"whether Iran is there or not."
It's the Religion Stupid! Blodd thirsty mullahs and imams run the show not nations.
However vis a vis Iran....
Not works for me. Too bad about all those "moderate" muslims that will get toasted with their leaders.

So it would seem that Iran is irrelevant... it's all about Islam and jihad.

Poor, poor, pitiful Ahmadinejad... he wanted supremacy for Iran in the Islamic world... guess he'll move up his jihad plans now...

Iran has an agenda (see my comments on another thread), which is the agenda of the actual controllers of Iran, the mullahs. Not their hysterical Minister of Propaganda, Aghmadinejad.

Iran is very worried about the spread of democracy in the region; the mullahs don't want to lose their power. They want the West to attack it, for that would bond all in the Islamic world to it. The fact that Lebanon is openly asserting that they would not 'accept the bond' is encouraging.

Ahmadinejad's rhetoric of nuclear bombs, the denial of the Holocaust, the holocaust cartoon competition etc, are all propaganda tactics to get the West to attack. I hope that Israel is not stupid enough to do so, for that would be viewed as a western attack, and would achieve exactly what the mullahs want. The image of Iran as under attack by the west, for its support of Islam.

It has nothing to do with Arabs; it's all about Islamofascism, being used by Iran, to maintain itself as a theocratic dictatorship of the mullahs.

So far, it isn't succeeding. The Lebanon statement is very encouraging. My concern is Israel. It must not attack.

...what I don't get is when does the power struggle between Amijarhead and Mullah Mutton come into the picture?

Surely he won't bow to the twist-tie kerchief heads...

ET,thanks for saving me a bunch of typing,well stated.

I agree with ET. The doctrine to deal with Iran is deterrence and containment. Prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons technology through diplomatic means, including sanctions if necessary. Then make it clear that if Iran ever uses a nuke, we will invade and our efforts will be at hunting down all the mullahs and ayatollas. Pre-emption is not the right approach and plays into Iran's hands.

Phil,

"...if Iran ever uses a nuke, we will invade and our efforts will be at hunting down all the mullahs and ayatollas."

May I acquaint you with horses and barn doors?

If by deterrence and containment you mean something that is better than 99% likely to work, unlike our current attempts, then fine.

We all wonder what this might be, though.

O/T but there are reports that barricades are coming down in Caledonia.
http://www.900chml.com/station/blog_jamie_west.cfm?bid=596

Liberal Premier Dullard McSquinty still marked absent. Public Safety Minister Monte Quitter wonders what all the fuss is about.

Meanwhile, kids are not in school, and food spoils in freezers.

O/T but helpful to understand the Peaceful Citizens of the Six Nations who occupy Caledonia:

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1148335815081&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815

Of course Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush has to be set in context; as he wants to appear conciliatory in the eyes of other Middle East nations and other potential Muslim allies.

This is the building bridges posture before the real nuclear "festivities" begin. This is spinning out the political clock to avoid an immediate confrontation until the Iranian regime decides that they want to do something extremely stupid.

One could amend Adolf's quote as follows:

"Today (Mulims) Christians ... stand at the head of [this country]... I pledge that I never will tie myself to parties who want to destroy (Islam) Christianity .. We want to fill our culture again with the (Muslim) Christian spirit ... We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theater, and in the press - in short, we want to burn out the *poison of immorality* which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of *liberal excess* during the past ... (few) years. [The Speeches of Adolph Hitler, 1922-1939, Vol. 1 (London, Oxford University Press, 1942), pg. 871-872]

I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator.

By warding off the Jews I am fighting for the Lord's work. [Adolph Hitler, Speech, Reichstag, 1936]"

Parenthetically, given the above this also explains why the Jewish vote tends to vote secular Liberal, given the right wing pseudo religious character of Adolf's pronouncements.

Given the Jewish experience with "burning out the *poison of immorality*" this is quite understandable.

Further, as Ahmadinejad is on record to "wipe Israel off the map in a SINGLE STORM"; which is code for a nuclear weapon, one can well understand that Israel is somewhat nervous with the introduction of the Shehab 3M missile, which sports an operational range of 1,500 km.

