Parallel Lives

Parallel Lives Plutarch ( 46—120 A.D.) is best known for his paired character studies of distinguished Greeks and Romans from the age of Theseus and Romulus down to his own time. It is often remarked that Republicans and Democrats are shades of the same basic principles that underpin American system of values. Partial support for this view can be gleaned by comparing an contemporary Iraninan hero, GholamReza Hassani, and Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. who died in the first week of the new millennium. Admiral Zumwalt ran as a Democrat for the Senate in Virgina in 1976. American Family Values In 1983, Mr. Hassani led the Ayatollah Khomeini’s guards to the secret hiding place of his 25year-old son, a suspected Marxist, and eagerly participated in his son’s execution. Hassani has said that the death of his son paralleled Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Even after 17 years, Mr. Hassani says that “I don’t regret it.” Admiral Zumwalt’s son also died as a consequence of decisions that the admiral made during the Vietnam war. From 1968 until 1970 Zumwalt ordered the spraying of the Mekong Delta with the defoliant Agent Orange. Zumwalt’s son, Lt. Elmo Zumwalt III was patrolling the Delta during the defoliation. In May of 1988, the younger Zumwalt died of cancer linked to Agent Orange. Before his son’s death, they cooperated on a book and film Zumwalt, while not regretting the military necessity of deploying Agent Orange, says of his son, “ It is the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing I remember when I go to sleep.” Equal Rights Zumwalt became famous for issuing over 121 directives, known as Z-Grams, that re-invented the modern Navy in terms of integrating women and minorities. He recalled that “ When I became chief of naval operations, racism and sexism were still an integral part of the Navy tradition.” Zumwalt worked tirelessly to create equal opportunity in the Navy. On the other hand, Mr. Hassani is obsessed with women committing adultery in the United States and calls for us to adopt a strict Islamic codes for this practice. Such codes include stoning to death for adultery, but in its application women invariably receive this punishment and not the men involved in the same “offense”. When Mr. Hasani was asked about his wife’s reaction to the death of the son he singled out for execution, he replied, “ If she has any thoughts about it, she has kept them to herself, and I haven’t asked.” Symbols Admiral Zumwalt was presented with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, from President Clinton in January 1998. He was applauded for his voluntary work involving bone-marrow donors and cancer patients and for fighting against discrimination for women and minorities. Mr. Hassani’s office is decorated with a signature artwork of a Thompson submachine gun hanging from a leather strap from the bookshelves. We must remember to be grateful for our system that brings out the best in us. Admiral Zumwalt was a good Democrat that positively impacted many lives. Mr. Hassani represents many of the horrible excesses that can occur when democratic processes do not exist. While Mr. Hassani has predicted that the United States will lose its power because it “has lost its soul,” I believe that the character, values, and spirit of men like Mr. Zumwalt will see us prevail.