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12/18/2005


 

Free Republic Commentary 12/18-1/12

War With Iran is Coming

Posted by humint to TheCrusader
On Bloggers & Personal 01/12/2006 1:36:40 PM PST · 8 of 12

If Iran became a front, then the insurgency in Iraq would grow in leaps and bounds, (because Iran and Syria would feed it), and the "rear" would become a nightmare.

The war in Iraq is a part of the GWOT. The GWOT has no "front" or "rear" in a conventional sense. Iran and Syria are feeding the terrorist insurgency in Iraq because they are the "front" in terms of political, moral and financial support for the fight against democracy. Our flanks might waver as opponents of the GWOT lose faith in democracy but our “rear” is secure. Democracy, and our essential freedoms, and those of our allies, is ground that is in no danger of being lost to terrorists. That ground is sacrosanct and was won with the blood of our fore fathers.


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War With Iran is Coming

Posted by humint to afnamvet
On Bloggers & Personal 01/12/2006 1:19:43 PM PST · 7 of 12

IMO, any operations involving Iran will be conducted covertly within the country.

Because of how the mind works, it often assumes an invisible hand is at work. I fear Americans are slipping into the same sort of conspiratorial complacencies that many Middle Easterners are notorious for. If I’m correct, this trend is truly unfortunate. Relying on inalienable truths, not invisible hands, has made the United States the most able nation on earth. The Iran problem is not a problem that can be mentally outsourced to black-ops teams. There are always great forces at work to keep the world a peace. Yes, maybe some are covert but most, in my opinion, the ones that make history, the ones that matter, are overt. At the end of the day, Iran has thrust its self onto the world stage as a huge problem. To solve huge problems requires huge consensus, at least in terms of democratic solutions. This is not a Republican or a Democrat problem; Iran is the free world's problem. The free world will have to face down the Iranian threat before it can move on and establish the peace and security it wants and ultimately needs to thrive.

Fascist dictatorships like Iran’s feed on crisis; democracies do not, however the United States and its allies must make it overtly clear to Iran that this time they've bitten off more than they can chew.


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Red lines in the Iranian sand

Posted by humint to farlander
On News/Activism 01/12/2006 9:27:52 AM PST · 13 of 20

Yep, it's been a while since we incinerated buncha people who meant us harm. People forget, that in WWII, we obliterated whole cities with conventional weapons. If anyone thinks that the counter-population cannot be done today they're sadly mistaken. And I think we need to give everyone a reminder of what that could look like.



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Red lines in the Iranian sand

Posted by humint to Dark Skies
On News/Activism 01/12/2006 9:20:02 AM PST · 11 of 20

There are three differences, though. Iraq's alleged nuclear activities were clandestine - although they did not result in a capability to make nuclear weapons of mass destruction, as Western governments falsely claimed. By contrast, Iran's current activities are transparent and taking place right in the presence of IAEA inspectors.

Apparently it's OK to break the law when everybody knows about it. Although the IAEA is on the ground now, it is important to realize that only a handful of people would know about this “originally clandestine program” if it weren't exposed by Iranian dissidents. The Iranian regime is so widely hated internally that they can't keep their nuclear secrets... So yes, all of these violations are taking place in the presence of IAEA inspectors! The fact that it’s on the table is all the more reason to take tangible steps to prevent the threat these violations pose to the community of nations. The sooner the better.


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Iraqi Soldiers detain terrorist, discover weapons cache

Posted by humint to mdittmar
On News/Activism 01/12/2006 7:26:37 AM PST · 3 of 6

BAGHDAD , Iraq – Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 6th Iraqi Army Division, supported by Task Force Ironhorse Soldiers, detained a suspected terrorist and discovered a weapons cache during a raid north of Baghdad at approximately 2 a.m. Jan. 12.

OUTSTANDING! Bump


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'May the hands of the infidels be chopped off!'

Posted by humint to Lorianne
On News/Activism 01/11/2006 12:57:53 PM PST · 13 of 14

I have no clue how it works because I am not allowed to visit Mecca

Mecca is like the visible part of an iceberg. While I am sure there are many honorable people on this Hajj, MEMRI obviously didn’t capture their peaceable worship. But let’s focus on the negative, because this man is clearly a threat. Muslim leaders in ME and beyond, convince their followers they are the victims of global conspiracies against their God and them. If a follower thinks to ask, "Where are my social services?" the leader replies, "you are prevented from having them by a Western conspiracy against you, besides, you don't need them. All you need is me. Why me? Because I am a champion of the God your enemies are conspiring against. I am a champion of a brand of militant Islam that cannot function without me."

Leaders like these horrible men abuse the power of the Holy Spirit because they have none without it. Slithering their way to the top with their lies and corruption they have created a sick cycle that perpetuates itself. To placate it, even those in the ME who are disgusted by it, feed it, because they know that the demonic distraction the cleric always invents to whip his crowd into frenzy could be them. Even those that hate this sick system say to themselves, “all the better for these Islamists to seethe with hatred for the United States”, a nation that is 1. Powerful 2. Undeniably influential and most importantly 3. Not them. You’ve heard the saying, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”… Regional authorities in the ME say “the enemy of the United States is obsessed with the United States, not me!”

Fortunately the well crafted lies, the equivalent of psychological abuse and the hallmark of this kind of leadership is easy to expose. Unfortunately it appears as though we are more comfortable with the powerful enemy we know than the meek ally we don’t. Millions of people in the ME and beyond are sick of this kind of leadership. These people are our allies, and yes, in many cases, they are Muslim.


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Who's An Iraqi ? ( Why the Fight in Iraq is also about Iran ).

Posted by humint to SirLinksalot
On News/Activism 01/11/2006 10:02:28 AM PST · 3 of 7

ARTICLE: But the hard truth remains, as does the unbreakable determination of Iran and Syria to drive us from Iraq. And if they succeed, they will not stop there. The leaders of Iran have told their people to prepare to "rule the world." You may be sure they will not declare victory simply because they have won the battle for Iraq.

Great Post, Great Read, Bump! The Iranian plan goes far beyond Iraq and is a multifaceted march toward regional and later world domination. Economic terror is a part of their asymmetric warfare schema and the fascist elitism that rules in Iran exists to ensure that they will either succeed or fail spectacularly. Their spectacular success comes at the cost of our spectacular failure. I’m not willing to surrender to anyone’s ideology much less the fascist ideology running Iran today. Great Work ML and Great Post Sir!


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U.S. Variables - Win the War for the Future [Iran]

Posted by humint
On Bloggers & Personal 01/11/2006 9:44:18 AM PST · 98+ views


humint ^ | 11 Jan 2006 | humint
Are today's statesmen making the right calculations? What are the variables that will take U.S.-Iran relations into the future? Here’s my list for your consideration… LONG TERM VARIABLES Work toward a guarantee of liberty and of the pursuit happiness for the people of the world, particularly the Middle East and visitors to the Middle East A hiccup in the world economy is acceptable in my opinion, not a crash, to achieve the first goal Establish free and fair trade with all resource exporting countries and regions Form a trade alliance between resource importing countries to offset politically destabilizing alliances formed...

