>> ^SaNdMaN:
I'm surprised that Zakaris is denying that the US provided Iraq with weapons. I thought that was common knowledge.


You are mistaking 'common knowledge' for the truth. Zakaria is exactly correct in stating America did not sell Saddam chemical weapons, but instead provided him with agricultural credits. He did not go into greater detail, but the full truth is America also cleared the sale of dual use technology to Saddam. Some of that included unarmed light helicopters and possibly some chemical precursors. Mean while West Germany was Saddam's biggest supplier. And when I say biggest, we mean that America's total aid was less than 10% of what West Germany was providing Saddam.

The bigger point though in the exchange in the interview makes it completely clear that Zakaria has the right of things. America's contributions to Saddam were not even terribly significant to Saddam during the Iran-Iraq war. The significance of that aid to the situation in Iran today is so small it doesn't even make sense to bring it up. As Zakaria points out, why are multiple former Iranian presidents, prime ministers and clerics the ones rallying the reform movement?


Surely it is beyond reason to pretend that it is American satellite channels that has persuaded those internal Iranian leaders to take the actions they have. This is, despite what the Iranian regime wants to be believed, an internal Iranian matter and not one brought upon them by the infidels, imperialists or the Jews.

Oh no! Someone isn't bending over backwards to fundamentalist ideals! I hope we can get a high ranking cleric or ayatollah to condemn these actions soon!

yes,the cleric mentions the "lying media",commonly known as the "corporate media" Iran has "state run media".yes,these propaganda institutions promote the narrative set by the government,state or the elites.
but when we all see video and reports via phone-cam uploaded to twitter by the protesters themselves..
weeeelllll....that puts a kink in this clerics assertation that its all an american/isreali conspiracy to undermine the ruling class of Iran.
talk about being BUSTED!
so this cleric can just have a huge helping of STFU,and go sit at his masters feet. for he has sold his soul a LONG time ago.

>> ^rottenseed:
>> Hopefully he doesn't mind wielding a shovel instead of a pen. And there are ways to make it in this world without college...but there's never a way to make it without taking every opportunity you can to learn something.


People who wield shovels or do manual labor can be better intellectuals than Professors at a University. Most of what academics or intellectuals do is clerical work, while if you're in construction or a mechanic you have to use your brain creatively, rather than filing books or whatever.

I'm trying now to get back into a very good college, so far I've gotten rejected. Try, try again.

Just for fun, I read the crawl this time.
I wonder if the juxtaposition of text with the interview is ever planned or if its mostly just random news bites...



(...)PHARMACIST WHO SHOT A WOULD-BE ROBBER ON MAY 19... 57-YR-OLD JEROME ERSLAND SHOT 16-YR-OLD ANTWUN PARKER ONCE IN THE HEAD INSIDE HIS STORE, THEN CHASED A SECOND ROBBER OUT THE DOOR... PROSECUTORS SAY ERSLAND WAS NO LONGER DEFENDING HIMSELF WHEN HE RETURNED AND SHOT PARKER FIVE MORE TIMES AFTER HE WAS ALREADY UNCONSCIOUS

NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS APPROVE BILL CHANGING STATE'S METHOD OF EXECUTION FROM ELECTROCUTION TO LETHAL INJECTION... NE HAS BEEN WITHOUT A MEANS OF EXECUTION SINCE FEB 2008 WHEN THE STATE SUPREMEME COURT RULED THAT THE ELECTRIC CHAIR AMOUNTED TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT... NE WAS THE ONLY STATE WITH ELECTROCUTION AS ITS SOLE MEANS OF EXECUTION

THREE SONS OF AN AL QUAEDA-LINKED CLERIC JAILED IN LONDON FOR RUNNING A CAR THEFT RING... THE MEN, ALL IN THEIR 20S, WERE SENTENCED ALONG WITH FOUR OTHERS TO PRISON TERMS RANGING FROM 2-4 YEARS. THE SCHEME INVOLVED STEALING LUXURY CARS FROM LONG-STAY PARKING LOTS, THOUGH THE MEN DENY FINANCING TERRORISM THROUGH THE SALES OF THE VEHICLES... THE MEN'S FATHER, 50-YR-OLD CLERIC ABU HAMZA, IS IN JAIL IN LONDON AND FACES EXTRADITION TO THE U.S. FOR ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO SET UP A TERROR TRAINING CAMP IN O

EXPLOSION IN A SHIITE MOSQUE KILLS 15, INJURES 50 IN SE IRAN NEAR THE PAKISTANI BORDER... IRAN'S SISTAN-BALUCHISTAN PROVINCE IS PLAGUED BY LAWLESSNESS AND IS A KEY ENTRY POINT FOR DRUGS... A SUNNI TERROR ORG CALLED JUNDALLAH IS ACTIVE IN THE PROVINCE, KILLING 11 SOLDIERS IN 2007 IN THE CITY WHERE TODAY'S BOMBING OCCURRED

AMERICAN JOURNALIST ROXANA SABERI, WHO SPENT FOUR MONTHS IN AN IRANIAN PRISON ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES, SAYS SHE INITIALLY CONFESSED TO BEING A SPY AFTER COMING UNDER PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE... SABERI: "MY CONFESSION WAS FALSE AND I THOUGHT I TO (...)

