Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 24 of June , 2008 at 9:02 pm
Antiwar.com Action Alert - Antiwar.com
Iran War Resolution May Be Passed Next Week
Introduced less than a month ago, Resolution 362, also known as the Iran War Resolution, could be passed by the House as early as next week. The bill is the chief legislative priority of AIPAC. On its Web site, AIPAC endorses the resolutions as a way to ”Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program” and tells readers to lobby Congress to pass the bill. In the Senate, a sister resolution, Resolution 580, has gained co-sponsors with similar speed. The Senate measure was introduced by Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh on June 2. It has since gained 19 co-sponsors.
The bill’s key section “demands that the president initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.” “Imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran” can be read to mean that the president should initiate a naval blockade of Iran. A unilateral naval blockade without UN sanction is an act of war. Resolution 362 has already gained 170 co-sponsors, or nearly 40 percent of the House. It has been referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee, which has 49 members, 24 of whom, including the ranking Republican, are co-sponsors.
The Iran Nuclear Watch Web site writes, “According to the House leadership, this resolution is going to ‘pass like a hot knife through butter’ before the end of June on what is called suspension - meaning no amendments can be introduced during the 20-minute maximum debate. It also means it is assumed the bill will pass by a 2/3 majority and is non-controversial.” Our national legislators deem it non-controversial to recommend to a president known for his recklessness and bad judgment that he consider engaging in an act of war against Iran. Those of you who consider this issue controversial can go to the Just Foreign Policy Web site and tell your representative to oppose this resolution.
For more information about this action item, media requests, donations or other information, please contact Angela Keaton at 310-729-3760 or akeaton@antiwar.com
Category: Politics, Iranian Americans
Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 13 of June , 2008 at 2:06 pm
Kayhan newspaper reports that Qatar formally apologized for using Arabian Gulf rather than Persian Gulf.
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به دليل استفاده از عنوان جعلي خليج عربي قطر رسما از ايران عذرخواهي كرد
وزير كار قطر با حضور در محل اقامت وزير كار ايران در ژنو، از جمهوري اسلامي ايران به خاطر بكارگيري عنوان جعلي «خليج عربي» رسماً عذرخواهي كرد.
به گزارش فارس، ضابط الدوسري وزير كار قطر، اين سوء برداشت را ناشي از اشتباه در ترجمه دانست و خاطرنشان ساخت: نام اصلي و تاريخي اين آبراه «خليج فارس» است و ما تنها اين نام را مي شناسيم.
سيدمحمد جهرمي وزيركار، در سخنراني خود در اجلاس 97 مجمع عمومي سازمان بين المللي كار در ژنو رسماً در حضور مديركل و 181 كشور عضو با تذكر به وزير كار قطر رسماً از دبيرخانه سازمان بين المللي كار خواست تا عنوان «خليج فارس» در مكاتبات و اسناد رسمي اين سازمان ثبت و همچون گذشته به كار گرفته شود.
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Category: Politics, History
Writing by KavehFarrokh on Wednesday, 4 of June , 2008 at 8:19 pm
I received this photo this morning and you may find it of interest. It is a photograph of a 13-year old Iranian solider who has captured close to a dozen pan-Arabists during the liberation of Khorramshahr:
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(see also: http://kian-abdollahi.blogfa.com/post-36.aspx)
An interesting facet of pan-Arabism in Iraq was that it brainwashed Arab conscripts into beleiving that all Iranians are cowards and would simply surrender to Saddam Hussein’s forces. Pan-Arabism is the perfect case of ideology leading to battlefield defeats. One veteran mentioned that so many pan-Arab prisoners were captured during the liberation of Khuzestan that problmes had arsien to provide transport trucks for the prisoners.
Allow me to humbly share a case of media censorship during the Iran-Iraq war. A BBC report crew was interviewing a motorized unit of Saddam’s forces and during that interview a commander claimed that all Iranian jets had been destroyed and that “the last few Iranian jets are hiding from us”. A few moments later, Iranian F-4 phantoms appeated (probably with the deadly air to ground Maverick missiles). As soon as the roar of the Iranian jets appeared, the enrire crew bailed out from their tanks and took to their heels:
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The reason this report was cencored is most likley due to the fact that Saddam Hussein was an ally of the west at the time, In additon, the media was attempting to portray the pan-Arabists as a very “western” and professional military force. In reality, many of the conscripts suffered from low morale as they has little incentive to fight the Iranians - contrary to the fantasy of pan-Arabism, the vast majority of the Arabs do not dislike the Iranian people and reject pan-Arabism. Arabs and Iranians in fact get along very well and mingle throughout southwest Iran and the entire Persian Gulf region.