Read | Comments


Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to Fred Nerks; wtc911; F14 Pilot; nuconvert; Tokra; DoctorZIn
On News/Activism 01/10/2006 8:08:35 PM PST · 103 of 105

And you think all that enmity is the result of the US allowing the Shah and his family to enter the US to seek medical treatment?

This is a moment in history that I wish our administration had listened to the "big picture" intelligence analysis provided them at the time. I am 100% confident PANAMA would have been a better location for the Shah's and the Shah's family's exile and have evidence to back up this opinion and others. No, I don't think the family of the Shah settling in the U.S. is the entire story but yes, it has something to do with it. Ultimately we have to move forward, not give up, not wallow in historical fantasy and try to work out a RESOLUTION.

SOURCE:

THREAT ASSESSMENT: IRAN - Prepared by: Stephanie C. Stuaffer, 632-1864 - Approved by: Bowman H. Miller, Sid T. Telford, 632-2412 - June 14, 1979

(S) Anti-U.S. feelings, which appeared to have abated several months ago following the evacuation of most Americans, are on the increase. The fractionalization of the Islamic movement and the many political groups competing for public favor may once again find the U.S. an attractive target for propaganda and aggression. Recent demonstrations protesting Senator Jacob Javits’ resolution on Iran point out the fact that any political decision which Iranians in general consider disadvantageous to them could trigger anti U.S. demonstrations and or incidents. In this regard, a decision to allow the deposed Shah and or family members to visit or settle in the United States could have serious consequences. The Iranian reaction would probably be immediate and possibly violent. Such a decision would probably be the one cohesive and unifying factor in the entire Iranian political spectrum.

REGIME SOURCE:

Beset by advanced cancer, the shah left Iran in January 1979 to begin a life in exile. He lived in Egypt, Morocco, the Bahamas, and Mexico before going to the United States for treatment of lymphatic cancer. His arrival in New York City led to the Iranian takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran by "Students of Imam's Line" and the taking hostage of more than 50 Americans for 444 days.

BBC SOURCE:

1979 4 November - Iranian students seize 63 hostages at US embassy in Tehran, prompting drawn-out crisis leading to severing of diplomatic ties and sweeping US sanctions against Iran. Their initial demand is that the Shah return from the US to Iran to face trial. Later Iran also demands the US undertake not to interfere in its affairs.


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More reason for concern: the president of Iran is also an "end times" fanatic

Posted by humint to elizabethr
On News/Activism 01/10/2006 1:13:36 PM PST · 21 of 26

I’d reverse that formulation. The most dangerous leaders in modern history are those (like Hitler) equipped with a totalitarian ideology and a mystical belief in their own mission. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fulfills both these criteria, as revealed by his U.N. comments. That combined with his expected nuclear arsenal make him an adversary who must be stopped, and urgently.

AHMADINEJAD!

GREAT POST!


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to Fred Nerks; Tokra
On News/Activism 01/10/2006 11:21:00 AM PST · 87 of 105

Stalin's starving and frozen political prisoners in that particular camp passed those pages around and salivated. 'Oh, if only we were in a Tsarist prison' they said.

Fred, there you go again... you shouldn't let your knowledge of historical similarities of revolutionary failures bleed into your “correctness” measure of decisions made by people struggling for a better life. It's tainted and easily reversible logic. Humanity HAS experienced revolutions against monarchy that have revealed great social progress. Armed with that knowledge, revolutionary leaders encourage their countrymen to take up arms to achieve a better life. Upon failure many will assert the entire effort to achieve a better life was ill conceived, but that’s wrong. It’s wrong because it arbitrarily associates the effort of “failing to achieve a better life” with the act of being “wrong”.

The essence of humanity is our struggle to achieve a better life regardless of our successes or failures. Those who are most “wrong” hold fast to social mechanisms that prevent individuals from achieving a better life. We can discuss those in depth if you like but that’s not the issue at the moment. Your assertion is that Iranians should’ve never sought to escape the frying pan because you know, in retrospect, only fire awaited them. To them, at that time, their effort was worth the risk of achieving liberty or death.

If you want to talk about historical mistakes, I say focus your attention on the vacillations of national leaders. The Shah was a notorious vacillator. Unfortunately we vacillated too. It was truly foolish of the U.S. Administration, in the lead up to the Iranian Revolution, to encourage the Shah to relieve pressure on dissent and then accept him in exile after the revolution. If the Carter Administration had not vacillated so wildly in its policies toward the Shah, U.S. relations with Iran would be entirely different today. Apparently the Shah was welcomed by Panamanian authorities after he was deposed; Carter should have sent him to Panama. I wish Iranian militants were yelling “DEATH TO PANAMA!” instead of “DEATH TO AMERICA!”

But that’s just as dumb a wish as wishing to trade life in the Gulag for life in “Tsarist prison”. Why would any sane person wish for one hell over another?


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Let Iran Go Nuclear? The latest really bad idea

Posted by humint to billorites
On News/Activism 01/10/2006 9:43:51 AM PST · 27 of 36

ARTICLE: Wouldn’t we tell the democratic opposition to cool it?

Wouldn't we? We have and we are! Besides vague comments from the top, American officials are not encouraging democratic opposition in Iran. The very existence of the United States as a successful democratic republic is enough to foment some agitation inside oppressive states. Real support for democracy in Iran is going to take more than cautious verbal maneuvering. American officials have to demonstrate they believe in the democratic process, for everyone, particularly the most oppressed.

In my opinion, the fundamental American perception of Iran and Iranians is that “time” is the only antiseptic to the infectious disease that ails Iranian leadership. This perception has fomented a belief that is by focusing on Iranian leadership, a cure can be found. Focus in terms of supporting it blindly, supporting the good half against the bad half or isolating the whole. This kind of focus incorrectly implies that U.S. Iranian relations will eventually sort themselves out at the leadership level. This fundamental perception is wrong! The democratic opposition, an anathema to Iranian leadership, has been pushed to the side in this equation and is considered nothing more than a peripheral point of little or no significance.

What’s sad is that this behavior demonstrates that American officials have lost faith in their most powerful weapon… SIDE NOTE - Do you know what the tipping point for the Orange Revolution was? A handful of journalists decided to tell the truth! - That’s it! The truth is what democracies have in abundance that dictatorships cannot afford. The truth, as a weapon, is useless against mentally diseased Iranian leaders but has the capacity to heat up democratic opposition. The truth has the power to topple the liars who rule Iran today faster than any other force. But in every case the United States has tip toed around using inalienable truths to foment democratic revolution in Iran. Why? My guess is that they are afraid of the consequences that come from accusing liars of their lies in front of the people being lied to… Fear not American Officials! We have more to gain than we have to lose if you put your trust in inalienable truths!


