When it comes to this sort of thing, BB, I am much more concerned with the spirit of the law than I am with the letter of the law. I've noticed that people always yell about technical legal violations by people they are already against for some reason...but they remain mysteriously silent about similar or even much worse technical legal violations by people they are already for.

Typical human psychology. ;-) No one is totally objective or fair, everyone is prejudiced.

As for me, I generally focus more on the wrongdoings of the powerful and mighty in this world as opposed to the wrongdoings of the weak. The powerful are more dangerous than the weak, and they commit greater crimes and hurt more people. That's my prejudice. I will usually side against great empires and in favour of their victims.

Thus, in 1775 I am quite certain I would have been supporting George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin and opposing the bloody British Empire. The American revolutionaries were the "communists" and "terrorists" of their day...in the eyes of mainstream society...because mainstream society was monarchist, and had been for a very, very long time. The radical new republican ideals espoused by the American revolutionaries in the 1770's were every bit as despised by that mainstream society and every bit as radical in their time as the ideals of leftist radicals who fight the USA now in South and Central America.

The historical roles have switched. The USA now occupies the same bloody and hypocritical ground that was occupied by Great Britain when the British Empire was the greatest power in the world. The USA now stands directly in the way of democracy, equality, freedom, and social justice on this planet. It has betrayed the ideals of its founding fathers about as completely as could possibly have been done. And that was all done for what? For money.

As for the Islamic government in Iran...I do not in any way admire it, but I do support Iran's right to self-determination and self-rule as I would with any other country. I will not support them if they attack someone. I will support them if they defend themselves against an attack. It's that simple.