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Letters

April 13, 2003
Page 1

* Observer of laughable arguments

Will someone please explain!
 
Whatever your position on the war, you have to marvel at the series of contradictions the following provides. All right, let us see if we understand the logic of this correctly:
 
We are going to ignore the United Nations in order to make it clear to Saddam Hussein that the United Nations cannot be ignored.
 
We're going to wage war to preserve the UN's ability to avert war.
 
The paramount principle is that the UN's word must be taken seriously, and if we have to subvert its word to guarantee the principle, then by gum, we will. Peace
is too important not to start a war. Am I getting this right?
Further, if the only way to bring democracy to Iraq is to vitiate the democracy of the Security Council, then we are honor-bound to do that too, because democracy, as we define it, is too important to be stopped by a little thing like democracy as they define it.

Also, in dealing with a man like Saddam who brooks no dissension at home, we cannot afford dissension among ourselves. We must speak with one voice against
Saddam Hussein who fails to allow opposing voices to be heard.

We are sending our gathered might to the Persian Gulf to make the point that might does not make right, as Saddam Hussein would have us believe.

And we are twisting the arms of the opposition until it agrees to let us oust a regime that twists the arms of the opposition. We cannot leave in power a dictator who ignores his own people. And if our people, and people elsewhere in the world, fail to understand that, then we have no choice but to ignore them.

I only wish someone had pointed out that "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" are meditations on paradox, puzzle, illogic and on the  strangeness of things; not templates for foreign policy. It is amusing for the Mad Hatter to say something like, "We must make war on him because he is a threat to peace," but not amusing for someone who actually commands an army to say that.

As an observer of laughable arguments, I'd be enjoying all this were it not for the fact that I know--we all know--that lives are being lost in what amounts to a freak, circular reasoning accident
 
Perplexedly,
 
Baraitna

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* Whateverbedar

We have just returned from a trip to Tehrangeles and observed the ridiculous parade of Sizdahbedar.  First of all it was not Sizdahbedar but variously as Yazdahbedar, Tenbedar, or in years past Hefdahbedar or Whateverdaybedar, the nearest weekend to the Sizdahbedar happened to be.
 
An American friend of mine who accompanied me to the event asked the significance of the day.  Embarrassedly I explained that the Thirteenth being an unlucky number in all things, obviously the most significant unlucky number must be the 13th day of the New Year.  To counter the spells of the evil spirits, we Iranians, no matter where we are go out of the house to combat the evil spirit by having fun OUTSIDE.  Having explained to him that 21st. of March was the first day of the new year, he was puzzled at the ceremony that was taking place on 11th.  "No wonder" he said "you have a bunch of Mullahs ruling your country; you believe in one thing but practice another"
 
My Iranian friends, in California, in a sympathizing expression, explained that most Iranians have to work for a living and can't afford to take the day off.  You wouldn't believe that by the car they drove, their residence addresses or by the way those "poor" Iranians were dressed.  Further, most Iranians I know, and those in California in particular, do not hesitate to call in sick (whether sick or not) whenever they have something else to do.  But when it comes to the traditional day, everybody seem to pretend that they are such conscientious employees or hard workers that they would not think of taking a day off for Sizdabedar or NoRouze.  Personally including my own family take both days off anyway.  My employer over the years has come to accept that.  Initially he took it off my leave days but later he became accustomed to it and accepted it as MY "religious" day and allowed me off with pay.
 
We have to learn from our Jewish friends.  They insisted on Honokaa so much that even that most holy bastion of capitalism, NY Stock Exchange, had to relent and accept (unofficially) that day as a holiday.  If they can close the NYSE, why can't we just take a day off, which hardly affects anything.
 
Please Iranians, insist on having your day on the day.  And the day is Thirteenth, not seventeenth, eleventh or whatever, THIRTEENTH.
 
Alice in the Wonderland,
 
Hashem

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* Trouble with esthetics

I have been seeing much of the Artistic stuff on iranian.com done by young Iranian artists, such as this one [Khakestari]. I must say it is to your credit to publish this material. I just seem, to have trouble with the esthetics of many modern or should I say avant-garde work done by Iranian artists in this category.

Most seem to discover the works done by Dadaists artists and seem fascinated by their nihilistic view of life. It is terribly dark as the works of Sir Francis Bacon. If I can humbly suggest, I think iranian artists should try to explore other avenues even if they are perfectly free to do what inspires them.

I personally feel that The Art Deco Style of the 1920's and 1930's can find more common ground with Persian inspirations. There are similarities especially if one considers Persian miniatures, the importance given to detail, and a certain naivity in the depiction of Nature, people and environments make Art Deco look quite close to Persian Art. It is no wonder that many Art Deco artists were inspired by Khayyam's poetry for example.

Also the first version of the thief of Baghdad (1923) was set in decors that were directly inspired by Art Deco.
I am sad to see that these avant garde artists just seem to focus and insist on the colourless and the depressing. My comments are in no way to discourage these artists, but just to say It would be better if one could rediscover some of the colourful and joyous aspects in a World which is Sad and grey enough as the title of this photoessay "Khakestari".

