Iranian Student Protest

Iranian students are protesting against the current administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and clerics who actually control Iran. The University of Tehran has been put under a virtual lock down, surrounded by the militia and police, as well as the Republican Guard.

The students feel that the government is repressing them and not allowing them to be free to express themselves.

For those in my age group this is a form of deja vue. Remember the late '70's when the students at Tehran University were protesting against the Shah and how he was not allowing them the freedom to express themselves? Remember how those same students became the beginning of the Republican Guard and stormed the United States Embassy, terrorizing the employees and causing then President Jimmy Carter to order a failed rescue attempt that cost him his chance for reelection?

It is the children of the '70's protesters who are now protesting what has happened to their country? Did their parents allow the pendulum to swing too far in the opposite direction or do this youths have more insight than their parents and a desire for a truly better world?

I hope it is the second. I also hope that the students and their supporters will be able to bring about reform and the beginnings of a true democracy in Iran.

It will take time, all things like this do, but with the proper support, these young protesters just might be able to pull off the change in Iranian politics that the USA and Europe have been unable to sway.

Let's support the youth and hope for the best.

Its Common Sense!

Iran and Nuclear Power

Iran announced its building at least ten more uranium processing plants. It appears that Ahmadinejad just gave the United Nations the finger. Okay, we know he is not the real power in Iran and that the old mullahs are calling the shots, but regardless of who is in charge, what is the United Nations and the rest of the world going to do?

Let's be honest, the government of Iran cannot be trusted. No one can believe that they are going to show UN inspectors anymore than they want to show. No one knows where they are as far as creating a nuclear weapon.

Sanctions and embargoes are talked about, yet Iran continues to get the materials they need to create these plants. Where are the materials coming from? Who is making a profit? Which nations and/or companies are ignoring the embargo/sanctions and using what ever means necessary to take millions from Iran?

Personally, I do not believe the United Nations can be trusted to serve as a vigilant watch dog. There is too much corruption in that organization and in many ways I believe it has out lasted its purpose. For the United Nations to be effective, it has to be reorganized, given some teeth, and the member nations have follow the rules.

Easier said than done I know.

Now the USA and the European Nations (not to mention Israel) will have to keep a careful watch on things by whatever means are available. The last thing the world needs is for Iran to build a dirty bomb and give it to al Quaeda or one of the other extremist terrorist groups.

Iran needs to be put down. The questions is how?

Obama- Nobel Peace Prize - What's Next?

As we all now know, the Nobel Commission selected President Obama to be this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. From all indications it was as much a shock to Obama as it was to the rest of the world. After all, other than some speeches, President Obama has done very little to take any measurable actions towards world peace.

It could be that the selection committee was impressed with his rhetoric and the idea that the USA was attempting to embark on a role as working with other nations for peace, rather than striking out independently as it had for the previous eight years.

Regardless of the reasons, the committee has now put Obama in a position where everyone will be watching his every move, ready to criticize regardless of what he decides.

We know that the next year will have many decisions effecting world peace. What will happen when the USA & her allies withdrawal from Iraq? Will there be peace or will things get worse? (I think a three way civil war, Sunni, Shiite and Kurd.)

In Afghanistan will the concentration be on Al Qaeda or due to the recent invasion of the Pakistan Pentagon by Taliban militants, will the USA also need to concentrate on destroying the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan to prove we are Pakistan's ally?

And finally of course there is Israel and Palestine. What will the USA do there?

And let's not forget Iran, the real joker in the deck.

Action in some of the most violent places in the world. How will the Obama Administration bring peace, or at the very least stability? Is it something that his Administration should even attempt?

During the next few years it will be interesting to see if the Nobel Peace Prize will prove to be a burden too heavy for Obama to wear.

We will need to watch and see if his actions are guided by living up to the Prize, or putting the USA's interest's first. Let's hope the latter has the priority.

Its Common Sense!

Iran _ Crack down continues

Iran's leadership continues to take a hard line. According to reports the Iranian government arrested nine Iranians working for the British embassy and are going to take them to trial as being part of a conspiracy to to bring down the current government by supporting the dissidents. In addition, it appears the message they want to get out is that both Britain and the USA played major roles in trying to to disrupt the "unity" of their Islamic Republic.

