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Iran

azazyel

azazyel

Diamond Member
Now I'm not going to go on a long diatribe about Iran I just wanted to list some things/articles that I have found both interesting and surprising. I started paying close attention to Iran about 3 years ago when I read Pat Buchanan's book "Where the Right Went Wrong." I know most people think he's crazy but I'd say that at least 90% of his predictions have come to pass regarding the War in Iraq and what's leading up to a conflict with Iran.

Here's an article he wrote in 8/05.

http://www.theamericancause.org/a-pjb-050815-iran.htm

Why, then, this talk of confrontation and pre-emptive strikes? Even if Iran had a weapon, to give it to a terrorist or to use it on a U.S. target would be an act of suicidal insanity by a regime that, no matter how militant, has shown no desire for war with America.

What is the worry? Just this. If or when Iran goes nuclear, she has a deterrent to intimidation. U.S. freedom of action in the Persian Gulf comes to an end. We would have to behave as gingerly with the mullahs as we do with Kim Jong Il, something intolerable to our neoconservatives and President Bush.

For the Israelis, an Iranian bomb would have the same impact as Stalin's explosion of a bomb had on us in 1949. Israel's invulnerability would come to an end. She would enter the world of Mutual Assured Destruction, like the one we had to live in during the Cold War. Thus, for Israel, the sooner the Americans pulverize Iran's infant nuclear facilities, the better. But herein lies the problem for President Bush.
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I then came across a great article from the Smithsonian called, "A New Day in Iran" which painted a picture of Iran that I hadn't expected. They actually seem to like the US. It really made clear the divide between the government and the people/youth of Iran.


http://www.smithsonianmagazine...es/2005/march/iran.php

It?s increasingly apparent that Iran?s young are tuning out a preachy government for an alternative world of personal Web logs (Persian is the third most commonly used language on the Internet, after English and Chinese), private parties, movies, study, and dreams of emigrating to the West. These disenchanted ?children of the revolution? make up the bulk of Iran?s population, 70 percent of which is under 30. Too young to remember the anti-American sentiment of the ?70s, they share little of their parents? ideology. While young Iranians of an earlier generation once revered Che Guevara and romanticized guerrilla movements, students on today?s college campuses tend to shun politics and embrace practical goals such as getting a job or admission into a foreign graduate school. Some 150,000 Iranian professionals leave the country each year?one of the highest rates of brain drain in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iranian intellectuals are quietly rediscovering American authors and embracing values familiar to any American civics student?separation of church and state, an independent judiciary and a strong presidency.
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I know a lot of people automatically just pass off Iran as just another terrorist hot of Muslim activity but is that really the truth. Does this seem like the Muslim behavior you heard about?

http://www.time.com/time/magaz...0,9171,1069077,00.html

On my first night back in Tehran, I met some friends for drinks. It was a hazy night, and we convened at an intersection of a major expressway. I assumed we would head to someone's house, but my friends had something else in mind. In four cars, we took off down the highway, going 60 miles an hour, swerving to get close enough so I could pass a cocktail made of whiskey with mulberry nectar out the passenger-side window of our Korean hatchback to a friend in one of the other cars. Our stereo screeched Shaggy's Hey Sexy Lady; theirs, insipid Lebanese pop. Tehran, with its murals of suicide bombers, Versace billboards and rickety buses adorned with portraits of Shi'ite saints, slid by in a smoggy blur. We careered past police, who didn't blink. The driver of my car frowned as I flung out my arm to grab another drink. "You can't do this properly," she said, "if you keep closing your eyes."
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Or how about:

In other words, the booze is harder to get, but once you have it, the freedom to imbibe, without limit or shame, is greater in Iran than anywhere else on earth. Isfahan, Iran, remains the only city outside the United States where I have found myself blind-drunk at ten in the morning. There is no such thing as non-alcoholic beer in Iran. Forget AA. In Russia, one constantly hears public figures bemoaning the permanent inebriation of the populace. In Iran, no one bemoans it, because anyone disagreeable enough to care is also too much of an ass to get invited for a drink. When you twist open a bottle of whiskey, you aim to drink it, and your drinking partners are automatically winnowed down to a handful of guiltless and joyful topers.