Finally, note must be taken of the role that Iranian-Arabs played in supporting the Iranian army in defending Khuzestan and liberating it from Saddam’s froces in 1982. Below is a photo of an Iranian-Arab unit that commemorates the role of the Iranian-Arabs in the defense of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war
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Iranian Arabs participating in celebrations in Tehran in September 22, 2007. Iranian Arabs were among the first to defend Iran against the pan-Arabists of Saddam Hussein – their actions in Khorramshahr, Abadan and Ahwaz bought the Iranian army precious time to organize defenses in September-October 1980. The Iranian Arans also participated with the Iranian forces in ejecting Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Iran by 1982. Iranian Arabs were also seen in a rally in front of the UAE Embassy supporting the name “Persian Gulf”.
Racialism and ethno-narcissistic movements are an outdated and discredited philosophy. One of these, pan-Arabism has been both defeated and discredited. Unfortunatley, certain elements in the western hemisphere have had the tendency to support and promote racialists in the pursuit of geopolitical and economic objectives, a process continuing to this day. While such schemes may be partly effective with post-World War One, post-World War Two and post-Soviet-era states, the same schemes are doomed to failure against historical countries such as Iran. The above-cited discussion is a case in point.
Category: Politics, History
Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 30 of May , 2008 at 5:39 pm
30 May 2008
UA 146/08 Imminent execution/legal concern
IRAN Mohammad Feda’i (m) aged 21, juvenile offender
Mohammad Feda’i is facing imminent execution for a murder committed
when he was 17 years old. He was convicted after an unfair trial. Iran
is a state party to international treaties including the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibit the execution
of those below the age of 18 at the time of the commission of the
offense. According to news reports, he is scheduled to be executed on
or around 11 June.
On 21 April 2004, Mohammad Feda’i attended a snooker club with his
friends in Robat Karim, a town near the city of Karaj, in Tehran
province, when one of his friends was involved in a fight with a group
of about 17 young men. According to his testimony, Mohammad Feda’i
tried to break up the fight, but a boy named Said started to hit him
with a piece of wood. Mohammad Feda’i, who was holding a knife handed
to him by one of his friends, then, according to his account, fell
over. As Said was about to hit him again, he fatally stabbed Said once
in self-defense. Said was transferred to hospital, where died three
hours later.
The case went before Branch 71 of the Tehran Criminal Court and
Mohammad Feda’i was sentenced to qesas (retribution) for the murder of
Said on 12 March 2005. Although the five sentencing judges in his case
found Mohammad Feda’i guilty, they also acknowledged in their written
verdict that the stabbing was an act of self-defense and that he had
not been adequately represented at his trial, as his first legal
representative was not an accredited lawyer, and two lawyers hired
later had only submitted one written defense statement to the court
during his trial. Nevertheless, the death sentence against Mohammad
Feda’i was upheld by Branch 27 of the Supreme Court, and has been
approved by the Head of the Judiciary.
Mohammad Feda’i had been due to be executed on 18 April 2007. However,
the execution was stayed on the basis of the inadequate legal
representation during his trial. A subsequent request to the Attorney
General for a retrial was rejected, and a new execution date was set.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As a state party to both the CRC and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Iran has undertaken not to execute
juvenile offenders: those convicted of crimes committed when they were
under the age of 18. However, since 1990 Iran has executed at least 28
juvenile offenders, six of them in 2007. At least 85 juvenile
offenders are now on death row in Iran. This number may be even higher
as at least a further 15 people are believed to have been sentenced to
death. For more information about executions of juvenile offenders in
Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (June 2007),
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, and
supports the global trend away from the use of the death penalty,
powerfully expressed in the UN General Assembly’s resolution calling
for a worldwide moratorium on executions on 18 December 2007.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible:
- calling on the authorities to commute the death sentence passed on
Mohammad Feda’i, who is at imminent risk of execution for a crime
committed when he was under the age of 18;
- noting that he had inadequate legal representation at his trial,
meaning that proceedings did not meet international fair trial
standards;
- urging the Iranian authorities to review Mohammad Feda’i’s case;
- reminding them that Iran is a state party to both the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the use of the death
penalty against those under the age of 18 at the time of offense, and
that the execution of Mohammad Feda’i would therefore be a violation
of international law.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh /Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line
write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir OR via website:
www.president.ir/email
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead,
please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
Embassy of Pakistan
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 1 202 965 4990
Fax: 1 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
——————————
—-
Tip of the Month:
Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your letter writing as
quick and easy as possible. This way, letters will not be put off and
they can be sent out sooner. Start by making a generic file for each
type of concern; paragraphs on torture, the death penalty,
disappearances, denial of medical care and so on, can be copied into
your working file and edited as needed.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.27 - Postcards
$0.42 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico and Canada:
$0.72 - Postcards
$0.72 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.94 - Postcards
$0.94 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes
and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact
information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your
help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
———————————-
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
———————————-
Category: Human Rights, Politics
Writing by persiancowboy on Friday, 30 of May , 2008 at 12:49 pm
Tehran, May 25, IRNA - American filmmaker and author, Michael Moore held talks with the representative of Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Cinema Development Center at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival in southern France on Sunday.