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Iraqis receive training in Iran

Posted by humint to conservativecorner
On News/Activism 01/09/2006 6:30:57 PM PST · 2 of 2

ARTICLE: "All the training he received was required training for the militia. They also had political classes, and classes in how to kidnap people if they are against the Islamic people of Iraq and Iran," Muhammad said.

WHAT The ?!?! The Iraqis have a shot at something good, like democracy; meanwhile Iran is training them to kidnap political opponents! This sounds like a job for DEMOCRACY NOW... wait, they're too busy criticizing the Bush administration to fight for democracy now. Maybe, democracy later...


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We Express Our Hatred & Disgust to the Center of Evil, the Criminal America… "Death to America"

Posted by humint to Bars4Bill
On News/Activism 01/09/2006 4:27:41 PM PST · 47 of 52

"The American and British governments, which permit the torture of suspects, and the spilling of their blood in the streets, and the tapping of citizens' phone calls without a court order, do not have the right to claim they are defending civil rights..."

Court order! LOL! Iran's judiciary is a joke. As if the rule of law made one iota of difference to this man. What do you suppose an Iranian court order would say? “For behavior contrary to Islam you are ordered to receive 100 lashes and then hung by the neck until dead, in front of an audience of your peers who, by witnessing you die, will be terrified into not behaving contrary to Islam.” Case in point, Iran’s President Mahmood Ahmadinejad claimed he could fix Iran’s economy by hanging two or three people in the streets. No sir, we have ample room to talk about defending human rights. This man is a distracter, a liar, and a serial abuser of spiritual authority. The fate of history’s fascists awaits this man and those like him.


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Iranian Alert - January 8, 2006 - HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE SOON IN TEHRAN

Posted by humint to softwarecreator
On News/Activism 01/09/2006 8:13:05 AM PST · 13 of 15

My expression was one of anger at their continued denial of the holocaust

Interesting point… So it wasn't humor you were going for but irony. I'm angry too; damn holocaust deniers! I suppose I express my outrage in a different way. The Iranian threat needs to go, no question about it. How? And When? Those are the hard questions! “Nuclear annihilation” and “now” are answers but fortunately not the only answers.


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Iranian Alert - January 8, 2006 - HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE SOON IN TEHRAN

Posted by humint to softwarecreator
On News/Activism 01/08/2006 7:37:56 PM PST · 10 of 15

I say we carpet-nuke Iran until there's nothing left & then deny it. Nukes? What nukes? Nope, never happened.

Jokes about genocide are a tough sell. Heard any good jokes about Darfur lately? No? Me either, which is exactly my point...


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Iran has yet to answer nuclear questions: UN agency

Posted by humint to Flavius
On News/Activism 01/08/2006 7:19:07 PM PST · 10 of 15

ARTICLE: The Iranians scheduled and then cancelled two meetings, one Wednesday and the second Thursday.

This is just another way the Iranian regime has figured out to jerk the free world around... This essentially proves the regime believes they have more to gain by behaving badly than they do by joining the community of nations. In my opinion, these meetings should be postponed and interrogations scheduled. Too much is at stake!


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to nuconvert
On News/Activism 01/08/2006 8:56:51 AM PST · 79 of 105

Cute, but once again, you were given the opportunity to denounce MEK

I've mentioned that I'm not pro-MEK. The issue at hand is that a true denial of the MEK would require analysis of what and who they are. You’re not even willing to do that with your own politics so it's absurd and counterproductive to engage in echoing your vague denials of the MEK. In this forum the MEK is your tool to distract from your own political shortcomings. The Iranian regime does the same thing with Israel, the U.S. and the MEK. As far as I'm aware, there are no MEK supporters who post on FR. Adding your lies to F14s does not make me a supporter of the MEK. If you’re interested in constitutional monarchy, FINE, describe it in detail. That would be a fruitful conversation. If you’re interested in a good Iranian economy, FINE, that would be a fruitful conversation. If you’re interested in discussing Iran today, FINE, that would be a fruitful conversation. But those take work… you’ll have to think. Stomping your feet and waving your fists in the air about the MEK is a thoughtless waste of time.

My favorite part of your post is the suggestion that the MEKs flag be changed to look less communist. Is that how you determine friend from foe? Political analysis is not conducted by measuring stylistic similarities! Analysis is done by measuring political similarities and differences. If you’re an American, your enemies try to prevent freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to travel. It is clear F14 would like to become my enemy but has no power to do so. Americans are impervious to despotic tendencies, even from other Americans. So I ask you, how should anyone take you seriously when you talk about a Democratic Iran, when you sit by and let F14 tell me I have no rite to talk about Iran? If you believe I have no rite to talk about Iran then you do not subscribe to the principals of democracy. It’s clear you’re both despotic and therefore anti-democracy!


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to F14 Pilot
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 11:48:51 PM PST · 76 of 105

I told you, you are an MEK speaker/Advocate in a wrong place!

F14, you are a liar. That is not an accurate representation of my posts and you have degraded yourself to the lowest of the low. You have no honor or self respect. Your lies have disconnected you from reality and made you impotent in the face of the simplest of challenges, like political discourse. Whatever was done that has made you so foul a person, I sincerely hope can be undone. Maybe it is wishful thinking, but I still hold out the possibility that you will eventually stop your slander and lies.


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to nuconvert
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 11:31:56 PM PST · 75 of 105

Since you haven't directed me...

Are you looking for direction? I'm in possession of a surplus and would be glad to donate to your cause.

  1. Hold liberty up as your highest ideal
  2. Clearly define your end goal
  3. Focus on being inclusive not exclusive
  4. Articulate milestones and tangible means to achieve intermediate goals
  5. Incorporate those who wish to understand and assist, don't attack them
  6. Define tangible differences and similarities with your political opponents
  7. If you’re an Iranian American, take the time to learn American history
  8. Understand and challenge the core beliefs of the Iranian regime
  9. Understand the complexities of successful resource exporting economies
  10. Understand the various perceptions about why the Iranian Revolution occurred
  11. Understand the Iranian Revolution’s impact on the global economy
  12. Understand the complexities and application of Sharia
  13. Communicate your understanding with as many people as you can while refining your understanding

There is much work to do and the freest Iranians, Iranian Americans, bear much of the responsibility to facilitate the changes that will turn Iran into a stable ally of the United States. Your posts to me are a clear indication that your priorities are not what they need to be to do the job. In fact, I'd say your priorities are counter productive...


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to nuconvert
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 9:45:09 PM PST · 71 of 105

I said I saw a whitewashing of MEK and I'm not the only one that independently saw the same thing. We aren't all "blind".

