IRAN

To Anonymous 7

Dear Anonymous 7,

You would have been one of the cowards who bowed to the nazis as they stormed accross Europe. I guess we crossed the English Channel so we could seize control of the "schnitzel" production. Maybe we were really after the beer gardens? Do you think the "Iron Curtain" fell down all by itself? Oh, and I suppose that George Bush single handidly flew the planes into those towers via the remote control that his Daddy gave him for Christmas. What other great conspiracies do you offer us Mr. Anonymous 7.

I really don't care who in the world hates America: The fact remains, that people from all over the world continue to travel here to experience the opportunities we offer. Just because you are a failure in life, does not mean you have to hate those of us who prosper.

I have a mind and I respect the opinions of others. We will have to agree to disagree, but you cannot dispute facts. Quit crying about the past and contribute to the future, or crawl back under your rock and go back to sleep.

Joe B.

Jamshid just thought you should

know someone is saying that you are Kouroush Sassanian on Rosie T. blog "Why I Continue to Engage KS in Dialogue

 I already told them, they are so wrong.

solh va doosti

Nadia

Quit generating hate towards America (to Joe)

Joe Says: "Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul that you are not speaking Russian today. Quit hating America, or go somewhere else!"

Mr. Joe those Reaganists and Necons that you support are the cause of so much hate toward America. They brainwashed poor souls such as you to the extent that you think we would be "speaking Russian today" if ... they had not supported "Islamofaschhists".
US conservative politician Pat Buchanan has the perfect description for Necons, he calls them Neo Crazies and disasters!
Neocarazies need to stop creating wars and disasters around the world, not only to eliminate hatred towards us Americans but also to stop further damage to our economy. So Joe, quit supporting these cons (new and old ones).
"you would be speaking Russian ..." :) hahahahaha..

the world understand the position of power

It's simple, the world only understand the position of power. The mass majority of the American society only respects the powerful, that's their ideology. If I am rich and powerful, you better watch your mouth in front of me. Israel is the power house in the region, it's irrelevent what it does because it's powerful. Palestinians are not, so they are wrong.
Iran and Arabs are the same in the eyes of the Americans. It's impossible to see a candidate for the presidency who speaks the truth, to make any headlines, unless he/she is powerful and RICH. Position of power, that's explains the ideology. So be one if you like respect and stop sucking the balls of this low class and highly socially, historically and politically uneducated society that doesn't distinguish between black and white unless you show them green. Hey I am not going against anyone, just stating the facts. That's my contribution to this page:)

RE:Anonymous4now

I disagree with your analysis about the United States and her agenda in Iran and/or the middle east. I would argue that the issue in regard to the middle east is far different than Japan and Germany after WWII and Hong Kong of powerful China. I still stand by my main point, that "az maast keh bar maast", and suggest to all the Patriotic Iranians to fix their ideology in order for Iran to be fixed. US could be our friend, once we become powerful and she has no other choice but to accept us, just like China. Otherwise it's a simple political equation and if the US or the west can, they will dominate and destroy our path to a better future. Simple algebra. This is not a personal matter, it's politics. I would appreciate if you make your self clear and let me and everyone else know if you would like:
1-Reform IRI
2-Revolution, including yourself joining in
3-American military attack to "Free" us from IRI
4-Or list your solution

Unfortunately Iranian Americans are a bit strange when it comes to the issue of IRI. If one says that I think reform is the best path, they label him/her an IRI agent. Yet a quick look at their mentality and the "opposition" that they support makes you wonder if they live on earth or planet Mars. Really! Name your solution...Iranians are hungry to hear a valid point. I am not convinced that any path other than reform at this juncture is less costly to the Iranians.

The hope of a secure and livable.......

"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."

                   -Martin Luther King Jr.

Joe's Response to Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

The so called "Reaganites" operated under the principle "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". The freedom fighters -as you know- were fighting Russian expansionism/communism. Our government provided millions of dollars not the billions that you suggest.

At that time, the Soviets had a grip on that part of the world. It is because of people like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul that you are not speaking Russian today. You certainly would not have this forum to generate you foolish opinons if not for those that I mentioned.

Quit hating America, or go somewhere else!!!

Joe B.

greatest sponsor of ... (Re: Dear Joe)

Joe says: "There is no greater sponsor of terrorism than the goverment of Iran."
Joe, as you know the strongest and the most extreme Islamic terrorists with global reach are those associated with the Wahabi sect of Islam and not the Shiite sect. The fact is that US Reaganists pumped $billions to Wahabi Sunni fanatics in Pakistan and Afghanistan during the cold war and empowered them, of course at that time the Americans called them "Mojahedin Freedom Fighters" and "Arab Afghans" (1.0 version of Alqaeda).
Reaganists and the evolved Reaganists (neocons) bare most of the responsibility for empowerment of these disasters ("Islamofaschists" as the neocons call them).
So dear Joe, with your permission I make a small correction to your staement: "There have never been greater sponsor of terrorism than the Reaganists of the US government"
Hopefully US government will be cleansed to some extent this year.

