Happy New Year, Iran!

Back in December, I ask my friend Sara if I should wish her Happy New Year on January 1 or not. It turns out that Iran uses a different calendar than the west, and their new year falls on the vernal equinox, which is Farvardin 1 by the Persian calendar*.

So, No-Rooz Pirooz* to my Iranian friends!


(how we celebrate New Year's in the US)

*I think. I'm hoping it's the thought that counts in this situation.

Update on Iran

Because of the internet, I have a friend in Iran. I never expected to have a friend in Iran. My whole life, I just assumed, as so many in the West do, that Iranians are people entirely unlike us, who hate us and there's nothing we can do about that.

And then the internet intervened and I met Sara, who is not entirely unlike us at all. She is like any intelligent, warm, kind person you might be lucky enough to meet. I found, in talking to her, that Iranians are like anyone else. I found a friend, and I hope she did, too.

Which is why I was yelling DAMNIT!!! when I saw this:

Iranians have reported widespread service disruptions to Internet and text
messaging services, though mobile phones appeared to be operating normally
Wednesday.

Iran's telecommunications agency announced what it described as a
permanent suspension of Google Inc.'s email services, saying instead that a
national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled out. It wasn't
clear late Wednesday what effect the order had on Google's email services in
Iran.

This latest move by the Iranian government is simple: make sure people like Sara never talk to people like me. That way, Sara and all her fellow Iranians will never learn how much they have in common with everyone else, will never desire to join us in peace, will never gain allies in making their world a better place. And we in the West will lose just as much. We will lose our opportunity to learn, to understand, to work for the better of us all.

Damnit.

1994 to Irani Government: Do NOT Start a Flamewar

Why yes, the Ayatollah does look fetching in Sunset Prairie blush.

I guess the Irani Government missed the central lesson of 1994, which was do not start a flamewar. Under any circumstance, whatever you do, do NOT start a flamewar. That other guy you just started the flamewar with? He has no life, no sense of fair play and no boundaries. This will never end well for you.

The Irani government took pictures of a young Irani activist in drag, either as a woman, or a nun, I'm not quite sure. "Ha Ha!" said the Irani government. "This move has no counter, the activists cannot recover from this!"

At which point, despite the fact that most Iranis were 5 in 1994, the opposition immediately posted pictures of (a) other men as women/nuns, and (b) the Supreme Leader in drag. Touche, young Iranis, though I'm not sure you've allowed yourselves any further escalation from this point, which is an important consideration in a flamewar. Still, I have to thank you for allowing me to see the Supreme Leader in drag.

I love the 21st century. What a glorious time to be alive.

We Are Them

iran, united states, evil,
There's been so much hysteria concerning Iran and nukes and islamofacists lately that I did a little digging, and realized, much to my horror that Walt Kelly was right:

We have met the enemy, and he is us.

Iran isn't the crazy, nuke-hoarding, war-mongering evildoers.

That would be the United States of America.

Yeah, that didn't make me happy, either, because I like to think nice things about myself and my fellow citizens, but we're the evil. Us, not them.

Iran hasn't been involved in a war since 1796. Since 1796, the US has been involved in 10 wars (not including the Civil War, because we were fighting ourselves): The War of 1812, The Mexican-American War, The Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (the names of those last two make me throw up a little in my mouth).

Iran has never detonated a nuclear weapon. In fact, it's debatable as to whether or not Iran even has a nuclear weapon. The United States is the only country that has ever actually used a nuclear weapon for its intended purpose. We have nukes and satellites and spy drones and fancy jets and we've proven ourselves more than willing to use them.

Look at the world through the eyes of a citizen of anywhere other than the US and ask yourself, who is more dangerous? Who is more violent, more likely to destroy? Who has proven, through current events and over 200 years of history, to be the one to fear?

Yeah, kids, that would be us.

Dispatches from Iran

Sara, my friend in Iran, has graciously agreed to write a guest post for my blog. Here it is:

The Kite Runner

I like this novel, because before to read it I don’t know much about the Afghanistan and always thought this country is backward. When I read this, I know some things about this country and my appointed view, this book is very good.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is one of the best books that I have read. This is a page turner with complex characters and situations that will make you think hard about friendship, good and evil, betrayal, and redemption. It is intense and contains some graphic scenes.

The Kite Runner is a novel by the author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it is Hosseini's first novel, and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2007. I ask you first read the book and after watch the movie, because the book is very good and watching the movie without to read the book is meaningless.

