Send My Love to Iran

Feb 11 2010 // 22 Bahman -- Iran's "Fourth of July"

2010-02-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the official anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution of Iran- and Iran's green movement is heading out in full force to protest.

Want to follow Iran's Green Movement in real-time
(i.e. before CNN cuts it up into soundbites for Friday) ?

http://twitter.com/Oxfordgirl
http://twitter.com/GreenQuran
http://twitter.com/lotfan
http://twitter.com/tehranbureau
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%2322bahman

Mellat Park

2010-02-10T22:37:00.000-05:00

Short Interview w/me on Social Networking and #iranelection

2009-07-08T21:38:00.002-04:00

(Interview Questions posed by Meena Ganesan.... I start riffing...)

BriAnna Olson:

Obviously social networking has taken citizen journalism to a whole new level. Why is an online medium so effective? Its really quite simple: Instant access coupled with people "just like you and me" that is, without journalism careers to consider.

The Importance of Following a Controversy So Closely

The Iranian election controversy, in particular, will define the course of history-- for not just 'the other side of the world', but the entirety of a world that constantly struggles with the relationship between religion and policy.

There is a very sizable population of secular educated Iranians who have, after an ugly, bloody revolution (1979) that was hellbent on getting US/capitalist/untrustworthy interests out of their government/country, let the religious take the reins of the country-- forcing many of them out of jobs and into hejabs.

When they saw Obama get elected, they saw a new hope-- and when they felt their election was stolen from them-- they fought back with 30 years of pent up frustration. I think we are seeing the pendulum swing on a large scale-- I only hope that, once all is said and done, the secular do not ostracize the religious-- inviting another round of push and pull.

Mostly, I just hope we can all see & recognize the successes and failures of integrating religion with social policy.

Challenges & Benefits to Tweeting/Blogging about Iran

For one, again, instant access and 'on the ground' reports- half a minute after someone in Tehran has posted, thousands of people, from Cairo to New York to Sydney, can read.

Another benefit was the whole concept of "re-tweeting" (RT) information-- after its original post short 140 character sentences can be 're-broadcast' by recipients, reaching pocket after pocket after pocket of social network.

With the use of hashtags, Twitter created an instant database of #iranelection musings that could be sifted and sorted.

One of the first challenges, or primary concerns, was the reliability of information. I was fortunate enough to know the handful of legit Iranian "Tweeters" to follow on Twitter, so never had to face the issue of "true or not true". Only once did I retweet (via a stranger) without checking the source and retracted within 60 seconds after understanding the harm that the potential disinformation could have created. Several days in, according to many, government agents had infiltrated Twitter to create disinformation. Again, I had already established a relationship with other sources, so was not privy to who was who on that end.

The other major challenge was that anyone based out of Tehran that provided information on Twitter was at risk of arrest. The natural response of the Twitter community, on request, was to change their locations to Tehran (to create far too many profiles to sift through) as well as drop the established protocol of embedding the original source in a RT (to protect identities but keep information flowing).

Personal Connections

As for personal connections, yes, there are many. Everyone I met during my trip last October is a personal connection. Whether it was a translator, cab driver, artist or gallery owner, every one of them let us know their country is ripe for change and expressed an intense want for an evolution of our diplomatic dialogue. They all knew our (then) upcoming election was a big deal-- and they promised us that if we kept McCain out of office, they'd do the same with Ahmadinejad.

The Revolution Will Be Twitpic'd

2009-06-20T12:40:00.002-04:00

I am following the events of Iran's election very closely on Twitter. So closely that I haven't given a moment to consider writing about it. One thing is for certain, the path of history travels through Iran and all should watch our as our generation slowly defines itself.

Watch the #iranelection twitter feed (in real time) here.

Above image from @madyar on Twitter.

When the dust settles, I hope to offer you, internet, my opinion and collected interviews on the subject.

Tehran in Photographs

2009-04-14T20:46:00.002-04:00

"Papa'ism" @ Exhibition in Paris

2009-01-30T09:28:00.004-05:00

Attention Parisians and Globetrotters, Vahid Sharifian (see posts from our trip to Iran) will be part of a group show (all Iranian artists) at Gallerie Thaddaeus Ropac [7 Rue Debelleyme]. There you can see an installation of his "Hurt Stars". The curator at Ropac lauds Sharifians coined "Papa'ism" which he sees as a critique of both Dadaism and Pop Art.

Opens Feb. 19, Closes March 27.

Also in the show:

Shirin Aliabadi - Maryam Amini - Ali Banisadr - Mahmoud Bakhshi Moakhar - Ala Dehghan
Bita Fayyazi - Shahab Fotouhi - Ghazel - Ramin Haerizadeh - Rokni Haerizadeh - Y.Z. Kami
Avish Khebrehzadeh - Laleh Khorramian - Farhad Moshiri - Behrouz Rae

Presentation/Lecture @ Emerson College in Boston

2009-01-22T01:26:00.004-05:00

This Feb. 12th, the Visual and Media Arts Department of Emerson College is sponsoring an event with Yours Truly.

The Cabaret @ 80 Boylston St. Boston, MA.
Secret stories, candid answers.

Live in Boston and want to attend? Send a note.

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Interview on GlobalVoicesOnline.org

2009-01-14T19:03:00.002-05:00

I credit the interviewer with how well this article came out.

Check it out and definitely keep an eye on their site-- a great resource for global goings-on, straight from the voices of people who are blogging on their own time (like this one!).

Mainstreamedia // Urban Iran & End of an Era

2009-01-08T15:57:00.007-05:00

I've always had a knack for being ahead of the curve when it comes to recognizing cool from a mile away.

Two nicknames I've collected along the way, "harbinger" and "OmniBri", are indicators of that. Social scientists probably have a number of names for how they classify my personality (Malcom Gladwell uses "cool hunter"), I think.

A friend sent me an article today that I think signals a more mainstream recognition of Iran's urban artists. I really hope the media runs with this. Last month, NYTimes ran an article on Iranian contemporary artists (and their success at international auction houses). Meanwhile, I've literally "been there".

This signals the beginning of the end of this project for me. Or at least a major evolution. I'm still, personally, working on over a dozen other projects and trying to incorporate "Unconditional Love is Global Security" in them as well. That phrase, too, is ahead of its time. ;)

Click here or below for the full article.

"What we are experiencing now is a re-emergence of art in Iran," writes photographer Sina Araghi in "Urban Iran," a collection of essays, photography, art and illustrations from Iranian artists in Tehran and abroad.

In an interview earlier this week, writer and "Urban Iran" creative director Charlotte Noruzi agreed: "The spirit of innovation, and you could say, rebellion even revolution ... is very alive there, but it is creative, rather than destructive."

"Urban Iran" credits the generation raised after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 with this creative spirit. After Ayatollah Khomeini led the overthrow of the Shah and declared Iran an Islamic Republic, the country shifted. The post-Revolution generation has learned to express themselves with few resources, access or media freedoms.

"There are all these things happening sort of under the radar," said Noruzi, who was born in Tehran, but moved to America in 1977. "They're unstoppable."

[Listen to Noruzi talk about "Urban Iran" in this narrated slideshow.]

The stories told in the book are as diverse as they are idiosyncratic: How can Iran's political history be traced in past beard styles versus today's "renegade beardlets"? How can one car, the French-born but Iranian-copied Peugeot 206, be both a vehicle for authorities' suspicions and Iranians' dreams of a better life?

"Urban Iran" was developed as an international collaboration with contributors from across the world, including Tehran, Europe and the United States. Noruzi contacted the Iran-based illustrators and artists featured in the book and worked closely with the book's designer, Eliane Lazzaris.

"Urban Iran" confirms what many already know: Creative expression in Iran has long been a struggle. Despite much international acclaim, Iranian filmmakers have had to find inventive ways to skirt government authority and censorship. Jafar Panahi, an Iranian director, personally smuggled films out of Iran to play at festivals like Cannes, where they have garnered awards and accolades. But to this day many have never been shown in Iran.

Other Iranian expatriates, like Marjane Satrapi in France, examined Iran from outside its borders. Satrapi's graphic novel about her youth and the Iranian Revolution, "Persepolis," was adapted into a film in 2007 and nominated for an Academy Award.

Noruzi believes "Urban Iran" captures this spirit of perseverance in Iran. "Young artists are trying to give a wakeup call to their fellow countrymen saying, 'Let's look a little deeper here. ...We deserve to be known and seen and we're tired of living under the veil."

The Gaming world in Iran

2009-01-08T15:53:00.004-05:00

From friend Seg:
"Not very often that Iran and the world of video games mix, but this story is somewhat perplexing in it's misinformation. So Iran says they're making a games rating board and first says they are buddying up with the North American games rating board, ESRB. The ESRB denies this and it seems they either misspoke or changed the name of their own board to the ESRA."

Click here for the story. The comments are where I found the most value. Frank Smith says: "When did they get electricity?"
*snickersnickerignorantsnicker*

Mainstreamedia: Hooman Majd Strikes Again!

2009-01-04T17:13:00.004-05:00

As previously seen on The Daily Show promoting his book "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ", Hooman Majd is becoming my favorite seasoned Iranian hyphenate. His candor is clearly relayed through his accent free, very American sounding voice. This is a guy who'll tell you about smoking opium with Muslim clerics (we've heard from a few Iranians that "they're all addicted to it") and he'll also tell you what part of Tehran you can buy weed.

Anyway, friend Val sent me this short (less than 8 minutes) NPR interview with him about the Iranian customs that most Westerners know nothing about. Michael and I saw "taroff" in action when every cab driver denied payment the first couple times our translator offered. Listen here!

Oh, yeah, this:

Really Great Photo Project!

2009-01-03T15:01:00.005-05:00

... that is clearly inline with this one.
Artists, people to people, beautiful things.

Pictures of You: Images From Iran

He was interviewed by Pars Arts here.

Read some of the Press!
Here is an... unfavorable... review:

"Loughlin's unbalanced view of the reality of the Iranian people undoubtedly plays directly into the hands of Iran's ruling elite, the message that Iranians are well, happy, and carefree are superficial and promote the Iranian regime's agenda to convince world leaders to use "diplomacy" and not violence as a means to deal with them.

The Iranian regime knows all too well, and recent US diplomatic history has shown that diplomacy and its potential results of appeasement are simply a ploy to buy time and continue their expansion of suppression.

Loughlin and those that fund his rather expensive projects have a responsibility to understand the message of their art, while attractive, only encourages Tehran's hideous and oppressive nature.

At the very least, Loughlin has an obligation to show all sides of Iran's social structure. The truth of the matter is that Iranians, because of their serious situation in the world spotlight, are infused with politics and burning to tell the world the horrific crimes they have witnessed throughout the years. Of course, the fear in speaking out and documenting such things is ever-present. "

Gregorian New Year and Christ's Birth

2009-01-03T14:12:00.003-05:00

Traveling to a country like Iran is an eye-opening experience for an American or Westerner. For one, American culture and media would have you believe that New Years and Christmas are universal experiences. Indeed, even Jewish children in New York go see Santa. And don't forget that Muslims do believe that Jesus was a prophet of god/allah and often Iranian politicians try to find even ground by invoking his name in formal addresses to Western worlds. But, its very clear to me, after much traveling, that my roots are in a Christian world, and that there is no 'Regular' world. That said, Christmas is my favorite holiday. The last two weeks of mine have been steeped in family, love, and celebration.

I had a great New Year's with friends in New York City, but again, a 'date' worth researching. Irregular lengths of months, days coordinated with the sun, but not weeks. All very strange, IMHO. Check out the Gregorian Calendar Wikipedia page. One point of pride coming from one gallerina I'd met in Tehran, was the organic and seemingly superior calendar system of Iran. Nowruz (there are a bazillion ways to spell it) is the Iranian version of Christmas/New Years (family time and celebrations). This Iranian New Year begins on the spring equinox, the day the sun is directly over the equator. From wikipedia:

"an astronomical solar calendar and one of the longest chronological records in history and is currently used in Iran and Afghanistan as the main official calendar. Beginning each year on the vernal equinox as precisely determined by astronomical observations from Tehran (or the 52.5°E meridian, which also defines IRST), this makes it more accurate than the Gregorian Calendar in being synchronized with the solar year, but harder to work out when a particular date would occur before the New Year preceding that date.

Iran even initiated a calendar reform (a tweak) in 1925! I can't even imagine the Western powers considering this.

So, interestingly enough, in regards to calendars and a sense of date and time, we are two different cultures with two different concepts of timekeeping.

