4 posts tagged “iran”

I have been a very bad blogger.   With my son home for summer break, I find my time is more limited than ever.  While I would love to blog every day, there are things in life that must take precedence and the boy is ALWAYS my number one.  That being said, its time to catch up some thoughts on current events....

1.  Farrah Fawcett - I've had respect for this woman because she threw away the pretty actress card by quitting Charlies Angels and then did amazing and important roles in movies like the "The Burning Bed".  She tried to make the world a better place through her roles, art and activism.   Even her cancer (and death) was a role she faced head on and tried to use to educate and make the world a better place.   She will be missed.
2. Michael Jackson - where do I even start?  First off, I was shocked by his death because it was completely unexpected. However, his death brings on extremely mixed feelings about the man.  Yes, the man was an amazing musician.   I live in Motown people - we grew up hearing the Jackson Five.  I am also a child of the 80's - I remember when I loved him in his yellow sweater vest and Thriller.  However, I am also a mother of a young boy and thinking of his perversions and sexual proclivities makes my skin crawl.  I happened to be at a New Kids on the Block concert here in Detroit the day he died and they did the best memorial to MJ, they did "I'll Be There" with all of us singing.  They memorialized the purer young Jackson rather than tainted man.
3. Iran - Wow.  What an amazing response by the people of Iran to what is most likely a crooked election.  This is a nation that has seen revolution within the last 50 years, so at this point they probably no how to do it better than any of us.  Hopefully we stay out of it militarily unless we are truly needed.  However, we need to stand up for those in Iran with our voices, prayers and support.
4. Obama - President Obama, I really want to like you.   Really, I do.  I hated the Bush era policies.  I was ready for a "change".  Unfortunately, you are letting me down.   I am sick of hearing speeches.  I mean REALLY sick of hearing you speak.   It rates up there with Bush and his vacations.   You are there to work, not give speeches.  What happened to transparency in government?   Why are you allowing Pelosi to force bills through without allowing public comment?  Your health care bill is a joke - how can you "fix" healthcare for everyone if you are adding another roadblock that will have to be overcome for complete reform to be effective?   You also don't understand how governmental programs force the costs upwards (Medicare did it, so will expanded governmental healthcare).  Don't even get me started on "cap and trade"...

OK...I got some of the itch out.  Anybody reading this knows the itch I am talking about.  Its that drive to blog about the happenings around us but life prevents us from doing so....

Sheesh.  It seems that every right wing pundit, tal show host and blogger wants the US to go to war with Iran. It seems that they have decided that the kidnapping of the brits was a declaration of war against the US.  WRONG!  If anybody has the right to go to war over the issue - its Great Britain.  If anybody has the right to declare war over the incident - its Great Britain.  The US does not have the right to start a war over this issue.

Yes, we should back our allies if they do go to war.  However, it is not our place to start a war over an issue beteen two other sovereign nations.

Why is it that these extremist righties want us to go to war?  Do they not listen to our generals talk about the fact that the Army is stretched far too thin.   Do they not here the military leaders talk about how the Army is at its breaking point?  The military cannot handle another war right now.  Hell, my friend Priscilla was recently inducted into the Army with three (an all time low at the Michigan MEPS) other people - one of those three was a twice convicted CHILD MOLESTOR. 

Yes folks - Ahmadinejad is not a nice guy.  He was wrong to take those men.  I whole heartedly agree that if DIPLOMATIC solutions had failed - some type of force was warranted.  However - it was not America's choice to make.

Just one other thing - if I hear ONE more ignorant rightie (or leftie for that matter) refer to the IRanians as "evil arabs" - I am going to smack them!!!  Iranians are NOT arab - they are Persians.

So the story that the Iranians gave to explain their abduction of Birtish military members changed when the british pointed out that the coordinates the Iranians gave were a mile inside Iraqi waters.  The Iranians then consulted somebody who knew what coordinates were and made up a new story to support their lies.  The brits on the other hand, have shown GPS readings that place the ship inside Iraqi waters.  They also showed pictures of the boat from when they were searching the Iranian ship - handheld coordinate units in the picture give coordinates - STILL inside Iraqi waters.

Now the Iranians have released video with the woman sailor, saying that they were arrested for straying into Iranian waters.  Clearly under duress, she tells viewers that they are being treated well and that their was no aggression involved when they were arrested (Huh?  I thought beng taken at gunpoint was hostile?).   She also mentioned a letter she wrote apologizing to all of Iran.

The Iranians have now said that they might release ONE of the soldiers - the woman.   Britian is not going to accept that answer - its all or nothing.  Tony Blair is calling for an increased response. 

I see this going one of two ways - 1.   The Iranians realized what they did and give back the soldiers.   2.  Britain and the Us begin bombing of Iran after they completely cut it off.  Hopefully the Iranians come to their senses and give back the soldiers soon.  While I did not support the illegal Israeli invasion of Lebanon - this is different.  A sovereign nation has illegally kidnapped another sovereign nation's soldiers.

Also read here for a very interesting analysis of the situation by an Iranian.

Prayer need to go out to the soldiers and their families.   Today, while on a routine vessal search in the Persian Gulf, 15 marines were taken by the Iranians.  It seems that after they boarded the ship they wanted to search for smuggled stolen vehicles, the Iranian Navy surrounded the marines and took them hostage.  

Now the US is watching to see what happens.   We can't intervene - our military has been stretched to its breaking point by George W Bush's poorly planned war.  We owe the brits our help since they went into Iraq with us - but we can't help now.  Hopefully, the Brits get their people back without our help. 

So lets all say a prayer...