The Kite Runner received the South African Boeke prize in 2004. It was the first best seller for 2005 in the United States , according to Nielsen Bookscan .It was also voted the Reading Group Book of the Year for 2006 and 2007 and headed a list of 60 titles submitted by entrants to the Penguin/Orange Reading Group prize ( UK ) and the film received:

65th Golden Globe Awards
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Original Score - Motion Picture (Alberto Iglesias)
80th Academy Awards
Best Original Score (Alberto Iglesias)


The American Library Association reports that The Kite Runner is one of its most-challenged books of 2008, with multiple attempts to remove it from libraries due to "offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group."

And Isabel Allende said: this is one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years, all the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel : love, honor, guilt, fear, redemption.

Sara

so . . . who wants to by me a book?

My Very First Guest Post

not a picture of Sara, just a cool picture

My Iranian friend Sara asked me to guest post on her blog. I actually squealed with joy when she asked. The post is up, and I encourage everyone to visit Sara.





LINKY TO SARA.





A note: regulars to this blog may find my style a bit different on the guest post. I'm no sure how well snark translates, and I'm not out to start an international incident.

The Controversy, I Has It

war mongering, iran, israel, nuclear, weapons,

I know some people are just going to explode when I say this, but I'm really get sick of all this "bomb Iran before they bomb everyone" bullshit.



First of all, Iran is populated by . . . wait for it . . . people. I don't care how tactical your strike is, you can't bomb Ahmedinejad without bombing my friend, Sara.



Secondly, there isn't overwhelming evidence Iran is even making nuclear weapons, and a lot of evidence that it is not. In fact, the Supreme Leader issued a fatwa, declaring nuclear weapons immoral. A fatwa may not mean much to you or I, but Muslims take their fatwas seriously. The IAEA denies that Iran has, or had, a program to develop nuclear weapons.



Then there is the assertion that Iran wants to nuke its neighbors. Its very close neighbors. Iran is about 1,000 miles away from Israel. That's half the distance from Pennsylvania to Nevada. I don't care how crazy Ahmedinejad is, I'm sure he understands how nuclear fallout works. Also, no matter how much Ahmedinejad hates Israel, he can't nuke Israel without also nuking the Palestinians, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, etc. Do we really think Ahmedinejad is so crazy that he doesn't care what the results of that would be?



It's especially insane to suggest that Ahmedinejad wants to bomb Saudia Arabia's oil fields- 50 miles away. If you're going to nuke something 50 miles away, you may as well just drop the bomb on yourself, the effects would be pretty much the same.



Warmongering- even in the middle of two wars we just can't win, we still has it. I'm really sick of it.

40 Days

iran, neda, revolution, murder,
Although Michael Jackson's death wiped it right out of the media, unrest and rebellion continues in Iran. Today, 40 days* after the infamous murder of Neda, protests have begun anew at a graveside memorial for her.

Iranian police fired tear gas and beat anti-government protesters with batons to disperse thousands at a graveside memorial Thursday for victims of post-election violence, witnesses and state television said.

Demonstrations that drew thousands more later spread to other parts of the capital Tehran and more clashes with security forces erupted. Witnesses said police fired tear gas at dozens of demonstrators on Valiasr Street who set tires and trash cans ablaze in response.

. . .

Neda is alive, Ahmadinejad is dead," some of those at the ceremony chanted, referring to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who the opposition claims won the June 12 election by fraud. Witnesses said plainclothes forces charged at them with batons and tear gas, some of them chanting, "Death to those who are against the supreme leader." State television also reported that police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Sarah and others I have spoken to in Iran: I hope you are well and safe. I hope that the sacrifices of you and your fellow Iranians leads to that which you are willing to fight for, and I take for granted: a vote that counts. Be well.


*Shia muslims honor the dead 7 and 40 days after death. During the 1979 revolution in Iran, protests and rebellions washed over the country in 40 day cycles for almost a year, the violence on each 40th day leading to deaths that caused another wave of violence 40 days later. The weird thing about today's events in Iran is that Khomeini and Ahmadinejad know this, because they benefited from it 30 years ago. You'd think they would have seen today coming.

Tehran Jange

iran, protests, tehran, jange, ahmadinejad, dinner jacket
I bet you didn't know there was Iranian hip hop, did you? In all seriousness, the protests continue, and people are still being injured and killed. Twitter #iranelection for the latest news.