My blog has plenty of ammunition that could be used against the MEK. You’re welcome to use it for that if you wish. When it comes to my research on the MEK, I’ve cataloged an old NCRI platform in order to check it against the one they have now. I've also cataloged a few old interviews that I've found. Again, I have not made any opinion about this material and there are plenty of things within them that I disagree with. But that's not the issue. The issue is that the mere existence of this material on my blog makes you assert that it is a pro-MEK blog. It most certainly is not a pro-MEK blog! It is not an anti-Monarchy blog either. It is simply an informal accumulation of documents to facilitate my musings on different topics. Your perception of my bias is yours and yours alone. The fact that others agree with you is no indication of correctness. In fact it only demonstrates the flaw propagates throughout your consensus body.

Erase the flaw by challenging the assertions therein, not me! Calling me names is like shouting at the moon… I enjoy engaging people who disagree. Either they’ll pull their hair out in frustration or we will begin the long march toward a RESOLUTION together. I hope said RESOLUTION comes before war. No one wants an all out war with Iran. I certainly do not.


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to F14 Pilot
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 9:17:53 PM PST · 70 of 105

Btw, I do not let you talk like that about our monarchy!

What's the most powerful authority on earth? No, it's not the king of the Iranian empire of your dreams... A citizen with the freedom to speak their mind is the most powerful authority on earth. The "truth" is the only real ammunition any person has and I’ve been hording truths for years. Iran is a favorite subject of mine because of the imminent threat the Iranian regime poses to my country. The Iranian threat will come to an end one day and until that day comes, I will do my utmost to hasten its departure. As much as you may want to strip me of my God given authority to speak freely, you cannot. I will continue my pursuit of a world where the rites that I enjoy as an American are available to all humanity. That includes Iranians. My pursuit includes you too F14. You have a rite to lie about the history of your nation. You even have the rite to slander me. There can be no law passed that prevents you from spewing the garbage you post to me. However, it serves you no purpose other than to let you wallow in your own fantasies. I’m afraid the stakes are too high for you to continue hitting the snooze button unchecked. Once you’ve awoken from your dysfunctional attempts to shut me up, please know that in my humility and in recognition of the scars you and your countrymen bear, I’ll be the first to bring you a fresh cup of coffee or tea, at your preference.


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to F14 Pilot
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 8:10:15 PM PST · 67 of 105

It is an honor to hear this from an MEK supporter

Again... more lies and slander. You author fiction at the expense of all that you claim to represent. You are nothing but a tool for a deposed despot. That’s nothing to do with my politics. One need not be a supporter of the MEK to see this sad fact. These alms to an Iranian monarchy that fell 26 years ago are shear fantasy. It’s a circus F14 and this behavior is ultimately dangerous. The Iranian regime is playing with big guns these days and you want to sit there and misguide Americans by filling this thread with tall tales about how perfect things were under the Shah. There are some serious maneuvers underway to attack Iran, right now. Presumably you have some capacity to formulate an opinion on this subject instead of trying to rewrite history. Get to work, or get out of the way.


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to nuconvert
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 7:40:26 PM PST · 66 of 105

What I see...

What you see? What you see are conspiracies against your perception of history. But let's step back for a moment. Why does anyone study history? Why would they take the time to look at it, read the words, and glean the lessons? The answer is of course to develop context for what is happening now. Your content is utterly devoid of both context and contemporary relevance. Have you ever wondered why your ilk hits so many road blocks… no it is not the conspiracies so deep and wide that you imagine are against you, those exist only in your head. It’s because of what you can’t see, or rather, are unwilling to see. Your words indicate you're nearly blind.


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to F14 Pilot
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 7:22:49 PM PST · 63 of 105

I wonder why you keep defending an Islamic/Marxist terroris[t] cult which has no place among Iranians and the rest of the world?

I've done no such thing! F14, your repetitive slander makes you a liar. The actual history of Iran, the history you so casually whitewash, the history that has brought Iranians and Americans to this undesirable place in relations is what you have a problem with. You are a distracter. You are a fabricator. I had estimated an improvement in your character but I was wrong. You have no honor, none whatsoever.


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to F14 Pilot
On News/Activism 01/07/2006 1:26:44 AM PST · 51 of 105

MEK speaker at work again?

F14 –My friend, I’ve never claimed to speak for the MEK nor am I persuaded by anyone’s politics without careful analysis. FR provides an outlet to express diverse views and I admit, the occasional “Amen!” I’ve received from my fellow freepers has felt good. I do not claim to represent those who agree with me or anyone other than myself at this point.

What I do hope to do with my posts is to be a part of the RESOLUTION we are all looking for. You are an important part of that resolution but I fear that you are more apt to label me than you are to consider my point. The “point” is to achieve a plausible and Free Iran, an Iran not likely to collapse at quarter century intervals.

Over the months F14 I’ve read your posts with enthusiasm and have witnessed growth in your character. Whatever has happened in your life, I know, through your writings that you are a better person than the hack that first complained at my original FR content. Yet you still tend towards labels and that is a frustrating behavior to say the least. All that I ask is that you recognize the importance of resistance against the empire the current Iranian government intends to create.

I disagree with monarchy at a fundamental level and this disagreement may be the determining factor in whether or not we can ever become allies. The name Pahlavi has no more significance than my own last name. Authority is derived from demonstrative ability, nothing more.

In my opinion, the root cause of Americans “warm” war with Iranians today is the exclusivity of Valeyat e-Faqhe. Valeyat e-Faqhe ignores me in that I know that someone, an Iranian like me, could never have the opportunity to become Supreme Leader of Iran. This discrepancy is the definition of a class system. Glass ceilings were created to be shattered. Awkwardly enough, there are similarities in the Valeyat e-Faqhe system to the historical record of Iranian monarchy.

I believe Americans arrived at this undesirable state of relations with Iranians through American official’s support for Iranian monarchy and then their abrupt retraction of that support. Both you, and proponents of Valeyat e Faqhe, have to face the reality that Americans operate at a political and social pace that is unmatched anywhere else in the world today. The ebb and flow of American political power represents the diversity of Americans and their freedom, not hegemony.

I freely admit, American influence, an undeniable force, has destabilized Iran, not because of differences between Iranians and Americans in my opinion, but because of similarities! At every stage of Iran’s long struggle for democracy I see similarities between Iranians and what defines Americans. Valeyat e-Faqhe is an aberration from the similarities I’ve witnessed, as is monarchism. It is, albeit imprecisely, the erratic fluctuations between these two politics that truly represent the Iranian people.

So I ask you, what do we do now? Is it not yet clear that the Iranian people are impervious to the force of the lies of monarchs and clerics? I say, “set them free from both!” Their latent greatness exists! Let Iranians define themselves! This is the only true path toward peace between Americans and Iranians. Americans have already accepted Iranians in all of their variations. Now it is time for the leaders of Iran to do the same. Where will you be, F14, when Iranians force Iranian leaders to decide to accept Iranians as Iranians and let them define themselves?


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to Fred Nerks; Tokra
On News/Activism 01/06/2006 6:01:46 PM PST · 32 of 105

I have never met a socialist, a marxist or a member of the communist party (yes, we have all of these in Austalia also) who didn't say at some time or other, exactly what you just said...

