I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek

Dear Hippy, answer me this

Is it possible to discuss war, or possible war, without being pro-war? I've failed. MISERABLY.

Ayhab jan

What I mean by the term "taleban" is a fundamentalist, brutal enforcement of islam. Not the sunni taleban in afghanistan. I meant the same style, but different interpretation. Of course the actual taleban was not in Iraq. 

So many points...I'll start with this one.. (re-edited)

Marge, you're making an assumption that IRI intends to build a bomb and you'd rather see the money spent on medical research and phone lines and so on. The second part we've aready been through. I said that the goal of IRI IS to modernize and to do it they need nuclear energy. The fact is they DO invest in things like medical research and some of it is quite advanced, certainly the most advanced in the middle east. Certainly one could wonder why they don't put more money into the people directly but I think the Mullahs think they are there for the long haul. They are looking down the road and feel that in the long run it will work out better if they use the nuclear to generate the power for the projects they plan. At the same time I'd guessed that, someone posted about how it is true, at this point in time nuclear is the only power they can use to modernize.

I think the nuclear program kills more than two birds with one stone for IRI. Aside from modernizing (i.e. fixing phones all around), it creates this international stink which absolutely works in FAVOR of IRI because all it does is give them credibility as a power and a THREAT--yes you're right, it's all hyped up but the hype actually backfires. I think it is more than enough for IRI to have established that they are a threat in the eyes of the world, I don't really think they care about having a bomb, only about showing the world that tthey COULD have one. And they could.

As for the no one caring part, and I know you mean it facetiously in a sense, you mean to say Iran like any other "third world" country is not in a position to challenge the US. Well that is exactly why the US DOES care so much, because Iran is the only one that DID. And they succeeded (much to the detriment of the people overall i believe btw).

First of all Iran was much more than a US satellite under the Shah. Iran was the showcase, the display window, of the benefits of US imprialism. Yes there was a vast sector untouched by the progress but the groowing middle class was at very least a Potemkin Village for the justification of US post-war hegemony. So already for that reason the US cared. The govermnent I mean, and certain educated sectors here.

When all that fell, that is why the US cared even more. The hostage crisis was not only a successful challenge to US hegemony by a "little guy", it was also a terrible insult after "all we did for you..." The wounds of pride inflicted on the US by that crisis (over a year, Marge, over a year) went far beyond those who cared about Iran before. It had been THE national wound for the US in terms of foreign policy until now. For every yahoo and yokel who doesn't even know where Iran is on the map, Iran symbolizes every country we can't dominate and that we should kick their ass.

And that is why the Bush administration did want to invade Iran, because they thought they COULD because they knew how many Americans would hop on board. You remember boys go to Iraq, men go to Iran? That was the plan. But they were stoopid.

They had to go to Afghanistan first, then they went to Iraq over ANOTHER insult (Saddams' perceived betrayal..) but they really were stupid enough to think it would be a cakewalk and it has been no cakewalk. They got quagmired in Iraq. It totally overextended the military and that is why they never got to Iran. They would've loved to have target bombed those nuclear facilites, but even the generals rebelled.

That was under Bush. Now it is Obama's time and he CANNOT CANNOT go in there, nor does he want to because I do believe the guy is basically pacifist at heart. In any case, if he did, if he could, he would totally lose his base w/out gaining a new one and that would be the end of him. Period. So ain't gonna happen in a million light years. But even if he wanted to or Bush could've gone in there, you have to remember that Iran is no Iraq.

Iraq is far more deeply divided on regional, sectarian and ideological lines than Iran. Thee is no comparison between the Kurdish nationalist movement in Iran and that of Iraq, or the Shia Sunni divide. As for being divided on political lines, well look what happened before. Iran had all these political polarizations and then they got rid of the Monarchists by all of them uniting and look what it brought in. So they are hardly going to bother with that kind of ideology again. So basically in terms of this invasion that never was or will be, there would be three factions in Iran, a relatively small but maniacally pro-IRI one, a relatively small but maniacally "pro-West" one, and a big bunch of undecided. These are undecideds because the only thing they hate more than the IRI is foreign intervention, and also because of the embarrassing fact that though they yearn to walk around in halter tops and shorts, they--or their parents--had a Revolution to get rid of the Western yoke, so which to choose? In the end the combination of hatred of foreign intervention and pride (flip side of embarrassment) I think they would go with IRI.