Russian drinking friends are so easy to find that the friendships feel false; everyone with a pulse will happily share a bottle of vodka with you. But in Iran you can?t drink without being put squarely in the confidence of your drinking mates. Nothing accelerates bonhomie better than the knowledge that your drinking partner could, at a whim, turn you in and have you subjected to the lash. I drank with families (gin, straight out of a can) and with store owners (Turkish beers). And on one lovely afternoon, university students in possession of a magnum of moonshine escorted me all the way up a long, steep trail so I could enjoy the view from a mountainside overlooking Tehran, all of us as tipsy as lords.
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I recently came across this article as well, which gave me a chuckle. Reading about women who will put bandages on their noses just so other people will think they?ve had a nose job.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/...e_id=1770&in_a_source=

It also put some perspective on what Iran is actually capable of doing.

Well, not quite. The people of Iran are probably the most pro-Western in the world, though that will not stop them fighting like hell if we are foolish enough to attack them. Not that they will do so with nuclear weapons any time soon. Iran is rather bad at grand projects. Its sole nuclear power station has never produced a watt of electricity in more than three decades, the capital's TV tower is unfinished after 20 years of work and Tehran's airport took 30 years to build.
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Some other good articles:



http://www.iht.com/articles/ap...EN-US-Iran-Nuclear.php

Former chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said Monday the United States, Europe and the U.N. Security Council are "humiliating" Iran by demanding that it suspend uranium enrichment before any negotiations and then dictating its rewards.

He said the package of economic and political incentives put forward in June 2006 by the U.S. and key European countries, which was later endorsed by the council, did not mention the key issue of security guarantees for Iran or adequately address the possibility of U.S. diplomatic recognition if Tehran renounces enrichment.
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Four Iranians inside Iran respond to questions about their country's nuclear programme - and their president's handling of international concern surrounding it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6377021.stm


 
Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Originally posted by: Aimster
http://a983.ac-images.myspacec.../28/94/365244982_l.jpg

friend of mine in Iran last summer. Alcohol is illegal there, but there is a huge underground for it.
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So the answer isn't bombing Iran, its getting Iran bombed ! 😉 FTW!
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LOL, that's good thinking. What surprised me is that before I knew much about it I was under the impressions that Muslims were all exteme in their beliefs but that just doesn't jive with some of the stuff I've learned like the drinking in Iran. I later came to reason that they're just like adherents to any religion. Sometimes it's ok to bend the laws a bit.

Here are some great pictures of Iran.

http://www.irandefence.net/showthread.php?t=32


Also here is another article about people trying to get Ahmadinejad out of office.

A grand coalition of anti-government forces is planning a second Iranian revolution via the ballot box to deny President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad another term in office and break the grip of what they call the "militia state" on public life and personal freedom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guar...ory/0,,2070632,00.html
 
Originally posted by: Citrix
Originally posted by: Aimster
http://a983.ac-images.myspacec.../28/94/365244982_l.jpg

friend of mine in Iran last summer. Alcohol is illegal there, but there is a huge underground for it.
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wow the blonds are HOT! are you sure they are Iranian? they look very western to me.
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Persian women are very, very hot. This is from the Nose job ariticle in the OP.

About one in 50 seems to have had recent plastic surgery on her nose. They wear their bandages with pride and some even stick plaster on their faces to pretend that they have undergone this subversive surgery.

The desire among lovely Persian women to look like Snow White is strange but it is a direct reaction to authority's attempts to make them look like bats and crows.

The fashionable cafes are full of painted, un-Islamic butterflies, sipping milkshakes or coffee. The upstairs rooms are reserved - by common consent - for couples to meet away from the intrusive eyes of their families.

