rosie is roxy is roshan

MPD, Haj Z/ionist Detector-

MPD, Haj, you may be interested to see my posts on everyone's favoirte female celebrity here re possible three faces of eve, it is on the dk thread entitled to Haj re Zion.

I do not have a problem with the circulation of anonymous petetions on my blog. This is very standard I'net practice. Not to sign due to the anonynmity that is actually a responsible stance. Not mine, but a very responssible one.

I do not have a problem with Zionist Detector's views in general (yes this fish has his/her very own aquatic identity..), we often concur.

I do have a problem with the name Zionist Detector. Let's see, there are smoke detectors, lie detectors, detectors are for things not people. Zionists are people with every possible shade within a spectrum, as with all ideologies, from the most bone-dhilling murderous sociopaths to the most tolerant and humanitarian people who nonetheless support the state of Israel out of traumatiic memories of the Holocaust (not my view of course). . . There are Zionists within Jews Against the Occupation, zionists among the conscientious objectors in prison in r Israel, Zionists willing to go to prison, even to die, for the Palestinian plight.

To use such a name which would tacitly relegate all Zionists (or any group) to sounding like things not people is bad. In dehumaniing them we commit the same dehumanization. . . which we wish to hold the ideology accountable for in tis specific historical results. We become part of the problem, not the sollution.

Finally I do not see a need for a ionist detector here, I would like to think that most people are pretty transparent about their stands, if they are Zionists they will tell us, we don't need to be detectives or detecttors. For them or any other belief system.

Especially, and HERE I would definitely go with MPD, when the detector is not BOTH registered and contactable via reg user contact button.

Roxane

Multiple Personality Disorder

Ok, mea culpa :)

I said, we have to make no blame on the guy how is trying to show the reality as he/she feels. There is something tragic that's going on (aside from, Mullahs crimes in Iran) and ZD reacted on that way. 

Sorry again for the misunderstanding.

Hajminator,

I quite well know who you are, and I have read some (but not all) of your blogs and a few of your comments here and there, and you appear to be a well balanced person. I particularly have enjoyed reading the poems that you post in some threads that seem to befit the occasion quite perfectly. You must have a great knowlege of Persian poetery to be able to do so.  So, no, my comment is not addressed to you, and if there is anything there that made you believe so, it’s accidental.  Go to the comment posted on Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:51 AM PST, it's by 'zionist detector'.

My issue is not with a petition, the petition. My issue is, there is a person here on this thread calling himself or herself ‘zionist detector’, to me this sounds like this person has posted here because he or she has detected a Zionist, it is implied from the name. And then when this person says “Go to the streets...”, “write to your congressmen...”, “talk to your coworkers...”, “boycott...”, that sounds like orders to me. So, I want to know more about this person transparently.

But, you’re saying this person has done a good job spreading information around, so are you saying 'zionist detector' has done a good job..., or you're saying someone else has done a good job..., since you said "I see no Zionist Detector around"?  Maybe 'zionist detector' had no intension of coming to this thread and making it sound like the author of this blog is a Zionist in disguise.

Multiple Personality Disorder

Your comment is addressed to me? I see no Zionist Detector around and it comes just in front of mine.

Once I told Noiz, that she had a Multiple Personality Disorder and your avatar appeared - That's amazing, no?

For your info, I'm not Zionist Detector. I think he or she had done a great job of spreading information around. I took the petitions as a way to not be quiet in front of monstrosity. That were no orders I think.

Now, if you wanted to ask ME something, repeat again what you intended.

'zionist detector', tell me more about yourself

I, well how can I say it, the other day when I was exiting a supermarket a man at the door asked me whether I was a US citizen, and without letting me give an answer proceeded to ask me if I was interested in signing a petition. As usual I blabbered something, which I didn't understand it myself, and continued on my way. As stupid as collecting signatures in front of a grocery store might sound at least there was a man standing right there in person as transparent as it could get.  In contrast there isn't a week that goes by without I getting some kind of petition to sign through junk mass email from people who I don't even know.  