In the meeting, Moore voiced his willingness to take part in the Second Iran International Documentary Film Festival slated for October 14-19 in Tehran.
Moore, a vocal critic who denounced Bush and the war in Iraq, further expressed regret for not participating in Iran’s first documentary film festival.
Documentary & Experimental Film Center (DEFC)
The festival tries to express the relationship between reality and truth through documentary films.
The following sections are part of the 2nd edition of the festival:
International Competition
National Competition
Market
Production Fund
Retrospective
Tribute
Special Screenings
Deadline of submission: July 15th, 2008. Submission forms are available on irandocfest.ir
Category: Politics, Iranian Americans, pop culture
Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 27 of May , 2008 at 10:59 am
One of the great hobos, labor organizers, union men and singer/writer/mentors Utah Phillips passed away on Friday night. He was 73 years old and I suspect any reader of Songs:Illinois will be well aware of the work of Utah. Newer fans may have heard of him first though his work with Ani DiFranco. In fact it’s this association that has always kept Ani in my good graces despite her uneven output. If you’ve never heard of him, think of him as an older, saltier, American version of Billy Bragg.
He was loved by the hundreds of performers he encountered, tutored, befriended and mentored. He’ll be sorely missed. And impossible to replace.
Source. / Songs:Illinois.net. Go there for links to “Talkin’ NPR Blues,” “Moose Turd Pie,” “Railroading On The Great Divide,” and “Stupid’s Pledge.”
Also go to Austin Vets for Peace Fete Folk Legend Utah Philips
/ The Rag Blog
Thanks to Carlos Lowry / The Rag Blog
Category: Politics
Writing by Rezareza on Thursday, 15 of May , 2008 at 8:16 pm
Category: funny, Politics
Writing by Rezareza on Friday, 2 of May , 2008 at 8:00 pm
Category: Human Rights, Politics
Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 22 of April , 2008 at 2:12 pm
The following is a satire piece by Hadi Khorsandi titled, “I am not a reformist, but I like reformists.” Taken from the online journal Gozaar, a project of Freedom House. They have several other great pieces by Hadi Khorsandi and other Iranian writers at their website. Unfortunately I was not able to find the English translation.
هادی خرسندی
12 بهمن 1386
آقا نوه را بغل کردم. دقت کردم به لباسهای این طفل سهماهه:
یک تی- شرت، (یا عرقگیر خودمان) با تصویر نخدوزی شدهی یک اردک. رویش یک پیراهن با دوتا جیب روی سینه که نیمی از جیب چپ را تصویر برجستهی یک گل آفتابگردان مجهز به یک زنبورعسل پوشانده. یک شلوار جین آبی با پاچههای تاخورده و طرح میکیموز سر زانو. یک کاپشن با چهارتا جیب روی اینها بر تنش. یک جفت جوراب بر پایش که بر ساقهاش دوتا خرگوش تعجب کرده بودند از اینکه آنجا چکار میکنند و به چه درد بچهی سهماهه میخورند!
بچه حدود هشتتا جیب داشت و لباس پوشیدنش او را شبیه الویس پریسلی کرده بود یا قهرمان شیکپوش سریال «ایکس فایل» یا جان تراولتا در فیلم گریس!
خندهام گرفت. جرأت نکردم عصبانیتم را نشان بدهم. طفلک چارچنگولی توی لباسها قالب گرفته شده بود و به روشنی معلوم بود که مغلوب این پوشاک شده است.
این، تازه، فرزند پدر و مادری است روشنبین، که بر صحنهی نمایش، طنزشان، «تازه به دوران رسیدگی» را هدف میگیرد و ریخت و پاشهای جامعهی مصرفی و بیملاحظهگیهای زیست محیطی را مسخره میکنند. زن و شوهر عقاید سوسیالیستی هم دارند. (البته از نوع فراگیر و متمدن اروپاییاش، نه چینی و روسی!)
سر صحبت که باز شد، دخترم توضیح داد که همهی این لباسها را هدیه گرفتهاند و شوهرش در مورد کاپشن بچه، توضیح داد که جیب بالای دست راست، برای سیگار است اما معنی باقی جیبها را نمیداند!