See: http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/reports/shehab.htm

One would have to be stupid not to reasonably infer that not a few want to turn some Middle East silica sand into a sea of glass.

Given, that Hezbollah is not in a hurry to jump into the BBQ one can "explain" their short term diffidence in opting to attack Israel.

Further, Israeli assessment of Iranian missile plans should give one pause for consideration.

See for example:

http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/sa/v9n1p8Shapir.html

Seeing that the Iranians want the ability to launch their own satellites, and to have ballistic missile capability in the 5000-6000 km range you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the internal debates in various countries.

Welcome to advanced "sabre rattling".

Lastly, the Iraninan Constitution provides the following:

An Ideological Army
In the formation and equipping of the country's defence forces, due attention must be paid to faith and ideology as the basic criteria. Accordingly, the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps are to be organized in conformity with this goal, and they will be responsible not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country, but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God's way; that is, extending the sovereignty of God's law throughout the world (this is in accordance with the Koranic verse "Prepare against them whatever force you are able to muster, and strings of horses, striking fear into the enemy of God and your enemy, and others besides them" [8:60]).

Well building the Shehab 4,5 and 6 missiles seems to fit in with the mandate of "striking fear into others and besides them" and in conjunction with the quest for nuclear power makes the posited conclusion relatively easy to draw.

Maybe Hebollah is suggesting that conventional means of war is the preferred option to "wiping Israel off the map."

Of course Ahmadinejad would go into histrionics to assert their peaceful intentions, searching for this century's version of Neville Chamberlain.

Well let us see if Ahmadinejad's intentions are peaceful by amending their own constitution to remove the offending paragraphs. I won't be holding my breath.

Before all this comes to fruition one can reasonably infer that a US led response would be forthcoming. Ahmadinejad is feeling the pinch as he his hemmed in by coalition forces in Iraq, and Afghanistan. One wonders if he will hearken back to 1941, in launching a war on two fronts given his ideological predelictions. So far Ahmadinejad has been performing to expectations.

I can only say, 'Beware the prophets of "Wunder Waffen", my greater family can say 'been there, done that.'

Duke didn't you quit this site already?

Both spellings of Hizbollah / Hezbollah are used as well as Hizbu'llah and like the president of Libya, there must be a few others as well.

The "official site" did spell it Hizbollah, but they're away packing dynamite now. (the site is blank)

I looked for your spelling of "Herbollah" too, it may be to describe someone that prides themselves as the "king of herbs" or possibly the "queen of herbs" = Herballah.?
Perhaps it's what we're left with after the spice rack tips over.?

In my quest, I did find www.herbnmuslim.com where it says "for every malady Allah has created he also created its cure".
I'm curious as to what works for stupidity in Iran.

Hezbollah is spelled Hezbollah here. ;;;

Restarting The Clock of History

One unintended effect of the September 11 attacks is that it put a defining question to different modes of American political consciousness. Until then it was possible to treat many ideologies respectable since the 1960s as harmless forms of iconoclasm, posing "provocative" but fundamentally hypothetical views. But when attacks on the US homeland made it categorically necessary to answer the question: 'are you willing to fight our assailants', many sincere ideologues paused, shook their heads and said: 'No. In fact I am morally obligated to help our assailants'. When Noam Chomsky went out of his way to support Hezbollah it wasn't inexplicable, it was logical. His long articulated hypotheticals have simply become actuals. ...
http://www.fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/

Great link, maz2.

The Belmont Club is one of the best written and thought provoking blogs in existence.

Am I willing? No, I am obligated.
I get it.

Noam "it's MY pension" Chomsky. ;

At the Belmont Club, today's foto of Nabib Qauq has it spelt "Hizbullah" and the article has it "Hezbollah".

I think most of us are on the same page.

Meanwhile ... Notice the "cartoon" word...

"Summer is always a time for increased demonstrations in Iran, and this summer is expected to be very active."

