Ode to Shah

Haydeh's tribute to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

28-Jan-2008
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One of a kind

by Mahmoud Ghaffari (not verified) on

Interesting how he would lift the people falling to his feet to kiss it, and the deamons ruling Iran entice people to kiss their hands and feet, as is apparent with the video where Antarinejad kisses Ali Gheda's hand. Only Islam can be so hollow and meaningless.


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Guardian of Iranian culture and heritage

by Iran and Iranian (not verified) on

For Iran, another interesting question is that who or what organization should be guardian of Iranian culture and heritage? With no guardianship, as we witness, a con body as Islamic Republic of corrupt and brutal mafias has assaulted Iran, Iranian culture and heritage with no end in sight!


Darius Kadivar

Absolute monarchy Vs Constitutional monarchy (Wikipedia)

by Darius Kadivar on

 

Differences between constitutional and absolute monarchies:

Absolute monarchy

In theoretical absolutism, a monarch rules with total power. Towards the end of the Middle Ages and following the Protestant Reformation, religious wars, the decline of the Roman Catholic Church, and a growing middle class resulted in the emergence of absolute leaders to provide guarantees of order. The concept of the "Divine Right of Kings" often, as in the case of King James I of England, covered as a justification for abuses of absolute power.

In a situation where one individual who is not necessarily knowledgeable about economics makes all economic decisions, the economy can be seriously damaged by imprudent allocation of funds. For example, Louis XIV of France — whose reign is widely considered to be the exemplar of absolute monarchy — abused his control of money by spending it on his Palace of Versailles and on wars that did not benefit France. According to Early Modern France, (Robin Briggs, 1998), at the end of Louis XIV's reign, the French Royal Family was in debt 2 billion livres or about US$21 billion. This debt, combined with the awkward tax structure of the country, was a contributing factor in the French Revolution. However, other historians argue that the tax-exempt status of the nobility and the Church was a more important cause of France's budget deficit.

If the absolute monarch favors one group over another, a reduction of personal freedoms may result. King Louis XIV demonstrated this when he overrode the Edict of Nantes and forcibly exiled the Huguenots from France.

Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a king or queen reigns with limits to their power along with a governing body (i.e. Parliament), giving rise to the modern adage "the Queen reigns but does not rule". In constitutional monarchies the position of monarch may be hereditary (e.g. The Netherlands), with a royal family. Or, more democratically, elected (e.g. in Malaysia, where the Paramount Ruler or Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term). In philosophy and political science, two broad justifications are given for monarchy: the British doctrine that monarchs are part of a social contract, founded on the autonomy of the individual, and the Continental doctrine that the monarch is an embodiment of the will and character of a people. Today we may view these as individualist and communitarian doctrines, respectively, which follow the broad lines of disagreement between the English-speaking nations and those of Asia and Europe. As in the older feudal regimes, monarchs may be given the title of emperor, king, prince, duke or other traditional titles of territorial rulers. In the British empire, local monarchs — viceroys, governors general — have sometimes been appointed. In royal families, children and collateral relatives may have subordinate titles associated with conquered provinces, as when the heir to the British throne is called the "Prince of Wales." Constitutional monarchs, even when they have little power in government, generally play active roles in civil society, especially in not-for-profit enterprises, and play a symbolic role by representing the nation. Constitutional monarchs may also be the symbolic leaders of a nation's armed forces, and play a role in maintaining constitutional government in times of crises or change of administration. Furthermore, they discuss issues with the head of government frequently, and have large informal power.