If Hitler said "2+2=4", would you later imply that all teachers of arithmetic are Nazis? Your logic on this subject is putridly flawed. I recommend you think it through Fred... think it through...


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Iran Under the Shah

Posted by humint to dbostan
On News/Activism 01/06/2006 5:45:42 PM PST · 31 of 105

The Shah's services cleaned the streets with perfumed water every night.

LOL, that's probably the strangest social service I've ever heard of. Which part of Tehran? Halabi Abad? As I recall, the Shah cleaned the streets of Halabi Abad with a golden shower...

EXCERPT - SOURCE

The Shah's reflex was typical of all despots: Strike first and suppress, then think it over: What next? First display muscle, make a show of strength, and later perhaps demonstrate you also have a brain. Despotic authority attaches great importance to being considered strong, and much less to being admired for its wisdom. Besides, what does wisdom mean to a despot? It means skill in the use of power. The wise despot knows when and how to strike. This continual display of power is necessary because, at root, any dictatorship appeals to the lowest instincts of the governed: fear, aggressiveness toward one's neighbors, bootlicking. Terror most effectively excites such instincts, and fear of strength is the wellspring of terror.


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How U.S. debt threatens the economy

Posted by humint to Mark Felton; Willie Green
On News/Activism 01/05/2006 12:07:07 PM PST · 32 of 37

...Those liberties are being eroded as worldwide social welfare programs are being expanded and as Christianity is being diminished.

This is an extremely important point for two reasons. The first is the ebb and flow of individual liberty in order to increase individual liberty overall. I am of the belief that this is the path the entire world is on and deviations from it spell doom for not just Christians but humanity in its entirety. This is an extreme perspective but what my alarmism intends to emphasize is, the pace by which the entire world comes to respect individual liberty for all mankind, is proportional to all nation’s ability to make war with one another. Respect for individual liberty is the road to sustainable peace and prosperity but there are weapons of modern warfare that cannot fall into the wrong hands, hands that despise individual liberty.

We’ve demonstrated that it can be done, and we’ve demonstrated the success that comes from respecting individual liberty. Americans from diverse backgrounds live together at peace. We work and trade with one another in ways that are hard to imagine in most other countries of the world. Now it is up us, to convince those who attained their success through powers diametrically opposed to individual liberty, to make the transition from isolationism and corruption to ethical, inclusive values.

Now you may call these values Christian values but I have seen them in people who are not Christians. Their afterlife is not my concern but their ethics and respect for my individual liberty are. In a way this is my definition of greatness. A truly great individual is one who grows up in a corrupt and isolated atmosphere and looks around themselves and makes a decision to demand their individual liberty and that or their neighbors. A great individual accumulates and trades “value” to secure individual liberty for themselves and their neighbors. A truly great individual can see through superficial things like the color of a person’s skin, the size of another person’s bank account and even a person’s religion. Now these things may not be superficial to the person who owns them. In fact they make up a significant aspect of any person’s identity but what I mean when I say superficial is in terms of what those things mean to my individual liberty. Another person’s religion has no influence over my spiritual choices and if they are forced upon me, then we will war with one another, be they Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or Jew.

It is important to realize that the authority to maintain individual liberty comes from the highest authority in any given culture. The United States is a predominantly Christian country and in this culture God is the highest authority but Christianity and God do not define the United States, Americans do. God has authorized Americans to decide if they want to be Christian, just as Allah has authorized Americans to decide if they want to be Muslim. Now let’s look at a contemporary problem for a moment and try to use the same logic that Jefferson did. Following my definition of greatness, I know there are great Muslims. Therefore, I am convinced that Islam has the same inherent qualities to protect individual liberty in the Middle East as does Christianity in the U.S. but it has yet to find its footing. What has occurred among Muslim nations in my opinion is that the power of their highest authority is being used, not to protect individual liberty, but to perpetuate the earthly authority of a handful of clerics.

Christians can’t solve this problem for Muslims but they can help solve it by trying to understand the world we Americans are in, the leadership role that we’ve assumed thanks to our history and the words of our immortal Thomas Jefferson among others, and how we relate these ideas to our interactions with those around us who are not American. To that end I composed a short piece some time ago that caused a bit of a stir among friends and family. What do you think? Islam, Democracy and Iran


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How U.S. debt threatens the economy

Posted by humint to Willie Green
On News/Activism 01/05/2006 10:17:55 AM PST · 29 of 37

Thomas Jefferson

Probably my personal favorite in terms of historical significance. I am an avid reader of his works but what we must not do is read his words as though they are a recipe. Yes, he had the requisite vision to make America great but was lacking in the will to let certain impediments to our success go. He thought of the peculiar institution of slavery as if he was holding a wolf by the ears. A metaphor for a position no one wants to be in but can’t let go. Well we did let it go and the wolf bit us many times over but we are far better for it.

This word that he uses, independence, is a word that needs review under the auspices of globalization. The old theory of independence isolates “value” and “debt” inside national boundaries. People in this thread are correctly pointing out that the spread of both “value” and “debt” is a visible component of globalization. International trade, the mechanism by which “value” and “debt” are exchanged, is a real threat to the old notion of independence but it is a boon to global stability. The redistribution of “value” is going to be a particularly painful experience for those who hold fast to the old notion of independence.

But on the positive side, war and corruption, the bane of civil society will be less likely the closer nations come to equalizing their “value” and “debt” with each other. Another important reality that I didn’t mention in my previous post is the diversification of America. The social cohesion of American independence is not national boundaries so much as the idea of individual liberty. New Americans contribute immensely to our economy. They also enhance globalization by transmitting value back to their original nations.

So what I believe Jefferson missed in his articulation, solely because he had no experience of it, was that the social cohesion of the United States, individual liberty, is not enhanced by national boundaries or the old notions of national independence. It is indeed diminished by these ideas. The United States grows stronger as more nations accept and protect the individual liberties of their citizenry. By isolating “value” and the tools to accumulate it inside national boundaries, we would in fact be perpetuating war and corruption around the world, indefinitely.

Changes are coming and the best of those changes may be the most painful. I’m ready to let go of the wolf’s ears… are you?


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How U.S. debt threatens the economy

Posted by humint to Willie Green
On News/Activism 01/05/2006 9:16:46 AM PST · 25 of 37

You don't have to invest in China or India to be affected by the dramatic growth of their economies.

Globalization is a fascinating phenomenon. The trends that represent globalization fit well into to my personal economic theories of "value flow". In my opinion, globalization is the redistribution wealth, not in a socialist or arbitrary sense, but redistribution based on tangible although not easily measured “value”. Our massive trade deficit indicates to me that American corporations are leveraging types of “value” such as manual labor and unrefined resources, but capitalizing on management and marketing “value” here in the United States. Before anyone, even chief economists, jump to any conclusions about the sustainability of this system they need to incorporate the virtually immeasurable reality that a stable market supported by the rule of law maintains management and marketing “value”. Both China and India suffer from massive corruption at all levels of their systems. Europe is bogged down with socialist policies that ignore “value”, so the economy of the United States remains the most attractive investment schema. This is true because management and marketing “value” trumps manual labor and unrefined resource “value” in every case.