Media in Tehran // PressTV and George Galloway

2008-12-16T19:36:00.007-05:00

Because we don't speak Farsi/Persian and we were in a hotel (read: no satellite) we only had two English options for news. One of those options was Iranian run PressTV. I was super impressed by the speaking skills and level of consciousness that one particular newsman offered (though I watched him for probably less than 2 hours total). I'd never heard of him, but George Galloway is apparently quite famous. A member of British parliament who had many call-in fans from around the Middle East (check out his Facebook fan page to get an idea of his fanbase) as it turns out, he was also involved in the UN Oil-for-Food scandal (YouTube testimony below) and US pundits have their own opinion about him.

(This wasn't a clip I saw, but the date it was uploaded is closest to when we were in Tehran.)

(hit permalink just below for more videos)

Believe it or not, it did totally surprise me to find out that some politicians in the US House of Representatives wanted to brand PressTV a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' (SDGT) organizations (House resolution 1308). It seems pretty out of line, considering what I was seeing. PressTV even has a story about it here.

(This is what I found when I got back to New York and googled this guy.)

Colors of Tehran

2008-12-16T18:24:00.006-05:00

In case you were under the impression that the colors of Iran were dusty brown and standard-issue army green, check outs some photos that Michael took-- colooooors! (more if you click it....!) (above: Vahid Sharifian piece)

(above: Iranian toilet cleaner!)

(above: Standard practice of Iranian plumbers, ad stickers on doors-- locksmiths in Brooklyn do something like this)

(above: exhibition at the Tehran MOCA)

(above: big windowed bodega)

Tehran Avenue One-Shot Film Festival // Watch & Vote

2008-12-10T19:41:00.006-05:00

From the website:

"TehranAvenue One-Shot Film Festival (TAFF) is a practical suggestion: To speak in a visual language that doesn't appeal to technological crutches and digital wizardry. This approach to the "image" attaches itself to simplicity. It doesn't need an editing table. The prerequisite is for the image-makers to acknowledge that image is just another form of inscription, like writing, which was once the domain of the learned. Many today have access to recording equipments, which have become the pen and paper of our world. The movie theater is no longer the only place where images circulate. As a friend put it, the number of recorded images far exceeds the number of bricks used in buildings. Another words, our world is an alloy of images. The power to make them is in the hands of a majority and yet those that dominate our visual field are made by a few advertising firms, which are control freaks, which leave nothing to accident, which only want to sell. Our public space is pockmarked by manufactured images that, much like billboards, are becoming more luminous by the day. They tell us what and how to be. We must break the monopoly of fashioned images, otherwise we wouldn't know what Saddam said and what his executioners said before the noose tightened. TAFF is a practical suggestion."

Signup to download the videos and vote for the winners.
Quicktime users will need to download the xvid codec, then install in Library/Quicktime/ folder. (Follow the readme file, I had to create the Quicktime folder) Also! Mac users! Use Safari, not Firefox... for some reason the download doesn't work with Firefox.

Deviant Artists // Online

2008-12-10T19:01:00.005-05:00

Above, Cinema in Iran by samoshaver

I just did an interview with Global Voices (!) and was mentioning how an interesting side-effect of government control (as it pertains to exhibition spaces and galleries) is that it has forced Iranian artists to take their voices onto a global platform (the internets).

Head on over to deviant art to see an example of Iranian artists participating in an international social network.

Unconditional Love on The Daily Show

2008-12-09T22:44:00.005-05:00

Matthew Alexander puts "Unconditional Love is Global Security" to work when interrogating terrorists and combatants in Iraq, and insists its the most effective at getting answers. Establishing a rapport? Making jokes? Being human? Hmmhmm.
His book is "How to Break a Terrorist".

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Matthew Alexander

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Scholar Day in Iran - تجمع روز دانشجو در دانشگاه تهران

2008-12-08T21:04:00.005-05:00

Iranian Students Protest Dictatorship and Gender Apartheid

Two days ago, Sat. December 6, was the 55th anniversary of the killing of 3 students at University of Tehran.

In honor of the anniversary, between 3000-4000 students (according to this blogger) rallied to protest dictatorship and demand equal rights for both men and women. Oh, snap.

Read more at Global Voices.

Zionism // Part... oh, jez, again?

2008-12-08T20:43:00.001-05:00

It's official. I've decided that one can't discuss the 'Islamic Republic of Iran'... that is, Modern Iran, without giving equal attention to Israel. Iran, a Muslim country, was a collective response to the founding of Israel... a Jewish country.

This article came across my desktop today, and it was hard to ignore.

This post makes a great companion piece to this one I did a couple days ago.

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The Roots of Christian Zionism Part I, The Cause of the Conflict
Charles E. Carlson Dec 08, 2008

America’s war based economy depends on Christians’ support
Christian Zionists, by whatever name, are the primary public enablers of serial wars upon Islamic states. Why? Because they have been conditioned to think of Islam as an anathema to them, much as many of us were trained to consider communists our ideological enemies a generation ago. Most Christian celebrity media leaders have allowed themselves to be used as propagandists against Islamic states with independent governments, including Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Bosnia, and in the future, Islamic states of Iran and Sudan. Our purpose is to examine why and how this has been done, why it is wrong and what can be done to correct it.

The Christian Right’s world war on Islam was observed as early as 1983, and became official in 1991 with the first destruction on Iraq. Only Christian Zionists (known by many names) believe war is an inevitable part of their religion, so they do little to resist it. Due to this un-Christ like error, they have become the primary cause of our conflict, a conflict that has become perpetual.

Christian Zionists, by whatever name, are the only remaining faction of any size that supports the war in Iraq. Therefore, they are largely responsible for the economic and social disaster, and due to the distortion of their own faith, they are the seeds of their own destruction. We find them among our friends, families and associates. This is a problem because we can not just turn our back on Christian Zionists, despise them, and call them fools; they are among our best friends, bosses, even our wife or children, so we need to learn to deal with them. In their formidable numbers we find them our best hope for the positive change from the warmaking state.

Endless wars always have, and always will result in the destruction of both the morality and the currency of the aggressor and are historically destructive to religious freedom. High priced gasoline and food can be accurately laid at the feet of those few industrialists and politicians who see war in their own interest. They deceive Christian Zionists, making them enablers, believing that war is necessary to their faith. Judeo-Christians can be easily swayed to support conflict, so long as a Muslim is on the receiving end of our bombs and bullets, and so long as the state of Israel is perceived to benefit from it.

I am in no way excusing cowardly Congressmen for knuckling under to the war lobby. We know some few gain a lot financially from war, and work for it. But these professional Warmakers are far too mercenary to believe that a God controls their eternal destiny. I also do not dismiss the influence of Jewish Zionists, who consider war in the Middle East in their national interest. But for every Jewish Zionist in America there are ten or twenty Christian Zionists doing the work of the former.

It is my belief, as a follower of Jesus Christ, that Christians who turn from Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the peacemakers, and love your brother…even your enemies, as you love yourself”…these “Christians” deserve the hottest places in hell, as Dante put it. For if those who claim they follow Christ fail to stand for justice and protection of the innocent, who will?

Change can only come from understanding the Roots of Christian Zionism. To this end it is urgent that all Americans of all religions understand why Christian Zionists believe what they do. Those who try to follow Christ need to rescue decent souls to more orthodox Christianity, one by one.

Most Christian Zionists don’t know they are Zionists and might deny it. They usually describe themselves as Evangelicals, Dispensationalists, pre-Millennialists, or a “Born Again Christian.” Very few are comfortable with the radical elements of Christian Zionism if they stop to think about it, but they do not. Their church is to most, a comfortable social outlet, especially for their families, and a society that they desire. Their societal links are much better defined than the theological ones which most do not understand and can not recite.

Restoring the walk to Jesus’ Way can save America.

If Christian Zionism can be correctly exposed as a warring religion, America may be restored to peace, justice, and at least to some of the prosperity which we have lost. Many of us are all beginning to suffer economic distress as a result of the very wars Christian Zionists have supported, supposedly because these wars please God and are necessary for Jesus’ return to earth.

At the apex of the Christian Zionist sect (which is only 100 years old) are leaders who include media personalities such as John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, and hundreds more. Each has openly expressed the view that war upon Islamic states is necessary and welcome. Currently, most of these call for America’s next planned serial war against Iran. Sudan is also on the war agenda.

Dispensational bible students can be found in almost any church of any denomination because of the effectiveness of radio churches and giant international bible studies in homes and churches that transcends denominational descriptions. For instance, some Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans are Christian Zionists because of their outside Bible studies and are ignoring the contradictions to orthodox Christianity espoused by their own church. In this sense, Christian Zionism is a disease or a parasite upon orthodox or traditional Christianity.

The sixty-four dollar question is how do you identify a Christian Zionist, and how do you know if you are one? We have developed a 10 word litmus test that is non-invasive and usually welcome, so you can ask any churchgoer without hurting his feelings or starting an argument: "Do you believe the state of Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophesy?"

Tens of millions of Americans need to face this question, for if they believe Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophesies, then where does Jesus fit in? Simply stated, either Jesus or Israel is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament, but there is not room in Christianity for both. If you have been taught that political Israel is in any way involved in your spiritual life, you are infected!

Orthodox or traditional Christians have always believed that Jesus, not Israel is the correct answer. Only Christian Zionism (by definition) assumes that political Israel is in God’s plan for the future, and that in spite of its intolerance, racism, and constant wars, political Israel is the chosen people of God.

Today about one-third of the 210 million American adults who identity themselves in polls and census as Christians, are influenced by Christian Zionism. That is about 70 million, most of whom vote, making Christian Zionists the most powerful and coveted voting block in the world, as can be clearly seen during an election year, translating into some 26 million votes! This means they are much coveted by every political candidate.

The most obvious example was John McCain’s reckless pursuit of Christian Right support that had led him to gross embarrassment at the pulpit of both maniacal Zionists, John Hagee and Rod Parsley, both of whom call for nuclear destruction of Iran.

The teachings of Jesus Christ inescapably demand peace and love of one’s neighbors. This has been America’s one badge of righteousness. In the mid-19th Century, America’s churches led the cry for peace in a world where wars were all too common. It was later, at the turn of the 20th Century that Christian Zionism first took root.

The French author Alexis deTocqueville wrote of churches while he traveled here in the first third of the 19th Century. He sang the praises of America’s invulnerable strength and spirit which he attributed to our citizens sense of morality, and even to the abundant church attendance he observed in America, which of course he would not find in his native France.

DeTocqueville wrote: “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” He could not know that the churches he saw as the source of conscience were under a moral attack aimed at the very sense of justice he observed within them.

War seeds immorality
The first attack on the churches came with the War Between the States in 1861-65, which scarred the sense of justice and morality and diminished and divided churches as only a brutal war can. The terrible slaughter called the War Between the States taught moral Christian men about mass killing. But it did not change their New Testament Bible; it simply allowed men to ignore it.

The most powerful theological attack on Christianity came from Oxford University Press in England, which in 1908 published a false and intentionally misleading reference Bible called the Scofield Reference Bible aimed at creating a new religion, with the future state of Israel a semi-God in it. The term “dispensationalism” was taken from Scofield’s book, and is an assault on orthodox Christianity. Oxford did not just publish the book; it promoted it into the key places of study in America where opinion could be molded to cloud the peacemaking tradition of Christianity.

Most pastors and teachers were unaware of any danger. A few foresaw the consequences of the heresy that to most seemed foolish, outlandish, and embarrassing. Few guessed it would come to dominate American Christianity when in 1948 the State of Israel came into existence.

This new religion that chose the friendly pseudonym “evangelicalism” is the topic of our discussion. Religion scholars on both sides often identified it as “Dispensationalism” or “Pre-millennialism,” and “Judeo-Christianity” which are popular synonyms. We will presently explain some of these changes in detail, but first I want to show you how world-Zionism sold its stepchild to Christians.

The World Zionist movement was in full charge toward occupying Arab Palestine by 1913. It was given a huge financial and promotional boost through Oxford University Press in England, which to the amazement of Biblical scholars published a new bible of Christian Zionism in 1908 called the Scofield Reference Bible. This book would be used as the launching pad for a methodical and spiritually deceptive growth of the new sect. Its leading was to be subtly used to help lure America into two unnecessary world wars.

Not all mainline Christians were asleep.

One of the few who saw the warmaking and heretical danger of the new sect, and actually called it “Zionism” was a well-known attorney, Phillip Mauro, turned scholar, who wrote a brilliant critique of the new cult in his 1927 book, Gospel of the Kingdom. Mauro wrote:

“Through a recent occurrence I was made aware of the extent- far greater than I had imagined – to which the modern system of dispensationalism has found acceptance amongst orthodox Christians; and also the extent- correspondingly great- to which the recently published “Scofield Bible” (which is the main vehicle of the new system of doctrine referred to) has usurped the place of authority that belongs to God’s Bible alone.”

