"The Turkish nation," Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turk Republic, once said, "consists of the valiant descendants of a people that has lived independently and has considered independence the solid condition of existence." Theirs is a legacy they are entitled to keep – should keep – without interference from American interests. Only then can Ataturk's great dream hold – not just for Turkey, but for us all: "Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh," he wrote: "lulz at home, lulz in the world."