the vast majority of Americans who do not fall into the wealthiest 1 percent of the population. The cause is spreading into other parts of the country. Let’s make sure it’s done legally and without violence.

We might remind those involved that there’s a big difference between getting noticed and getting heard. To be taken seriously, Occupy Wall Street needs a better focus.

Income disparity is widening and ultimately that does not bode well for the country. Standing on public streets and calling bankers greedy may release some frustration, but does little to help anyone.

However, we support the right do it.

It’s what America is all about.