Mauro went on:
“Let it be understood at the outset that my controversy is solely with the doctrine itself and not at all with those who hold and teach it, or any of them. Indeed I was myself of their number for so long a time that I can but feel a tender consideration and a profound sympathy likewise, for all such.”

Phillip Mauro has been an encouragement to your writer, and to all those who support We Hold These Truths. He was a dedicated scholar with an engineer’s logic, and a lawyer’s tenacity that allowed him to foresee errors in 1927, that many like myself took five decades to recognize.

This writer must admit and echo Mauro’s confession; for I, too, was “of their number” and like Mauro, I share “profound sympathy” for those caught up in dispensationalism. As his words suggest, we are not fighting Christian Zionists; we are trying to reclaim them.

Dr. F. Furman Kearley was another who saw the path to war in the errors of dispensationalism. He was head of graduate studies at Adeline Christian University in 1983 when he wrote of Christian Zionism’s evil fruit of perpetual war in the Middle East. His short book, The Middle East Crisis in Biblical Perspective, takes sharp issue with those he calls Israel First Millennialists. He names radical prophet Hal Lindsay, and the late Jerry Falwell, whom he said would lead us into endless war with Islamic states.

Kearley noted: “When the concept of Armageddon, as in Revelation 16:16 is raised, those who believe in a literal war at Armageddon often feel that Christians should work to start this war, and should vigorously participate in it. Those in particular who view this present situation as Armageddon…believe that Christians should support Israel with vigor and urge our government to take an active part in the conflict in the Middle East.”

Kearley saw Christian Zionist’s support of Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine as a precursor to more war in the Middle East. He concludes:
“One needs to be absolutely certain that the doctrine he follows is God’s and not of men before he advocates a doctrine that would put the blood of other men on our hands.”

Dr. F. Furman Kearley explains the neo-Christians’ love affair with war as a religious fixation, correctly stating: “Christians must (as a matter faith) pray for peace in the Middle East. Premillenialists must pray and work for World War III, so Armageddon will come. They cannot pray for peace.”

If a follower of Christian Zionism would only examine the simple teaching of Jesus in the New Testament he will find not a single passage or phrase that would give a follower of Christ cause to take the life of another man, or another man’s child. Certainly we must not kill a man’s wife in a far away country. No such permission exists.-End Part I

In Part II: We examine the bitter fruit of Christian Zionist's error...how followers of Christ were detoured to accept a false and anti-Jesus doctrine of Christian Zionism that leads to the death of millions in the name of Christianity.

The Roots of Christian Zionism DVD (this is the beginning of the audio part) is a documented and sometimes dramatic one hour movie written by Chuck Carlson and edited by Tom Compton. It can be purchased from We Hold These Truths website Bookstore, and is ideal to be shown to concerned audiences of all faiths. http://eshop.cp.whtt.org/eshop.php?id=22

Iranians' = Pro-American

2008-12-07T17:00:00.004-05:00

When Michael and I introduced ourselves as Americans in Iran (which was always, by the way, we never even considered claiming we were Canadian), we were always embraced with a sincere love and admiration. We were taken a back... in fact, we started to go out of our way to let people know we were from New York because we knew that people would light up and open up far faster than if we were from, say, Australia. "We love Americans", we'd hear often. Way different than traveling through the Czech Republic, where it was almost impossible to avoid being lectured on the incompetence of George Bush.

......

The following was lifted straight from here, check out bibijon's page on Iran's Image:

Middle East is dotted with anti-American populations led by unstable but friendly governments. The exception is Iran, with a pro-American population governed by a stable regime openly critical of American self-defeating policies in the region. Although, on cooperating with U.S. efforts against al-Qaida, there was little daylight between Iranians and their government.

Based on surveys taken in Iran in early 2008 by WorldPublicOpinion.org and Terror Free Tomorrow:

“While Iranians, like many other Muslim populations, have negative opinions of the U.S. government and U.S. foreign policy, they have a mildly positive image of the American people, and believe "common ground" can be found between the two societies. Most Iranians desire closer ties with the U.S., including more trade, investment and tourism.”

The jaundiced opinion of U.S. policies, however, is not an affliction exclusive to 'Muslim populations'. For example, as Cathy Young, the contributing editor of the Reason magazine, puts it: “A staggering 43 percent of Russians agreed in a poll last year that “one of the goals of the foreign policy of the United States is the total destruction of Russia.””

-----

The New York Times: The Best of Enemies? By Thomas L. Friedman, Jun 12, 2002

Quick quiz: Which Muslim Middle East country held spontaneous candlelight vigils in sympathy with Americans after Sept. 11? Kuwait? No. Saudi Arabia? No. Iran? Yes. You got it! You win a free trip to Iran. And if you come you'll discover not only a Muslim country where many people were sincerely sympathetic to America after Sept. 11, but a country where so many people on the street are now talking about -- and hoping for -- a reopening of relations with America that the ruling hard-liners had to take the unprecedented step two weeks ago of making it illegal for anyone to speak about it in public.

----

International Herald Tribune: Many in Iran bear the U.S. no ill will by Michael Slackman, Feb 11, 2008

America’s image in the Middle East is arguably as low as it has ever been. From the occupation of Iraq to the Israeli bombing of Lebanon to the prisons of Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the United States has been cited in polls as the gravest threat to peace in the region. But Iran is different, even the Iran of bearded fundamentalists …

Generally speaking, Iranians like Americans, not just American products, which remain very popular, but Americans. While that is not entirely new - Iranians on an individual level have long expressed desires to restore relations between the two countries - the sentiment seems much more out in the open now.

Huffington Post, the sponsor of this video, is banned in Iran.

2008-12-05T19:24:00.001-05:00

Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour from huffpost on Vimeo.

Read the full article here.

From the video @ 4:45 "The one who forces Israel into a peace treaty with the Arabs is the one who is.. you've got to watch out for." The interviewers says "is the Beast" and they agree.

And @ 6:24 “Another reason that we support Israel is that we have a common enemy, the Muslims. We are fighting what is behind the Muslim people, which is Satan. Satan is actually the one who is trying to destroy the human race.”

Mainstreamedia // CNN

2008-12-05T19:22:00.001-05:00

From CNN:
Israeli Web site advises using wisdom of Quran

Quranet is here.

Israel/US article by Robert Weitzel

2008-12-05T19:20:00.008-05:00

The US relationship with Israel is fundamental in understanding the US relationship with Iran.

The foundations of modern Iran (1979) were built upon self-identification- Muslims standing up for Muslims, an opponent to recently established Jewish Israel (1948) and its lifeline, the United States of America. The rallying cry of Khomeini was in support of Arab Muslims, Palestinians, who were, in his words: "...oppressed by the Israelites".

Israel’s Settlement on Capital Hill
by Robert Weitzel

Soon after the sand settled following the Six Day War in 1967, Jewish settlements began dotting the hills in the occupied territories. These settlements are typically located on the high ground to better control the surrounding landscape. Today there are 127 Jewish settlements with a population exceeding 468,000 in the West Bank, the Golan Heights and in the suburbs of East Jerusalem—the last of nearly 8,000 settlers were removed from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

According to a recent Amnesty International report, “In the first six months of 2008 Israel has expanded settlements in the West Bank/East Jerusalem at a faster rate than in the previous seven years.”

Unbeknownst to most Americans, Israel’s westernmost settlement is not located in Palestine-Israel, but is 6000 miles away on the high ground overlooking Foggy Bottom in Washington D.C.

This Capital Hill settlement of pro-Israel lobbies and think tanks strategically controls the high ground overlooking the United States’ Middle East policy landscape by having made kibbutzniks of most members of the executive and legislative branches of the government—including President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden (a wannabe Zionist), and future Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (a born Zionist).

While Israel’s hilltop settlements in the occupied territories—violating over 30 UN Security Council resolutions since 1968—are “facts on the ground” that make the two state peace solution unlikely, their hilltop settlement in the center of the world’s only superpower makes it equally unlikely that Israel’s right-wing government will feel compelled to end their “self defensive” brutalization of the Palestinian people, which has been condemned by the international community (UN, EU) as crimes against humanity.

John Holmes, UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that Israel’s blockade of vital supplies to the Gaza Strip in retaliation for rocket attacks “amounts to collective punishment and is contrary to international humanitarian law.”

Collective punishment is forbidden by Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states, “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed.” A “protected person” is someone who is under the control of an “Occupying Power of which they are not nationals.” Only the most ideologically blinkered individual would fail to recognize the Gaza Strip as occupied territory.

Israel’s current blockade of Gaza, which began on November 4, is resulting in what the UN Relief and Works Agency is calling a humanitarian catastrophe. Before the blockade, 1000 truckloads of food, fuel and essential supplies per day were necessary to sustain the 1.5 million Palestinians imprisoned behind the concrete and barbed wire of the 25-mile long border. Eighty percent of Gazans live on two dollars a day and depend on international aid to survive. Since the border crossings were sealed, less than 100 truckloads have been permitted through.

The imprisoned Palestinians—50 percent of whom are younger than 15—are slowly starving. They lack the fuel to generate electricity for lighting, water purification, and sewage treatment. The erratic, intermittent electrical power puts the lives of patients in intensive care wards and those who are connected to live-sustaining equipment in grave peril. The lack of basic medicines such as antibiotics and insulin pose an equally fatal threat.

Twenty human rights organizations and all Israeli and international journalists have been barred from entering the Gaza Strip since the blockade began. A letter of protest signed by most major news organizations was sent to Prime Minister Olmert. Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror responded to the letter by saying that Israel was afraid journalists would inflate the Palestinians’ suffering. No one is allow to speak out on behalf of this beleaguered population.

President-elect Obama has been speaking out “swiftly and boldly” about the economic catastrophe threatening our 401Ks, but his silence regarding the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of Palestinians is both deafening and telling of the price he’s willing to pay to maintain his status as kibbutznik-in-good-standing in Israel’s westernmost hilltop settlement.

Obama’s unconditional support for Israel’s policy of “self defense,” preemptive attacks, and repressive occupations is not one iota different from that of George W. Bush, an internationally recognized war criminal. This is not an encouraging beginning for a man whose battle cry was “change we can believe in.”

By any rational, humanitarian standard, Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians amounts to collective punishment and crimes against humanity. Perpetrators of such crimes, whether they are individuals or governments or willing allies, are criminals who should one day sit in the dock of the International Court of Justice in The Hague—just as defendants sat in a Nuremberg court 60 years ago—and be held accountable for their crimes.

Until Israel’s hilltop settlement in our nation’s capital is dismantled, allowing for the possibility of a just and lasting peace in Palestine-Israel, its influence on both branches of our government and its insidious affect on US Middle East policy will continue to make willing—or unwitting—kibbutzniks of all Americans. We will be held as complicit, and as culpable, as the citizens of the country whose leaders sat in the dock at Nuremberg.

The world will ask, “Why didn’t you do something to stop it?” The majority of us will reply, “We didn’t know!”

-------------------

People and the Land:

U.S. Protest Group points to Media Seeding

2008-12-05T17:12:00.003-05:00

World Can't Wait, an aggressive U.S. protest organization (that focuses largely on George Bush and his administration), has sent out a bulletin encouraging readers to contact editors of various U.S. newspapers in response to their assertions that Iran already has a nuclear weapons program. (In the article, they are explicitly referring to a 'weapons' program, rather than an energy program). Theisen compares this to drumming up support for the Iraq War by seeding papers with implications of Iraq WMD's.

From the bulletin:

Challenge the Renewed Bush Regime Lies About Iran! Follow Ken Theisen's example:
12-05-08 From Ken Theisen, World Can't Wait Steering Committee:

This article in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle which originated with the Baltimore Sun. It appears it was in many papers across the country under different titles but with the same content. The article asserts as fact that Iran has a nuclear weapons program and goes on to detail how Obama may deal with it. I think we need to counter this article and others like it. I am relatively sure this story was planted by the Bush regime. It is similar to the propaganda put out prior to the Iraq invasion. It reminds me of the Judy Miller stories in the NY TIMES.

I have written the letter below to the Chronicle in the hope that they print it. (It is 199 words long.) I am also going to write a letter to their ombudsman to raise the same point and hopefully get him to do a piece on it. If people in other cities that have papers that printed this article want, they can use my letter as a sample to write their own letters. Ken Theisen

Dear Editor:

Please consider publishing this letter to the editor.

"There is no credible evidence that Iran currently has a nuclear weapons program. Despite this, the article "A Visit to White House can't even hint of enormity of job" (12/04/08) basically assert that Iran has such a program. The article states that Obama intends to halt Iran's nuclear weapon program. The author further says Iran is "rushing headlong toward building" a nuclear arsenal. He also refers to Iran's race to build a nuclear arsenal." Where did the author obtain these "facts?"

