Archive - Nov 8, 2008 - Article

Comrade Obama?

The word socialist has been bandied about more in the past few weeks than it has since the early 1990s. John McCain was asked whether nationalising banks was not tantamount to socialism – remarkable, a mainstream network airing the s-word in an interview with a US presidential candidate. In Britain the word socialism is regarded as a terminal virus the Labour party sneezed out in 1994 when the then opposition leader Tony Blair ditched Clause 4 -- along with its commitment to “the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange”. After Labour came to power in 1997, its use was phased out. Now that capitalists themselves are forced to accept that a system that rewards complete bastards, for being complete bastards, is doomed, “redistribution of wealth” and “socialism” are out of their cages>>>

America's better half

On November 4, America made history once again by generously embracing Barak Obama as its first African-American president. In this election more the 53% of Americans cast their votes for Obama (more than any other Democratic presidents since World War II with the exception of Lyndon Johnson in 1964 who gained the sympathy votes of the people after Kennedy’s assassination). To better understand and appreciate the magnitude of what happened in this U.S. election we should notice that it was only 53 years ago that Rosa Parks bravely refused to give up her seat on a public bus to make room for a white passenger and by doing so she ignited the Civil Right Movement. Prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which legally prohibited racial discrimination, African-Americans were treated like second class citizens. >>>

The Newlyweds (13)

Dear Khaleh joon, You must be getting used to my confusion and distress by now. These are emotions that have filled the pages of my letters to you, now more than ever. I thought at the beginning of this month that some positive news would finally go your way for a change. Shahab had been in a chipper mood than usual. He kept telling me that business was “looking up” without elaborating, of course. Every time I ask him to give me details, he just waves me away laughing, saying “in maamele beyne mardha hasst, khanooma nabayad dekhalat konan.” Just like my father! Finally, one day, he took me out in a spanking new, convertible Mercedes-Benz, which he had again rented out for the week-end. He told me he had a big surprise for me. We kept going up twists and turns on a winding road that led us to the summit of one of Los Angeles’ many hills>>>

پيوند مهلک فقه و فسا د

نخستين وضعيت را می توان در گرايش های بيمارگونه و غيرعادی مردمان به عوالم به اصطلاح «معنوی» و «روحانی» متجلی ديد که بکلی با روابط عادی فرد مؤمن با آفريننده ای که به آن باور آورده تفاوت دارد. در اين ساحت بيماری زده، شخص مؤمن به سوی افراط در خرافه کشيده می شود و فقيه نيز چاره ای ندارد که ـ اگر بخواهد در ميدان بماند ـ به نيازهای او پاسخی مناسب دهد. امروزه، با همۀ انکارهای ظاهری که از جانب فقهای اصلی مطرح می شود، نمی توان دست داشتن آنان را در مورد مقولاتی همچون چاه جمکران، مطرح شدن ظهور قريب الوقوع امام زمان، چله نشينی های زايندهء اختلالات روانی، تأکيد بر کرامات و معجزات روزمره در رسانه های گروهی و آثار باصطلاح هنری، تبديل فقها به صاحبان کرامتی معادل پيامبران و امامان، گسترش فالگيری و نذر و نياز و سفره انداختن ها و زيارت رفتن ها، ناديده گرفت. در همۀ اين مقولات، فقيه (در صورت های مختلف آخوند و روضه خوان گرفته تا خود ولی فقيه که از دستارش و آب دهانش معجزه و شفا می گيرند) نقش مرکزی را بازی می کند و خود منشاء رشد سرطانی ناشی از تسلط نهادی کارکرد از دست داده و در حال فاسد شدن بشمار می رود.>>>

شاپرکم برگشته!

شاپرک تازه از ایران برگشته و تلفن زده تا خبر بازگشتش را بدهد. صدایش که مثل صدای زندگیست شادم کرد. پرسیدم: چه خبر؟.... باز از گرانی گفت و این که همه اش توی خانه بوده و در گرما جایی نمی رفته و آهان! که در اولین روز ورودش به ایران، توسط گشت توقیف شده!....
پرسیدم: چی؟ آخه واسه چی؟....
- به جرم بدحجابی دیگه!....
- مگه حجاب نداشتی؟....
- چرا! ولی ما فرق داریم!....
- یعنی چی؟....

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