On this thread there is an anonymous person ordering us to "Write to your congress men/women, write to editorial pages of your local newspapers, talk to your co-workers, boycott Israel and companies that help this regime...", etc., and we are directed what to read and where to go. That's all nice and dandy, but is it just me, or is there any sane person anywhere that would pay attention to an anonymous person in these regards? If I ever want to listen to a person calling for "action", I want to know exactly who they are, what political affiliation they belong to, and what they personally get out of it.

So, ‘zionist detector’ you detected a Zionist, good for you. But now tell me, what are you? Are you a Humanitarian, Socialist, Communist, Anti-Imperialist, Hezbollahi, Hamas, Al Qaeda, Islamist Fanatic, or what? Please tell me.  I'd like to know. 

Mehdi Mazloom - with all due respect

From your writings, I feel a lot of anger and hatred against Muslims. I’m not telling this because I’m Iranian and that I’m hurt. The reality is that I’m not! For my part I believe more on a global goodness and faith than on a particular religion. And, there have been a lot of sufferance and non-communication between Jews and Muslims (leading to this situation of defiance and misunderstanding), that I can not resume or judge in some paragraphs here.

But, I’ll just say that some of your positions are more ideological than the ground-truth. In my sense, if the fundamental discrimination between Jews and Arabs (and in general, between Jews and non-Jewish) persist, Israel will never be the state of its citizens: the non-Jews will always be foreigners or Goyims.

If generous universalist ideas (contained in some particular writings of Judaism and Christianity) can be distorted and lead, for example, to the communism. Nationalist ideas, which are basically perverse, can easily become institutionally violent, as what Europe knew 60 years ago. Whatever the military and police forces of Israel, the security of Israeli Jews will not be ensured unless a relative justice for all people living that region.

It's true that Israel is a great material victory, but I find also that it's a no less formidable spiritual defeat for the Jews!

Okay, so you WANTED to say "state of mind" but you SAID

the conflict is about peace of mind...

and that's EXACTLY what it's about, because there never WILL be peace of mind until everyone just...yields...and you KNOW it...and IMHO to reference a landsman that was your..er..Freudian slip...and...

and...as for Muslims not getting along with each other...well...tell me, the two World Wars in Europe were fought among Muslims while the Christian nations played hopscotch together..

and..

finally, I am still waitng for you to ease MY peace of mind by showing me that Israeli soldiers did NOT light those flares so the militia could see their victims.

I am patient. I will wait.

Happy ceasefire,
Roane

Hajminator - no confliction

The biggest flaw in many people argument here, they see what they see, and see and hear now. Ignoring the historical evens and the mind set by which Arab & Muslims live.

This is a wide open knowledge that, hate for Jews have originated by Muhammad himself. yeah that "perfect" individual. It continues with Muslims elaborate and institutionalized degrading system Dhimmi, and Jiyzza. 

Anyone who deludes himself that Jews and for that matter another non-Muslims had it good living under Islam, he / she  lives in a fantasy la la land. Jews did not have it good. Otherwise 99% of them would not leave the comfort of their homes, and go to Israel or other western states.

What I am trying to convey to many of you young people is that, the Arab-Palestinians conflict is just one of the derivatives and manifestation of Muslim's teaching hate and intolerance against anyone who refuses to submit to their barbaric and backward religious belief.

You can bet your farm that, if those "Zionists" would have been Muslims, there would not be any issue with occupation, nor stolen land. Just take a look around you and examine the bloody history and conflict between Shi'its and Sunnis to see what I mean.

Heck, Muslims don't even get alone among themselves, let alone with Jews, or Christians who live with, or next to Muslims..

For over 1350 years Jews had lived under Islamic regimes, they could not raise their head and assert themselves, nor practice their religion and heritage as free as they should. Because they were not strong enough to defend themselves. Muslim crowed came to get used to idea that, Jews (and Bahai's and Zoroastrians) don't fight back, no matter what you do to them. They are not suppose to fight back. After all our holy molly Qurqan says they are pigs. and other garbage labels.

Now that Jews are strong and can defend themselves. Moreover when they are so advanced in all fields of human development. Now we see how that achievement turned Muslims holy tenants upside down. Rendering the Imam and Mullahs as idiots, for labeling Nobel Laureates as apes and pig.