Both China’s and India’s most successful businesses are “copy and paste” versions of American corporations but here, in the United States, we set the pace of entrepreneur-ism. This is of course the real engine of globalization and the source that feeds management and marketing “value”. But have a go at being an entrepreneur in China or India or Russia or Iran… Haaa! Half of your capital investment is going to have to go to bribes… This is a difficult cycle to break for the nations I mentioned and many others. Fortunately the United States was born with an honorable work ethic, a true respect for “value” and the “rule of law”. These are essential to make markets reach new and virtually unpredictable highs.

Economists and statisticians are easily distracted by their charts because they want to believe that a thorough understanding of what a given chart represents translates into an ability to control the future. While this is true with simple physical phenomenon, economists cannot relegate all of the complexities of markets to a series of charts and expect that they can fully predict and control them. But they should keep toiling away with their calculators, and when they get depressed, we should cheer them up with a new American invention that sweeps the world into a new and improved quality of life. It really doesn’t matter who builds it or what resources the use, right? The Chinese or whoever… The true “value” is right here flying under an American flag. Yes, both China and India are growing dramatically but that isn’t the whole story and it never will be, for any nation…


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Iran media: FDR was urged to wipe Israel off map! [MUST READ]

Posted by humint to MikeinIraq
On News/Activism 01/04/2006 3:41:33 PM PST · 18 of 37

LOL... I guess they teach the New Math in Iran these days.

I'm still laughing at this article about the Iranian regime's press services. Science and tech schools there aren't bad but the best and brightest Iranians are fleeing Iran as fast as they can. Ground zero of what their running from are Iranian politics! The evolution of Iran's brain drain leaves Iranians at the top knowing little more than how to beat down those that rise up against them. They’ve done a great job of hiding and changing their own history. It should come as little surprise that they now intend to change ours. I’m still laughing!... I'll be giggling at this for days.


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Iran media: FDR was urged to wipe Israel off map! [MUST READ]

Posted by humint
On News/Activism 01/04/2006 3:17:27 PM PST · 36 replies · 848+ views


Iran Focus ^ | Jan. 4 | Iran Focus
Tehran, Iran, Jan. 4 – Iran’s state-run media gave unusual prominence to a historically confused news report claiming that former Saudi King Abdul-Aziz, the father of the current Saudi monarch, objected to the existence of Israel and told United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt to relocate the Jewish state to Europe. Mehr news agency, which first carried the report that was later picked up by the country’s state-run radio and television and a number of government-owned dailies, wrote on Tuesday that in 1954 Abdol-Aziz, the father of present Saudi King Abdullah, met with President Roosevelt and protested the existence of...

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U.S. Clamps Down on Iranian Companies

Posted by humint to gondramB
On News/Activism 01/04/2006 1:11:00 PM PST · 5 of 6

Why in earth are they being allowed to do business in the U.S. in the first place? I know (or at least I heard on TV) that President Reagan promised to un-freezed Iranian assets in the U.S. but I'm surprised we would allow anyone connected with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to do business here.

This was a beautiful move by the Bush Administration. This way, any European or Asian corporations doing business with Novin and Mesbah have an irrefutable and undeniable "heads up" that no material should be transferred to Iran through these Iranian companies or their affiliates. The companies within countries that are allies of the United States need to know who is developing the nuclear systems that could reasonably actualize the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's stated ambition to “wipe [our ally] Israel off of the map”. These un-named companies need to know that their financial future is directly linked to the long term futures of the American people and the survival of all of the people who constitute our allies around the world.


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Iran's Future? Watch the Streets

Posted by humint to Minutemen
On News/Activism 01/04/2006 12:24:36 PM PST · 14 of 18

That part of the world has no concept of liberty, and in our lifetimes, we will probably never see freedom there.

Your first premise is wrong and the second is only a guess. I’ll prove it to you. What many supporters of the Iranian regime conceive the form and function of “liberty” to be is the United States. And while this notion is not necessarily wrong, they have been fed a version of what the United States is through men who use the great power of the United States to distract their supporters from their own failures and therefore use the United States to stay in power. What do they call us? The Great Satan! They describe us, and therefore liberty, in ways that incite violence against us and our allies. Lies do that. Lies have the power to disconnect their believers from the real world and make otherwise rational people do incomprehensible things. The truth connects its believers to reality but has the same power to make otherwise rational people do incomprehensible things, particularly when those who know certain inalienable truths are overwhelmed by the lies of the likes of the Iranian regime. So the Iranian people who support the Iranian regime do have a concept of liberty, the wrong concept. This is not a terribly difficult thing to correct.

You mentioned freedom. When you talk about freedom it is important that that notion be connected to truth. I think of freedom as the power to be you in a world that is not you! But some take a different view of freedom, namely equality, and use it to say “Americans are not free” because our paychecks are not equal or that they have more trouble than others getting editors to publish their articles. And to them I say “living with freedom is not a utopia”… Being you in a world that is not you is no guarantee of reward, in fact all societies, even free ones, tend to frown on true expressions of individualism. But so long as that expression is guaranteed, so too is freedom. Iraq is free now and this is an important thing to realize. Iraqis now have a system geared to protect them. That system is improving daily and those improvements are showing the region that it can be free. Will it be like our system?… in our lifetime?… I doubt it. The invasion and facilitation of democracy in Iraq is not the product of the American system I was born with however I believe it was an improvement on it. If that change in policy, a change that occurred in our lifetime is any indicator, we should both expect the definition of our own system to change again, in our lifetime. And because of improvements like the one we all just witnessed, so too will the definition of “liberty” and “freedom” change for the people of the Middle East. Freedom will ring from every mountaintop… this is the natural state of human affairs.


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Defcon one... and rising

Posted by humint to pickrell
On News/Activism 01/04/2006 10:17:45 AM PST · 16 of 32

most likely will extinguish all remaining options.

I don’t see a connection between your posts opening paragraph and the reality of the situation. Antagonists don’t exist without latent conflict. The Iranian regime is an anathema to the modern world and the showdown between the modern and the medieval looms. Do the fathers in this scenario not see what the purge of sane Iranians from Iran has done? They’ve had more than a quarter century to open their eyes. The sane children of Iran have been warning these so called fathers of the days to come for years, yet the fathers have made no significant preparations besides building bigger fences. What difference does a fence make when your enemies are inside your walls? But like any parent, ignorant of the threats that face their children, they will either learn or suffer the most devastating of human experiences, the loss of a child.

There is but one constant and that constant is change. Even the will of the mightiest father is disarmed in the face of it.