Both the Bush regime's own National Intelligence Estimate and numerous reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency contradict the above assertions. The "news" article makes no mention of these facts.

Prior to the Iraq invasion, numerous media stories appeared with propaganda from the Bush regime about the weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam. Judy Miller of the New York Times often scooped other reporters with the "details" of Iran's [Ed. He may mean "Iraq's"] non-existent weapons programs. It turned out that her scoops were based on leaks from the Bush administration in it attempts to mislead the public. Is this happening again, but now with Iran the intended target? If so, why is the media going along with this deception?"

Forgive Mumbai attackers

2008-12-04T11:05:00.002-05:00

Those of ye understanding the philosophy that is encapsulated by "Unconditional Love is Global Security" can surely appreciate the CNN daily headline in my inbox this morning:

Forgive Mumbai attackers, victims' relative says

You can read the article here.

US Congresswomen request meeting with Iran's female parliament members

2008-12-04T10:53:00.004-05:00

I wish I would have read about this on CNN, NYTimes, or Washington Post... Reuters? but I didn't.

From PressTV:

Iran parliament: Time to talk to US
Dec. 01, 6:42pm

The Iranian Majlis (parliament) says the time has come for the Islamic Republic to engage in dialogue with lawmakers in the United States.

Iran's Majlis Speaker, Ali Larijani, told reporters on Monday that the parliament is mulling over the letters received from members of the US Congress and Senate, who had put forward a request for initiating parliamentary dialogue between the two countries.

Earlier in November, Hossein Taqavi, a member of the Majlis National Security Commission, said "US congresswomen have requested a meeting with female members of Iran's Majlis."

Iran had also made public another official US request for talks between American congressmen and Iranian parliamentarians.

While attending the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in October, Iranian lawmakers reportedly received a letter from US officials in Washington, asking for a meeting.

"Majlis is currently studying the letter and we think that the time has come to hold talks between the two countries," Larijani said on Monday.

Washington-Tehran relations were cut in the aftermath of US embassy takeover in Tehran in 1980.

The two countries broke a 27-year diplomatic freeze in May 2007 during Iraq security talks and have so far held three rounds of negotiations on an ambassadorial level over the issue.

Under President George W. Bush, the US has pursued a carrot-and-stick policy toward Tehran over its nuclear program.

US President-elect Barack Obama, however, has vowed to engage Tehran in direct diplomacy in order to resolve the country's nuclear dispute.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has on many occasions expressed willingness to hold talks with US officials.

Earlier in 2006, the Iranian president wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush that touched on religious values, history and international relations. The letter was widely viewed as a offer extended to the United States for dialogue.

Permalink

p.s. LADIES! would love to see this happen.

Team Obama // Security

2008-12-04T10:23:00.004-05:00

If you're keeping up with the news, Obama has selected his National Security team...

From Jerusalem Post Editorial:

"The appointments sent a message that was, by and large, reassuring. Clinton is a trusted "brand" in Israel. Gates and Jones are pragmatists who must know that allowing Iran to go nuclear would be debacle of colossal proportions. Moreover, Jones knows first-hand the distance between Tel Aviv and the West Bank. And Rice understands the importance of Israel as a Jewish state. Her UN role will position her as a central player in stopping Iran."

Photos // Biennial Tehran in Berlin

2008-12-02T21:15:00.004-05:00

In honor of the Biennial's closing events, enjoy yourself some photos from the opening.

Fundraising // Paypal = terrible

2008-12-02T11:58:00.004-05:00

I. Me. BriAnna just lost $360 thanks to Ebay/Paypal and that is totally NOT cool. I sold my phone to help pay for my trip to Berlin for Biennial Tehran. It sold on Ebay, money was delivered to my paypal account, and I went to Berlin. Then, as it turns out, the buyer claimed account fraud and the money was returned to him BUT HE ALSO KEPT THE PHONE. ugh. According to NoPaypal.com, this is quite common (the first post I saw had the same story). I have proof that this guy knew what he was doing, but Paypal won't listen and says I'm unqualified for protection. Then there is no human being at Paypal to actually talk to. And apparently they outsource their customer service halfway around the world.

That said, being also executor of the Iran projects account, I am obligated to suspend fundraising activities until instituting a new transaction system (I'm carefully looking in to Merchant Inc.) But please do check back soon and consider donating/buying a tshirt to help offset the thousands of $$ I've spent to make this project happen.

I'm back to the starving artist status that I thought I'd escaped- collecting pennies from the couch cushions, again. =)

Ok. Enough kvetching... back to superawesome things.

Sex Changes

2008-12-01T08:42:00.005-05:00

During the Q&A at our 1st "Show & Tell" our friend Mika asked about our experience with transgendered folk in Iran. We had none, but we had to assume they were there... probably hiding. I told her I'd look into it, and indeed I did. It turns out that they were not hiding at all, and Iran is second only to Thailand in sex change operations. The logic there is that being gay is a sin, but switching genders is a legitimate way to correct that... the state helps to pay for operations.

Though I've only seen clips, Be Like Others is a documentary that enters the world of transgendered Iranians and their families-- it had its world premiere at Sundance this year. Woo! Media. Totally amazing.
Check out the films website for more videos.

p.s. Happy Birthday, Mika!

YouTube // Score!

2008-11-30T20:20:00.002-05:00

I've just found this video on YouTube and it makes a grrreat companion to Sign at Ground Zero (the impetus for this project). By showing from someone else's point of view, it really helps put the day/video in context. You can even see some of the same people in both videos!! Go internet!

(also, someone's pix here.)

Beautiful Things // Iran Darroudi

2008-11-30T18:25:00.003-05:00

Luminary Iran Darroudi
(Thanks to iranian.com for inspiring the post!)-- click through her paintings here.

Mainstreamedia // NYTimes

2008-11-30T17:44:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine sent this to me today. An article in New York Times about Iranian artists and the new market door that is Dubai, UAE.

Iran's Culture Cops // Short Documentary

2008-11-30T09:28:00.005-05:00

Kouross Esmaeli is a New York filmmaker who has contributed a few doc pieces to Current TV's repertoire. His 'Tomato Unrest in Iran' was my first media experience of everyday Iranians.

This one, Iran's Culture Cops, seems refreshingly transparent as he was granted unheard of access to the group on the condition that he not manipulate their words.

I bet their words and intentions, if not actions, probably resonate with a number of people- and the insight this video brings is beyond compare. Nice one, Kouross.

blogging bloggers bloggingly blogged

2008-11-29T11:19:00.007-05:00

I hate to be too terribly meta, but I thought it'd be worth mentioning that this blog got a shout out from Global Voices blog, via the Pars Arts blog. See? Upon further investigation, I've decided that Global Voices rocks.

Biennial Tehran // Berlin, Germany

2008-11-26T06:30:00.000-05:00

(pictured: Dario Fariello, Italian performance artist adds to Polish cellist KOSTJA PICUNDA 84 's aural offerings)

I had the opportunity to be a resident artist @ Taktkunstprojektraum in Berlin while Biennial Tehran opened in select venues across the city. Both the residency and the exhibition proved to be legendary international creative ventures that will be forever carved into my own personal timeline... Beyond that, as far as this project is concerned, it was crucial for me to interact with Iranian artists away from the rules of an Islamic society.

@ Biennial Tehran, I met up with the curator, who I'd also visited while in Tehran. Our second encounter was decidedly more relaxed. Artists from Iran, Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, Australia, Serbia, Poland and other environs descended on Berlin in an unquestionably celebratory tone. It almost felt like a reunion of people who hadn't met yet. I had a piece in the show that needed particular curatorial attention and I was especially pleased at the way it was displayed, re: the lighting tricks required for the full effect of the ink variations. My opening was on Day 3 @ Wallywoods and that night has definitely made my Top Ten life experiences list. (Re: Wallywoods: "This underground artspace, freshly relocated to a derelict GDR "Kulturhaus" in Berlin Weissensee is the closest thing to Warhol's Factory to be found in the city. Its director, British artist Paul Woods, heads about 150 maladjusted unrecognized local talents.") The atmosphere was charged as people poured in from the streets to see Iranian bands play and drink and smoke without repercussion.

The other Biennial events, held at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, West Germany and Ich Orya, also hosted musicians, 2D, and audio/visual installations/performances. Their next station is Belgrade and I'm already looking at flights to Serbia-- meeting Iranian artists out of their element is almost as rewarding as meeting them in Tehran.

@ the Takt residency I was able to screen my "Sign at Ground Zero" piece (along with showing a handful of other digital works) to a very receptive and interactive audience at their Open Studios. My colleagues hailed from the US, UK, Canada, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Italy and Serbia.

ParsArts.com - Feature!

2008-11-26T06:07:00.002-05:00

Head on over to ParsArts.com to read the article!

the Reviews are in...

2008-11-25T22:53:00.003-05:00

It seems that our presentation @ Cloud Club, Boston was verrry well received despite our lofty goal of covering an epic week in only a few hours. I just wanted to share some of that feedback- !

"I personally found the underground / progressive scene in Tehran to be of particular interest - fascinating that you guys were able to find it and gain access the way you did. And really valuable for Americans to see Iranian civilians as culturally alive and separate from their government, some pockets of them subverting the norms of their society. The presentation itself was unpretentious, yes, and refreshingly open-hearted, without self-conscious analysis / deconstruction or pomo irony chic that remains so pervasive in artistic circles. Also valuable is giving people the space to process information individually; we (westerners, Americans) are perpetually told what to think about the world and ourselves by the media. But I think what's actually important / universal transcends that sort of grasping."

"I have hugenormous respect and admiration for what you are doing and think it makes great art AND entertainment AND education AND fun hooray!"

"Well I think one thing you had going for you is the sort of unpretentious and unassuming way you've gone into this whole thing. Keep it simple. There was just something I liked about the whole idea of this cool, smart, attractive young American lady going to Iran and coming back to Boston to tell all of her freaky drunko cross-dressing artist friends what she saw. That's the way these things should be done, IMHO. There's too much "expert analysis" and political spin on everything you hear about the Middle East these days."

Loves it.

Hypernova // Music Video

2008-11-24T03:29:00.002-05:00

Indie-Rock phenoms Hypernova, whom I met in NYC fresh off the boat from Iran, have released their first music video. They've come far since playing in the basements of Tehran, and if you're quick you could catch them as they finish up their US tour with Sisters of Mercy. HypernovaMusic.com

Unconditional Love Shirts // REISSUE

2008-11-15T17:18:00.008-05:00

Back, by popular demand.
And as seen on TV! (BBC, really)
Unconditional Love Tshirts on American Apparel heather tri-blend.

Pre-orders by November 28 // $23
AFTER November 28 // $28
BEST. HOLIDAY GIFT. EVER.

------> Click here to get to the order page.

lovevolution.org/teeshirt.html

Picture Show // Boston

2008-11-15T16:47:00.011-05:00

Despite growing up in Illinois and now living in New York, going to Boston still feels like home. This project was conceived at boston art/space Cloud Club (where Michael and I lived/met) and the 9/11 video screened first at sister art/space Pan 9. So, it was a no brainer that our first Picture Show should be to our favorite hometown crowd @ Cloud Club.

It was a super fantabulous FULL HOUSE.

The night opened with funnyman Mehran Khaghani then croooooner Lands took us through intermission. We found out that we have waaay too much to say for one evening. eeesh.

public video selections from the evening:

Waiting for Azad // Iranian Artists Forum from brianna olson on Vimeo.

Mellat Park // Northern Tehran from brianna olson on Vimeo.

Guts // Pariyoush in Tehran from brianna olson on Vimeo.

Life Goes on in Tehran - October Feature

2008-11-02T17:15:00.003-05:00

A little something I wrote up about our trip was featured in Life Goes on in Tehran. Head over there to check it out .

Also, bonus points if you find Michael in one of the photos.

Pariyoush Ganji

2008-10-25T16:59:00.006-04:00

Pariyoush Ganji is a internationally renowned painter, lecturer and instructor at Tehran University.

Meeting her was the highlight of the trip, and this moment, even more so than holding up "Unconditional Love is Global Security" at Azadi Monument, represented the fulfillment of the hopes I had for this project.

She welcomed us into her home and studio and I told her the story of my path to her house-- from "Sign at Ground Zero" to landing in Tehran two years later. She lauded me and the concept enough to make me blush. "Guts" she says, "You've got real guts" and goes on to discuss her concern that my generation and the generations after me have no philosophy and as a result, no spark behind their actions or art. It's clear that I've made an impression on her and she gave me temporary license to sing my own praises, which felt cathartic-- all the while with Michael at my side. He gushes when he tells the story and describes the whole experience as the passing of a torch.

Prohibited information, connections

2008-10-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

This must be one of the more frustrating consequences of the Iranian government.