My humble advise to some of you out there, to go back and re-examine your value system, and belief in tolerance and respect to others who do not share with your religious or political values. Then come back here and lecture me about tolerance and acceptance to the Pals.

Pals are the victims of that insidious and monstrous  philosophy of blind hate taught throughout the Arab & Islamic countries and communities.

That what I mean by saying the conflict is about state of mind (I mis phrased the "state" witrh peace") I regret the the error. It should have read "the conflict is about state of mind".

Milosevic- maybe not so bad?

Text: Israelis today are making Hitler look like such a decent guy! They are really asking for it now. Do they have no faith? Is there no judgment?

I know the feeling. I am beginning to think Milosevic was a decent guy and we should have allowed his to be in charge on Islamic-western relations. At the time of the alleged "Bosnian ethnic cleansing" I felt Muslims were the victim. Now I look at pictures from that time, such as:
//img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0702/bosnia...

Then I look at pictures of Muslims holding signs prasing Hitler and saying "Kill the Jews" then I think we should all have lined up on Milosevic's side. I want to say thanks to Muslims worldwide who have made me suspect that when Muslims say they are victims of genocide, more likely then not, they are victims of people who had the backbone to defend themselves again Muslim agression.

Thanks!

Mehdi Mazloom

There is something conflicting in your reasoning;
In one hand, you say Arab-Israel conflict in the ME is NOT about piece of land, rather it is about peace of mind.

So, according to you - in order to be free-minded or to seek peace, one has to (or will inescapably) kill innocents in this path. Becasue that what's going on.

In the other, you do not wish to see any innocent human being killed or deprived of his basic rights. !

Without wishing to insult, Hitler too thought he was serving the Jesus Christ.

By the way, I'm really interested to hear your other side of the Arabo-Israeli conflit story. I've read some books on the issue and I might have missed something. Please enlight me.

I claim to be a child of the earth.

You claim to be a child of holocaust survivors.

--No I don't. My next-door neighbors were Holocaust survivors. My family were prgrom survivors. My dad was born in 08 but my mom was born in '25 so she was actually second generation, which totally proves the point...EVEN ASHKENAZ WHO WEREN'T HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS WERE/COMPLETELY TERRIFIED OF THE NAZIS> I didn't go into it for spatiol considerations ONLY.

You were a Zionist, (or sympathizer with the concept of homeland for Jews).

You heard from your parents and your mom's own nightmares, the horrors under which your parents went through - Their sole sin was being Jews.

All that went out of the windows, and you changed you mind and core belief, all because a tragic incident which happened between two groups of people who were not directly related to you. in chee-shee-ye khanom? Is that the Comedy Central or what?

 --No. There had been a gradual process since my undergrad years at Columbia when I was introduced to certain anti-Colonialist and Socialist ideologies. However I never questioned Israel and this is not surprising as Socialism was compatible with the kibbutz movement of the time.

--The Israeli army let in the Phalange and lit the flares. If you can prove otherwise please blog on it.

Well, I will be damn, I am sure that you also were hearing the Arab religious and political (and military leaders) preaching and inciting the those innocent Pals and otehr Muslims "kill the Jews", or "throw the Jews into the sea". And many other anti-semitic remarks towards the Jews.

I am sure you also had heard about 5 wars which Israel's neighbors had attempted and waged to "wipe Israel off the map", and kill all the Jews. If you didn't, then I did, and saw it first hand fighting the Arabs.

--I know it must be difficult for you being a veteran but is it not true that the Arab countries were large in SIZE but militarily quite weak in comparison with Israel?

SO................. according to your account, it was an unfortunate atrocities which Israelis were not even directly involved, which had changed your heart from an ardent self proclaimed "Ashkenazi" pro-Israeli, to take up position against the same group of people who are fighting for the same reason to which your own parents could not have done (defend themselves), by themselves during WWII.

--Please, again, blog on why they lit the flares.

Did you also find out that, during that year, it was Arafat whom along with his Fatah movement was trying to overthrow the legitimate Government of Lebanon, convert Lebanon into base of terror used against Israel. I am sure you also heard that Arafat had tried the same trick in Jordan back in Sep 1970 (Black September), where 20,000 pals were killed by the Jordanians.

