More on Iran elections:
Khamenei acted so crudely and rashly on June 12 because he’d already seen this movie. What’s happening in Iran now is all about democracy, about the contradictory and chaotic bedfellows that it makes, about the questioning of authority and the personal curiosity that it unleashes. Khamenei knows what George H.W. Bush’s “realist” national security adviser Brent Scowcroft surely knows, too: Democracy in Iran implies regime change. Where Iranians in the 1990s could try to play games with themselves–be in favor of greater democracy but refrain from saying publicly that the current government was illegitimate–this fiction is no longer possible. Khamenei has forced Mousavi and, more important, the people behind him into opposition to himself and the political system he leads. Unless Mousavi gives up, and thereby deflates the millions who’ve gathered around him, a permanent opposition to Khamenei and his constitutionally ordained supremacy has now formed. Like it or not, Mousavi has become the new Khatami–except this time the opposition is stronger and led by a man of considerable intestinal fortitude. continue reading...
Well, this is some perspective:
The notion that there might be “racists for Obama,” as one Democrat called them, comes against the backdrop of a country whose white voters largely accept the notion of a black president. continue reading...
Interesting analysis, as an Iranian born in 1978 who left Iran in 1983, this is pretty clever and accurate. In fact, America is becoming more and more of a theocracy just as Iranian demographic trends make Iran to be less and less of one. In 2019, at this rate, the countries might be closer alike than one might think. Written by Arash Kamangeer, found on AntiWar.com:
I grew up in Iran and immigrated to US to avoid living in a theocracy. Lately though, the trajectory of US politics is something to worry about, not only to me, but also to many others in my predicament. continue reading...
On the one hand, it’s quite comical to hear about living conditions of Jews living in Iran, but it’s interesting nonetheless, especially in the wake of 40 or so Iranian Jews landing in Israel, on Christmas Day… and CNN running footage of it over and over and over and over again.
The immigration comes at a time of great tension between Iran, whose president stoutly rejects the Jewish state’s existence, and Israel, which asserts that Iran is funding terrorism, has ambitions to develop nuclear weapons, and is intent on destroying the Jewish state. continue reading...
LOS ANGELES, May 29 /PRNewswire/ — An MTV Canada anti-marijuana campaign featuring two men kissing would not fly in the United States, at least not yet. A study conducted by Los Angeles based multicultural research firm New American Dimensions suggests the ad may have been edgy for Canadian viewers as well.
The commercial, which aired briefly on MTV Canada but was pulled after a short time, features three young males in a parked car, two in front and one in back, smoking a bong of marijuana. The young man in the passenger seat, obviously very stoned, passes the bong to his friend in the back seat while remarking, “Whoa, this stuff’s really good.” As the two men in front give each other a wasted look, they get closer and then lock into a deep, sensual kiss. The man in the back, befuddled, asks “Aren’t you guys … brothers?” A caption then appears saying, “If you’re high, just make sure you don’t drive.” continue reading...
Politicians are idiots, and Tom Delay is a grand tool.
“If the Left got Imus fired, we’ll get Rosie fired.” Tom Delay. continue reading...
Between 2003 and 2005, I interviewed KISS’ bassist Gene Simmons twice. The first time was during the Iraq’s war first year, when the US had toppled Saddam, but US soldiers were dying by the dozens instead of being greeted with flowers, the insurgency was in its initial throes and Iraqis were dying right and left. In other words, it was already bad.
I had a 30-minute interview with Gene, and knowing that he was extremely pro-war in Iraq, I asked him at the end, “so, any thoughts on the war?” continue reading...
Nearly 2 million Iraqis — about 8 percent of the prewar population — have embarked on a desperate migration, mostly to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The refugees include large numbers of doctors, academics and other professionals vital for Iraq’s recovery. Another 1.7 million have been forced to move to safer towns and villages inside Iraq, and as many as 50,000 Iraqis a month flee their homes, the U.N. agency said in January.
Read more. continue reading...
I was in my second year of high school when Nelson Mandela was released. My English teacher was Indian-South African, so I was interested in the developments. What really struck me was the mere concept of Apartheid. A little interesting anecdote: I had read somewhere that Apartheid was named after a person who had introduced the “practice.” I happen to mention in it in my English class and my professor politely put me in my place by explaining that it was Afrikaan for “apartness.” I tried debating it with her. You can imagine how the debate ended. It was an early lesson in “don’t trust everything you read.”
Frederik Willem de Klerk — the last leader of white South Africa and the man who turned his back on decades of entrenched racism to bring an end to apartheid — lights up with excitement when he describes his historic decision to free Nelson Mandela from prison after 27 years. continue reading...