 
Originally posted by: azazyel
Originally posted by: Citrix
Originally posted by: Aimster
http://a983.ac-images.myspacec.../28/94/365244982_l.jpg

friend of mine in Iran last summer. Alcohol is illegal there, but there is a huge underground for it.
Click to expand...

wow the blonds are HOT! are you sure they are Iranian? they look very western to me.
Click to expand...


Persian women are very, very hot. This is from the Nose job ariticle in the OP.

About one in 50 seems to have had recent plastic surgery on her nose. They wear their bandages with pride and some even stick plaster on their faces to pretend that they have undergone this subversive surgery.

The desire among lovely Persian women to look like Snow White is strange but it is a direct reaction to authority's attempts to make them look like bats and crows.

The fashionable cafes are full of painted, un-Islamic butterflies, sipping milkshakes or coffee. The upstairs rooms are reserved - by common consent - for couples to meet away from the intrusive eyes of their families.
Click to expand...

city life in Iran looks interesting and very western. what about the rural areas? are the rural people just as westernized?
 
Being Western or not, ,the people who run Iran are the guys who look like they came from Lord of the Rings. Bunch of corrupt individuals who give the money of the country to family members or people who benefit the regime.

young people (75-80% of Iran is under the age of 25) don't have any powerful influence at all. They sit at home all day and smoke hookah and go to underground parties and have sex all day long. Their parents provide for them.

The economic system of Iran is a piece of sh!t. It's just a bunch of young people living off their parents and partying all night. No jobs and not enough room in the schools to admit people. young men usually end up serving in the armed forces if they can't go to school, or they find a way to buy their way out ($10,000 U.S).

Every (young) Iranian in the United States I know who goes to Iran "loves" it. Party country.
All Iranians inside Iran wish to come to the United States because there are hundreds of thousands of them already in the United States. Iranian estimates put that number in the "millions". Either way they see the life Iranians have in the U.S and they want that life.

How do they know about our life? The U.S govt. gives millions to the Iranian satellite stations in Los Angeles that are broadcast to the U.S and Iran. Filled with propaganda to the maximum. They are usually run by people who came here loyal to the Shah, Jewish Iranians, or people who simply hate the Iranian regime.
 
I am sorry man but the blondes look nasty... Tell them to get their nice dark hair back and to lay off the makeup 😉 Other than that, Iran looks really nice. However, I would also like to see pictures of the poor sections and "normal" sections- middle class or whatever represents the average person.

No jobs? Sounds like a scary future for the country. What is the expectation for the future of Iran (what are Iranians expecting for their future)?
 
no Jobs = regime change.

that is how the Shah fell. The Shah gave all the jobs to a select few and spent all the money on military. 35% of the GDP was going for U.S weapons.

Crazy man wanted to take on the Soviets
 
I don't think the politicians in Washington or Israel want the world to see Iranians as human beings. To them, they're all terrorists in cahoots with Al Qaeda, ready to attack Americans :roll:
 
I don't think the normal middle American is worried about normal middle Iranians or anyone else that's not a nut.

The issue is the extreme right over in these ME countries.

Here in the US, the Christian far right here wants to be able to send missionaries over to other countries safely so they can try brainwashing them into the "correct" religion.

Over in the ME, the Muslim far right wants to kill whoever doesn't agree with them.

That's the rub.

It's really good to see the youth in Iran not going off the range to the far right, as that and the younger generations over there in ME are the people we need to be getting through to. Then in 20-50 years, hopefully they can tell their extremists publically to take a flying leap.

American can be a great friend and ally...or it can be your worst nightmare. So long as the extremists have power over these ME governments, I doubt those countries will be enjoying American friendship anytime soon...

Chuck
 
Hopefully they'll get rid of the Ayatollah, he's the one with the power not the President. And Aimster, kind of funny you mentioned the radio stations is the US. This is from the Smithsonian article.

"?You have come from America?? the officer asked. ?Do you know Car . . . uh . . . Carson City??

Carson City? In Nevada?