Arezu and Xerxes

First Arezu:

You made an outlandish claim that I have to dispute. You don’t have to be a scientist with an advanced degree in Physics, like I am, to look up information in this day and age. A one minute search of the internet will reveal the information you are after. Depleted Uranium, without going into too much detail that anybody can look up, is essentially Uranium 238 which is weakly radioactive, because it has a half life of 4.5 Billion years. In fact, it is far less far toxic than other heavy metals and its primary use, unlike what you suggested, is in use of counterweights and radiation shields because of it high density. Besides, you claim its use for weaponry with such authority that to the untrained eye it may appear as though you were a top official in the Pentagon, to be prevy to such information. Please, let’s not be vulnerable enough to let ourselves be manipulated again.

Xerxes:

You have a very one sided view of world politics and the “bigger enemy” you refer to. All throughout the Nineteenth and early 20th centuries, our good neighbors to the North were busy chipping away at Iran and trying to take over completely. Had it not been for the self promoting interest of the British, Iran may not have remained an independent nation, and so the lesser of the two evils, for us, were the British. During Iran’s modern age, the Pahlavi era, the Soviets tried, but in vein in 1945, to dismember Iran, and it was the alliance of the British and the Americans that saved Iran, one more time. They continued to exercise their influence in Iran, through various leftist sects, and most notably, through the Tudeh party. When in 1953, Mossadegh, wanted to nationalize oil, the Tudeh party argued against it and instead argued for balancing power by giving rights to Iran’s north oil to the Russians (in the absence of newspaper archives everyone has to rely on the collective memory of their parents and grandparents to corroborate this). They argued, and convinced Mossadegh not to take the 50-50 oil deal on the table offered by the World Bank, as suggested by Truman, and betrayed the hopes and ambitions of a whole nation to become democratic. Turning down the offer was suicidal for Iran and not an option for the British. Once Mossadegh realized that the Tudeh part had taken over his movement and had much more sinister motives, he called on his supporters to stay home and not to come out into the streets. The left continued its relentless path to contribute to the Soviet domination of Iran, in an, as you call it, “patriotic but not nationalistic” way, but since Iran was strategically very important to the US it remained a sovereign nation and not a satellite of the Soviet empire. Neighboring Afghanistan did become a victim of the Soviet empire and has suffered the consequences. From 1953 to the mid sixties, when Iran’s wealth started to grow, the Americans provided financial aid to Iran to boost up its economy and helped eradicate various deadly diseases prevalent in Iran, before that era. The “patriotic” left started a propaganda campaign that served to brainwash a whole generation into believing that Iran was a “nokar” (puppet regime) of the U.S., which was interested in plundering the wealth of the nation, while not a single one of such “patriots” mentioned a word about how the Soviets were plundering the oil wealth of a few Asian satellites for their imperialistic ambitions and the expansion of communism, and how they had subjugated half the European nations and almost all of the Central Asian states, against their will. The propaganda machine of the left finally succeeded to mate up with the Islamists and mobilize the deceived Iranian nation, to commit to that revolution of 1979.

If we, for one minute, can stop loving our narcissistic Iranian self, and think about the animosity that the IRI has displayed towards the US, for the past 30 years, then we could see that this animosity is not as a result of US bullying, but as a direct consequence of the suicidal behavior of the IRI, which by the way would not have been tolerated for one minute, by our leftist “patriots’” beloved Soviet empire, had the situation been reversed.

Finally you make this statement:

“Historically US is against independence and is focused to continue her dominance in the oil rich regions”

Since the Second World War, when the US got involved in world politics, the US has liberated Europe and Japan, which remain liberated and independent, to this day. Germany and Japan were rebuilt with American Dollars, and Japan became the Assembly House of US goods and products in the 50s and 60s. By the time Japan could stand on its own two feet, Hong Kong became that Assembly House, and then it was time for Taiwan. Now-a-days, China is poised to becoming an economic power house with Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, next on the plate. All have attained their economic independence and technological achievements as a result of partnership and in collusion with the U.S. and they all remain independent nations. So who is the real enemy you are talking about? Is the enemy not the decaying carcass of the leftist propaganda machine that has created, and apparently remains to create, the delusion of this war mongering, nation eating, imperialist, capitalist, U.S., while the Russians are quietly winning favors with Iran?