If the military strikes were (would've been) truly targeted, wouldn't've toppled the IRI, just destroyed their nuclear facilities, so phone lines wouldn't run for another thirty years. If they were not truly targeted, what could happen? You can't CARPET BOMB Iran, with what justification? You CAN'T obliterate it, and Hillary only meant they COULD, and she was right, militarily they COULD, but they WOULDN'T and she knew it. You woud have to go in on the ground.

And on the ground you would get a rliigiously fanatic miitant sector far more indifferent to death than the Iraqi fanatics, far more organized, far more unified, far clearer in its intentions, supported (however reuctanty) by a lot of the peope.

But that scenario is just an intellectual exercise because like I said it ain't gonna happen. What is gonna happen already happened.

In 1979 Iran was the mouse that roared. Now it is the little engine that could. Halter tops or no, Iran has succeeded in creating a major schism in the Middle East between US collaborators, satellites and oiljoint venturers, and anti-colonialists. In the oil region. It is a fait accompli. The nuclear issue is also a fait accompli. Iran will have nuclear energy and the POTENTIAL to develop a bomb which they would never use anyway. It's all a done deal. There is a completely new geopolitical climate in the world, right now it is a new cold war. It is being fought out as a proxy war in Gaza but that won't last because there is a single factor that unites all the major players in their interests and that is Afghanistan. They are all going to have to cooperate on it and they already are.

Well I could go on and on but I already have so I won't. My basic points are that IRI wants nuclear power because they NEED it, that the US government has cared deeply about Iran for a long time and it has been a symbol to rednecks since 1979, that Bush wanted Iran more than anything else but he got waylaid and had he gotten there it would've been a disaster, and that right now not only the US but every country in the world cares greatly about Iran because Iran is the lynchpin where US and Western hegemony is being challenged ever more forcefully. However the lynchpin of the lynchpin is Afghanistan.

My prediciton, I should say my guess: in a couple of decades everyone sitting around drinking coffee in cafes and buying DVDs except w/veils not burqas in Kandahar, pretty Armani scarves w/hair flying all over the place or more likely no scarves at all in Mashad, and..a bunch of blobs going about their business every day everywhere with a stronger UN now able to focus on the real issues that should've been dealt with all along anyway. Solar energy, medical, hunger, AFRICA, and more...

Of course needless to say I have often been accused of being worse than an idealist, an optimist.

NO Marge

Shi'it Taliban and Sunni Saddam?

No way no how, although there are speculations that before the war Saddam has been in some sort of  CONTACT with Taliban, but Taliban were never in Iraq before the war. Even Faux News could not make it stick. Check your resources please.

with that aside, being perfectly honest with you, even a dime of expenditure on arms and killing machines is total waste, when these funds can be spent in betterment of lives.But we do not live in utopia, and Iran is not located but in the most volatile part of the world. With Israel in constant bullying, and US war ships in the golf one has to be able to protect oneself.

With that general notion, although I am an avid opponent of IR, but I see the capability of defending the nation THE primary duty of any government.

-YT

DAMON - I am not writing in a way to promote war

You can write about war and its outcome without being pro war. So if I admit that the Shia Taleban have been cleared out of Basra, it's somehow pro-war? What are you talking about azizam? You can be anti-war and still see the outcomes of the war. Am I supposed to deny what great benefits have been afforded to the Kurds just because of the war? HELL NO. The war was never in our hands and it still isn't. As for a war on Iran - I know there are people who are itching and horny for war. It's sick. But America can't be bothered. Who would? Iranians don't even have a strategy not killing each other over politics and disowning family over it. If America invested all that money and blood and all they got in return was an overfed jackass like Reza Pahlavi, that would be WORSE than Iraq. 

Ayhab - no Taleban didn't COME to iraq. they were there

The Shia Taleban that is. As an Iranian citizen, I'm pretty pissed that Iran isn't spending money on disease research or something much more valuable than some stupid weapon that has been around for a zillion decades. I'm kind of disappointed in Iran over this nuke thing. 

Also ayhab, I wasn't reminding you it's a war. I was reminding you it is a waste of time. War is just another word for waste of time.

My President's half Black. (partially He'swithus Hussein)

my assault rifle is black too, NO MORE WARS, NO MORE LIES,NO MORE FIGHTS, NOBODY OVER BULLSHIT DIES,NO MORE WAR, NO MORE ITS ABOUT ME AND F U...

When can we write like this?

When can we write like this? Both content and writing are excellent and original.

