Diplomatic talks ? They can't be that dumb

What is the purpose of the diplomatic talks with Iran?

The representatives in the meetings are there to do one thing: pressure the IRI either thru use of rewards or some sorts of punishments to get the Iranian government to cooperate. That's basically it in a nutshell.

So, here are the mullahs, being diplomatically pressured on the one hand by countries that seem to be of one voice (at least for now), and on the other hand, they' re being physically threatened with bombing by Israel. And they know the Israelis aren't all fluff, cuz they've bombed nuke facilities in other countries before - so the mullahs know the Israelis are real serious with their threats of actual phsyical harm and destruction, which to most people is certainly worse than sanctions.

Now, the Iranian government hasn't flinched or changed their activities at all in response to physical harm and destruction of their country.The Israelis have essentially put a gun to Khamenie's head, and he's ignoring it. Why? Maybe he really is hoping for war to break out all over the region to usher in the Mahdi. Or maybe he just wants to be able to threaten & control others. Who knows?

The Question is: What on earth makes anyone in our diplomatic corps/our government/Obama/the governments of other countries, etc, WHAT on EARTH makes any of them THINK that the threat of sanctions (oooh scary) is going to put more pressure on the Iranian government to get them to cooperate than a gun to their heads???

Answer: It's NOT.
Months more talk isn't going to accomplish anything except buy more time for the mullahs. Neither will sanctions.There are ONLY 2 solutions: 1) help the Iranian people overthrow this regime- and FAST or 2) destroy the nuclear facilities as best we can, which will most likely only make the world have to deal with this same situation a few years from now.
PERIOD. There is NO other solution.
Governments & diplomats of the world, accept that !
Now get busy planning for one of those 2 solutions!

United4Iran(and Leftists) Rally

On a visit to Boulder, CO, I attended the United 4Iran Rally on July 25.
I had already seen the list of "supporters" on their website, and realized it would have a Leftist slant. Nelson Mandela and S. Africa were mentioned several times, not that the situation there has much in common with Iran.

I was carrying an Iranian flag with the Sun & Lion on it. I noticed just a couple of others with the Sun & Lion flag, and they were Iranians.
I had been at the rally for about 40mins, when an Iranian woman who was holding one of the pre-made signs that were made for the rally, approached me, and said that the symbol on the flag I was holding was being used gainst Iranian students in Iran. I said "what?" She repeated that the symbol on the flag I had was being used against students in Iran and they were being arrested & tortured because of it. I told her I knew exactly what the flag was.
She said the symbol had an old history and I shouldn't be carrying that flag. I interrupted her and told her that it was given to me by an Iranian who was a student and he wanted me to carry it and I do so proudly. Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with me, she walked away.

She never hassled the Iranians who were carrying Sun & Lion flags. So, I can only assume that she thought I didn't know anything about the flag and she thought that she could intimidate me into putting it away.

I believe she was another Leftist/communist anti-imperialist trying to rid the rally of a symbol that SHE detested, and had no problem lying in order to try to achieve that.

My big question: Why on earth was there a Mexican/Indian emC'ing and giving some sort of native ritual 'blessing' song at a rally for Iranians? Why not an Iranian performing a Persian song or Persian poem?

I hope Iranian freedom/democracy movements can steer clear of the farLeft groups in the future. Their MO for decades has been to usurp other movements. They aren't really interested in anything except furthering their own cause.

Despite the negatives, the end of my time there was made memorable by one Iranian in particular who loved the flag I was holding. I'll keep that story to myself.

To Iranians

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." ( George Orwell)

Keep telling & demanding the truth!

Fight for Freedom!

Commander in Chief ? Hardly

It's been over 24hrs, and to the best of my knowledge, the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces (Mr. Obama) has NOT made a public statement regarding the shooting of 2 of his soldiers at a recruitment office in Little Rock. (forget that the shooter is a muslim convert who was being watched by the FBI)

It took him only 7 hrs to make a statement after the shooting of the abortion doctor in Kansas 2 days ago.

Those are the facts.

Draw your own conclusions as to which murder meant more to Mr. Obama.

Personally, it is unfathomable that the President of the United States would refrain from publicly expressing his feelings about this tragedy as soon as possible afterward, but prefer to keep a low profile.

What message does he think that sends to men & women in the armed forces under his command?

I suppose if enough people start making noise about it, he will be forced to make a public statement.

Too late. Your sentiments have already been telegraphed, Mr. Commander in Chief.

Re: North Korea

Kim Jung Il came close to death last year. He looks pretty frail these days.
So, why has no one postulated that all this recent activity may be preparation for dear insane egomaniacal leader to go out in a blaze of glory?
He's crazy enough to do it.

"US political games."

Moscow: We Will Not Negotiate with Washington on the Iranian Nuclear Program

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov has stated that Moscow has no information indicating that the Iranian nuclear program is for military purposes, and that it will not hold negations with Washington on this issue. Russian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterovsky stated that Russia would never jeopardize its warm relations with Iran because of "US political games."
(Source: IRNA, Iran, March 20-21, 2009 )

Blogging - part 2

This is in response to Winston's comments. It was turning into a long reply, so I figured I might as well post it as a new entry.

One purpose of a blog is for people to rant, I guess. If people have a decent rant, let's hear it. Though I still feel that blogs should be educational and informative. (which your blog, Winston, certainly is)

I have a problem with adults copying immature adolescent behavior and thinking that it's perfectly fine. ( I'm not talking about wanting to stay vital and active throughout your life.)
Who started the trend that blogs were for divulging personal information? I suppose it was a young person, because that's typical immature behavior for them. It's NOT normal behavior for an adult. That's my point. When I come across a blog written by an adult who is revealing all sorts of personal information about themsleves and their relationships, it a red flag that the author is mentally unstable and I move on. It's crossed the bounds of being a normal rant.

[btw - I don't understand the Twitter phenom either. If it's being used to spread a news story or educate in some way, fine. And if you're a 17 yr old wanting to keep in touch with your friends to let them know that you're going to Dairy Queen later, well, okay, I can understand that.
But if you're an adult and feel you need to post your daily activities on Twitter, there's something wrong with that].

This is all a sad reflection of society today, and its decline.
We expect children & adolescents and 20-somethings to be self involved and think the world cares about their lives. IOW - Narcissism is kind of normal in young people. But as people mature, they realize that it's a big world out there and they aren't the center of the universe anymore. It's what being emotionally mature is all about.
When people over the age of 30 are still so self-absorbed that they have a need or desire to tell the world about their personal day to day life expecting some kind of sympathetic response from strangers, it's pathological (btw-part of the definiton of narcissism is: "requiring excessive admiration, adulation, attention & affirmation" ; "constantly envious of others") and if this becomes a more common and accepted practice in society, we're in trouble, not just as a society, but a civilization.