Joe B. -MLK Quote

You are welcome!

solh va doosti

Nadia

Nadias - MLK Quote

Thanks!!!

Cut and Paste

Dear Arezu,

I see that you have the ability to cut and paste, based on your arguments ...I am not impressed. You label Israel a "terrorist" state. Iran has publicly declared the desire to eradicte the country of Israel and its people. That is a stated objective. There is no greater sponsor of terrorism than the goverment of Iran.

The fighting in the middle east has been waged for hundreds of years, with no end in site. You and I know what the root cause of that fighting is ...and it is not the "Jews". 99% of all of the conflicts today are due to Fanatical Islamic Extremists. I know that I am not being PC when I state this, but you can not avoid the truth.

The troubles in Iran have absolutely nothing to do with Palestine. Taking up the cause of the Palestinians is a noble thought, but the Arabs and Persians have always shunned the Palestianians here to fore.

What makes Iran dangerous
The Persian Empire was founded some 2,530 years ago. Like Poland, ancient Persia (officially renamed Iran in 1935) has been a crossroads country. As an inevitable consequence, it has suffered a turbulent and violent history. In their turn, both Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan conquered its territory.

But perhaps the invasion of greater concern for us today was when Islamic Arabs conquered Persia in the 600s. That is how Islam was seemingly permanently implanted in the nation. Then when the shah was exiled in 1979, governmental power passed directly into the hands of the Islamic mullahs.

According to the 10th edition of Andrew Boyd's An Atlas of World Affairs, these mullahs imposed a regime which became notorious for religious persecution. They also "made ruthless use of fanatical assassins in Europe and elsewhere," while enforcing a strict Islamic orthodoxy.

Former Middle Eastern correspondent Robin Wright (also author of a book about Iran) summed up the nation's plight in Foreign Affairs magazine: "A generation after it seized power, Iran's revolutionary regime is deeply fractured by intense political divisions, endangered by economic disorder, discredited by rampant corruption and smothered in social restrictions no longer acceptable to large sectors of its changing population."

We may add to this tale of national woes a rogue death squad, newspaper censoring and closures, student unrest, political trials and persecutions against the Jewish minority. An Islamic theocratic regime with revolutionary goals and purposes far more sinister than that of merely helping Iranian citizens to find their way in the modern world, makes for a clear and present danger not only to its own people, but potentially to neighbor nations as well.

Of course, some observers hold the optimistic view that "whatever happens in the short term, religious rule is doomed in Iran" (The Economist, Dec. 21, 2002). A vocal opposition to the clerical rule that now grips the country has emerged in recent years.

Save your videos for your fellow sycophants and continue to cut and paste, because I am not impressed.

Joe B.

In honor of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day........

Joe B., I will post a quote by him. He sacrificed his life for others to have a better life.

"It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it."

                  ~Martin Luther King, Jr

solh va doosti

Nadia

could have good old days lasted?

Right around the the revolution years before and after IRI, I was working as a house painter making a good money in my teenage years (some long days around 250 tomans which was a lot then) ... so I remember them as good old days too.
I think those good old days could have lasted and the changes in Iran could have taken place at a much less stressful way (an understatement) if Shah had some faith on Iranians and had started the democratization process when or around those years that Kennedy asked him ... maybe then some of the strong middle class Iranians would have truly supported him and not all that energy for change would have been utilized by the only existing opposition (i.e., Islamist opposition).
Many leftover monarchists say that Iranians did not appreciate Shah, maybe it is the other way around ... Shah did not trust the strong Iranian middle class ...

To: AnonymousXYZ - About this Site!!!

I have been told the same by many others. A reason why they don't post articles or make comments on this site anymore!

My question is how can one still protect oneself even with the most sophisticated firewalls? I am sure since they would like to see what people are saying and most probably have systems that can overcome the firewalls!! Am I wrong?

I also have been told by others they have had some experiences as well...

This obviously is quite bothersome, as we are here in a public forum believing we are speaking among individuals who are interested in discussing issues, regardless of their personal opinions.

What this does is make individuals not speak their mind, and become quite weary of what they say, stiffling free speech and open dialogue.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

About this site

Please book mark this link and monitor to see how kosher is Iranian.com

//iranian.com/main/cartoons/2008/omid-day...
My guess it is about 50% kosher. Really about 50% Koser right from Israel KOSHER ...

A few years ago after I published a very strong critic of USA Iraq and I had some (Experience ) ...

Make sure you all have a very good firewall ..

Arezu...

I think we are talking pass each other. I do not dispute most of what you say, but I dispute your conclusions. Let's see if I can take another shot at it.