-I don't know about the 20,000 Palestinians killed. Please tell me more. I knew and knwo the PLO was detested by those governments and that everyone was fighting everyone else.  

I do not wish to see any innocent human being killed o deprived of his basic rights. While I don't argue about the massacre of Pals by the Christian Phalanges, your so-called heart bleeding bed time stroy sounds dubious and not credible at best. Worse of which, the circumstances under which you had such a profound change of heart, does not impress me a bit.

--I didn't ask you to be impressed. The "change of heart" was a bit more gradual, only inasmuch as I'd had some exposure to anti-colonialist ideas. It did provide a foundation. But I can't write a twelve-page BLOG. So I had to compress certain things. Yes, the few days after Sabra and Shatilla happened exactly the way I told them.

WHEN YOU LEARN TO SEE THE STORY FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN, then maybe I would give some credence to your story above.

--I absolutely completely see the story from both sides and that is why Ihighlighted what an asshole Salama was and how she was in essence no different from those soldiers who lit the flares. (Once again, please prove they did not light the flares). I think you're the one who's not seeing what you just read. This whole situatio anguishes me. Why do you think I wrote this instead of a propaganda piece?

Please ruminate on this question.

You seem to have spent a lot of time with this story. it is unfortunate you did not realize that the whole Arab-Israel conflict in the ME is NOT about piece of land, rather it is about peace of mind. 

--And who has piece of mind now? Do you? Do I? Do the Israelis? Do the Palestinians? Who has peace of mind? What has all this brought us but misery? Israel was a MISTAKE. They should've given us part of Germany instead.

Okay, you give me some peace of mind. Tell me those soldiers did not light those flares knowing what was going on. Prove it to me. Give me some peace of mind.

Interesting.

Rosie,

Let me get it straight.

You claim to be a child of holocaust survivors.

You were a Zionist, (or sympathizer with the concept of homeland for Jews).

You heard from your parents and your mom's own nightmares, the horrors under which your parents went through - Their sole sin was being Jews.

All that went out of the windows, and you changed you mind and core belief, all because a tragic incident which happened between two groups of people who were not directly related to you. in chee-shee-ye khanom? Is that the Comedy Central or what?

Well, I will be damn, I am sure that you also were hearing the Arab religious and political (and military leaders) preaching and inciting the those innocent Pals and otehr Muslims "kill the Jews", or "throw the Jews into the sea". And many other anti-semitic remarks towards the Jews.

I am sure you also had heard about 5 wars which Israel's neighbors had attempted and waged to "wipe Israel off the map", and kill all the Jews. If you didn't, then I did, and saw it first hand fighting the Arabs.

SO................. according to your account, it was an unfortunate atrocities which Israelis were not even directly involved, which had changed your heart from an ardent self proclaimed "Ashkenazi" pro-Israeli, to take up position against the same group of people who are fighting for the same reason to which your own parents could not have done (defend themselves), by themselves during WWII.

Did you also find out that, during that year, it was Arafat whom along with his Fatah movement was trying to overthrow the legitimate Government of Lebanon, convert Lebanon into base of terror used against Israel. I am sure you also heard that Arafat had tried the same trick in Jordan back in Sep 1970 (Black September), where 20,000 pals were killed by the Jordanians.

I do not wish to see any innocent human being killed or deprived of his basic rights. While I don't argue about the massacre of Pals by the Christian Phalanges, your so-called heart bleeding bed time stroy sounds dubious and not credible at best. Worse of which, the circumstances under which you had such a profound change of heart, does not impress me a bit.

WHEN YOU LEARN TO SEE THE STORY FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN, then maybe I would give some credence to your story above.

You seem to have spent a lot of time with this story. it is unfortunate you did not realize that the whole Arab-Israel conflict in the ME is NOT about piece of land, rather it is about peace of mind. 

410 children, 108 women, 113 elderly people, 14 paramedics,

and four journalists are among the 1,205 palestinians who have died in the hands of Israeli regime. Another 5,300 people have been wounded.

Staying quiet is not an option, Write to your congress men/women, write to editorial pages of your local newspapers, talk to your co-workers, boycott Israel and companies that help this regime //iranian.com/main/node/53212

Go to the streets and protest against killing of Palestinian children by the shameless rulers of Israel.