//www.dailykos.com/story/2009/2/24/04124/0642...

War is not a laughing matter...

In times that one is under great suffering the best thing to do may in fact be to find humor in the suffering. However, I dont think from the outside looking in one should mock what will lead to extreme suffering. Baghdad today doesnt resemble New York City at all, not even South Central Los Angelas. The once magnificent capital of a state named Iraq by the British whom created it, now resembles a war torn city with a citadel called "The Green Zone". Honestly, yes I am proud of my fellow American youth, that come from all over, rednecks and asians, rich and poor, and serve their superiors to their best ability.
However, Marge when you write such rhetoric you must remember there are many Iranian expatriates from all over the world that visit us here and would give their life in defending Iran from invaders. Many of whom, my cousin for example (which I pray I wont have to one day bear arms against some day) are far from supporters of the current government of Iran, yet he served proudly in the Takavaran.
My point? Yes we can bomb Tehran off the map, yet if we attempt to occupy... there will be a fight, and even if i sit and try and devise the best plan, and it is the best plan, and it is approved, it would be just as tough for Washington to militarily take over Toronto,Paris,London, well none of those cities but maybe Savannah Georgia.
Finally, if your against war, than please learn to write in a way that doesn't promote war. The problem is that in Iran, the youth understand war. Here the youth ( and probly many adults) see war as distant and can often be seen as saying things such as, " we should...

چی‌ بگم! همهٔ

چی‌ بگم! همهٔ گفتنی هارو گفتن دیگه

Looks like Americans are

Looks like Americans are already considering the issue of mullahs getting the bomb as a fait accompli and are opting for Soviet-style containment of mullahs' Iran:

//www.radiofarda.com/content/f1_Commentary_Ir...

Marge

Of course I  HEAR you. Thanks for telling me that Iraq THING is called WAR, Hell I thought it was a frat party that has gotten a bit rowdy.

[bored Iraqi men out there.... no surprise they start killing and bombing while Johnny Appleseed drives by in a big ass Humvee blasting 50 cent). ]

Why not send these BORED Iraqi's to those cafe's in Basra. Have them hub nub with them chicks who are sipping on tea, while prancing around them CD and DVD stores. That ought to stop them from killing.

And again, I hear you about them Taliban guys. Only one small detail, Taliban went to Iraq, AFTER the war started, and not before. They must have gotten bored in Afghanistan. Since there no Basra in Afghanistan.

-YT

P/S Believe me, Iran is for ever grateful to US for not seeing her WORTHY of their bombs and bullets.

"What I said was that the

"What I said was that the argument that Iran will "put up a strong fight" against the United States is bullshit."

Why?! Because Basra didn't? Basra?? Basra?? as in Hyundai?! HYUNDAI??!

Is it as crappy

as "You probably think this blog is about you". lol. Because trust me, I'm not above making such titles. These are DESPERATE times for people who blog about Eyeran. How many times can you repeat "millioniare mullahs" or "fear mongering?" Carly Simon = fresh. 

BTW, if Javid wants to chip in to pay for the Iranian hardbacks I buy to influence my writing for his site, that sounds good. It can even be a tax deduction since I'm poor and need charity anyway.

LOL Abarmard

and that's probably why Marge picked that song for her blog ;-)

Marge

you've touched on a lot of points and I find some very valid, some a little less reasonable... But I can't go into detail and write long comments at work (anymore) so I am sticking with the shorter comments for now...  

I just have to say that I don't think US not attacking Iran was due to Iran's insignificance.

Have a good one

IRANdokht

AHA! GOTCHA! (oops! sorry, our posts crossed..)

Now I REALLY know why you wrote this blog. You wrote this blog because you are one of the most popular writers here and you know you generate a lot of "traffic" so you made whatshiisname, the big guy upstairs, make a deal to PAY YOU TO STAY HERE. And every time somebody clicks on one of those titles of yours the casherola counter starts going clickety clickety and the payola starts rollin' like out of a slot machine in Vegas. I'll bet Javid pays you at least one penny per click. And so now you get GREEDY and start coming up with more and more sensationalist titles to keep that copper comin'. C'mon, "All You Need is LOVE"?! What the f- kind of title was THAT?!  And now THIS one.., I mean like..Jackpot!

