We all suffer from PTSD to some extent due to the horror happening daily around the world, but George Orwell’s comment about the “memory hole” should be seen in the light of the actual “Thought-Crime” Law of 1999, which made it illegal to criticize the Iranian regime.
Political science professor, Mr. Oliver wrote (March 13) about that bad boy President Eisenhower who favored the Shah of Iran way back in the ‘50s and how the CIA created SAVAK to spy on the clerics.
Middle East expert, journalist, and author, Robin Wright in “The Last Great Revolution” calls this nothing but a conspiracy theory with “abundant and irrefutable evidence to the contrary.”
Daniel Greenfield of the David Horowitz Freedom Center agrees: “The same clerical revolutionaries in Iran who decried the brutality of the Shah’s secret police have had no problem using even worse brutality once they were in power, killing more Iranians in one year than the SAVAK did in 20. Violence, brutality, and torture are all fine depending on who the perpetrators are, and who the victims.”
What about the ongoing imprisonment and torture of Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini for the crime of sharing his faith? Now $700 million/month is being funneled back into Iranian coffers from our government.
Bret Baier’s Special Report “Unholy War” was helpful insight into the atrocities in the region, but the conversation didn’t go far enough. More than 200,000 people killed recently in Syria alone by ruthless godless terrorism!
How can we trust the diplomatic process of nuke negotiations under these circumstances? Does anyone know what’s really going on?
Yes, professor, Iran’s oil industry was first developed by the British because apparently they couldn’t do it on their own. Those evil developers!
Britain also colonized India which today is a thriving democracy, doing quite well thanks to education, roads, aqueducts, and medicine, all left behind by those horrible Brits. Today India enjoys good relations with the West as global businesses cooperate without war.
Why is the U.S. “loathed” by some, yet it’s always the good old U.S. of A. that is summoned to deal with a crisis, or to defend South Korea that just agreed to a nuke deal with Saudi Arabia according to the Wall Street Journal?
The U.S. provides aid to many countries in the Middle East, and most humanitarian relief efforts and philanthropy come from us.
Iran and Egypt want military assistance against ISIS, yet we get labeled “The Great Satan” by the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Yes, tragic mistakes have been made throughout history and continue to occur in the name of progress, greed, conquest, hatred, and even in the name of God.
Read Bernard Lewis on the definition of “jihad.” When does the blaming, demonizing, and revising of history stop? Presidents Carter, Clinton, and Obama have apologized profusely for the sins of the West.
The Iranian people deserve a rational government. My Persian friends believe they can only trust Al Jazeera and RT News. This is objectivity?
My master’s degree in psychology makes me pretty good at reading the tea leaves of relationship dysfunction, both at the international level as well as that of the family.
And, due to a liberal arts education (!) and an interest in history and politics, I have read just about everything past and current on the Middle East from all angles, including the Bible at the seminary level.
I have a theory about growing up: Parents pay the bills when the kid needs braces, a car, or a spring break vacation, and of course tuition. Then sometimes, depending on the way they raised that kid, the parents get blamed when he ends up confused, unemployed, or worse — in debt, messed up with drugs, or he shoots somebody — the blame often coming from the kid himself. It’s always somebody else’s fault.
Call me crazy, but I will defend to the death our God-given right to freedom of speech and protest in peaceful, respectful, and honest dialogue in this world of increasing terrorism, conspiracy theories, and confusion over what constitutes truth.
Peace and Happy Easter!
Celia Kiewit is an Encinitas resident.