No Facebook.

No MySpace.

No Craigslist.

No YouTube.

(New York Times is available, Huffington Post is not)

Blogger is definitely allowed and utilized by Iranians.

Apparently, they have a super high number of bloggers.

I was able to update my facebook status and post blogs via email. I love technology.

Vahid Sharifian = Persian Andy Warhol

2008-10-25T16:23:00.006-04:00

Vahid is a legacy in his own mind and all the curators are catching on.
Michael and I had a chance to hang with him at his show (see Day 5) and at his studio (with Ali Ettehad, see Day 8).

Google him for his 'Waiting for Jeff Koons' and 'Bush Distance Family' pieces.

On our last day, Michael shot a video portrait of him, which I can't wait to see.

The background on his PC's desktop was an amazing reminder of the power of the image and the internet. Americans!

Hijab, scarves, modesty, oppression

2008-10-25T16:15:00.000-04:00

"Hijab" is the name for modest dress-- I've been using the term to mean 'headscarf' but thats incorrect. Because a few verses of the Quran calls for it, and Iran is an Islamic Republic, a woman must cover her head and hide her figure in Iran. Only her hands, feet, and face can be seen. (Score one for foot fetishists). Standard is the manteau (jacket) very similar to any H&M, Anne Taylor, or whathaveyou spring jacket. It is usual to see muted colors-- tan, black, navy. There is also the chador-- (literally: tent) a giant piece of fabric, usually black, which is sort of like a cape. Women will wear either a manteau, a chador, or both.

Variation is found in head coverings-- but never once did I see a woman with her face covered.

There is a clear narrative in the covering of my head over the course of the trip. I had already purchased my robe and headpiece in the Islamic part of Brooklyn. The (muslim) guy who worked there clearly knew nothing about Iran- he told Michael that he needed to buy a long robe (long robes are a Sunni Muslim thing, Iran is a Shiite country).

When I first got there, the whole thing was a novelty, but over the course of the first day I began to feel terribly unhappy. It was only a few women that made me the most uncomfortable-- the ones in all black, looking me up and down, not even cracking a smile. I had posed as a Muslim but not acted like one. My body language was slightly open, my camera was in my hands, I was casually strolling through the bazaar. This was my first experience of how a society polices itself- if I were Iranian and had to deal with this daily, my spirit would be bruised a bit and I would likely start avoiding eye contact and keep my gaze down... eventually I'd be so bitter that I'd start scowling at anyone I thought was enjoying life more than me. And the cycle continues...

Fortunately, I understand that the key to letting the world know that I'm not Iranian (therefore shouldn't be judged by the same rules) is a different outfit. I start with a shiny scarf. Continue with a lush, pearl one. And finish with a new manteau and pashmina. My outlook shifted with every change in attire.

My penultimate experience with hijab was at a "cultural center" where chadors are required. This 'chador' was little more than a bed sheet that I was to hold closed with one arm. I was quite tired from running around all day, but this was our chance to have tea with a Mullah so I stuck with it. As we were leaving we posed for group photos-- after the first two photos, the Mullah's assistant asked me (very politely) to close my chador as my manteau was showing. I almost started laughing/crying at the display of clownishness. My respect for the whole thing was lost in that instant.

Life Goes on in Tehran (.com)

2008-10-25T16:00:00.001-04:00

On Day 4, we spent the night out with Azad who publishes lifegoesonintehran.com , a super-sweet photoblog about (you guessed it) life in Tehran. To add to the awesomeness, all photos are from his cameraphone.

If you visit his site, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Unconditional Love is Global

2008-10-17T13:43:00.001-04:00

It is official.

'Unconditional Love is Global Security', as a concept, has gone from New York to Tehran and back again.

Let me tell you, because I was asked, there is an abundance of love over there. Everyone we met was hospitable enough to make us blush. As a general rule, the instant someone found out we were Americans they wanted us to know that they love Americans-- and that they think our Presidents (Bush and Ahmadinejad) are cut from the same cloth.

... more to come.

Day 8: Tehran - Artmaking

2008-10-15T14:28:00.001-04:00

Our last day was spent making a little art and tending to a few last visits.

The last gallery was Aaran Art Gallery, where we met with Nazila Noebashari (whose run her gallery for over 20 years now) and saw the current show (and featured photographer Kamran Adle). We also got to see work from Ali Ettehad, a fella we met the night before when we had a visit with Vahid Sharifian.

We already excited for our show and tell whence we return.

Day 7: Tehran - Mohsen II and a secular world

2008-10-15T14:12:00.001-04:00

Our new translator/guide is Mohsen, not to be confused with our last guide Mohsen [I refer you to Avatar the Last Airbender: City of Walls and Secrets' character 'Joo Dee'] New Mohsen is very (very) excited to help us out. He's been jailed for years (and lashed x20... possession of alcohol) and still stands. He immediately gives us the inside scoop the political history that he was very much a part of (a Fine Arts student at Tehran University-- demonstrating against the shah) and he explains that the world is full of 3 kinds of people. 1) Fanactics 2) Super Fanatics and 3) Extreme Super Fanatics. Like many we've met around here-- he doesn't believe in religion (though he later admits, while his friend laughs, to feeling a metaphysical connection between him and a "higher" power).

After showing us his bookstore, Mohsen took us to have lunch with Pariyoush Ganji, a painter / lecturer / professor (and former classmate of Mohsen) that was also witness to the Revolution. Her place and her studio were amazing. She spoke of generations of artists, was totally into this trip/project, and offered to help in anyway she could. She even quoted Jesus (and made a point to mention that she was secular) when she encouraged me to continue 'striving through narrow doors'.

After a day of satellite television, jokes about creationists and Sunni v. Shiites, it was another day of reinforcing that Iran has many many many faces.

Day 6: Tehran - Holy Shrine of Imam Khomeini

2008-10-14T03:39:00.001-04:00

Khomeini was the guy exiled by the Shah/King of Iran that returned after the US coup (that turned into the Revolution). He's the guy that has made Iran an Islamic Republic and turned Iran into the voice of opposition to Israel's domestic policies and the US's international policies. It's pretty safe to consider him the founder of contemporary Iran.

We went to his shrine and got the diplomatic treatment. We were one of this first to get to go up into the 'call to prayer' towers. (Defintely the first tourists). They were all very nice to us and underscored their love for the American people (Though many of the mourners were taken aback to hear that we are American.)

Day 5: Tehran - Silk Road and Vahid

2008-10-13T02:04:00.001-04:00

Later in the day we went to Silk Road Gallery to meet with one of the curators there. They specialize in photography, which isn't always my bag, but they have some great great shows (go ahead, google them). The curator introduced us to Vahid, an artist that we had seen just the night before at an opening. Vahid, who is starting to get attention from international collectors, took us to Ave Gallery, where he has a show up. There he showed us the few pieces that he wasn't allowed to hang (too much lady neck) and invited us to his studio. He also explained that because he refused to serve in the military, they won't allow him to leave the country (despite having upcoming shows in Hollywood and Istanbul).

(Photo: Vahid's show at Ave Gallery)

Day 4: Tehran - MOCA and Iranian Artist's Forum

2008-10-12T04:48:00.001-04:00

We had our meeting with the International Director of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. It was a resounding success and I met my modest goal of charming the pants off him and being able to count on a continued relationship. He was great.

Later, we went to an opening at the Iranian Artist's Forum. This place was sort of like Williamsburg with its head covered. It's also home to one of the cities only vegetarian restaurants.

Day 3: Tehran - Golestan & Galleries (continued)

2008-10-12T04:41:00.001-04:00

Worthy of its own post was our experience at Homa Gallery for a solo exhibit by Sharam Karimi.

In two hours, he'd sold 4 pieces for a total of $20,000.

We spoke with him a bit, definitely a great guy.

Day 3: Tehran - Golestan & Galleries

2008-10-12T04:37:00.001-04:00

We went to the Golestan Palace, a place worthy of its tourist trappings.

The entire place is the shiniest thing I have ever seen, and boy do I like shiny things.

Afterwards, we went to a couple small gallery openings.

Rest assured that the art scene here is no better or worse than the one in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

[Photos: Golestan Palace, piece by Bita Fayazi, piece by Farideh Lashai, piece by Koroosh Shishegaran]

Michael is an Iranian TV star

2008-10-12T04:23:00.001-04:00

Picture now. Story later.

Shiner Hejabs

2008-10-12T04:20:00.001-04:00

I'm finally understanding the nuances here between what is said and what is done... what are the rules and what are the practices.

When I first showed up, I came with black form-fitting hejab. When I realized that I was sending the wrong signals and that I wouldn't be harassed for wearing something lighter and shinier, I was gung-ho for swapping it out.

Here are some pictures for you anonymous blog comment maker.

Day 2 in Tehran

2008-10-10T03:26:00.001-04:00

Last night we had our first experience in being babysat Americans.

Michael and I were invited to a private screening of a Sigur Ros documentary and even though our guide had set us up with a car to go alone, he showed up as we were leaving so he could chaperone. The implicit threat made by our guide to the gallery owner made us all nervous. ("These are Americans, you do not know them, they do not know you... what is this gallery, what are you screening, they can stay but I must see inside....") AWKWARD and suck. After we got there, I decided we had to leave so we didn't ruin their night. It could have been very cool if not for the mild paranoia injected into all of us by someone with absolutely no authority.

In other news, our ride back with a secular cabby proved for some interesting conversation about his life, his views on the US and this country since the revolution.

love love

bri

[photos: scarved betties waiting outside a restaurant, Iranian beer (tastes just like Budweiser, but with 0.0% alcohol)]

First morning in Tehran

2008-10-09T02:55:00.001-04:00

I am still not dreaming.

Today, I'll go with a shiner hejab. =)

Tehran: Day 1

2008-10-08T17:29:00.001-04:00

After landing this morning and being met by Mohsen (kinda rhymes with Olson) we were taken to our Hotel. (Worth mentioning again, traffic is insane) After some debate, we decided to go straight into the heart of beast-- the Tehran Bazaar. When I have a bit more time, I'll give you the details, for now I leave you with: fingerprints, customs, traffic, prayer rooms, US Den of Espionage, Michael Pope being interviewed for the local news, fist fights, PressTV, Barack Obama, gold, shiny, shiny, SHINY.

P.S. People here are happy we are Americans... they like Americans.

P.P.S. After a day of a straight up black hejab, I've made a move toward a rainbow shiny one. The black one is making me look like a pious Muslim and causing more attention (me hanging with two men who don't look Iranian...), plus the shiny one leaves a few sparkles in my wake.

We have landed in Tehran

2008-10-08T06:46:00.001-04:00

We have made it to Tehran-- checked into the hotel and soon we are off to explore. The traffic is insane. The news on the television is respectable. Our hotel is quite nice and our tour guide/translator has so far been very accomodating. More, more soonly.

{Pictures: Michael and I in Dubai, Me jumping on our Tehran hotel bed, Me cold chillin' waiting to head to the airport this morning}

We've made it through Security

2008-10-06T10:31:00.001-04:00

We're at JFK now and I'm delighted to say everything has so far been seamless. We were sent through secondary security due to "our destination" and even that was a breeze.

It's quiet. I'm watching CNN and catching up on emails. Michael is fiddling with his new digital camera- a kodak point and shoot that we picked up at b&h yesterday.

I'm hoping I didn't forget anything...

The nice man just announced that we are boarding in 10 minutes-- and it looks as if I have a window seat.

Oh, squee.
=)

It's sort of like Christmas Eve

2008-10-06T00:30:00.001-04:00

Michael and I had a day of last-minute errands-- blank books, cameras, clothes, plane snacks... laundry at the 24-hour laundromat.
Our flight to Dubai tomorrow is 13 hours long. When we arrive it will be 8AM in the U.A.E., but near Midnight Eastern Standard Time.
My body will be completely confused, I'm sure.
We have a day to spend there before our short (2 hour) flight to Tehran.
Hopefully it'll give us a chance to ease into Islamic society.

Bags are packed. Batteries are charging.
I'm feeling more sublime that anything else right now.

Watch out Tehran, here comes Super Awesome Adventure Club.

Send Love to Iran is TAKING IT TO TEHRAN!

2008-09-26T13:10:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, September 25 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran finally approved my visa.

I found out via email this morning and I immediately woke my traveling companion (Michael Pope) with a screeeeech.

We leave New York City on Monday October 6.

More details & more action... more later.

Hypernova @ Pangea Day

2008-05-12T01:10:00.000-04:00

Me and my girl Maria Gambale produced a satellite event for
Pangea Day.

We held it at Monkey Town in Williamsburg, BK, NYC.
It went very well and we got to meet some hip, local movers and shakers.