Demonstrations in Iran (mutiple photos)
Posted by nuconvert
On 05/23/2006 5:48:30 PM PDT · 13 replies · 305 views

Reuters/various sources | May 23,2006
There are several main cities involved in protests over the past day or 2.: Tabriz And Tehran. The Tabrizi protests (in the N.W. of Iran) revolve around an offensive cartoon printed in a state-run paper, that insulted the Azeri Iranians. There were reports of the IRGC shooting demonstrators. There were many broken windows, and some fire. Dozens arrested, but no word yet on the number wounded or dead. The crowd in Tabriz was estimated at 10,000 people. There is also another city being reported today as having bigger protest than the one in Tabriz , called Rezaiyeh, which is the..
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1637202/posts

Not too used to seeing dissent in Iran. The waving crowds identically dressed shouting slogans... uff.
The men may wear black, the persian women should wear "a little black dress"

I still can't picture a country where everyone MUST dress alike. and smiling is rarely seen.

When Venezuela was filled with protest 2 years ago, there were news photos of people playing soccer behind the front lines of protests, of people singing, dancing, Smiling!, their inner happiness was still shown in their faces
But nothing like Iran.
It's difficult to fake a smile for longer than a waitress needs to. The happiness factor in Iran seems pegged at zero. I have seen President poopy-pants smiling lately... maybe he knows something we don't.

How long will the Iranians accept this?
Long enough to build the big bomb?

From Confederate Yankee, "interesting times",
whether Iran is there or not.

I hope Israel finishes the wall.

Islam: Is a monotheistic religion (mono: one god); universalist, (0ne religion for all people); triumphalist ( Ein volk , Ein Reich, Nazis: Islam shall win/rule the peoples of the earth).

Islam is more than a religion: Islam is a political party using "religion" as a mask for utter domination. The mullahs are not "mad"; the mullahs are evil; the mullahs know exactly what they wish to accomplish. Islam is mad and evil.
The mullahs have made their choice(s) for you. It is submission to them/Islam or you die, infidels. ...

[Iran's] Rulers Say: The Mosques are Our Political Parties... Elections are a [Mere] Formality
MEMRI ^ | 5-24-06

Posted on 05/24/2006 5:55:21 AM PDT by SJackson

Iraqi News Agency Aswathura's Interview With Grand Ayatollah Montazeri: [Iran's] Rulers Say: The Mosques are Our Political Parties... Elections are a [Mere] Formality... If a Citizen Expresses Dissent, He is Persecuted... Security Forces and Military Have the Last Word... Iran Should Establish Good Relations With America, [Based on] Mutual Respect'

In an interview with the independent Iraqi news agency Aswathura, Iranian Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Montazeri, one of the founders of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, gave his views on the current Iranian regime and the challenges it faces.

Grand Ayatollah Montazeri had been designated by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as his successor, but the appointment was withdrawn after Montazeri criticized the regime's repression and violation of human rights. In 1997, Ayatollah Montazeri was put under house arrest for six years by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, for his criticism of Khamenei's absolute rule.

According to Ayatollah Montazeri, the rule of the jurisprudent ( "velayat-e faqih") should be limited to the function of advisor to the rulers, who are elected by the people without violating Islamic principles. Montazeri asserts that the rule of the jurisprudent should not be an absolute rule, as is currently the case under Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In the interview, Ayatollah Montazeri argues that the Iranian regime represses the people's freedom of speech and freedom to elect leaders, and does not permit normal political life as promised by the leaders of the Revolution. He calls for establishing relations with the U.S. in order to solve the nuclear crisis.

Like many of Iran's leaders, Montazeri too sees Israel as the root of Iran's international-relations problems. ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1637415/posts

Who Are We to Judge?

Blog of the Week Fraters Libertas notes that the heirs of those who peddled moral equivalence during the Cold War are still at it, citing a column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer by one Robert Jamieson. Jamieson defends one world leader who, he says, "admittedly...has invoked language that is tough, defiant and downright ugly at times." Could have been Churchill, until we got to the "ugly" part. But no! It's ... more
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