JULY 7/03: With July 9 fast approaching, I thought it appropriate to take the "Iran" section of today's Winds of War feature and make it into its own separate post. More coming on Wednesday July 9th, as Carnival of the Vanities #42 right here at Winds of Change.NET now has an accompanying July 9 Carnival of Liberties for Iran-related posts.
IRAN UPDATES
* Pedram of Eyeranian and Michael Ledeen are finally talking TO each other, not AT each other! Result: a good, civilized post on eyeraian.com that gives Pedram's answer to Ledeen's question, asking how he could help Iranians out. Great exchange - Pedram has his own biases too, but it's wonderful to see this discussion conducted in this spirit. Bravo!
* To paraphrase Mel Brooks: "It's good to be the mullah!"
* Iranian test of Shahab-3 missile puts Israel within range. That will ratchet up tensions a notch or two.
* View From Iran has lots of great personal observations, and also this: "Our sources tell us that quiet investigations into the plane crashes here in Iran on February 19 and in Pakistan on February 20 were likely bombs and the work of Al Qaeda. The belief is that they were a direct response to the fact that the 2 governments had recently arrested several suspected members of Al Qaeda."
* Hooman discusses Eastern Skepticism & Western Optimism in Iran.
* The protests in Iran haven't stopped... and U.S. protests are also being scheduled for July 9th - the big day for demonstrations and strikes in Iran. UPDATE: Rome too.
* On The Third Hand has been covering Iran very consistently of late. This is another good example; you can rely on them for something almost every day.
* Iranian blogfather Hossein Derakhshan would like to suggest a new approach to supporting democracy in Iran: "If you really want to support us, try to know more about us." Here's a link to get you started, which is also the place for suggestions re: what people need/want to know.
* Winds of Change.NET's Iran archives can also be very useful in this respect - there's lots of good stuff there.
Azadi, Arak, Eshgh!
I have already learned more about them than I ever wanted to know-- they are obsessively anti-Semitic. Feh! No thanks.
Go read Steppenwolf's blog. He saw the movie The Pianist. What-- I forced him? Did I nail his foot to the floor and force him to watch it? Then gratuitously, an outpouring of anti-Semitic poison that has no connection to Iran at all. But they just can't control themselves.
Steppenwolf seems to have a few anger issues generally, though this was more of a bored movie review. He's got a couple commenters, however, who are over-the-top loony. Note his reaction to this - he isn't pleased.
At the outside, you've learned more about one or two Iranians. Kind of hard to judge a whole culture that way, though.
So one lousy post and a few lousy comments on one lousy blog means we're all rabid anti-Semites?
Does not compute...
Gotta go with Joe and Ali on that one. Being bored with Holocaust movies != anti-Semitism...
A.L.
My contribution to Iran Solidarity Day, July 9th, entitled "Iran Approaches Its Velvet Revolution" -
http://tallrite.com/blog.htm
“Azadi, Arak, Eshgh!”.
T o n y