Independence Day

iran, independence day, resistance, democracy, freedom,
Right now, if you live in the US, you are preparing to celebrate our Independence Day. This will involve hotdogs and hamburgers and a grill, flags and fireworks and family. I know, because I'm getting ready for all that, too. The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, because I love summer and cookouts and fireworks, and the Fourth combines all three.

Before you go have your fun, however, please remember the people of Iran. They deserve an independence day, too. They are fighting and dying for democracy, for their votes to be counted, and we can help them. We can do what Sarah asks:

Sarah (from Iran):

dear my friend

i don't know your name,thanks alot supported me and iranian people in your blog,i hope we could reach to peace without murder and fight. please cross you fingers for us. thanks a million for your comment in my blog.

with best wishes for you,

sarah

Sarah, we are thinking of you on our Independence Day. We hope you get one soon, too. Stay well, my friend.

Has Iran Taught Us Nothing?

theocracy, iran, jesus, god, bible, christian, atheism, atheist, liberal, democracy,
If you learn anything from the events in Iran, it should be "theocracy sucks". Given the graphic examples of the full suckage of theocracy available to us, why do so many USians yearn for a theocracy of their very own?

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission defames itself with its latest awkwardly titled post Reclaim Christ's Crown Rights, by Dr. Gary Cass.

I didn’t get the memo really? I sent it . . . oh, looks like we have your old address, sorry about that, but apparently a lot of people did. Here it is: Jesus Christ has abdicated his throne in heaven because of the last election. when did we vote on the throne in heaven? At least that must be what the memo said after looking at some ministries around the nation. if you're not actively working towards theocracy, you hate jesus!


Ministries that are otherwise sound in doctrine have in practice determined to surrender all but a small slice of life and culture to radical atheists we want your children, too. they're tasty!, so called “secular progressives,” and to the liberal, apostate religious left. This is as dismaying as it is foolish. it's also surprising, since i was unaware that i was in control of life and culture now. who sent out that memo?

Perhaps you noticed the atheists and liberals did not throw in the towel on the larger culture when their movement was struggling or when their leaders were inept. ummm??? They kept plugging away and when they had opportunity they were ready and prepared to act. by releasing our cyborg . . . oh, wait, is that still a secret? They seem more committed to advancing their godless utopian schemes is that in the updated Atheist Agenda? I haven't gotten it yet. than Christians are to furthering the Kingdom of God.


Because of the last election cycle i believe we call that a GOP loss, bichez!, many who say they believe that Jesus Christ is Lord have retreated. past the Maginot Line? They have effectively reduced Christ’s kingly claims to matters of personal piety, family and church life. wait, isn't that exactly where they belong? oh, right, theocracy. But our apostolic faith says that Jesus Christ is Lord of all (Acts 10:36). The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) oh, sure, we should definitely give up on democracy and set up our very own theocracy on the basis of 5 words taken slightly out of context. sure. we'll get right on that.

Many Crowns
Perhaps what is most frustrating about the retreat from the cultural mandate on the part of many ministries is that it is so unworthy of Christ. i'm thinking we should just drop Dr. Cass off in Iran and let him experience the "worthiness" of theocracy.


When Christ is revealed in His glory, He is portrayed as the invincible King of Heaven you mean in artists' renderings? you get those are made up, right? seriously, have you seen a Middle Easterner? yeah, they don't look like Nordic conquerers., and on His head are many crowns (Rev 19:12). a dubious fashion statement, to be sure. These crowns are not merely decorative symbols of his majesty, but reveal the full extent of His Lordship over all His creation. uh, yeah, according to you, he's freakin' god. he needs crowns to get that across to people?


Theses lulz crowns, with all their rights and privileges, the crowns have rights and privileges? and why exactly would god need crowns to grant him rights and privileges? were bestowed on our Christ for His perfect obedience and sufferings. Therefore, God has declared him to be the Son of God with power by raising him from the dead (Rom.1:4). On the cross, Christ conquered all of God’s enemies, both visible and invisible i defeat invisible enemies all the time. i'm doing it right now. you just can't see.(Col.2:15). He will rule and reign until he makes all his enemies, even death itself, his footstool wait a minute, did you just say that he already conquered all of god's enemies? did he do it or not? (1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 10:13). This is our confidence! good for you, now leave my democracy alone.