One of the more interesting quotes to come out of this is the following. Ayatollah Jannati, one of the Supreme Leader's top advisers remind Iranians that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, stated "anyone disrupts unity has not only committed a sin but also has committed treason against the Islamic Republic and the system."

Isn't that a fascinating statement? Who defines "unity"? Evidently the party in power. If disrupting "unity" is a sin & treason, then all good citizens would have to act as sheep do whatever their leaders, "elected" or not, tell them to do.

How is that democracy? Where is freedom of speech? How arrogant are these clerics that they think they know what is best in every area?

Centuries ago, the leaders of England thought they knew what was best for their colonies world wide, and thirteen of those colonies joined together, composed, signed and sent the document who's signing we celebrate in the United States tomorrow.

In a democracy, freedom of speech is paramount. You follow the law, but you have the right to try and change any laws you feel are unjust through protest.

The leaders of Iran need to take in a world vision of history and not just their little place. Too many people now can access to the world view, for the majority the "dark ages" are over.

Maybe if the Iranian leadership opens up an honest dialogue with the dissidents, they will find areas of compromise, satisfactory to all, and the chance for Iran to emerge as a true leader of Islamic Reform, rather than Islamic Isolationism.

Its Common Sense!

What's the truth in Iran?

Who is the real victor of Iran's presidential election? Is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lying when he says that he beat Mir Hossein Mousavi?

You tell me. Something like thirty-eight million votes needed to be counted by hand, and yet that was accomplished in somewhere between six to eight hours. Amazing!!. No hanging chads, no questionable handwriting.

I would like to know who actually counted the ballots and that fast, because my understanding is that none of the process was computerized. That means people keeping a hand tally of votes and then all areas reporting to the central balloting office with the results.

Now I know that some of you will think I am cynical of Iran's Democratic practices, but you have to admit that even Superman would have trouble counting that many votes that quickly.

Of course the sad truth of the matter is that the clerics who actually run Iran - after all Iran is a theocracy, not a democracy- feel they have more power and influence over of Ahmadinejad than they ever would have over Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Logic told us the outcome even before the election took place. The question is, why did Iran even bother? Is there more resistance in Iran than we initially thought? Are things boiling up? Is there a possibility of a civil war taking place in Iran in the near future?

I don't know. I need to know more. Which way is the Revolutionary Guard leaning? Do the mullahs really have the power they think they have?

A lot of questions with no answers. However, trying to get those answers should be interesting, and the situation in Iran could bring on yet another new dimension to the troubles going on the Middle East.

For the time being we will have to sit back, watch, and hope that we (the USA) remain neutral observers and don't get sucked into the middle of it.

Its Common Sense!

Iranian Justice (and dual citizenship)

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has publicly stated that reporter Roxana Saberi should be allowed a full defense during her appeal. Evidently, during her initial one day trial, behind closed doors, the Iran government did not feel she was entitled to a full defense.

The fact that Saberi has dual American/Iranian citizenship raises some interesting questions, especially since either side could make the case that she is spying for the other side. Of course, as long as the trial process is behind closed doors, we will never know just what she is accused of and what her defense is.

Diplomatically I do not know the international legal ramifications that are involved. Can the US even make any requests legitimately, since Saberi is an Iranian citizen? Do dual citizens have any additional rights when they are considered citizens of more than one country?

What this really raises of course is the question is whether the practice of dual (or more) citizenship's should be allowed to continued. How do we decide who can have dual citizenship and who can't? An ally this decade could be an enemy next decade and vice versa.

As the world becomes smaller and people travel and work internationally more and more, and marriages occur with more regularity between people of different nationalities, what will be the standard for multiple citizenship's? Should they be allowed, or should a person be forced to declare their loyalty to a single nation?

Or should the world start moving towards a more international view, with things like the European Union, should their be the Alliance of the Americas and more open, more universal view?

Is it time to have a world view and get away from a strictly nationalistic view?

I know a lot of questions and no answers. Share your views. As with all things, open discussion is how good changes are made.

Its Common Sense!

Obama and the Middle East

Yesterday President Obama gave his first one on one interview. The reporter was not from Fox, MSNBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC or CSPAN. The reporter was Hisham Melhem, who works for
al-Arabiya TV, headquartered in Dubai, but evidently funded by backers in Saudi Arabia.

Needless to say this was a real coup and an indication that the Obama White House will be going to the foreign press to reach a more diverse audience with his message.