Darius KADIVAR

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* English translations

I was just reading the article, "Booye kabaab nist", written in Persian in the opinion section.... is it possible for your web to put the English translations of such Persian articles?

I am a student in US and usually have a hard time discussing the true image and politics of iran or show the dangerous and evil side of US policies in Iran.

Having English sources can be very helpful. Many of your good articles are written in persian, which I can't not share them with my American professors.

Megabiz

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* Amir Loghavi?

My name is Valarie M. and I live in Nassau, Bahamas. I am writing to find out if you can help me find my best friends father's family. I discovered your community online and was hoping with the last name Loghavi someone will know of other Loghavis.

My friends name is Hameed Loghavi he was born in Nassau, Bahamas to Amir Loghavi and Linda. Hameed will be 21 on the 26th of this month. His father, Amir went missing at sea when Hameed was 3 years old. Hameed has only old photos of his father, who was originally from Iran. He knows that about 25 years ago or there abouts he either went to school or lived in the Washington D.C. area.

I have decided to help my friend find any family that he may have....for years he has always said that he feels half finished because he never knew his father or his fathers family....How I wish you can help him...

I would love to surprise him and fulfill a promise I made to Hameed in helping him in a small way. He is such a wonderful and loving person. [Update: This person has been found! Feb 2, 2006]

Valarie

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* Farhad timeless hast

Ba in ke man 23 salame va dar Alman bozorg shodam baraye man Farhad bozorgtarin honarmand hast va ta abad khahad mand!Heyf ke sedaye faryadesh ra dar mamlekate ma khafe kardan.Ama baraye man sedash BISEDA nabood!

Faghat khastam begam ke Farhad timeless hast. "Farhad jan......, cheshmato basty va parvaz kardi rafty va rahat shodi.Ama dar ghalbe ma hamishe khahi moond akhe ma hamishe TO RAA DOOST DARIM!khaste nabashi!"

Yasmin Jamali

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* No caption, no context

A suggestion for the photos you display often: Some of these photos are interesting in themselves but very rearely they have captions. Without captions a photo has no context. If an event is shown with a focal point, which is what prompted the photo, it might not be obvious to other viewers who weren't there to look for that subject.

My suggestion is to have your contributors have captions on their photos before you post them.

Hassan

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* Don't forgot what Saddam did to us

More and more radicals in the Arab world are willling to defend at any cost the criminal Saddam Hussain and portraits him as a hero of the Arab resistance. I found articles in the Arab press that it was not in fact Saddam who gazed the Kurds but Iranian troops.

As an Iranian I'm not suprised by these false allegations but my message is for Iranians outeside Iran who participate in manifestations where some people support Saddam regimes. Guys! Do not forgot what this war criminal had done to our country.

No one in Iran sees him as a hero. In Iran the regime is embarrassed by the lack of anti war manifestations and tried last friday to do so but few people went for it. We will never forgive this criminal and we won't forget the silence of the Arab world when Saddam used all kind of weapons against us.

Zendeh bad Iran,

Amin

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* Then who will?

Hello, I read your article about the US not having a right to come to Iran [which article?]. You said, "Mollahs or no mollahs we must face our own problems".  This is very true, I am a Persian also and my family and I are strongly against the war in Iraq and we also believe that US has no right to step one foot in Iran. Though if no one helps the people to overthrow the Islamic government then who will?

Everyday there are young citizens of Iran being killed because of dissobeying the IRI.  My family was not able to live there because of these situations, though many of them are still there, only the lucky ones got out.  The people have no strength against the IRI so who will overthrow them? 

Arsha

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* How out of touch you are

Baha Hariri's article entitled "The unthinkable ally" is truly out of touch with reality! and one would expect more from someone pursuing a "Masters in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University"!!

You suggest that the U.S. should "extend an arm of friendship to the growing student movement" but later contradict what you said earlier and say "we need the help of a friendly government as a partner in dealing with regional turmoil" and that the U.S. should establish relations with a savage regime like the IRI! A "friendly government"! I don't think so!!

Hariri considers it a "golden opportunity" to cozy up to the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world! A regime that suppresses its own people through the hands of foreign mercenaries! A regime that prioritizes palestinian/arab issues over Iranian ones! A regime on its way to produce nuclear weapons! and Hariri dares to say that Iran's economy is growing at a fast rate!! Hariri were have you been the past 23 years!!?? The Iranian economy is in shambles!!

The Europeans are looking for their short-term economical interests in Iran (since the mollah's are putting Iran "on sale"!!) and by such they are neglecting the wishes of the Iranian people! They are helping fund a bloody regime that will use any money they can lay their hands on to suppress the people they rule over (and continue thier savage rule), fund terrorist organizations, build weapons of mass destruction, and continue their ideological war! Wake up Hariri!

The IRI is a brutal regime of foreign (arab) and Iranian oppressors who will never be reformed by any of the factions that support it ("reformers" = "conservatives")! The U.S. is doing the right thing at the moment in voicing support for the Iranian freedom-fighters and those who yearn for a free, democratic, and secular Iran! We still need to see more support from the U.S. than just "voicing support"...