Attend GAZA CHILDREN'S VIGIL AND MEMORIAL in San Francisco
Come to show your support and share your message to the children of Gaza who have been killed that we will never forget them, and that the children who are alive have our love and support!
Saturday, January 17th @ 3PM
AT Union Square -
Powell & Geary in San Francisco (if you're taking BART get off on Powell St. exit).

If in South Bay California Go to the demonstration on Saturday and Sunday at Winchester and Stevens Creek at 12:00 PM

Nazy, / ID

"what is a resposnible citizen of the world to do"?

See my post below. We are doing just fine. Look where we've come in a year.

You could work with Niloufar on organiing the boycott. Don't worry about boycotting Israel. It isn't Iraq. Noone will starve. They will just have less new cars. You could go read, "Happy Now?" if you haven't already. I think it is the most informative (and pacifist( log and thread.

"Always with the udnerdog" is a totally valid stance.

The problem as I see it in the IsPal conflict is that people are forgetting that from the ordinary Jewish perspective we are still underdogs too and the wounds haven't healed. And no it is NOT just because of the (very reral) Holocaust Industry and Zionist propaganda machine and so on and on...it is because of the lnightmares of people like m mother.

Between j and me and others we got the term zionazi expunged from this website ecept in this ironi ccase here. But I just explained to Cameron why I thought it's not a good idea to use Auschwitz in a title about Gaza. I have maintained since forever here that no one will ever win the heart or mind of any ordinary Jew if they are not extremely careful to use these Holocaust comparisons in the most delicate and patient ways...never in titles, never with anger and so forth. You could talk to peoplehere about things like that on both sides.

The other day I told Azarin, "the prolem with the political threads is that they are full of poitical people. I am dead serious. We need the voices of the artists, the spiritual people, the satirists, the poets on these threads. Cameron happens to be on e of them and so he was got it right away. He was not maried to some title he chose. But we need these kinds of voices much more on those threads Or won't admit which is worse which is a lot ofwhat htis blog is about to point out things the strictly political people just can't see. They are tooinsecure to admit when they are wrong. Honestly part of it is just a "woman's touch."

That is something you could do. Visit the ugly political threads from tie to time and try to soften them up a bit..

ID: thatis my response to you. A woman's touch is  a lot of what is starting to make the difference on this website.

Seriousness of site..

ever since Martin Luther posted his premises hot off one of the first printing presses and started the Protestant Reformation, media hae shpaed the wrold for better and for worse.

This is a media with unprecedented outreach and speed. We have reached a precipice after 5000 years of this so-called civiliation and iever more murderous technologies culminating in mushroom clouds and extermination camps and more. Frogs are almost extinct. Africa is a radioactive toxic dump.  This technology will either kill us or save us.

I.C. has almost one half million hits from INDIVIDUAL computers per month, and extremely high google ratings, often first or second on contemporary Iranian topics. It is the largest Iranian online community in the world and it is in English  people from Shanghai to Sarajevo to Samoa come here to read.

Yes, some of us take the site seriously. Someone here is spreading the word about a boycott, a non-Zionist and a Zionist are having a very patient productive discussion as we I write. People sat together at our benefit as friends after decades of bitterness. We help stop child executions, we (majority of us) helped elect Obama, we spread the word on Iranian culture to uninformed Americans which helps Iran not get bombed. We do what we can.  Yes some of us ake the sie seriously

I'm a cartoon and you're calling me serious?

Obviously yes. Of course. I want to be taken 10000% seriously. That's why I use all these phrases like "crack head" and "rock on" and "holy crap". None of this is serious. That's the POINT. People die all the time everywhere. It's never really mattered. 

It's funny how me, a cartoon silly lady pinko can get replies and hate mail, while Zion, with her serious serious AVATAR of "israel" is being lampooned more than I am. 

hey marge....dont have a cow man

you people crack me up at how seriously you take this site....it gives me plenty of entertainment on a daily basis, thanks for that.

anyhow....it seems to me that certain users on this site are supporting the filistine cause based on geopolitical notions rather than humanitarian.

rock on guys !

Replies A'comin'! Thanks to ALL!