Obama stated that he had Muslim relatives in Kenya, that he had lived in the most Muslem populated country in the world (Indonesia) and that he felt all religions had a place in the world. The president stressed that the America's war on terror was against fanatical Islamic fundamentalist, not the majority of believers.

It will be interesting to see what effect the interview will have for the Muslim viewing public. Hopefully, Obama set the right tone and the majority will allow his Administration to pursue its goal towards a lasting Middle East peace.

Also heard from yesterday was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran. Without mentioning President Obama's name, he stated that the USA needs to withdrawal all support of any kind from Israel and apologise to the Iranian people for all of the negative things this country has said about Iran.
Fat chance buddy!

Finally, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden let it be known that if the USA removed its forces from Iraq and Afghanistan immediately and destroyed Israel, that would be proof that the USA was a friend to the Muslim world.
Nothing like thinking you can dictate world policy from a cave somewhere in the middle of no where.

As time progresses we will see how the Obama Administration deals with the Middle East. Obama is to meet with Secretary of Defense Gates and the Joint Chiefs later today to no doubt discuss Iraq and Afghanistan and the preparedness of the USA military to continue war operations indefinitely. With the current financial situation just how much can be spent to arm and support our troops in combat?

Reports are that a new group has started trouble in Gaza and the Israeli military has reacted. George Mitchell was in Egypt yesterday and Israel today. This new outbreak could mean that he will not get to the West Bank or Gaza, what will that mean for any peace accord?

We will continue to wait and watch to see just what real changes the Obama Administration will bring to USA foreign policy.

Let's see if the Obama team is up to really bringing about a lasting peace.

Middle East Strategy

As the fighting continues between Israel and Hamas over the Gaza Strip I have been reading and listening to various commentaries on the crisis and have noted that this current crisis could have far more reaching effects than I originally thought.

Several commentators are of the opinion that Iran is behind the current Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and that soon Hezbollah will begin attacking from Lebanon, forcing Israel to fight on two fronts. More disturbing are concerns that both Hamas and Hezbollah are going to increase their activities against the Egyptian government, with the intention of hopefully collapsing that government and putting Egypt in the position where a theocracy could take power, much like that currently in Iran. With two strong theocracies at the northern and southern ends of the Middle East, the spread of Islam Fundamentalism could spread rapidly into Jordan, Syria, and once the USA withdrawals, into Iraq.

That would leave Saudi Arabia - which I believe is headed for a civil war within the the next five years -, Lebanon - which could go anyway at anytime - and Israel - fighting opposition on all sides.

When viewed in this light it is obvious that peace in the Middle East is highly unlikely, especially with extremist from both sides calling the shots. Since I do not see radicals being replaced by moderates anytime in the near future, I fear that the USA is going to be sucked into providing aid in one form or other for decades to come in the Middle East.

We as a country are going to need to seriously decide just how large a commitment we can make, what we can afford, and what good we can actually make.

It is sad to admit that many of our commitments in that region are oil based, not human based.
True, we have supported Israel for decades, but how much of that commitment is based on the fact that we need an ally where we can base troops if things get out of hand in Saudi Arabia and Iraq?

I mention our oil based commitments because of the violence currently taking place in Uganda and the Congo. Hundreds are dying, but no troops are being sent because the atrocities are not being committed by "terrorists" just crazed rebels. And of course there is no financial gain to be made, no natural resources the USA needs are being threatened, so we will sit back and watch things play out.

As 2008 comes to a close it is sad to see that the world continues to be run by greed and terror, rather than love and concern. When will people be willing to make a commitment for the good of all, rather than their own personal good?

If you reflex on the teachings of all of the major religions, the key to all of them is good works, peace and freedom to worship. Too bad that none of the nations who supposedly embrace these religious traditions actually practice what they preach.

Starting with 2009, we the people need to do what we can to force our governmental officials to live up to a code of honor and justice for all. We have to have the courage to speak out against injustice and call people to task when they fail in their duties to serve the people of our country. No longer can we afford to sit back and grumble among ourselves, we need to make our voices heard.

We will have to be patient, not get discouraged, and realize that some change will probably not happen within our life time. However, if we can inspire others by our example, one day we can be assured that this country will be ruled, if not perfectly, with a goal of commitment to the common good, rather than the individual.

Its Common Sense!