Most exciting was seeing the boys from Hypernova on screen during this HUGE global event.

Yup, that little known Iranian rock band, playing live from Los Angeles.

It was such a big deal.

Matt from Indiana wins the MySpace Contest

2008-02-16T00:30:00.000-05:00

There were 149 entries.
Matt won with artist Mina Agah and chose NIMANY shirt "Obsession".

This shirt was one of my favorites, for real.

Persian Contemporary Artists - MySpace Contest

2008-01-16T00:19:00.000-05:00

In my researching, I'm finding Iran to have a real solid roster of contemporary artists, so I've created a contest for my project's MySpace friends.

For each Iranian artist submitted, you're given 1 entry into a drawing to win a Xerxes or NIMANY T-shirt.

Pretty sweet deal.
Contest ends Valentine's Day 2008.

More here: myspace.com/sendlovetoiran

Published in Pars Arts!

2007-09-07T01:10:00.000-04:00

Sepideh Saremi, the editor of Pars Arts, contacted me about writing a piece.

So awesome.

Click here for the article.

Photos for Sale

2007-09-02T00:45:00.000-04:00

Lauren Goldberg-- a photographer in my network of friends, has offered to sell some of her rock and roll prints to help fundraise for the trip.

So sweet of her. Friends are awesome.

Photos Available can be found here.

"Unconditional Love is Global Security" T-shirts

2007-07-15T01:36:00.000-04:00

I've created a limited run of teeshirts to help support/promote my ambitions.

You could purchase one here.

27May: Sent Love to Iran Event Recap

2007-06-12T02:11:00.000-04:00

ALSO: Check out this page for more MEDIA.

Bri gets a letter about her view on policy

2007-06-07T00:55:00.000-04:00

> I know that you feel as though the media distorts/filters the news as
> they see fit in regards to Iran, however my question persists; what
> do you think about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's continued call for
> the destruction of Israel? Clearly he is not a loving person in this
> stark regard. Are your hopes to raise awareness within the general
> population of Iran (and abroad) that the decrees this man gives are
> setting a dangerous example in the Middle East, and that the founding
> that Iran gives to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and
> Hamas need to end in order for any chance of peace to endure?
>
> Thank you for any information regarding these questions.
>
> Stephen
>

Hey there Stephen!

Very interesting inquiry.

Just the same as I don't publicly delve too deep into the political misgivings of the United States and Israel, I tend to not promote or defend President Ahmadinejad's. But alas, you have asked a very specific question.

Mr. Ahmadinejad is not alone in his opinion of Israel. He represents the voice of many fellow humans... and on every level, I think its important to give everyone their soapbox. Like a 2 year old or a disease, if you ignore it-- it just gets louder (or in the case of far too many, deadlier).

If we were to go beyond the soundbites and poor translations, we'd find that Ahmadinejad often makes a special point to distinguish between Jews and Zionists. And his call for Israel to be 'wiped off the map' (which translates closer from Persian as: must [vanish from] the page of time) is, to some, just a way of declaring that the Jewish state of Israel does not have the right to exist.

Israel was founded because of violence and with violence and continues to be, to this day, violent. Organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas were most likely born in response to this Western colonization, and there certainly is no global consensus on who is doing the terrorizing. To some the end of Hezbollah and Hamas would be the catalyst towards Peace, and to others the end of Israel would be the catalyst towards Peace.

While I've got my thinking cap on, I'd also like to acknowledge the remarkably close relationship between the United States and Israel. According to the American-Israeli Cooperative enterprise, Israel receives over $7.7 million/per day from the US-- the largest percentage of US foreign aid (primarily for its military, and including a nuclear arsenal that Israel doesn't have to account for). As a world superpower, the United States has clearly drawn its line in the sand as far as its unbridled support for Israel.

If that's the 'Us' what becomes of the 'Them'? Seems like the same story that has played out over and over again: weapon stockpiles, economic manipulation and empty threats... fear in the hearts of young and old.
Boring I say. All Boring.

So, no, I am not going to "raise the awareness in Iran that Ahmadinejad sets a dangerous example in the Middle East" because I'm not doing that in regards to the United States or Israel either. What I am going to do is promote 'Unconditional Love', without trying to point fingers or figure out who is to blame.

So there you have it.
I'm not sure its what you were looking for,
but its what it is.

xo
bri

27May: Amanda Palmer & Hypernova @ Middle East

2007-05-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

We are having an event at Middle East in Cambridge-
the reason is triple fold.

1. A public announcement to our Boston scene that I'm planning a trip to Tehran, as a self-described "Ambassador of Love". =)

2. A fundraiser to cover the cost of my trip (plane tix, hotel, translator, visas...).

3. A chance for Iranian rock band Hypernova to ROCK Cambridge, Massachusetts.

You should totally come.

"Send Love to Iran" on MySpace

2007-04-22T21:26:00.000-04:00

I've joined the Web 2.0 revolution.

I have started a MySpace account for this project.

Visit here:
MySpace.com/sendlovetoiran

Article | Citizen Diplomacy in Iran

2007-03-28T00:52:00.000-04:00

Citizen diplomacy in Iran: peace group finds a culture that belies many American presumptions

Rev. Dr. Ellen Francis Poisson
National Catholic Reporter
September 22, 2006

The crisis over the development of Iran's nuclear capability is complex. Although the evidence suggests that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapons program, the Western media subtly imply that Iran's intentions are aggressive--and nuclear. In general, the news media in the United States seem to relish painting a negative picture of Iran, when the reality is more nuanced.

It was against this background of hostility between the United States and Iran that the Fellowship of Reconciliation sent an international, interfaith delegation of 18 to Iran last December. Because I speak Farsi and had lived in Iran in the 1960s and '70s, before the Iranian Revolution, I was asked to be one of the co-leaders. I was also a co-leader of a second Fellowship of Reconciliation delegation of 23 this past May. The purpose of both delegations was to have direct dialogue with Iranians, to present a friendly and respectful American face, and to continue to learn, talk and write about Iran when we returned home. All of this reflects the mission of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. An international, interfaith peace and justice organization founded on the eve of World War I, the fellowship sponsored peace delegations to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, to Vietnam during the 1960s, and to Iraq before the present conflict. It's hard to say how much of a difference such citizen delegations make, but they are designed to change the world one person at a time.

From one trip to the other, I noticed a difference in the interactions our delegations had with Iranians. In December, Iranians were quick to engage with us, but the talk was casual and curious. In May there was a heightened urgency to the conversations, and the Iranians we met asked what we thought the United States would do, whether the U.S. government might attack Iran, why shouldn't Iran have nuclear energy, and why did we think Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons.

Our delegation in May arrived just days after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent his letter to President Bush requesting a meeting, and there was some misconception that our little citizen delegation was some sort of a response to that letter. We were quick to dispel this notion, and found it even a bit funny since our trips had been planned many months in advance and we were definitely not emissaries of the U.S. government. Nonetheless, our May delegation attracted a great deal of media attention within Iran, both positive and negative, and we had interviews with BBC, CNN, Reuters and The Associated Press, as well as a number of Iranian news agencies.

There were many surprises in store for the members of our delegations, and some misconceptions about Iran were corrected. For example:

* Iranians hate Americans.

Without exception, the Iranians we met were extremely hospitable to us. Everywhere we went, we were told, "We love Americans. Please tell all your friends to come to Iran. Only--we don't like your government." The last night that we were in Tehran, during the May delegation, we went to dinner in a large, traditional restaurant with live music. During the evening the announcer said in Farsi, "We welcome our friends from America who are here on a mission of peace." When he said this, there was loud and sustained applause.

* Iran is a Third-World country.

The members of our delegations were amazed at the evidence of a high level of development: sophisticated road systems, cell phones, safe drinking water from the taps, advanced medical care, comprehensive elementary education and a high level of literacy, higher education including doctoral studies and original scientific research, many high-rise buildings in Tehran, up-to-date and locally manufactured vehicles. After seeing all this, one delegate said right out, "This is not a Third-World country." I noticed some significant changes from the 1960s and '70s; perhaps the most noticeable was the high level of air pollution in Teheran.

* Women are oppressed and forced to wear black covering.

Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, it's true that women in Iran have been required, by law, to wear the hijab or modest covering in public, This means that women (including non-Muslim Iranians and foreigners) must cover arms and legs, wear modest, long tops, and also cover at least part of their hair. In most cities of Iran, however, women wear light scarves that cover some of their hair, but they also wear light or even bright colors and not only black, and some wear clothing that is quite tight-fitting. As one Iranian woman said, "We are very romantic," and Iranian women find ways to make the veil alluring and lovely.

Many Iranian women would prefer to choose whether or not to wear the veil. I was helping one of our delegates with her scarf on the street one day, and some women passing by exclaimed, "Oh! You are fixing your hijab!" We chatted a while and I said, "We are not accustomed to wearing the hijab." An Iranian woman answered quietly, "No, we aren't either."

When we were in the holy city of Qom, we were advised to cover all of our hair, and we wore borrowed chadors when we went to the courtyard of the Shrine of Hadrat-e Fatima Ma'sooma, the daughter of one of the twelve Imams of Shiism. The chador is a large semicircle of cloth, worn with the center on the crown of the head and held under the chin. Getting ourselves properly covered in these chadors drew a crowd of women to help us and caused considerable amusement.

Women are involved in education and public life, and make up approximately 60 percent of college students. This number is even more impressive than it sounds because entrance to a university is extremely competitive and only about 10 percent of the applicants are accepted.

* Religious minorities are oppressed and persecuted.

We visited the Vank Armenian Cathedral in Esfahan, a Jewish synagogue in Tehran, and a Zoroastrian temple in Esfahan. We learned that these religious minorities have complete freedom of worship, and religious schools for Armenian and Jewish children are paid for by the Iranian government. The Jewish representative to the Majlis (Parliament), Mr. Morris Motamed, told us that there is, by law, no discrimination in employment. Religious minorities serve in the armed forces, and each has representation in the Majlis.

There are some difficulties for religious minorities, but we did see thriving communities and active places of worship. To the amazement of the Jews in our delegations, we saw Jewish Iranian men walking down the street in Tehran wearing yarmulkes. We saw the houses of worship clearly marked from the street as church, synagogue or temple. One of the Armenian clergy told us that during the Iranian Revolution there had been a riot in Esfahan, but when the mob came to the doors of the cathedral, someone said, "No, this is the Armenian church," and they passed by without touching anything.

There is freedom of worship, but conversion from Islam to any other religion is prohibited, and the indigenous religious minorities do not proselytize Muslims. The Baha'is are considered apostates because Baha'ism was an offshoot from Islam and Baha'is accept another prophet who came after the Prophet Muhammad.

* Iranians are all highly religious.

The members of our delegations were amazed to learn that Iran is a highly secular society, with relatively low attendance at Friday prayer services. A low percentage of Iranians follow Muslim practices such as the daily ritual prayers, fasting during Ramadan, going on the haj to Mecca. The young people in Iran are generally even less observant than their elders.

* The United States can promote reform by providing assistance to dissidents.

Many Iranians do want a loosening of social and political restraints. Approximately 70 percent of Iran's population of 70 million are under the age of 30, and many of them desire political and social reform. Some social restrictions are gradually lifting: We saw young couples walking and talking together, dating, holding hands.

However, all the Iranians we met said that they want reform to come about from within: "We do want reform, but we don't need U.S. help. We want to do it ourselves." Iranians still have a deep resentment against the United States for the CIA-led coup in 1953, in which Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was removed from office and the shah was returned to power. External efforts to support dissidents will be counterproductive, increase distrust, and will be certain to result in increased repression within Iran. One Iranian asked me directly whether the Fellowship of Reconciliation had received any funding from the U.S. government.

* Iranians want to bomb Israel.

Iranians are quick to point out that Iran has not been a military aggressor in modern times and that Ayatollah Khomeini had declared nuclear weapons un-Islamic. In a sense, this is a stronger prohibition on developing,' owning or using nuclear weapons than signing any international treaty.

Iranians do not have animosity toward Jewish people, but rather toward aggressive Zionism and injustice to the Palestinian people. It seems to me that some of the political rhetoric against Israel and in support of the Palestinians is a reaction against the friendship with Israel of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and also against the U.S. support of Israel at the expense of support for the Palestinians. The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has not actually said the famous words, "wipe Israel off the map." What he did say was that as the Soviet Union fell from power and as Saddam Hussein fell from power, so some day the present government of Israel may also fall from power. (See "President Ahmadinejad's words on Israel".)

Problems in Iran

I think that the Fellowship of Reconciliation-Iran delegates are not naive about the problems that exist in Iran today: There is some discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, especially Baha'is; social and political oppression does exist; there are restrictions on women; there is drug abuse, unemployment and poverty. Iran does want to conduct nuclear research, at least for peaceful purposes, as the government consistently declares, and this would give Iran the start-up technology to develop nuclear weapons. There is concern about Iran's support of Hezbollah and about the potential for future violence between Israel and neighboring countries.