You are so transparent. 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zURjVr3-o1w&feature=PlayList&p=7F910BCB9176BD41&playnext=1&index=50

Dear Rosie - MERCI BEAUCOUP

I do want people to flex their brain muscles. Look how sorry will America look after invading all these poor, countries? Come on. How stupid do you have to be to only show your "success" by dropping bombs? I think that shows a failure on America's part. All this "brain power" - princeton, harvard, yale, columbia, brown, berkley and THIS IS THE BULLSHIT you can come up with? War? That is why I was amazed at billary saying "we can obliterate them." In my heart I knew Billary was right but still - Why would you have to say it? Oh I forgot everyone thinks iran is the land of satan.

I also think this story on Basra opened my eyes to how fed up Americans are - Basra IS a success. Do you hear me capt ayhab? Yes it is. IN the sense that these young kids got shipped there, they did their duty, they slap mission complete on it, and the moms, wives and dads can say "there is progress and good news."

This is war. You can't think about this stuff in terms of hippy life. It's been hard for me, but this is the reality. The Shia Taleban is gone from Basra. Most of them are dead! They ran away. I think that is good and that means the battle front has changed. It sucks, but this is what America opened up when they removed saddam, banished the baath people (even non-baath supporters workd in baath. still lots of unemployed, bored iraqi men out there.... no surprise they start killing and bombing while Johnny Appleseed drives by in a big ass Humvee blasting 50 cent). 

If you want to be anti-war, you have to talk war

I did not write this blog to discuss whether nor not the US should invade Iran. What I said was that the argument that Iran will "put up a strong fight" against the United States is bullshit. Even as fundamentalist as Iran is, they don't shoot women on the street or bomb their houses if they are not wearing veils. Basra made Tehran look like the garden of eden. 

As someone who is anti-war, I don't really see a "victory" whether or not Iraqis get to hang out on the street and buy and sell DVDs. But it has been a victory from the American military's standpoint - and probably for the Iraqis too. But the cycle can repeat itself rapidly. Those dead a-hole fundamentalists regroup and refuel elsewhere. Al Qaeda has proven that time and time again.

It's not exactly rocket science to invade a third world country like Iraq and declare "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED". It's quite tragic, actually. Whatever happened to nations building themselves back up? I think that era is long gone. They will use their anger over the death of family and friends as a motivation for more war. 

All this blog meant to establish is that 1. Iran doesn't stand a chance (NEVER DID - none of that "military was SO so strong under shah bull shit). America spends more on bullets and bombs than on education consistently.

2. Iran isn't even important enough to garner an attack. Maybe that insults IRI who think that the entire foreign policy of nations should revolve around them. Screw you. Take care of your f-ing phone lines so I can call my sister-in-law after she gives birth and have a conversation for longer than 10 minutes. 

Obama's plan for alternative

Obama's plan for alternative energy:

//www.barackobama.com/pdf/factsheet_energy_sp...

Obama says "we will double the production of alternative energy in the next three years," is he really pledging double the production of non-hydropower renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power by the end of 2011.

//www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/pdf...

The US is not in any shape

The US is not in any shape to invade another country. The country is broke. Our debt is 400% of our GDP. We are on the edge of another Great Depression. The US's, China's, India's, Singapour's, and EU's economies are shrinking at an alarming rate.

The worst is yet to come.

//www.dailykos.com/story/2009/2/22/11528/2240...

Please stop the fearmongering. It doesn't serve the US or IRAN.

ee harfa chiyeh khanom?

Marge:

Here is the article:

...And of course there is Iran. Ms. Rice notes that, until recently, the State Department didn't actually have an Iran desk, which she reads (in an implicit rebuke of her predecessors) as evidence of a blinkered, bureaucratic mindset that thinks of foreign relations as "those with whom you do relations rather than . . . policy."

//www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.ht...

do tell marge.... ;-)

[Nouri called America and said "ghalat kardeem" on repeat for a while and the US forces moved in. Well do you know how long it took them to clean up that hell hole? Not even a day.

Well they showed Basra now and it looks like New Jersey! The women were shopping, eating in public, people were drinking and smoking, selling CDs and DVDs.]

Five years of war + billions in expenditures + 1000's dead in both sides = couple of safe streets in Basra + few CD and DVD stores.

That is what I call military victory and great return in investment. And oo yea, we is thankful master...........

-YT

Oh boy Margie jan, this is gonna be..

FUN! I know why you wrote this blog, you can't fool me. You wrote this blog to give people the opportunity to flex their polemical muscles, to organize their political ideas for future deadly serious blogs and threads and articles of immediate worldwide importance. This blog is a pedagocical device. Veery, veeery cleverrrr...