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Did Yo Hear What They Said? NEW YEAR'S EDITION

Posted by humint to TheRobb7
On Bloggers & Personal 01/04/2006 9:36:10 AM PST · 3 of 4

And now for our MULTIPLE CHOICE Question:

I was sooooo wrong! Great post... In a democracy Citizens are more like partners with their leaders than followers of them. It is vital that we, as Citizens, listen to our leaders very carefully to distinguish them from our enemies. Because in a truly open society, our enemies are as free as we are. As we organize to increase our liberty and the liberty of others, our enemies organize to subvert our liberty and their own. Our enemy’s words are their true uniforms and their true arms. Our acute attention to their words is the only true mechanism we have to defend our liberty.

Please don’t misinterpret why I am writing these words. I am not calling John K. an enemy however your multiple choice question did spark the thinking above. Let me explain further. Your question demonstrates that the most difficult of enemies or allies to detect are underlings who will say virtually anything to increase their power. What truly defines them as an enemy or ally is the system they so desperately want to represent. I imagine if John K. had become president in 04 he would have played the role of a semi-silent partner, would have shown little resistance to the anti-war crowd and in short order, undone all of the great progress being made by the Bush Administration in Iraq.

This is great post… and I am looking forward to more like it in the future.


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Iran says anti-Israel diatribe is “deliberate strategy”

Posted by humint to Flavius
On News/Activism 01/03/2006 9:26:15 PM PST · 11 of 20

AHMADINEJAD: “The revival of Islam is whipping the frail body of the Global Hegemon”, Ahmadinejad said in a reference to the United States. “This Global Hegemon will soon be toppled”.

HEGEMONY: The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others.

This is a hilarious choice of words Mahmood, if you take a moment to think about them... The United States, a democratic nation with Citizens, including IRANIAN-AMERICANS, arguably freer than any other nation on earth has hegemonic influence over Iran, a rigid theocracy!?!?! Mahmood, yours is a totalitarian state that closes down its countrymen’s newspapers for trivial reasons. Yes Mahmood, FREEDOM is a hegemon over tyranny! This is the natural state of human affairs. You and your system of Valeyat e-Faqhe are the hegemon. You are the Islamic imperialists. You are the hypocrite for trying to hide your hegemony by claiming freedom is tyranny. Prepare for your day of reckoning. That day comes to every tyrant and you hasten yours with every ignorant word you speak.


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IRAQ: IRANIAN MUJAHADEEN SAID TO BE IN U.S. CUSTODY

Posted by humint to SteveMcKing
On News/Activism 01/03/2006 8:50:29 PM PST · 10 of 12

Are they useful to us?

SOURCE

Iranian Opposition Group Research: Regime Fears of the Opposition Using English and then Farsi language websites, an IPC (Iran Policy Committee) research team performed content analyses of Iranian leadership statements about opposition groups. The greater the number of times the regime mentions a specific group, the higher that group is on the regime’s agenda. In this regard, it is remarkable to note that the MEK is the topic of discussion over 230% more often than all other groups combined. The results suggest that the regime is worried about the MEK because of the latent and overt support the group has within the Iranian population and the capability of the MEK to facilitate regime change. In addition, the research team conducted a content analys to determine the intensity of regime references about opposition groups. In this respect, the MEK receives the highest negative rating from the regime with the score of 4.7 out of a maximum of 5.0. . The next organization, Freedom Movement of Iran, has a score of 3.0, which is the neutral point on the “Antipathy Scale,” created by the IPC team for this White Paper.

Read all about it!



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NGOs presented unrealistic picture of Iranian women to UN Human Rights Commission: MP

Posted by humint to Lorianne
On News/Activism 01/02/2006 3:25:59 PM PST · 2 of 2

SOURCE:

TEHRAN (Reuters) - The Iranian government on Monday ordered the closure of a daily newspaper and banned a planned women's publication in the first media crackdown since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in August.


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Iran and the Story of the "Stupid Tree"

Posted by humint to sionnsar; Bon mots
On News/Activism 12/29/2005 10:38:34 AM PST · 10 of 11

While Iran sits there with Western armies to its east and west. I dunno...

The people of the United States are capable of delivering force like no other people in the history of mankind. That’s not the issue in my opinion. Let’s look at the big picture for a moment. Americans are in a unique situation, where the future of Iran and the United States are tied together in terms of shared populations. Iranian-Americans contribute greatly to American and global society. Even now, in Iran, Iranian artists and scientists contribute to the greater good of humanity on a daily basis. It is not those whom with which we wish to pick a fight.

It is the holocaust denying fascists governing the Iranian people with whom Americans have a reason to argue. Americans cannot tolerate intolerance and we are learning how to wage war in ways that does not kill millions, but kills our target, intolerance. Rifles and bombs protect us but at the same time, these same tools feed and grow our target. Dictators say to their people, “Look at the strength of American arms, those arms are there to kill you!” but that is not the truth. Our arms exist to guarantee liberty to Americans and in their nature, encourage the people of other lands to demand liberty for themselves.

This story, the story of the Stupid Tree is a beautiful analogy but it assumes the fruit is empire, when in fact the fruit is LIBERTY. Liberty is poison to dictators and although the Ayatollahs, right now eat the fruit, believing they are amassing a secure empire, it will kill them. As Afghanis and Iraqis are rewarded for instituting worldly policies that protect women, ethnic groups, scientists and artists; Iranians will look at the failures of their leaders and say to them “Why do Iranian arms oppress the Iranian people while American arms protect the American people and now Iraqis and Afghanis?” The Iranian regime will have to change voluntarily or be forced to change because that question will pierce their heart as no bullet ever could. The Iranian regime’s days are numbered because our army is ensuring liberty gains a foothold to their east and west…


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Iran and the Story of the "Stupid Tree"

Posted by humint
On News/Activism 12/29/2005 8:22:17 AM PST · 10 replies · 721+ views


Al-Hayat ^ | 29/12/05// | Mustafa al-Ani
It never once occurred to me that there was actually something called the "stupid tree." But coincidence has come into play in showing that this tree truly exists. I was flipping through the pages of an international magazine and one of its ads, as a passing joke, referred to the existence of this tree, with this strange name, on an island in the Pacific Ocean. I was curious and decided to search for the truth about the existence of this tree and the origin of its name. However, I didn't have any luck. At first, I thought it was a...

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US sanctions Iran suppliers

Posted by humint to TheCrusader
On News/Activism 12/28/2005 11:03:08 AM PST · 13 of 13

I think your roadmap was printed in China. International trade is not a new concept; it's thousands of years old and has brought with it no peace.

"Free trade" and "international trade" are discrete ideas. The first is the ideal form of the second. Iran is a threat to peace and regional stability so sanctions are good in order to isolate Iran and mitigate the threat Iran poses to peace. These new, “targeted” sanctions are a good wakeup call to the nations that host corporations who feed the Iranian threat. My comment to you about “free trade” was to suggest we not argue for the scope of our sanctions against Iran to expand to the point that we economically isolate ourselves. The primary component of the “Iran and Libya Sanctions Act” was to transform our sanctions against Iran and Libya from unilateral to multilateral sanctions. Unfortunately, the way the news was released makes an international backlash against these sanctions more likely. And any such backlash makes moves toward multilateral sanctions more difficult.