To exclude any sphere of authority from the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a grave misunderstanding of both His divine nature and His meritorious work. oh, well, then, here have my country. As very God of very God what?, Christ rules over all the affairs of men and upholds the world by his Word that explains the giant hand you can see holding up the earth in all those pictures from the moon . . . (Heb.1:3). As God the Son, all the nations of the world are His inheritance. (Psalm 2) and when he shows up in all his crowned glory to claim his inheritance, we'll talk.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, it is not for victory that we preach the gospel and declare the rule of Christ. Rather, it is from His victory that we dare defy the wicked powers and principalities of this world i think that's us guys. us and Obama, both visible and invisible. that reminds me: whoever has the atheist invisibility cloak, it's my turn now. With the first martyrs of the church we declare that Jesus Christ is Lord and will not bow to any earthly Caesar. We are unabashed, unapologetic Christocrats.

Matthew 22:21- Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's I think that's a pretty clear statement that christians should not be doing what Dr. Cass is promoting. Do any of these asshats actually read the bible?

oh, and "Christocrats"? seriously?

Nor will we water down and stop declaring the gospel of the King. is anyone asking you to? you are more than welcome to declare anything you want, you just can't set up your own theocracy. In His name we will sue all of Christ’s rebellious enemies for peace. betcha the Supreme Court doesn't hear that one. The price for peace with God is unconditional surrender to His Son. Having once ourselves been at enmity with God, we have been humbled by God’s grace and must urge all to find mercy while it can be found. so, you got to choose, but you'll force it on the rest of us?


Because all sinners need to repent can you stop with the unproven assertions now?, therefore we urge all people everywhere to reach out and touch the golden scepter of Christ’s grace. Nor will we stop confronting the injustice and unrighteousness of our day. you'll be helping the Innocence Project? We will warn the kings of this world that King Jesus rules the nations with His rod of iron and will judge the world in righteousness. Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you! with tongue, or without?

What part of "theocracies don't fucking work" don't these people get?

Iranian Voices

iran, neda, resistance, election, Moussavi, khomeini
Arash Hejazi, the man who tried to save Neda, gave an interview to Paulo Coelho. The interview is well worth the watch, but it is the comments from Iranians that tug at my heart.

Sarah: (note: the blog is in Farsi, but the pictures are excellent)

dear paolo coelho

I agree with this opinion. but i think i live in backward country with this government, because majority of the people in Iran try to change a result of election but the government attention was not given to people protests and suppressed with force.this government only want to reach the power.thanks alot for sympathetic.I'm your fan in facebook. but facebook was filtered and i can't leave message for you.pleas don't alone us because we decide to go on Neda's way.I offer my thanks to Arash hejazi for this interview.

regards, Sarah from Iran

I can't imagine Sarah's life right now. I would agree that your government is backward, but the people of Iran are not. You are beautiful and brave.

dear sir

I really appreciate your help. thank you very much.

they closed most newspaper, sites and even they make satelite unreachable. shame on them
:( . we don't access to news. we just say "allho akbar" to show our resistance.

omid from iran

Shame on them, indeed, Omid. It's your voices we need to hear.

It makes me tear up to see comments from Iranians. I wonder if they are still alive as I write this. Are they well? Are they hurt? Are they scared? I hope Omid and Sarah are defiantly shouting "allho akbar" right this minute. I don't believe in god, but I do believe in the Iranians.

What Are They Doing?

iran, elections, protests
What are they doing in Iran? To their own citizens? Why?

An Iranian gives her eye-witness report on today's atrocities carried out against non-violent protesters on the streets of Tehran. Further accounts online paint a similar grim picture. From persiankiwi's excellent twitter page:

all shops was closed - nowhere to go - they follow ppls with helicopters - smoke and fire is everywhere #Iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

ppl run into alleys and militia standing there waiting - from 2 sides they attack ppl in middle of alleys #Iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

saw 7/8 militia beating one woman with baton on ground - she had no defense nothing - #Iranelection sure that she is deadabout 5 hours ago from web

they were waiting for us - they all have guns and riot uniforms - it was like a mouse trap - ppl being shot like animals #Iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

I see many ppl with broken arms/legs/heads - blood everywhere - pepper gas like war - #Iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

Nico Pitney relays from Facebook:

"In Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher . . . Fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now . ."

The next time some asshatting teabagger talks about "taking America back", smack them. Hard.

My Iranian Doppleganger

iran, Moussavi, protests, tehran

The woman in the middle, holding up the picture of Moussavi, behind the woman in the white and blue scarf, looks just like me. She's my Iranian doppleganger (I wonder if there is such a word in Farsi), and in this picture she is happy and hopeful. In this picture, my Iranian sister thinks that her vote can change the world, or at least her little corner of it.

I wonder if she's still alive.

Pay attention to her, and all the other Iranians like her. They're changing the world.