You know what your profession should be? Flaktaker. SENIOR flaktaker. Senior flaktaker EMERITUS of iranian.com

Here, have a marzipan. Sweets for the sweet, Margiejan.

//farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/2766434127_9e3f4e2db8.jpg?v=0

Marge

"Syria had their nuclear facility blown to bits and no one said or did a damn thing. If Iran is attacked, I think the same thing is true."

You mean Syria's nukular facility?! That was a mud hut with her ceiling wide open waiting for a compressor to be craned in!

Israeli jets roared for the whole 5 miles from their border and bombed it and yes Syria said and did nothing. Well actually they said Israel was mean but did nothing.

On the contrary Khezbollah and Khammas are being armed by Iran or so we're told. These rockets were designed and made in madrassas in Qom and they were fired daily into Israel during their wars.

Not that Iran matters or this is the size of a penis issue but these Shahab (100% female pornography name ;) missles will fo sure fly like their grand kids Fajr and Qessam (0% female pornography names ;) rockets.

Sure Iran doesn't matter but they won't go quietly. Iraq didn't go quietly and caused America all these pains and it is not even done. The size of Iranian pain is yet TBD unless someone wants to test and see if the pretty flame really burns.

Seems like you agree with Zion (or is it Khztsion). Let's see what bombing a nukular facility will do.

Iraq and Iran

Nazy,

What a great example. Thank you for writing.

I want to emphasize that just because the US can take out IRI, it doesn't mean it will bode well for Iran in the long run. Bloody battle, drawn out battle OR NOT, war is never the answer. And I don't really want Iran to be like New Jersey. Yekh. Faghat hamin moonde. 

Jakarta, of course Iranians are like any other "nationality" i.e. blobs walking around talking "shit". But not all nationalities are under threat of war. I'm not even discussing the possibility of war here. I'm saying if it happens, Iran will be obliterated. I think Basra should teach us all that. So please, instead of thinking about Gaza to save Iran, look at BAZ raaa. 

I also think Iran is lucky America hardly cares (except for the sake of Israel) and that Iran is China's sexy mistress. Instead, they should worry about Israel's insane politicians. As insane as IRI is, they do not intend a war and my "gut" tells me this. Living on a prayer I guess.

Did you see Glen Beck this weekend? He had Bob Baer and some Neo-con douche bag as his guests. The neo-con kept making stupid analogies like "Israel is US's little brother! if big brother is not on the playground, it's little brother's duty to punch the bully in the face."

WOW! Please, if you have children, encourage them to become like these excuses for human beings so that they can survive in this new war economy.  

Long Live IRAN

Long Live Iran .The world cares.
Peace

No.

Don't agree on most of your key political points here but won't go into it unless the conversation on it gets really spicey. The blog is too funny for me to really give much of a shit about the geopolitics part.

Wish you had given equal time to the lefty crowd as the Monarchists. Surprised at you. Equal time for equal demagogues, don't you think? My rule in satire is always try to be an equal opportunity insulter, there is so much to insult all around.

I really do think your writing is getting better and better every day. (Actually I think mine is too but the difference is people get to read yours. Excuse me while I go grab my scrotum).

kisses,

r.

simply put from a ...

yes, your right. no one cares about the vast oil or natural gas reserves in Iran, which happen to be directly across the vast oil and natural gas reserves in the arabian gulf. yes the middle east is not a chess board in which the great powers continue to flex muscle. yes absolutely correct margery, in fact the allies didnt invade iran in order to send supplies to moscow and piss off hitler. yes ofcourse the cia sent idiots, well today, youd have to be an ivy league grad with a squeaky background but even back than if im not mistaken they recruited college grads, so if the "revolutionaries" werent satisfied with the agents education either way im willing to bet the agents had a higher education than the revolutionaries did.
what exactly is your point marge? true the majority of americans are more concerned with bullshit/american idol and there bank accounts/economy that they dont think or care about even US foreign policy. most educated people, specifically foreigners pay alot of attention however. so what would happen if there was war with iran? well there have been several people, 23 veteran CIA agent for example who gave his views, but Im sure he doesnt know anything right? he's an idiot. we should all listen to Marge, heres the slogan, instead of no more wars, how about four more wars. starting with Iran. Marge your a tard. but id die for right to be so.

Margery

News Flash: Yes it is.