Hi, Derakhshandeh. The Israeli government Kahan Commission apparently declared the IDF INDIRECTLY responsible for the massacre (yeah, right, all they did was let the militia in and light the flares...) but held Sharon PERSONALLY responsible (which two things if you think about them together make no sense...) and forced Sharon to resign.

In Fall 06 I had a student in my college English as a Second Language class from southern Lebnon, one of the towns (can't remember name now) that was totally devastated. Cosmopolitan secular Shia, about 35, his whole family business (two garages) was destroyed. I started to talk to him about Lebanese politics and he said "Don't talk about it. YOu can't understand it." I got huffy and said "Why? Do you think I'm some ignorant American?" He said, "No. It's just that we don't understand it either."

The creation of Lebanon was as much of a travesty as the creation of Israel or that other surreal construct, the original Pakitan. For long time the classic on Lebanon was a book called Pity the Nation. Truly pitiful.

It is also interesting that the discussions at the UN over Sabra and Shatila were unprecedentedly contentious. First of all only Israel was blamed and the Phalange barely mentioned. Second of all the use of the word "genocide" instead of "massacre" in the UN documents was highly contentious. Some countries who totally condemned Israel protested the use of the word and I think it is since then that the word has become so bandied about in so many different ways that no one is really sure what it means anymore.

(Source--Wiki--what else?  LOL)          )

Thanks for the link.

 Ashgar,: I would've been TOTALLY cool with chanting "We are all Lebanese."  :o)

Anon122:  I think you said you're fairly new here. Most people here are very familiar with my discourse. The word Zionazi used to be permitted here along with other terribly offensive terms to refer to individuals at a time when there was no moderation. As moderation was implemented, these words got forbidden. However this word still appeared ABOUT Israel, IDF, and Zionists in general not infrequently. I fought it to the last breath. You will probably never see it again. Except here.

This is different. Everyone regular here knows what I'm talking about. I am talking about the FEELING behind this word still remaining even though no one can say it anymore. And I am extending it to cover a much larger human phenomenton but more o n that later.

Marge:  I need a Mahmood too. Can you clone me one?

But seriously, trust me, you do more taking a stance in public with this persona of yours here than a thousand marchers combined. Keep dyin' it blue, babe!  

hendooneh is not a fruit but a NUT

YAY ANOTHER NUT! What the f are you talking about? WHo here has a religious agenda? People here are tired of hearing about a nuclear armed super a-hole state, ISRAEL, bombarding a people they are so threatened by. You don't need a phoney religion of any kind to tell you that is wrong.

Rosie jan

superb post. totally with you!

Hendooneh: you don't make much sense. 'most people' who support the Palestinians here do it out of compassion. most people also have political outlooks and subscribe to some form of political agenda even if they don't articulate it in a 'standard' form. after all political agendas are just expressions of human relations articulated in a certain fashion. they are not imported from outer space. where the problem does arise, and i would agree with you on that, if i have understood you right, is when the value of human life is subsumed under an ideological goal. that is a definition of extremism. most people here or elsewhere do not subscribe to such madness. at least i would hope so.

Peace!

nazy kaviani

well written comment. i can tell you support the filistine cause out of sincere compassion.  unfortunately most people who claim to care about them on this site do so because of  political and/or religious agendas.

rock on

hendooneh

Great post Rosie

and a wonderful comment from Nazy. I wish such human beings like you guys were in charge of the world so the whole world would agree that:

No ideology, no conquest, and no piece of land is ever worth the loss of human life... 

I feel much better after reading a non-political post that speaks of humanity.

Thank you

IRANdokht

I can't wait for tomorrow. Hurry up and post it please!

I love your stories. I always have loved your blogs. I never had the courage to reveal my convictions to a large group like you do. Once I did visit a group that drew graves for Palestinians. I didn't really involve myself, but I did watch them from a bench and two Jewish-American you know whats walked by and started yelling. I just kept saying "thank God I am not Israeli or Arab". Then came Mahmoud. I can't ignore Israel anymore. I can't ignore IRI anymore either. I've been naughty too like those Germans who didn't know but knew. 