(1) As for Palestinian problem, I do not dispute the injustice towards them. However, Iranian focus on this matter is like asking Palestinians to pour into streets in defense of people of Darfur, who are far worse than Palestinians. In fact none of the arab population came in defense of people of Darfur. Similarly, it is an absolute injustice to children of iran to be robbed of their wealth (and attention) to be spent on Palestinian issue, a difficult issue that may not have any solution in sight. We are simply in no position to help anyone while our children are practically begging in the streets. I saw girls as young as 6 and 8 years old selling Faale-Hafez for 50 tomans, that is five cents, on the streets of iran. How can one expect them to show any concern about Palestinians?

(2) On the issue of late shah, I do not dispute your arguments about his mistakes. Maybe he made mistakes, maybe he did not. Show me one leader who does not make mistakes. In fact, please look around carefully and analyze some of the democratically elected leaders to see how impotent and incompetent they are. How they bring serious harm on their own people as well as people of other nations -- and their own population are either silent or incapable of doing anything effective. By observing how democratic societies of today work, I have come to the conclusion that one of the main purposes of elections is to provide a fake sense of participation and to create an atmosphere of manufactured consent and manipulated content. While I personally never liked the treatment of opposition by shah, I can equally argue that that was necessary to some extent. We had (and still have) some nasty characters in iran that were willing to go to any length under the slogan of "for the people" but in service of their own objectives. Most of IRI leaders of today were in opposition to shah, and it was very difficult to separate them from (very few) true nationalists like bakhtiar. The thugs would always succeed and get the upper hand in any contest, or as we say "nice people always end up last." So, I evaluate shah based on his performance as a whole not based on his tactics. And never mind if he took responsibility for his actions or not; as in the eyes of history he is responsible for all his actions. I, however, have doubt if it was possible for him to be more flexible without leading us to where we are today, albeit much sooner. And I see that he changed iran significantly with a long list of positive achievements next to his short list of tactical mistakes. I wish we could have a perfect leader, but that is not humanly possible, not for iran and not for any other country.

(3) As for sovereignty, I do not dispute that sovereignty means geographical sovereignty as well as non-interference in its formal usage. But I claim that it is MORE than that in its spirit. As long as we do not have an iranian-centric government, we do not have a sovereign government. And I strongly believe that IRI's policies, internal and external, are not advantagous to the people of iranian society and does not have the consent of the people. After all, in effect, it does not matter if you waste wealth of the country at the encouragement of foreign powers or voluntarily in service of islam; they both are the same as long as people of iran do not benefit from it in a tangible way.

I suppose we may be agreeing that we disagree on some issues. Let's hope that someday there will be a space for both of us in our homeland.

Re: Anonym7

It only degrades your own self when you show off your upbringing by telling us the sort of things you did in your last post. 

I will not lower myself to your level by giving you a response that you so richly deserve.

Re: Arezu and Javad agah

This is a quote from Arezu: "I wonder how many can write a thorough blue print about Iran today let alone 50 years ago. And if we could write such a detailed blue print taking into account all facets of internal and foreign forces and make predictions of how our blue print has to be constantly modified as the world order changed, we wouldn't be sitting here!"

If this is indeed your opionion, then how can you have such firm and biased opinions about what happened in those times? If your statement is true then historian can ever have a logical opinion about the past, nor could economists create a development plan for their country. 

If one sets aside his mental lazyness (and I am not saying this in a bad way) and do some thinking, he could come up with at least a partial blue print. This is not meant to be an exact and complete blue print, it is only meant to be used for analysis. Anyone can do this.

For example, one of the issues I had with the Pahlavis was the literacy issue. I always criticized why in 1978 we had only 55 percent lieteracy rate? Then someone suggested to me to go back in 1921 and come up with a plan, a blue print, of what I would have done to make things better.

I decided to meet his challenge. I was certain I could find a way. It forced me to do some research and learn more about what were the available resource in 1921. And what our needs were in those times. Then I started by taking the numbers of literates who could be used for the literacy effort and those who needed to be used in other none literacy segments, eg, industries, infrastructure, etc.

I did not have to be exact. Just an approximation would do. Then I did some calculations, eg, one person can teach say 50 people for 10 years. Then some of those 50 people can join the efforts in literacy and some of them in the infrastructue building. I soon realized that this can become an exponential growth.

But no matter how I did it, I could not come up with anything better than 60 percent literacy rate in 1978. The only way an above 60 percent literacy rate could be achieved was to assign almost the entire literate corp of Iran in 1921 to the literacy effort and abandon the industries and infrastructure building alltogether for at least 40 years, eg, until the early 60s. There were other combination solutions too, but they were inpractical as well.