I checked my road map to see where it was made… It was made right here in the United States of America. The Bush Administration has been arguing for “free trade” and now “free and fair trade” for a long time. However he and his writers are not nearly as quick to make confusing analogies as I am, for obvious reasons.


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US sanctions Iran suppliers

Posted by humint to TheCrusader
On News/Activism 12/27/2005 11:11:51 PM PST · 7 of 13

"If we were serious about China we'd drop them from our "most favored nation" trade status and begin slapping all their chintzy imports with higher taxes..."

Free trade is the road to world peace. Wars are like rest stops. Can you hold it until we get there?


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Interview: The Political Culture Of Iranian Youth

Posted by humint to F14 Pilot
On News/Activism 12/26/2005 6:28:50 PM PST · 24 of 29

Basmenji: Personally, I think it's the contrary. Because I don't see that Khatami and his tenure changed the attitude or the outlook of the younger generation toward life and society. It was the other way around; it was because of the pressure of the upcoming generations that Khatami came to power in the first place.

Interesting point but if Basmenji were right and the Iranian government was truly responsive to the Iranian people, Khatami would have stood by them during the student uprising in July 1999. Khatami turned his back on the Iranian people then because he and his administration were and are “artificially” responsive to the Iranian people. Khatami's ascendance to power and subsequent political maneuvering had more to do with Iran’s foreign policy than domestic issues in any case...

Tehran does respond to foreign pressures but the Supreme Leader, Khamenie recognized the path followed by President Khatami would eventually lead to regime change. So Khamenie went the other direction during this latest election cycle and picked Ahmadinejad to replace Khatami... The fact is that the Iranian regime exists to defend itself not the interests of the Iranian people. That's the true nature of any totalitarian regime. It must be tough for Basmenji to live under tyranny and accept that reality.


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Tehran Whips up Crisis Frenzy - at Home too

Posted by humint to robowombat
On News/Activism 12/20/2005 10:53:27 AM PST · 7 of 10

ARTICLE: Iran experts recall that in the 1980s, the founder of the Islamic republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini resorted extensively to pious and religious symbolism to invoke a sense of menace and electric anticipation in the country. His purpose was to galvanize young men to sacrifice themselves as martyrs in Iran's holy wars and export of its revolution. Plastic keys to heaven, mass-produced cheaply in the Far East, were handed out to each soldier. Troops fighting in the Iraq-Iran war were entertained by misty visions of the glorious Messiah prancing on his white horse to the front.

SOURCE

The leader added, "This revolution has during the course of the past twenty-seven years presented the world a hoard of great achievements." The Leader of the Islamic Revolution considered the main driving force behind the Iranian nation's movement as "Basij and the Basiji culture", adding, "Basij is the combination of human beings that are ready to bring to the scene all their capabilities and facilities in the service of materializing a great nation's exalted objectives." Ayatollah Khamenei added, "The Basiji culture's endeavor in that field is also aimed at reaching the peaks of advancement, and in a bid to do so the Basiji forces maintain their responsible, dynamic, pious, and jubilant presence at all scenes." He emphasized, "Those who wish for defeat of this nation and those whose hearts are with the enemies of Basij are displeased, since they know the Basiji culture can emerge victorious in confrontation with all developments and conflicts with which the country is engaged."


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Bush: Faulty Iraq intel makes Iran case tougher

Posted by humint to fragrant abuse
On News/Activism 12/20/2005 10:39:32 AM PST · 8 of 10

Bush: Faulty Iraq intel makes Iran case tougher

The President is feeding into the media's, our ally's and our enemy’s notion, that the U.S. has to be perfect before its officials opens their mouths. The logic is so putridly flawed that Americans should be choking from the stench. First, the art of intelligence orbits around "reasons to believe" not "certitude". If American officials and agencies were "Hollywood" smart, every threat to the planet would be averted by some gun wielding, conundrum solving blend between Steven Hawkins and Rambo. Americans, like everyone else are real people with real abilities. Second, if the burden of moral and intellectual perfection were on the authors of the Declaration of Independence, it never would have been published. “..All men are created equal..” yes, but back then, slaves were men and they were not born equal. Correcting that discrepancy was a bloody ordeal but its correction was, in part, a result of that founding document.

The president took action in Iraq on “reasons to believe” and the world is a better place for it! It was a leap of faith that could’ve been more graceful yes, but the fact that he took it, his administration took it, places G. W. alongside those who fundamentally changed the way mankind looks at the world. Our intelligence on Iran is far better than what we had on Iraq but the burden of perfection is an ill conceived and wrong headed approach to the issue. The actual burden is on Iran to demonstrate that it is not trying to develop nuclear arms and it has yet to do so. Is President Bush to blame for that?


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US, Europe step up planning to take action against Iran-(double secret probation cant be far)

Posted by humint to old republic
On News/Activism 12/19/2005 9:04:33 AM PST · 18 of 18

First of all why on earth would anyone listen to Jesse Jackson.

The funny thing is, people will listen to anyone who speaks authoritatively. I posted his commentary to stir the thread up a bit. The political reality is that people on both sides of the aisle have real problems with Iran. This is a bipartisan issue but the debate starts when people begin discussing what to do about it. We can talk about the semantics of why individual Republicans and Democrats want to see action taken against Iran but overall, I’m impressed with how many of them are engaged on this issue. I would be very surprised if J. Jackson is planning to travel to Iran to try to convince the Iranians not to wipe Israel off the map. I imagine it is too far outside of the realm of plausibility, even for Jesse.


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US, Europe step up planning to take action against Iran-(double secret probation cant be far)

Posted by humint to 69ConvertibleFirebird
On News/Activism 12/18/2005 10:59:17 PM PST · 14 of 18

"Did Jesse Jackson go to Iran yet?"

SOURCE 12DEC2005

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called on Iran’s president to retract anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments.
  • The comments by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “are a threat to the fragile fabric of the world community,” Jackson said in a statement. In comments made last week, Ahmadinejad said: “If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe — like in Germany, Austria or other countries — to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer part of Europe and we will support it.” He earlier called for Israel’s destruction.


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Statistics, Lies and Damned Lies on Military Recruitment

Posted by humint to Congressman Billybob
On News/Activism 12/18/2005 10:34:14 PM PST · 16 of 16

Statistics, Lies and Damned Lies” on Military Recruitment

This is excellent work. Statistics are a powerful tool and great power requires great responsibility. I'd like to see the latest statistics on the decline of responsible journalism... My independent review of a random MSM sample shows a strong bias against the same authority that insures freedom of the press. Ironic isn’t it?


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TRANSLATION

POSTS

  • Free Republic Commentary 12/18-1/12
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