But military intervention is not a viable or acceptable answer, and even sanctions may be ineffective or counterproductive. As talks between Iran and the Western powers continue, I pray that every avenue for a peaceful resolution will be pursued with patience and mutual respect. I feel this particularly strongly because I have family in Iran, whom I was blessed to visit on these two trips. Though my Iranian husband and I divorced in the late 1970s, his family and I had been close and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to see them again after so many years.

On both trips to Iran, we visited Esfahan and the village of Natanz, both of which are close to nuclear facilities. In the beautiful, historic city of Esfahan, we realized that we were at what could someday be another "Ground Zero." The families we saw walking together, the laughing children, the historic sites and breathtaking mosques would all be destroyed if the United States attacked Iran's nuclear plants. I was reminded of a photo of a demonstration in California, in which an Iranian-American child held up a sign saying, "Don't bomb my grandma."

The Fellowship of Reconciliation delegations also traveled to Shiraz. There we visited the tomb of the Persian poet Saadi, whose words grace the entrance to the United Nations:

Human beings are all members
of one body.
They are created from the same
essence.
When one member is in pain,
The others cannot rest.
If you do not care about the pain
of others,
You do not deserve to be called a
human being.

President Ahmadinejad's words on Israel

"Nobody believed that we would one day witness the collapse of the Eastern Imperialism [i.e. the U.S.S.R.], and said that it was an iron regime. But in our short lifetime we have witnessed how this regime collapsed in such a way that we must look for it in libraries....

"Imam [Khomeini] said that Saddam [Hussein] must go, and that he would be eliminated in a way that was unprecedented. And what do you see today? ...

"Imam [Khomeini] said, 'This regime that is occupying [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history.' ...

"The issue of Palestine is by no means over, and will end only when all of Palestine will have a government belonging to the Palestinian people. The refugees must return to their homes, and there must be a government that has come to power by the will of the [Palestinian] people."

[Translation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech provided by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) and dated Oct. 28, 2005.]

[The Rev. Dr. Ellen Francis Poisson is a priest and a nun in the Episcopal church. She lives in a convent of the Order of St. Helena in New York City. She can be reached at sisters@osh.org.]

COPYRIGHT 2006 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group

briBlog | UN Vote

2007-03-26T02:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I created my first real video blog. I felt sort of silly, but maybe I'll get the hang of it. Talking to a machine? Silly. But alas, I think it will be good for me.

So, quite a bit happening on the Iran front. I went to the UN on Saturday while the UN Security Council was voting on new sanctions for Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment program. The vote for another round of sanctions passed unanimously.

The five primary members of the council are: The United States, The United Kingdom, Russia, France and China. [These members all own Nuclear Weapons- precisely what they don't want Iran to have- but only the United States has used one in an act of aggression.]

CNN reported Dumisani Kumalo, the South African ambassador to the United Nations and current president of the Security Council, said he felt steamrollered into a Saturday vote on a resolution on sanctions against Iran.

Friday was quite a day for US/Iran relations.

For starters, the date and time for the UNSC vote was set to be held within 24 hours.

Also, the 78 visas that the Iranian Mission to the UN had been trying to get for their President and his entourage since Thursday March 15, finally arrived in Berne, Switzerland. Only they came in batches and the second set didn't arrive until 5:45p, which gave them less than 24 hours to get to New York City. It takes 5 hours to fly from Berne to Tehran and 12 hours to fly from Tehran to New York City. Ahmadinejad cancelled. I probably wouldn't have cancelled, but maybe I would have made a scene when I arrived late.

According to Mohammad Mohammadi, Russia and China were trying to postpone the meeting until Monday in order for President Ahmadinejad to address the Security Council. That didn't happen.

The Iranian ambassador, Dr. Javad Zarif, was quoted as saying "There was no time for the visas to be sent to Tehran in time for the president to be able to fly to New York." and the US spokeman Bob Grenell countered "Too late for what? The meeting hasn't even been scheduled yet. How can they say they are too late to come if the Security Council has not given a date and time for the event?"

The 3pm vote on Saturday. Duh, Mr. Grenell. Maybe Zarif is psychic or maybe Grenell is kept in the dark. Or, more likely, he's paid to act like that.

The other news is that 15 British soldiers were on patrol in the Persian Gulf and finishing the inspection of a cargo ship when they were arrested by the Revolutionary Guard for trespassing. Iran insists that the soldiers were on Iranian territory.

It is highly unlikely that Iran will comply with the new resolution.

Then what you ask? If I were to guess... more chest puffing, more media sensation, more opinions.

I must say that the visa thing really annoyed me. That could have been really easy to figure out, if the United States really wanted to be diplomatic about it.

Article | U.S. Covert War inside Iran

2007-03-24T14:11:00.000-04:00

Subverting Iran
Washington's Covert War inside Iran

By Greg Elich

Global Research, March 23, 2007

Much attention has been given to the Bush Administration’s preparations for possible war against Iran as well as its drive to impose sanctions. Meanwhile, a less noticed policy has been unfolding, one that may in time prove to have grave consequences for the region. There is a covert war underway in Iran, still in its infancy, but with disturbing signs of impending escalation. In the shadowy world of guerrilla operations, the full extent of involvement by the Bush Administration has yet to be revealed, but enough is known to paint a disturbing picture.

The provision of aid to anti-government forces offers certain advantages to the Bush Administration. No effort needs to be expended in winning support for the policy. Operations can be conducted away from the public eye during a time of growing domestic opposition to the war in Iraq, and international opinion is simply irrelevant where the facts are not well known. In terms of expenditures, covert operations are a cost-effective means for destabilizing a nation, relative to waging war.

There is nothing new in the technique, and it has proven an effective means for toppling foreign governments in the past, as was the case with socialist Afghanistan and Nicaragua. In Yugoslavia, U.S. and British military training and arms shipments helped to build up the secessionist Kosovo Liberation Army from a small force of 300 soldiers into a sizable guerrilla army that made the province of Kosovo ungovernable. The very chaos that the West did so much to create was then used as the pretext for bombing Yugoslavia.

According to a former CIA official, funding for armed separatist groups operating in Iran is paid from the CIA’s classified budget. The aim, claims Fred Burton, an ex-State Department counter-terrorism agent, is “to supply and train” these groups “to destabilize the Iranian regime.” (1)

The largest and most well known of the anti-government organizations is Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), operating out of Iraq. For years MEQ had launched cross-border attacks and terrorist acts against Iran with the support of Saddam Hussein. Officially designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 1997, and disarmed of heavy weaponry by the U.S. military six years later, Washington has since come to view MEK in a different light. Three years ago, U.S. intelligence officials suggested looking the other way as the MEK rearmed and to use the organization to destabilize Iran, a recommendation that clearly has been accepted. (2)

Accusing MEK of past involvement in repressive measures by former president Saddam Hussein, the current Iraqi government wants to close down Camp Ashraf, located well outside of Baghdad, where many of the MEK fighters are stationed. But the camp operates under the protection of the U.S. military, and American soldiers chauffeur MEK leaders. The Iraqi government is unlikely to get its way, as the MEK claims to be the primary U.S. source for intelligence on Iran. (3)

U.S. officials “made MEK members swear an oath to democracy and resign from the MEK,” reveals an intelligence source, “and then our guys incorporated them into their unit and trained them.” Reliance on the MEK began under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with the direction of Vice President Dick Cheney, and soon MEK soldiers were being used in special operations missions in Iran. “They are doing whatever they want, no oversight at all,” said one intelligence official of the MEK’s American handlers. (4)

The Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), is another organization that conducts cross-border raids into Iran. Israel provides the group with “equipment and training,” claims a consultant to the U.S. Defense Department, while the U.S. gave it “a list of targets inside Iran of interest to the U.S.” Aid to guerrilla groups, the consultant reports, is “part of an effort to explore alternative means of applying pressure on Iran.” (5) It has been noted that PJAK has recently shown an impressive gain in capability during its operations, both in terms of size and armament, a fact that can surely be attributed to Western support. (6)

Jundallah (God’s Brigade) is an extremist Sunni organization operating in Sistan-Balochistan province that has been launching armed attacks, planting explosives, setting off car bombs, and kidnapping. Based in Pakistan, it is unclear if this group is connected with the Pakistani organization of the same name, which has ties with Al-Qaeda. (7) Jundallah denies that it has any links to either Al-Qaeda or to the U.S. But Iranian officials claim that a recently arrested Jundallah guerrilla has confessed that he was trained by U.S. and British intelligence officers. There is no way to verify that such a confession has actually taken place, nor its reliability as it may have come as a result of coercion, but the claim would not be inconsistent with U.S. policy elsewhere in Iran. (8)

It is probable that in the coming months the Bush Administration will expand support for anti-government forces in order to more effectively destabilize Iran and gather intelligence. Already U.S. Special Forces are operating in Iran collecting data, planting nuclear sensors, and electronically marking targets. Separatist forces have cooperated in those efforts. “This looks to be turning into a pretty large-scale covert operation,” comments a former CIA official. U.S. and Israeli officials are establishing front companies to help finance that covert war. (9) To fully capitalize on ethnic discontent along Iran’s periphery, the U.S. Marine Corps has commissioned a study from defense contractor Hicks and Associates on Iran and Iraq’s ethnic groups and their grievances. (10)

That these separatist organizations clearly engage in terrorism hasn’t deterred the Bush Administration from backing them. The potential for baneful consequences is considerable. CIA support for the anti-Soviet and anti-socialist Mujahedin in Afghanistan spawned a worldwide movement of Islamic extremism. Western support for ethnic secessionists shattered Yugoslavia and the invasion of Iraq fired the flames of ethnic discord and made a shared life impossible. It remains to be seen if the Bush Administration can succeed in achieving its goal of effecting regime change in Iran. That process could have devastating consequences for the people of Iran. Those officials in the Bush Administration who advocated and implemented covert operations “think in Iran you can just go in and hit the facilities and destabilize the government,” explains a former CIA official. “They believe they can get rid of a few crazy mullahs and bring in the young guys who like Gap jeans, [and] all the world’s problems are solved. I think it’s delusional.” (11)

Gregory Elich is the author of Strange Liberators: Militarism, Mayhem, and the Pursuit of Profit.

http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Liberators-Militarism-Mayhem-Pursuit/dp/1595265708

NOTES

1 William Lowther and Colin Freeman, “US Funds Terror Groups to Sow Chaos in Iran,” Sunday Telegraph (London), February 25, 2007.
2 “Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO), Global Security.org
Syed Saleem Shahzad, “Sleeping Forces Stir in Iran,” Asia Times, June 26, 2003.
Gian Marco Chiocci and Alessia Marani, “Iranian Mujaheddin Gather Funds in Italy,” Il Giornale (Milan), October 2, 2006.
3 Ernesto Londono and Saad al-Izzi, “Iraq Intensifies Efforts to Expel Iranian Group,” Washington Post, March 14, 2007.
4 Larisa Alexandrovna, “On Cheney, Rumsfeld Order, US Outsourcing Special Ops, Intelligence to Iraq Terror Group, Intelligence Officials Say,” The Raw Story, April 13, 2006.
5 Seymour Hersh, “The Next Act,” New Yorker, November 27, 2006.
6 James Brandon, “PJAK Claims Fresh Attacks in Iran,” Global Terrorism Analysis, March 6, 2007.
7 Ali Akbar Dareini, “Explosion Kills 11 Members of Iran’s Elite Revolutionary Guards,” Associated Press, February 14, 2007.
8 Broadcast, Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (Teheran), February 17, 2007.
9 Richard Sale, “Cat and Mouse Game Over Iran,” UPI, January 26, 2005.
10 Guy Dinmore, “US Marines Probe Tensions Among Iran’s Minorities,” Financial Times (London), February 23, 2006.
11 Julian Borger and Ian Traynor, “Now US Ponders Attack on Iran,” The Guardian (London), January 18, 2005.

National Post | Leader says Iran would retaliate if attacked

2007-03-21T19:15:00.000-04:00

From the National Post:

Leader says Iran would retaliate if attacked

By Fredrik Dahl

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday Iran would hit back if attacked over its nuclear program, which the United States believes is aimed at making atom bombs.

Khamenei, who has previously threatened U.S. regional interests if attacked, was addressing a big crowd of pilgrims at Iran's holiest shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad to mark the Iranian new year, which falls on March 21.

"If they want to threaten us and use force and violence against us, they should not doubt that Iranian officials will use all they have in their power to deal a blow to those who assault them," he said in the speech aired on television.