I have an adoration for mathematics and so doing this was even fun for me. I enjoyed spending time for it. I do not expect the same from you and others. But the point I want to make is that I was finally convinced that the pahlavis had done well with the literacy effort. The other point I want to make is that the blue print does not have to exact. The last point I want to make is that, contrary to your opinion, at least a partial blue print could be developed despite of the changing of the factors with the passage of time.

When one criticize somebody, he must always be able to present a solution too. Criticizing without a solution is just nagging. With solution is constructive criticism.

I have always disagreed with your opinions about the pahlavis, but I do agree with the ones in your last post.

TO Anonym7

Anonym7 you IRI jerk, you seem to be so familiar with this bear story. Is it a fantasy of yours, or did it actually happen to you? If it did happen, then at the end, what did the bear do to you? How much damage did the bear cause you? pareh poorat kard? etc.
We all want to know...

The only thing that is necessary...

is to face the truth as squarely as possible regardless of how uncomfortable it may make one in the furniture one has chosen, or hoped to be able to choose, for one's ideology. There will be many apparent paradoxes and things will seem more complex than when viewed through a simplistic lens. But ultimately clarity will come. The ony thing that matters is truth, as best as one can approach it.  The truth shall set us free.  And then the blind men come closer and closer to....the whole elephant...so...

PAZ.  PAZIR...it's all in the dialogue...and if we can't make PEACE here, on a WEBSITE, on a THREAD about Abarmard's childhood....ABARMARD'S thread, of ALL threads...if we can't make PEACE with each other HERE, how can we POSSIBLY hope for peace to happen there. 

I lost my temper yesterday on this website. Some chicken accused me of being a covert Muslim hater and I actually told him to go f*** himself...with asterisks of course, and a long preamble..but still...so, you see...progress, not perfection. .  So...pishraft...paz...pazir...as the Zen Buddhists say, "O Snail! Climb Mount Fuji!  But slowly...slowly..."

Thanks Abarmard for a lovely article. And Azarin, I'm sorry. I'm going through something hard too.  Feel free to contact me off-site. And by the way, why aren't you people REGISTERED yet? 

What Arezu has that many don't

-Is it possible to be patriotic but not nationalistic?
-Is it possible to be against the IRI and still feel passionate about the crimes done against the Palestinians?
-A political ideology that wants to strive for freedom can easily disagree with the IRI but realizes that there is a bigger enemy. That enemy, as long as not disabled would not allow any government to be established that could be Democratic and based on freedom (at least as long as there is oil) Guess what country that is?
-Once realized that the problem is bigger than IRI, one might agree with anti-bully ideology that could be the fundamental base for the free future of Iran. Yet that does not make IRI a preferable government of Iran. Can this be possible? To a politically and socially educated individual such as Arezu, yes.
-Iranians outside of Iran are far behind any possible political ideology that could be beneficial for the future of Iran, Majority just agree completely with the west because they see the enemy of the enemy being the friend!
-The enemy is what Arezu speaks about, and if that is not clear then we will not be able to accomplish an independent government that looks at the benefit of the Iranians and we will continue to be a poor dependent nation that could not strive for the best possible potential of our nation.
-Remember that the reason people revolted was the same. Although we have not arrived to where we would’ve liked to be, we should at least remember what was important to us once. We had a great economy and the people still were not happy. Maybe we Iranians are not the same as the Chinese on the eastern front and the Turks in the west, or Persian Gulf Arab States. Maybe we want to be somewhere else.
-Some areas that IRI is working on are not exclusive to the government of Iran. They are a lot of hard working people inside the country that with these economical hardships brought to us by the sole Bully Power the U.S., that have made Iran a self sufficient State ranging from technological to agricultural needs. To ignore any accomplishments because it has been done under the hated IRI, is a slap in the face of the hard working people, especially the young. Is that patriotic?
-Regardless where you stand on the political issue, it’s just simple humane philosophy that we have been preached by Sa’di, Hafiz or Molavi, which makes every Israeli wrong from the base. Because the issue did not exists before they took over. Now have your political agenda, but keep your humanity in check.
_The IRI is a dictatorial regime, a totalitarian government, no question about it. Now look at all your possible options and think what the choices are. Iranians don’t want to die, are you willing to go to Iran and put your life for the sake of revolution? Reform seems to be a very civilized path to reach our final destination. We do not need to make another uneducated guess; we know who we are dealing with. With less of the U.S. butting in and more of civilian pressure in and out of the country we could adjust the system to our desire point. I would really do suggest that Iranians grasp an ideology and stop relying so heavily on the U.S to do the work for them. We will not get what we want by any country, especially the United States. Historically US is against independence and is focused to continue her dominance in the oil rich regions. Don’t sell out!
Iran will become better, once you become better

Joe B. you know as well as I do.....

that there are plenty of Iranian men and women assembling and protesting for change in Iran. You can see pictures of the demonstrations on this website, youtube and other sources of information.

