Is there anyone here who has even the first clue about Iran?

Question

How many of you know that Ahmadinejad is not 1st or even 2nd but actually THIRD in power in Iran? Ayatollah Khameini is 1st - he has pointedly never endorsed Ahmadinejad's contention of the Holocaust. 2nd is Hashemi Rafsanjani, an Iranian moderate elected Sept. 4 to lead the Assembly of Elders.
http://www.iran-press-service.com/ips/articles-2007/september-2007/rafsanjani_victory_6907.shtml

How many of you know that the #1 TV show in Iran today is "Zero Degree Turn", about Jews in pre-WWII Europe? In the show, an Iranian diplomat in Paris is in love with a French Jewish woman and saves her, and 100's of other French Jews, by faking papers to get them out of France.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB118912609718220156.html

How many of you know that there is a pro-American democracy movement in Iran, and that they have commemorated (in mourning) the 9/11 attacks?
http://www.daneshjoo.org/article/publish/article_1873.shtml

Don't you think diplomacy with Iran would be GOOD?

Even Pat Buchanan says so! (McLaughlin Group, 9/21/07 broadcast).

FootballFan - Khomeini, Khameini... two different people. It's not like the old song "Tomato Tomahto".

Kathy - Yes, I did know, and THANK YOU for that. I ran out of room and didn't want to stuff it into Additional Details, but the point IS important.

MarkA, Gmanstan - Granted, "diplomacy" is too precise a word, perhaps. I was trying to use a shorthand to say that there are constructive options for the US vis Iran that do NOT involve bombing as the very first policy option. My larger point is that military action agains Iran is extraodinarily shortsighted - you wanna turn the Iranian PEOPLE against us? Bomb Iran.

Angelus - Try reading the Wall Street Journal article (link is in my question). It's not just a show - it's a wildly popular show. Further, the TV media is owned by the state - and in Iran, the state uses TV to indicate its posture on things. Here, the message FROM IRAN is that Ahmadinejad is quite alone. What's more, if you read the article you'll see that the Iranian constitution guarantees JEWISH representation in the national legislature.

Answer 1

Buchanan is one of the last REAL conservatives.

Good question which should get people to think...don't know that it will though because the majority of them have been brain washed into believing everything that the "News" gives them and swallowing what the government says is true.

I watched a program from Ted Koppel about a year and a half ago where he went to Iran and TALKED with the people. The people LOVE America and have grown up in peace. It showed them being concerned for the USA after 9/11 and they didn't agree with what happened.

People are being brainwashed like they were after 9/11.

Answer 2

Everything you say is true, but diplomacy implies negotiating with the power figures in the country...They are most definitely NOT pro-Democracy.

However, a policy that encourages and supports internal revolt against the regime is definitely the answer, because the people do support us. Did YOU know that on the anniversary of 9/11, there were massive demonstrations in the streets FOR the US and expressing their sorrow for the tragedy?

Edit: You're welcome. And to Gmanstan...Do you think Bush would be making public any efforts to support internal insurgency in Iran?? Sometimes, things just need to be kept secret.

Edit: Tokolo... Try listening to Limbaugh, et al, before criticizing. They have often said the very same things as we are saying regarding this question on their shows. No one with a clear head is advocating bombing Iran, but that doesn't mean you turn a blind eye to what the regime is doing either. One thing we learned from Reagan and the Cold War (Re: Star Wars) is that repressive regimes do not respond to a show of "weakness." It's all well and good to support a popular movement within Iran to overthrow the government, but what good will that have done if their government starts a war before that can happen?

Answer 3

Iran is not the evil nation our mainstream media portrays it as. Diplomacy in any case especially in Iran would be the only reasonable option.
After reading the unedited letter the Pres of Iran wrote to george bush changed my views of this man. He is not the evil one in this exchange. In fact most of the things that the george bush administration said about him can be directly applied to GW with more accuracy.
Why are we trying so hard with our childrens blood and our billions of dollars to invade countries instead of using persusion to advance a peacful world. I think it might be there is no money in it for the elite. War is the fastest way for the elite to gain more power and money.With a more powerful government we loose more liberties.
Listen with reason , use critical thinking skills and watch the full unedited interview with 60 minutes. You might realize that America has started the ill will towards Iran many years ago and they have been humane in their responses, unlike we have. Its about humanity not a false war on terror.

Answer 4

As MarkA stated, there is a pro democracy movement in Iran.

We need to support these "insurgents" to change the government structure in Iran from within.

Further escalating Bush's war will have disastrous consequences for the U.S.

Asking Bush to try diplomacy is like asking Bush to write an English grammar dictionary.

Answer 5

Ahmadinejad never said he wanted to "wipe Israel off the map" sillies.

Its all such bull. There have been thousands of articles about this 'misquote', to no avail.

The truth of the matter is that Israel has said the same thing about arabs.

Its too bad that people cannot get along and would rather fight and kill and maim and render helpless those who they disagree with.

It's a pathetic world.
We even have such problems here in the United States.
Again, it's a pathetic world.

Personally I am tired, really tired of hearing about the Holocaust at every avenue, corner, and stop light.
It happened. It was a sad point in history. But similar atrocities had befallen the Irish, Blacks, etc.

and no, few here have any clue about Iran. And fewer still are too lazy to school themselves.

Answer 6

I know it doesn't really apply to your question but here's something that i read in a Russian newspaper the other day it's really interesting along with the fact more people are getting sick every day from this "meteor" as reported by our so-called media.Kinda scary.Here:

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/feedback/20-09-2007/97410-american_spy_satellite-0

Yeah and you never here about the large Jewish population in Iran either from our half *** media.One would think they fear for their lives and it would be all over the FAUX news stations.

Answer 7

Diplomacy with the current regime is meaningless.

Yes, there is a small pro-democracy movement going on in Iran, and that is the focus of much underground contact and that is where a change will take place.

Answer 8

See what happens if you ask an intelligent question?
You get intelligent answers. (Okay, okay, some idiots, too.)

Some very good ponts were made here, but while idiots like O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, Limbaugh, et al, are allowed to 'form' opinion, a very large portion of the American public will stay ignorant and naive about world events.

Everything is in black and white.
You are for us or against us!

Sad, but true.

Answer 9

"Israel has to be wiped off the map"
-Khomeini

Many people think that is Ahmadinejad's quote, but it's the Iotolla's. I think we should keep using diplomacy, but the Iranian people have to take matters into their own hands if they want to change things. As I type this, Iran is having a military parade, showing off new fighter planes and missles going into commison today, and calling for the destruction of the U.S. and Israel.

Answer 10

Yes, diplomacy is good. But only after these religious zealots are out of power. So, there is a TV show, then they must be good people. We had a TV show where WW2 POWs got along with their Nazi captors, using your logic we must be a country of Nazi lovers. There is a communist movement here in the US, along with fascists, anarchists, and numerous other groups. None of them will change our style of government, and those pro-Americans won't do it in Iran either.