The U.N. Security Council is this week considering new sanctions against Iran over its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program, whose product can be used to make fuel for power generation or, when more highly enriched, nuclear weapons.

But Khamenei's speech, and a defiant New Year address by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier on Wednesday, showed no intention by Iran of bowing to foreign pressure.

The world's fourth-largest oil exporter insists the program is peaceful and aimed only at generating electricity.

Khamenei said Iran's nuclear work followed international rules, but if major powers via the Security Council took "illegal actions" and ignored Iran's rights, "we can also carry out illegal actions and we will do that."

Washington has said it would prefer a diplomatic solution to the stand-off, but has not ruled out military options, though Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said world powers were not preparing for a strike against Tehran.

"No one is preparing for military action," she told reporters in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi after talks with officials of the Gulf Arab ally.

"The purpose of sanctions, the purpose of pushing further pressure on Iran is to get them to negotiations," Beckett said. "We all very much hope that they will."

The UAE and fellow U.S.-allied Gulf Arab neighbors of Iran have expressed concern over its nuclear program and raised fears of a regional nuclear race they announced plans to acquire nuclear energy capability in December.

Khamenei said Iran is ready to sign a joint defense treaty with Gulf countries, state television said, without elaborating.

PSYCHOLOGY

In his address earlier on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad accused some big powers of waging psychological warfare against Iran.

"By psychological warfare, propaganda and misuse of the organizations they have themselves created ... they are trying to prevent our nation's development," Ahmadinejad said.

He has previously accused the United States and Britain of using the Security Council as a tool against Iran.

The proposed U.N. resolution would embargo Iranian arms exports and freeze financial assets abroad of 28 individuals, groups and companies.

It is a follow-up to a previous resolution adopted by the Council in December and was expected to be voted on this week after Germany and permanent council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States agreed on the text.

But South Africa, the council's current chair, has called for all the main proposed sanctions to be dropped. The council could probably adopt the measure without South African backing, but the major powers had wanted it passed unanimously.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said amendments proposed by South Africa and Indonesia deserved "attentive consideration."

He also said Russia, which has commercial and political ties to Tehran, would not back "excessive sanctions" against Iran.

Russian officials say they share Western concerns about a nuclear-armed Iran but argue a policy of constructive engagement can prevent this more effectively than one that corners Tehran.

Earlier this week Russia denied a newspaper report that it had threatened to halt work on building Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station unless Tehran stopped uranium enrichment.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, negotiators said Qatar had also submitted amendments to the draft, but that they and those proposed by Indonesia were general and could be accommodated.

"More challenging for the permanent five is the South African amendments, much more challenging," China's deputy U.N. ambassador Liu Zhenmin told reporters.

He said negotiators were aiming at a vote this week "but it seems that this week is not possible."

(Additional reporting by Christian Lowe in Moscow, Stanley Cavalho in Abu Dhabi, Louis Charbonneau in Berlin and Evelyn Leopold at U.N. headquarters)

Satire | Bush announces Iraq Exit Strategy

2007-03-19T16:11:00.000-04:00

Because we all need to lighten up:

Bush Announces Iraq Exit Strategy: 'We'll Go Through Iran'

WASHINGTON, DC—Almost a year after the cessation of major combat and a month after the nation's first free democratic elections, President Bush unveiled the coalition forces' strategy for exiting Iraq.

Bush announces the pullout of Iraq through Iran.

"I'm pleased to announce that the Department of Defense and I have formulated a plan for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq," Bush announced Monday morning. "We'll just go through Iran."

Bush said the U.S. Army, which deposed Iran's longtime enemy Saddam Hussein, should be welcomed with open arms by the Islamic-fundamentalist state.

"And Iran's so nearby," Bush said. "It's only a hop, skip, and a jump to the east."

According to White House officials, coalition air units will leave forward air bases in Iraq and transport munitions to undisclosed locations in Iran. After 72 to 96 hours of aerial-bomb retreats, armored-cavalry units will retreat across the Zagros mountains in tanks, armored personnel carriers, and strike helicopters. The balance of the 120,000 troops will exit into the oil-rich borderlands around the Shatt-al-Arab region within 30 days.

Pentagon sources said U.S. Central Command has been formulating the exit plan under guidelines set by Bush.

"The fact is, we've accomplished our goals in Iraq," said General George Casey, the commander of coalition forces in the Iraqi theater. "Now, it's time to bring our men and women home—via Iran."

Questions have been raised about the unprecedented size of the withdrawal budget.

"I'm asking Congress to approve a $187-billion budget to enable us to exit as smoothly as possible," said Casey, whose budget request includes several hundred additional M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, 72 new C-130 cargo planes, and two brigades of artillery. "We're concerned about the safety of our troops, so we need to have the capacity to deal with insurgent forces all the way from the Iraqi border through to Tehran."

Casey has requested a budget increase for the Pentagon, so that the government can reward recruits who serve in the U.S. mission to exit Iraq.

Some of the Iranian citizens U.S. troops will meet as they pass through Iran.

"The plan also includes a minor stopover for refueling and provisional replenishment in Syria," Casey said. "But I don't expect we'll need more than 50,000 additional troops for that stretch of the Iraq pullout."

Bush's plan has met with widespread support.

"The people who said Iraq was a quagmire and that the president would never get our troops out are now eating crow," said Sean Hannity on his popular radio show Tuesday. "Of course, I don't expect anyone will have the honor to come forward and actually admit that they were wrong to question our commander-in-chief."

Sioux Falls, SD's Dianne Haverbuck, who has two sons in the military, said she was pleased to hear of the impending exit.

"Don and Kenneth have already been in Iraq an extra four months, so it's so good to hear that they'll finally be leaving that dangerous place," Haverbuck said. "I can't tell you how happy I was when the president said—what was it? I wrote it down. 'Getting our troops out of the Middle East and back home to their families is a viable long-term goal.'"

"I can't wait to see the boys," Haverbuck added.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei welcomed the exit plan.

"Let the Allied armies come to Iran," Khamenei said. "I believe I can assure you that, if they do withdraw here, their brothers-in-arms in the Islamic Republican Army, the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Quds special forces units, and the Basij Popular Mobilization Army will no doubt do everything they can to make the troops' trip back home memorable."

Meeting with the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

2007-03-16T02:11:00.000-04:00

Today was officially my first day as an Ambassador (of Love).

I met with the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations' Press Secretary (try saying that 10x fast) Mohammad Mohammadi in New York City. We discussed the history of Iran and my upcoming trip. He was extremely humble, and very much loved Iran. I could tell it was very disappointing, albeit routine, for him to see his country demonized by another and on the brink of (question mark, question mark, question mark).

Today, Dr. Javad Zarif (their UN Representative) was in the process of trying to arrange for visas for President Ahmadinejad (and company) to address the UN Security Council, and it seemed that the U.S. was giving them the run-around.

I found an article HERE.
Regarding the last line, it was the US Representative to the UN, John Bolton, that claimed there was "no such thing as the United Nations".

Did You know that anyone traveling to the United Nations must be given a United States visa??

I did not. That sounds less like the United Nations and more like "The United States Presents: The United Nations" Maybe that's what John Bolton meant.

P.S. As an American I'm very used to being able to travel anywhere I want (except Cuba, where half of my bloodline is). And it is actually hard to imagine not being able to go somewhere (save not having enough money, another unneccesary barricade).

All in all a great meeting.

Dr. Zarif on Charlie Rose HERE
Dr. Zarif on NPR HERE

I find the media fascinating. It's amazing how an interviewer's personal perception of the world (or what s/he has been taught about it) shapes the entire piece.

Editorial | "Ahmadinejad's confrontational style plays into Cheney's hands"

2007-03-15T14:11:00.000-04:00

Ahmadinejad's confrontational style plays into Cheney's hands
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Editorial
The Daily Star
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/

US Vice President Dick Cheney is once again leading his country down the path of unnecessary war. On Tuesday, Cheney delivered a speech to a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington, outlining his view of the "war on terror" by arguing that "the only option for our security and survival is to go on the offensive, facing the threat directly, patiently and systematically until the enemy is destroyed."

Cheney's words ought to serve as a warning, both to Americans and to the people of this region, that the despite all the failures in Iraq, the neoconservative logic of "preventive war" is not dead. On the contrary, a number of powerful American politicians and their highly influential supporters are now clamoring for a military attack on Iran.

Attacking Iran would obviously be a bad idea. America has manifestly bitten off more than it can chew in Iraq, and the Islamic Republic is a much more formidable foe. But if the Americans ultimately prove foolish enough to tread down this path again, the Iranians, particularly their outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will share the blame.

The Iranian people know that they are justified - both morally and legally - in having a peaceful nuclear program. But they have not had a leader who has made their case plain to the international community. They have not made sufficient effort to explain previous lapses of transparency, or the secrecy under which they have conducted their nuclear activities. Instead of seeking consistently to calm the fears of the international community about Iran's real intentions, too many of the country's leaders have maintained a posture of belligerence. The Iranian people also realize that their president's mercurial style does not play well abroad. On Monday, several editorials in the Iranian press urged the president to call off his plans for a "costly trip to New York" - where he hopes to address the United Nations Security Council about Iran's nuclear program - no doubt fearing that he will create an even bigger mess.

Directly or indirectly, everyone from Iran's hard-line supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reformist former President Mohammad Khatami has urged Ahmadinejad to change course. But they have not done enough to rein him in. If Cheney succeeds in starting a new and even more disastrous war, many Iranians will know who else is to blame.

AIPAC | U.S. relationship with Israel

2007-03-15T02:11:00.001-04:00

This week, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), self-described "America's Pro-Israel Lobby", had it's annual policy conference in Washington D.C.

From the Washington Post:

The groups fact sheet announced that this is the "largest ever" conference, with its 5,000 participants attending "the largest annual seated dinner in Washington" joined by "more members of Congress than almost any other event, except for a joint session of Congress or a State of the Union address." The group added that its membership "has nearly doubled" over four years to 100,000 and that the National Journal calls it "one of the top four most effective lobbying organizations."

Informal administration foreign policy adviser Richard N. Perle provoked cheers from the crowd when he favored a military raid on Iran, saying that "if Iran is on the verge of a nuclear weapon, I think we will have no choice but to take decisive action." When Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) said the "best short-term option" is the U.N. Security Council, the crowd reacted with boos.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the event was attended by half the Senate and a third of the House of Representatives.

Vice President Dick Cheney Spoke

From the Jewish Journal:

"Friends owe it to friends to be as candid as possible," he said. "My friends, it is simply not consistent for anyone to demand aggressive action against the menace that is posed by the Iranian regime while at the same time acquiescing in a retreat from Iraq that would leave Israel's best friend, the United States, dangerously weakened." and later: [From The Jewish Daily Forward] “Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than George Bush.”

He outlined his view of the "war on terror" by arguing that "the only option for our security and survival is to go on the offensive, facing the threat directly, patiently and systematically until the enemy is destroyed." [From Zawya]

Congressman Lieberman Spoke

From the Jewish Journal:

"There is something profoundly wrong when, in the face of attacks by radical Islam, we think we can find safety and stability by pulling back, by talking to and accommodating our enemies, and abandoning our friends and allies," Lieberman said to a group that he likes to call "family."

His remarks were closed to the press, but Lieberman's office distributed the remarks Tuesday, and within minutes they were forwarded to Jewish leaders by the White House liaison to the Jewish community with a note labeling them as "important."

According to the aforementioned Washington Post article, the event included "a fleet of police cars, sirens wailing, blocked intersections and formed a motorcade to escort buses". And also dissenting voices as protesters gathered outside according to Media Monitors Network: From Mark Braverman: “As an American Jew, I’m here to protest AIPAC’s control of Congress. It is a very self-destructive course for America to be supporting Israel unconditionally.” To Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of the Neturei Karta International, “Jews United Against Zionism.” He said: “AIPAC stands for a rebellion against God...What they are doing is against the Torah...AIPAC should be stopped...And the state of Israel should be...peacefully dismantled.”

Israel receives the largest percentage of US foreign aid (primarily for its military). Over $7.7 million/per day according to this chart by The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.

A Personal Note

2007-03-14T02:11:00.002-04:00

Hello there,

Allow myself to introduce myself.

I am an American twentysomething raised in a small town in the Midwest (Population 700!). I now reside on the East Coast.

As you are well aware, this planet is changing quickly and we are all being moved to facilitate (or resist) those changes. As opinions polarize, I have planted my feet firmly in Love. Not so much the daft way, but in the lets-look-for-(re)solutions and recognize-what-we-have-in-common sort of way.

Hello Iran.
I would like to meet you.

Love,
BriAnna

P.S. If you really want to get to know me you should email me: bri (at) lovevolution (dot) org