I realize that the quotes are offered as symbolism, I have used quotes to express meaning before for other issues.

The beautiful women of Iran have risen up in the past with their brothers to make changes in Iran, and they are currently doing something about it. Just because it is not in the way that some think it should be done, does not mean they are not putting themselves in danger.

You know as well as I do, what can happen to  those who dare to even demonstrate against the government.

The better question to ask would be. What are the Iranians in the Diaspora doing to bring about change in Iran?

solh va doosti

Nadia

To: Anonym7 and Javadagha perfectly said

A blue print - interesting. I wonder how many can write a thorough blue print about Iran today let alone 50 years ago. And if we could write such a detailed blue print taking into account all facets of internal and foreign forces and make predictions of how our blue print has to be constantly modified as the world order changed, we wouldn't be sitting here!

Furthermore, Jamshid doesn't seem to read all of my comments in detail before making an erroneous remark. Prior to his comment, I had already provided Setiz with my views about Reza Shah.

Another great point that Javadagha brought up was when he said: "The gas to Babol and Amol was coming from other countries and they cut it because they started asking for more money, kind of blackmail in this cold weather".

Now maybe I am going out of context but it brings me back to Iran's nuclear issue, when the P5+1 and especially the U.S. stated that if Iran really was after a peaceful civilian nuclear program, why not allow another country to enrich and provide the fuel to Iran (i.e. Russia). They responded back, why should we, and how can we trust any country in providing us with the fuel that we need, especially when we have the product (uranium) in ample quantity in our own soil. In fact Russia had just done the same to Georgia (Gorestan), when they refused to provide them with fuel that they desperately needed in the cold winter. The current situation with Iran's gas problem just proved their point.

though exercise (Re: Jamshidjan)

Jamshid says: "I also encourage everyone else who share Arezu's views to do the same. It is a thought exercise that would most of all benefit yourself."

Jamshidjan, are you really here for a thought exercise?
You label, you insult, ... then you say you are here for "a thought exercise". You remind me of a bear hunter Jamshidjan:
There was a bear hunter who missed his target and got a serious warning from the bear. He came back for the second time, and missed the same target. The bear then got him and gave him a lesson.
The hunter came back for the third time, this time to get the same bear to protect his reputation. The hunter missed again ...., the bear told him, have you come here to hunt or to get ***.
Jamshidjan, I hope my joke exercised your brain.

To: Joe B - Global Terrorism and Silent Genocide

I hope you viewed the excellent video posted by Anonymous... on DU.

(1) However, in order to be responsive to your questions, let me first explain what is DU:
.
Depleted uranium (DU) is the residue left in massive quantities when bomb-grade uranium is refined to make reactor fuel and nuclear weapons.

The densest naturally occurring metal, it is used to make armor-penetrating shells, standard armament for some of the West's most widely deployed military aircrafts and fighter planes.

Depleted uranium turns into an infinitesimally fine dust after it explodes; individual particles are smaller than a virus or bacteria. And, it is estimated that one millionth of a gram accumulating in a person's body would be fatal. There are no known methods of treatment when a person is contaminated by DU.

(2) Second what are the impacts of DU in contaminated areas:

DU weapons that strike their targets produce clouds of tiny uranium oxide particles, enters the body via inhalation into the lung or via ingestion into the GI tract. It is excreted by the kidney, where if the dose is high enough, it can induce renal failure or kidney cancer. It also lodges in the bones where it causes bone cancer and leukemia, and it is excreted in the semen, where it mutates genes in the sperm, leading to birth deformities. Some children are born without brains or vital organs or with no arms, hands, or arms, or with hands attached to their shoulders.

(3) Third who has used DU:

DU shells were widely used in the 1991 Gulf war; in Bosnia and Kosovo by the U.S. and NATO Forces; and are being used now in Iraq and Afghanistan; and have been used by Israel in Palestine as well as in Lebanon during the invasion of 2006.

By firing radioactive ammunition, the U.S., U.K., and Israel may have triggered a nuclear holocaust in the Middle East that, over time, will prove deadlier than the U.S. atomic bombing of Japan.

Leuren Moret, a nuclear authority and formerly with the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory has indicated that so much ammunition containing depleted uranium(DU) has been fired, that the generic future of the Iraqi people for the most part has been destroyed.