These issues, or THIS issue, is the worst ever. I can't take sides, because they are both so flawed that you have to be high to forget the details. However, war is wrong. This Israel, this new monster, that fights for peace, is not winning me over. I doubt it ever will. They are not fighting to survive. They are fighting to squash.

Great post

thanks.

Bani adam azayeh yek digarand    que dar afarinesh ze yek ghoharand.

My god I love Nazy's posts.

This is such a wonderful energy here. I wish more people could convey that concept of human life as precious without having to bring religion and yadda yadda into it. I love you NAZY!

Zionazis

Rosie:
This is a great post except for your use of the term "Zionazis." This is extremely inappropriate and unaccpetable term anywhere in the real world and you are fueling the fire of anti-semitism with such vulgar language. While you post here you might be surprised to know that many of the terms used at Iranian.com are extremist and would not be tolerated in other legitimate forums. So while we all know what you mean by "Zionazis" you are betraying the children of Avraham including the Ishmaelites with such inappropriate and ethnocentric and antisemitic terms.

Pro-Israel Rally For Attacking Gaza, NYC, 1-11-09

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FABqq_jjRRo&eurl=ht...

Dear Roxane:

Thank you for writing from your heart. Your story has touched me in many ways. I remember watching my father and my older brother heatedly debate the Palestenian issue in our home in Tehran. I never forget hearing my father tell my older brother that Yasser Arafat was a fool. I can't remember what his reasonings were or what my brother was so passionately saying to him, but I was introduced to the existing conflict sitting in my safe home in Tehran as a little girl. The issue, unfortunately, has existed during my entire life and I have seen it everywhere and discussed by everyone ever since. To be sure, it is one of those issues around which almost everybody has an opinion and it gets blinding and confusing at times like this when people who are expressing their opinions are directly vested in any and all aspects of it.

In the 30 years that I have lived in the United States, I have never experienced racism first hand, not really. The only time I came face to face with it, feeling frightened and speechless, it wasn't intentionally directed at me, yet it was.

I think it was in 1986, when the US bombing of Libya happened, I was working at a university job in Berkeley. One morning when I came in, Nancy (not her real name), who was our receptionist was reading the newspaper. As we greeted each other she said, "Did you hear the news about the US bombing of Libya?" And I said that I had. Without any additional words she said: "You know, my brother and I were talking last night and I told him that the US should just bomb the hell out all of the entire Middle East, eliminating all the pigs, wiping it from the map, ridding the world of the lot of them." I was frozen in my tracks. I said "All of the Middle East? That is really a large area of the planet! And what for? Do you know how many countries and how many millions of people you are talking about here?" She said "When you realize how much evil is coming out of that part of the world, you would see that this would really be a good idea! Don't you think?" I tried to muster a smile and said, "Well, I don't know if you know where the Middle East is, Nancy, but I know for a fact that you don't know I am from the Middle East, too, because that's were Iran is. If I agreed with you, I would be agreeing to the elimination of my own family, my sisters, my parents, my cousins, and all of the friends with whom I grew up. If I agree with you, I will no longer have a home. Do you still want me to agree with you?" She said: "Oh, Nazy, I keep forgetting that you are from Iran!" I never forget the look on her face, nor the hotness in mine as I turned away and headed for my desk.

Having lived a while longer, and having seen a lot more, today I believe nothing is as precious as human life, no matter to whom it belongs. Extremist views, ignorance, bigotry, hate, and racism do still exist and they ignite wars, genocide, and loss of precious human life everywhere. What is a responsible citizen of the world to do? To just watch and do nothing when atrocities borne out of hate and the false sense of power caused by ownership of the fastest and biggest weaponry are exercised? No ideology, no conquest, and no piece of land is ever worth the loss of human life, in my opinion. In that vein, I can't help but invariably take sides with the victims of wars and terrorist acts each unfortunate time I face them. Those victims happen to be Palestinans today and just as I have cried bitterly over the loss of innocent people's lives in suicide bombing attacks all over the world, I cry for the plight of those victims and humanity as it takes place again here and now on our planet.

Thanks again for your excellent writing. I look forward to the next piece.

Peace.

very nice post , Roxane

I enjoyed reading. It good to understand where you come from.

Even after the flames are gone

…the pain still lingers on.

Thank you Roxane for your heart felt story.