Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
Today's statement from the President on Iran, good but about three days late:
The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.
Martin Luther King once said -- "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples' belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.
Should have been, within hours after the "victory" was announced:
"I umm.... call into uhh-question.... Umm, the ability of any nation...... Ahh.. to count 30 million..... Ahh-handwritten votes, by hand. Ahhh-without machines or computers... in just two hours. Or even twelve. Ummm-my concern... is the physical impossibility of that...... Ahh.. unless they had about a half million...... Umm-people doing the counting.... Ahh-and started counting..... Umm... right when the polls opened. Not even our friends the Japanese..... Umm-are that efficient."
Oh and:He should take his own words to heart.must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.
We don't have the troops or money to wage a ground war with Iran, so I say just shut the fuck up and let the young Iranians handle the situation there. We have no business interfering in their political process anyway since it doesn't directly affect us with the exception of the current regime wanting to build an A bomb. We can however, place sanctions on them if they continue to build the A bomb. We can also monitor the shipping lanes into and out of Iran just like we are doing with N Korea to stop trafficking of materiels to build those bombs. Yes, blockadeing is an act of war, but then they would have to declare war on us, and attack us. That would be a bad mistake on their part knowing the awesome airpower we have.
It's worked great with NK.
Expressing our support for the reformist movement would stigmatize it and cause it to lose much of what popularity it still has. As in most situations, we'd be best off minding our own business.
Today's statement from the President on Iran, good but about three days late:
The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.
Martin Luther King once said -- "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples' belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.
Should have been, within hours after the "victory" was announced:
"I umm.... call into uhh-question.... Umm, the ability of any nation...... Ahh.. to count 30 million..... Ahh-handwritten votes, by hand. Ahhh-without machines or computers... in just two hours. Or even twelve. Ummm-my concern... is the physical impossibility of that...... Ahh.. unless they had about a half million...... Umm-people doing the counting.... Ahh-and started counting..... Umm... right when the polls opened. Not even our friends the Japanese..... Umm-are that efficient."
Oh and:He should take his own words to heart.must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.
That is exactly how I feel. In his own 'at war with the English language way', Bush would have very directly and very understandably made it known that people who strive for liberty and freedom are the brothers of Americans who wish them well. Governments that strive to remove liberty freedom are at odds with our beliefs.
Obama's first statement left me embarrased to be an American.
It's tough to define what a wimpy statement from the most powerful man in world is, but I know it when I hear it.
Sanctions against allowing A-bomb materiels to enter the country will work to stop the building of an A-bomb. As far as I know, Uranium and other A-Bomb materiels are not readily available in Iran. If you are building widgets, and all of a sudden the materiels for building your widgets is cut off, you can no longer build widgets.Yea... sanctions... because that works
Read my previous post. Iran shares a land border with Russia and Russia is supplying the technology and undoubtedly material to Iran. A naval blockade would be worthless.
How do you propose to enforce sanctions in all of Iran's land borders?
We don't have the troops or money to wage a ground war with Iran, so I say just shut the fuck up and let the young Iranians handle the situation there. We have no business interfering in their political process anyway since it doesn't directly affect us with the exception of the current regime wanting to build an A bomb. We can however, place sanctions on them if they continue to build the A bomb. We can also monitor the shipping lanes into and out of Iran just like we are doing with N Korea to stop trafficking of materiels to build those bombs. Yes, blockadeing is an act of war, but then they would have to declare war on us, and attack us. That would be a bad mistake on their part knowing the awesome airpower we have.
nice catchiran does not share a border with russia.
The "supreme leader" is going to accuse us of covertly supporting the resistance regardless...so we should...while maintaining as loudly as possible we are doing no such thing.
Whether we support them covertly or not, no one will believe we aren't anyway.
Okay first half the current population has never lived under any government but the current one.
2nd in the end the only real difffrences between the Shah and Mossadiq was that the Shah lasted 20 years Mossadiq was unlikely to have lasted 5 even if the US does not become complicit in the Bristish over throw of the Mossadiq government.
3rd US support for the Shah was instrumental in establishing an Iran in which - unlike most of the Middle East - both women and men both got decent - even by Western standards - educations and it is the women pushing this rebillion even more so than the men.
4th What should we do? As much as it pains me to say it Obama's doing just about exactly the right thing.
Okay first half the current population has never lived under any government but the current one.
2nd in the end the only real difffrences between the Shah and Mossadiq was that the Shah lasted 20 years Mossadiq was unlikely to have lasted 5 even if the US does not become complicit in the Bristish over throw of the Mossadiq government.
3rd US support for the Shah was instrumental in establishing an Iran in which - unlike most of the Middle East - both women and men both got decent - even by Western standards - educations and it is the women pushing this rebillion even more so than the men.
4th What should we do? As much as it pains me to say it Obama's doing just about exactly the right thing.
Agreed--there is nothing we can do at this time. There is no clear opposition leader in Iran--like we had in Afganistan against the Taliban. Both of these Presidential candidates are one in the same. Their just wanting to replace one bad guy with another--with the Supreme Leader really still in control over everyone else. It would be the same regime.
If there was a clear leader--that was in total opposition to the entire regime--including the Supreme Leader--we along with Europe could do covert operations against the regime.
Expressing our support for the reformist movement would stigmatize it and cause it to lose much of what popularity it still has. As in most situations, we'd be best off minding our own business.
The Supreme Leader.[/I]
Saturday, June 20, 2009
What Does Mousavi Think? [Michael Ledeen]
This may help clarify matters for those who wonder what the Iranian dissidents want. I posted it on my blog a while ago. As I said on my blog, we are all getting various things whose authenticity requires skepticism. I'm confident of the channela person who is directly in contact with Mousavi and his peoplebut I can't swear this has been approved by Mousavi himself. Still, I do think it reflects the state of mind of his people. Notice that it doesn't bear his signature; it's from "the office."
From the Office of Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi
To the President of the USA, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama:
Dear Mr. President,
In the name of the Iranian people, we want you to know that when you recently made the statement "Achmadinejad or Mousavi? Two of a kind, we consider this as a grave and deep insult, not just to Mr. Mousavi but especially against the judgment of the Iranian people, against our moral conviction and intelligence, especially those of the young generation that comprises a population of 31 million.
It is a specially grave insult for those who are now fighting for democracy and freedom, and an unwarranted gift and even praise for Mr. Khamenei, whose security forces are now killing peaceful Iranians in the streets of every major city in the country.
Your statement misled the people of the world. It was no doubt inspired by your hope for dialogue with this regime, but you cannot possibly believe in promises from a regime that lies to its own people and then kills them when they demand the promises be kept.
By such statements, your administration and you discourage the Iranian people, who believe and trust in the values of democracy and freedom. We are pleased to see that you have condemned the regimes murderous violence, and we look forward to stronger support for the rightful struggle of the Iranian people against the actions of a regime that is your enemy as well as ours.
06/20 11:26 PM
thats the title of the REAL leader of the Iranian governmentThe Supreme Leader.[/I]
Supreme Leader?
Fuck me what we apes will believe in order to believe something, anything?