Your article just shows how out of touch you are with reality and with the critical situation in Iran! The last thing Iranians need at this point of time is you writing articles supporting normalized IRI - U.S. relations! The U.S. should not have anything to do with a terrorist regime like the IRI, but it should do everything in its power to support the Iranian people in their quest to get rid of the brutal regime of mollah's!

Sincerely,

Kia

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* Photos require some scrolling

I enjoy reading the many articles and appreciate the diverse viewpoint iranian.com provides, given the limited scope of news outlets here in the U.S. Thanks for providing this (yes, I have paypal'ed <grin>). I often especially enjoy the photo essays with their consistent look-and-feel, image sizes, and image quality.

However, I have one frustrating issue which recurs with most of the photo essays and that is that the headlines and advertising usually takes too much space at the top to see the entire image, which requires some scrolling. This distracts the viewer from appreciating the image itself (which is usually excellently sized for a 1024x768 screen). I find the the images are often cut off even at 1280x1024 and only at 1600x1200 are they fully visibly on-screen and by that time, the image itself is smaller than it should be to be enjoyed!

I think that these types of pages could be better organized or layed out as the photos are displayed so that a viewer using a maximized browser (any flavor <grin> - thanks also for not making anything MS-specific as Mozilla always works on Iranian.com) on a 1024x768 screen could see the whole image and nav bars.

Note that I'm not saying to make the image smaller - they seem perfectly sized for that resolution and are usually very good quality - but to somehow make only the photo, nav buttons, and the title/info appear and scroll to see the other menus. (I usually despise "pop ups" but maybe this would be a good use for such a beast: it would keep the main Iranian.com window running behind and just bring up a little photo nav window just for that photo essay).

Thanks for producing a great website... hope you don't mind my feedback!

Brent Harsh
Cary, North Carolina, USA

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* Mullahs in Iran: Same fate as Khoi?

Far from my endorsing the murder of anyone without a fair trial (and that doesn't encompass the Revolutionary Courts), but for those of us in the know the killing of Ayatollah Khoi's son by the people of Iraq does not come as a surprise nor a tragedy, but should be seen as a stark reminder by the corrupt mullah in Iran as to what their fate will be for their legacy of murder, theft, betrayal of trust, and hypocrisy.  The people know who you are and what you have done, and will hold you accountable for your actions.

By the way, why is Akbar all of a sudden calling for a referendum to establish normal diplomatic ties with the "Great Satan"...az garar maloom in akhoondha kheilly too tonbooneshoon reedand.
Va salam,

Hamid Boroumand

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* Golpari Joon?

Do you have any idea where I could possibly find the song "Golpari Joon" or the text of the song on the Internet or any other place? Who sang it? I've been checking many sites on the Net and many places in Copenhagen, where I live, but with no success.

Hossein Tadayoni

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* Thanks for Rafiee

Thank you so very much for the enchanted songs of Dariush Rafiee.  We are looking forward to listening to more Persian music.

We appreciate your site.
Zendah Bad Iran and Iranian

Meno

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More letters (April 13, 2003)
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April 13, 2003

Kaveh Golestan
* Pulitzer Prize?
* Sadness of this war
* What a loss
* Tribute to his work
* Jaygah e Golestan
* Nicest person
* World misses you

* A great soul
* Absolutely proud

Iraq
* Liberate how many?
* Slanted reporting
* Why are you silent?
* Wrong approach
* Impose democracy?
* IQ problem
* American opposition
* Imperial Quisling Syndrome
* Biggest worry
* Read and ponder
* Japan won the peace
* You deserve Bush
* Laughable arguments
* Defend Iraq
* Hidden motives
* Safest way to peace
* Don't forget
* Same fate as Khoi?
* Sadness of this war

Iran
* Khatami resgin?
* Bourgois against chage

* No-dignity
* Have to get hands dirty
* Under American occupation
* Woudn't blame them
* Prosperous anti-American?
* Ready to slit throat
* Minimal government
* Cannot fool us
* American opposition
* Military force?
* Don't forget
* Then who will?
* Out of touch
* Same fate as Khoi?
Norooz
* Get some sleep
* Whateverbedar
Iranians
* New federation
* Hardwork & science

Jews & Israel
* You are an anti-Semite
* Israeli actions & Jews
* Anti-Semitism in Iran
* No need to imagine
* No resentments
* Honest introspection

Monarchy
* Obsessed
* Don't need a king
* Biased against Shah
Iraniani of the year
* Democratic future
Media
* Amanpour: Sensasionalism
* Why pick on her?
* Saving CNN
* Credibility damage

Art
* Trouble with esthetics
Photos
* No caption, no context
* Photos require scrolling
Music
* Farhad timeless hast
* Golpari Joon?
* Thanks for Rafiee
Lost & found
* Amir Loghavi
April Fools
* LEFTIST BASTARDS!
* Persian sense of humor
* humor in a crazy world
* Credibility damage

Help
* Research on Abadan
iranian.com
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* No caption, no context
* Photos require scrolling


 

 

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