More than ten times the amount of radiation released during atmospheric testing (of nuclear bombs) has been released from depleted uranium weaponry since 1991, including radioactive ammunition fired by Israeli troops in Palestine. During the invasion of Lebanon in the summer of 2006, Israeli tankers fired radioactive shells contaminating Lebanon.

The long-term effect of DU is a virtual death sentence. Children are 10 to 20 times more susceptible to the carcinogenic effects of radiation than adults.

Because of the extremely long half-life of uranium 238, the radioactive elements contaminate the area and are carried by wind scattering nuclear material through the region. In fact, the half-life of Uranium-238 is 4.5-billion years, and as it decays it spawns other deadly radioactive by-products.

Countries contaminated with DU have become toxic wastelands. Anyone who is there stands a good chance of coming down with cancer and leukemia. DU dust does more than wreak havoc on the immune systems of those who breathe or touch it; the substance also alters one's genetic code. Experts state that in Iraq, the birth rate of mutations is totally out of control.

Conclusion:

The use of DU is outlawed but then who gets to stop the super-power and its greatest ally, Israel. This is nothing but a silent genocide of the people of the Middle East.

So, why don’t you tell me which countries are involved in Global terrorism of the worst kind; the Palestinian suicide bomber, or the U.S, U.K., Israel, and NATO?

(4) With Respect to Palestinian Suicide Bombers:

Let me just ask you a question, how would you feel if your country becomes a land of colonizers, settlers, occupiers and institutionalized apartheid, an area in turmoil and perpetual hatred, while you are robbed of your land, home, farm and are imprisoned in a walled fenced-in-ghettos and Bantustans, displaced and sent to rot in refugee camps and territorial hellholes; while the occupier enjoys all that you once enjoyed; continues to receive billions of dollars of aid and the most sophisticated, and deadly weapons from the sole super-power. which are used to destroy your family.

Do you think that after all of this oppression, saturation of built-up hatred and vengeance the tinder box will not explode?

And you might want to ponder on this question did you have any reason to become a suicide bomber and kill yourself and innocent people before the aggressor took away all that once made you feel like a living human being?

If you had access to the same sophistical military arsenal as the enemy, would you be stupid enough to kill yourself, or use the weapons to target your enemy and not civilians?

You don't carpet bomb civilians, blow up water reservoirs, and destroy homes, use civilians as defense shields to flush out those who are resisting and retaliating against Israeli occupation and ruthless attacks. But does Israel care?

How soon must we use the words "war crime"? How many children must be scattered in the rubble of Israeli air attacks before we reject the obscene phrase "collateral damage" and start talking about prosecution for crimes against humanity.

I have no love for terrorists of any stripe, and Israel is a terrorist state, funded and aided by the United States.

You can bomb the world to pieces but you can’t bring peace to the world!

Though Anonymous... has already forwarded an excellent video, if you really care to know what is being done under our name, you may also find
this video by the Pulitzer Prize Journalist John Pilger to under stand what DU has done to the children of Iraq as well as to the U.S. soldiers, and how the U.S.Gov'ts has murdered and killed innocent Iraqi civilians! Then you may want to answer the question what is “terrorism”?
//www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15...

Depleted Uranium a Public Health Disaster
//rinf.com/alt-news/911-truth/depleted-uraniu...

Israeli Army use of Depleted Uranium
//www.indymedia.ie/article/77434

Silent Genocide
//www.informationclearinghouse.info/article59...

To Setiz - In response to your comments.

I also thank you for taking the time to read my comments and respond with genuine thought and your beliefs.

1. I am fully aware of the relationship between IRI and the Palestinians; and the potential reasons behind their relationship. However, this is the world of politics and is being played by every country in the world, and is not particular to IRI.

I also know that the Arab leaders have never had a love affair with Iran, and still don't. In fact even today, neither one trusts the other. However, I believe that the Arab people hold a different opinion as compared to their leaders. I have witnessed this up-front - they hate the fact that their leaders are puppets and kowtow to the U.S. and have sold the dignity and rights of their citizens to foreign powers.

2. I also agree with your position that the Arab countries should take responsibility for their Arab brothers, the Palestinians, which they have not been doing. I have my own opinions about the heads of State of the Arab countries; they are self-serving, puppet dictators. They don't give a damn about the Palestinians, or the Iraqis. The fact that they have suddenly taken an interest is simply because they don’t want to fall behind Iran.

However, my views about the Palestinians have nothing to do with IRI nor am I influenced by their views and opinions. I don’t understand how may have reached this conclusion!

3. I disagree with your opinion that it is the propaganda of the IRI which has increased awareness toward the Palestinian issue.

The Israeli/Palestinian issue has been going on since 1948. The Palestinians have fought hard for their rights and I respect them for this. Furthermore, there have been many notable scholars who have been a strong advocate of the Palestinians, as well as many people around the world.