He crinkled his eyebrows. The word ?Nevada? seemed unfamiliar to him. ?Near Los Angeles,? he said.

It?s a common reference point. The city hosts the largest Iranian diaspora in the world, and homes across Iran tune in to Persian-language broadcasts from ?Tehrangeles? despite regular government efforts to jam the satellite signals. The policeman said his cousin lives in Carson City. Then, after inspecting my press pass, he handed it back to me and ripped up the traffic ticket. ?Welcome to Iran,? he beamed. ?We love America.?
 
Sorry for the P&N spam, cant sleep, this used to put me to sleep, now I am back for some more.

My WHOLE family was forced to leave Iran in 1979, I came here when I was 9 months old. We were very lucky to leave, any which way possible. We left and haven't looked back, except for my grandfather who still wants to go his "fields" back in Iran. We have lived in Los Angeles, ever since. We call it Irangeles. Even here there is strong hatred between Persian Jews and Persian Muslims, but as a whole we try to get along. One common bond the Jews and Muslims that are here and have been here for a while is the current regime in Iran. The mullahs in Iran are the biggest thieves in the world. Iran is a very rich natural resource country and Iranians/Persians are also some of the smartest people in the world. After the revolution, as Aimster said above, all the intellectuals left. The people that stayed were those less fortunate who couldn't afford to escape or were part of the corruption. Of those that stayed,there was a baby boom. For the mullahs to stay in control was very hard, but they had a secret weapon, OPIUM. Here is a google search for the rise of drug use in Iran:
http://www.google.com/search?q...&rls=org.mozilla:en-US😱fficial&client=firefox-a

I went to college with some students that came here to study, they never wanted to go back. They mostly missed one thing from back home the PARTYING. Most of them stayed here and wouldn't ever dream of returning, their friends back in Iran can't wait for the day to move to America. The people, everyday people like you and me, love America and the freedoms that people have here. But the mullahs have such a strong grip on the people, they can't do much.

Just like in 1979, the people are frustrated with the current regime. Give it some time there will be change (I have been hearing that for over 7 years, no difference in 7 years too) is not good enough though. The control of the people in Iran is with drugs, it always has and will be. Opium rules the people, its a helluva drug.
 
Originally posted by: kermalou
Sorry for the P&N spam, cant sleep, this used to put me to sleep, now I am back for some more.

My WHOLE family was forced to leave Iran in 1979, I came here when I was 9 months old. We were very lucky to leave, any which way possible. We left and haven't looked back, except for my grandfather who still wants to go his "fields" back in Iran. We have lived in Los Angeles, ever since. We call it Irangeles. Even here there is strong hatred between Persian Jews and Persian Muslims, but as a whole we try to get along. One common bond the Jews and Muslims that are here and have been here for a while is the current regime in Iran. The mullahs in Iran are the biggest thieves in the world. Iran is a very rich natural resource country and Iranians/Persians are also some of the smartest people in the world. After the revolution, as Aimster said above, all the intellectuals left. The people that stayed were those less fortunate who couldn't afford to escape or were part of the corruption. Of those that stayed,there was a baby boom. For the mullahs to stay in control was very hard, but they had a secret weapon, OPIUM. Here is a google search for the rise of drug use in Iran:
http://www.google.com/search?q...&rls=org.mozilla:en-US😱fficial&client=firefox-a

I went to college with some students that came here to study, they never wanted to go back. They mostly missed one thing from back home the PARTYING. Most of them stayed here and wouldn't ever dream of returning, their friends back in Iran can't wait for the day to move to America. The people, everyday people like you and me, love America and the freedoms that people have here. But the mullahs have such a strong grip on the people, they can't do much.

Just like in 1979, the people are frustrated with the current regime. Give it some time there will be change (I have been hearing that for over 7 years, no difference in 7 years too) is not good enough though. The control of the people in Iran is with drugs, it always has and will be. Opium rules the people, its a helluva drug.
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That's pretty much what I've been reading lately. Also, I like Therangeles better.
 
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