کلی خندیدیم. زن و شوهر از دنیای فریبندهی «سیسمونی» در سیستم سرمایهداری تعریف کردند که تازه من کجایش را دیدهام. صندلیهایی که وقتی بچه گریه میکند، شروع میکند او را تکان دادن، و در مقابل بچه، چراغهای رنگارنگ روشن و خاموش میشود و موزیک ملایمی که نت آن با نت گریهی بچه همخوانی دارد، شروع میکند از چهارطرف اتاق پخش شدن. (حالا من هم دارم یک کم چاخان قاطیش میکنم!)
شاپرکخانم یک لباس سادهی سرتاسری نشانم داد که خودش برای بچه خریده و گفت “من این را تنش میکنم و آنها را دیگران آوردهاند. امروز داشتم کفشهاشو پاش میکردم، گفتم بچهی سهماهه کفش میخواد چیکار؟!….”
من دیگر پاپی نشدم که پس چرا بچه، سهچهارتا سبد و تختروان برای خواب و بیداری و قبل از خواب و بعد از حمام و توی اتومبیل و طبقهی پایین و اتاقخواب بالا دارد؟! این اسراف و ولخرجی هم از دست و دل بازی دیگران است؟ … خوب، بچهی اولشان است و دنیای تبلیغات هم حسابی از احساس جادویی والدینی سودجویی میکند.
طفلی را اینطور ترو خشکش میکنند؛ اما از چهار پنج سالگی زندگیاش میشود مثل زندگی شریفامامی یا رونالد رامسفلد! باید ساعت هفت صبح از خواب بلند شود و تا حدود شش بعد از ظهر زندگی اداری و اجتماعی داشته باشد! صبحها حدود ساعت 9 یک پدر یا مادر خوابآلوده، میاندازدش توی یک مهدکودک یا «نرسری» یا چه میدانم «کیندرگاردن»، بعد از چهار عصر هم یک پدر یا مادر خسته از کار روزانه میآید دنبالش میبرند طفالکی را میشویندش و خشکش میکنند و غذایی میدهند و میخوابانندش که صبح زود دوباره برود به همان جایی که دیروز رفته بوده! دیگر نه پدر حال و حوصلهی حرف زدن با او را دارد، نه مادر. حرفها میماند برای شنبه و یکشنبه و ویکند و هالیدی. البته اگر طفلک یادش بیاید که آن روز صبح چه میخواسته بپرسد و آن روز غروب چه سوالی کرده بوده که پدرش جواب داده یکشنبه یادم بینداز تا جوابت را بدهم!
خوبیاش این است که علم و تکنولژی به زودی به ما امکان «کولون» کردن میدهد که هرچندتا بخواهیم، این بچهها را تکثیر کنیم.
حالا حکایت ماست! هی فغان و فریاد که اهل این بازیها نیستیم، ولی خب چه میشود کرد؛ دوستشان هم داریم!
Category: funny, Politics, Persian
Writing by persiancowboy on Tuesday, 22 of April , 2008 at 10:51 am
Here is a press release I just got from the National Iranian American Council about Sen. Clinton’s war rhetoric.
Washington DC - The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) denounces Senator Hillary Clinton’s escalating war rhetoric on Iran. In an interview with Good Morning America, Senator Clinton promised Tuesday to “obliterate” Iran should Tehran develop a nuclear weapon and use it against Israel.
“I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the President, we will attack Iran,” Clinton said. “In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them.”
NIAC regrets that at a time when America needs a new foreign policy - one centered on resolving regional and global conflict through diplomacy in cooperation with US allies - Senator Clinton has chosen a policy that would prolong conflict. Her rhetoric suggests that she would resort to Cold War tactics instead of recognizing the ability to resolve the US-Iran stalemate through diplomacy.
“Senator Clinton’s statement reflects a mindset of perpetual conflict that has guided our Iran policy for the last seven years,” Trita Parsi, NIAC President, said. “This is disastrous for US national interest, since we are in desperate need of a new and fresh Iran policy aimed at resolving the conflict rather than prolonging it.”
Senator Clinton’s remarks were made in the context of her proposal to provide a nuclear umbrella to Arab states in the Middle East against Iran. The New York Senator rejected on MSNBC Monday evening the idea that the government in Tehran cannot be deterred.
“Fixation on deterrence, sanctions and threats of war have all failed to advance US national interest and change Iran’s nuclear policy,” Parsi said. “What we need now is not nuclear deterrence, but nuclear diplomacy.”
Category: Politics, Iranian Americans