Furthermore, the aggressive and atrocious actions of the Israeli Governments have finally woken up the world about the miserable state of the Palestinians.

The conflict between the Israeli and Palestinians is the major issue which has engulfed the Middle East and until it is solved there will be no peace in the region; and the struggle will continue.

4. On the subject of the late Shah, I respect your view that you hate it when people blame the Shah for the Revolution and that this bothers you. As such, out of respect I will not relay why I hold a different view.

However, the Shah made serious mistakes in managing the affairs of his country and as time went by the disenchantment of the people brewed until the pot spilled over, enabling Khomeini to fill the vacuum. His mistakes were many, and to state that his people were not prepared for him, or he was far too progressive for his people is a common theme used by many to justify the Revolution.

As the leader of a country, he had the responsibility to make sure that he was in tune with his people, he understood and respected the customs, beliefs, of all segments of Iranian society and not just the technocrats surrounding him. He had an obligation to implement appropriate strategies that would overcome their weakness and meet their needs. He was not the King of Sweden, but the King of Iran.

A leader should never be above his people and his country. I do not agree with the notion; “Khoda, Shah, Meehan”; Meehan comes before the Shah. A leader comes and goes but the “Meehan” still remains.

A true leader is the “servant” (not in the literal term) of his people, not the other way around. He was granted a privilege which he abused, whether knowingly or un-knowingly.

Unfortunately one of the major problems with the Shah which lead to his downfall was that he never liked criticism. There were many articulate, highly educated individuals who would tell him the truth and discuss his mistakes; however he never liked hearing them. He always wanted to be praised. If anyone became too popular within the government by the people, that individual would be removed from power, because of the Shah’s own insecurity. He also never blamed anything that went wrong on himself but rather on others (i.e. he didn’t want to take responsibility). You can’t have it both ways, be a leader above the law, and yet not take responsibility for your actions.

5. I totally disagree with your definition of what constitutes a sovereign state.

The UN Charter accorded recognition to the following principles as sovereign rights of a state: (a) sovereignty, (b) equality of state, (c) non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states, and (d) the self-determination of peoples. Incidentally, the UN Charter has also specified matching duties of the states which interalia include: (i) non-interference in domestic affairs of other state, (ii) settlement of disputes by peaceful means; and (iii) refraining from threat or use of force by states.

One of the most important attributes of a state under international law is its sovereignty, meaning the absolute right of the state’s ruling entity to exercise power. To the extent that sovereign states have jurisdiction over the territory (land) that they control, the most commonly accepted definition of state sovereignty is territorial sovereignty. Territorial sovereignty means that the state has the right to exercise in its territory, to the exclusion of any other state, the function of a state. The precise determination of the territorial extent of a state is thus of great importance in determining the extent of its juridical power.

Even Khomeini despite his deep and rigid belief in communal sovereignty, understood Iran in terms of its geographic boundaries and its territorial sovereignty.

As such under the UN Charter no other state has the right to interfere in the domestic affairs of another state, settlements must be resolved by peaceful means; and states should refrain from threat or use of force against another state. The U.S. is violating the covenants of the UN Charter.

Hopefully I have responded to your questions. Now if we still disagree on certain issues; this is common, and I don't expect that we agree on all topics.

Nor am I fighting to ensure individuals accept my opinions.

Javadagha: The cold killed.

"About three weeks ago, the cold killed many in the US of A and nobody said anything. Now that Iran is facing an extreme cold". The cold did not kill anyone. The people who are not prepared suffer from the effects of winter. We live in a country of 300 million people. People die ...What's your point.

How is that relevant to the people who suffer in Iran?

Joe B.

To Nadias

Nadias,

If they are not willing to assemble and fight for change, then change will not occur.

The quotes were offered as symbolism. As far as making sacrifices, I served in the forces that guarded our country and our way of living. I will always be willing to sacrifice myself for freedom.

I am hopeful that the beautiful women of Iran are able to rise up with their brothers to make change. We stand ready to help them when the time arrives!!!!

Joe B.

Javadagha

I did not mention the 4000 Americans who died in Iraq. Also, we (The US) do not have a doctrine that supports the rape and murder of the innocent, although there are a few bad people who do commit these evil acts.

You have a completely one sided opinion that lacks facts. You should open up your mind. You point fingers at the Americans, but you fail to mention the suicide bombers who blow up thier brothers and sisters in sacred places and other public gatherings.

The US military has used "restrained" power to try to limit civilian casualties. We could level that side of the world with conventional and or nuclear forces in seconds.

So get off your soap box, and go back to the cave that you crawled out of.