(...)TO KEEP PRODUCTION QUOTAS AT PRESENT LEVELS, SAYING WORLDWIDE OIL INVENTORIES AT THE END OF LAST MONTH WERE AT 20-YR-HIGH... PRODUCTION CUTS COULD HAVE BACKFIRED ON OPEC BY BOOSTING PRICES AND MAKING IR MORE DIFFICULT FOR COUNTRIES TO PAY FRO CRUDE... PRICE OF A BARREL OF CRUDE IS CURRENTLY OVER $60, UP FROM APPROX #30 FOUR MONTHS AGO, BUT STILL FAR FROM 2008 HIGH OF $147

WHAT'S IN A NAME?... WINNING TICKET IN WED NIGHT'S $232 MIL POWERBALL JACKPOT WAS SOLD IN WINNER, SD... IT'S THE NINETH-LARGEST POWERBALL JACKPOT AND THE BIGGEST EVEN IN THE STATE. WINNER IS LOCATED IN SOUTH-CENTRAL SD AND HAS A POPULATION OF ABOUT 2,800

A TAX ON EVERYTHING?... THE PROSPECT OF A VALUE ADDED TAX (V.A.T) COULD BE GAINING TRACTION AS THE GOVT LOOKS FOR WAYS TO PAY FOR THE STIMULUS, BAILOUTS AND POSSIBLE HEALTH CARE REFORM... THE V.A.T AMOUNTS TO A NATL SALES TAX, AN IDEA THAT'S BEEN SUPPORTED BY SOME CONSERVATIVES, BUT ONLY AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE INCOME TAX SYSTEM... HOWEVER A SR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL TOLD THE WASH POST IT'S "UNLIKELY" THE V.A.T. WOULD BE USED AS A NEW SOURCE OF REVENUE

You are not "most" people. Don't pretend to speak for us. You are not in the majority. Xenophobia is so last millennium.

In reply to this comment by Pprt:
>> ^Farhad2000:
There are many stupid ignorant and bigoted so called 'Islamic' commentators in the Arab world. But this is not a view shared by the populace as a whole. Just an hour ago I was at the Sultan Center (think Wallmarts) and it was choke full of roses, sweets, lingerie and other Valentines bullshit.
These idiots just open their mouth and spew stupid shit all the time, MEMRI TV grabs one idiot and then extrapolates it to mean that he is speaking for the entire Arab and Islamic world. LOOK HOW CRAZY THOSE MUSLIM ARABS ARE!


Most people don't think about or care much for the Muslim world, Farhad.

But when people like this choose to immigrate to western countries and perpetuate their backwardness with governmental protection and support, we've got ourselves a serious problem.

>> ^Pprt:
>> ^Farhad2000:
There are many stupid ignorant and bigoted so called 'Islamic' commentators in the Arab world. But this is not a view shared by the populace as a whole. Just an hour ago I was at the Sultan Center (think Wallmarts) and it was choke full of roses, sweets, lingerie and other Valentines bullshit.
These idiots just open their mouth and spew stupid shit all the time, MEMRI TV grabs one idiot and then extrapolates it to mean that he is speaking for the entire Arab and Islamic world. LOOK HOW CRAZY THOSE MUSLIM ARABS ARE!

Most people don't think about or care much for the Muslim world, Farhad.
But when people like this choose to immigrate to western countries and perpetuate their backwardness with governmental protection and support, we've got ourselves a serious problem.


Don't speak for "most" people. You are not in the majority. Your views are Xenophobic at best, and outright racist at worst.

You completely missed the point of Farhad's post. People like you have more in common with Xenophobes like this "cleric." Besides, there are already thousands of racist, Xenophobic preachers already here in the states. Nutters like this guy would fit right in. He and Pat Robertson would have tons in common - I'm sure they'd find common ground for something should they start talking about Israel or something...

>> ^Farhad2000:
There are many stupid ignorant and bigoted so called 'Islamic' commentators in the Arab world. But this is not a view shared by the populace as a whole. Just an hour ago I was at the Sultan Center (think Wallmarts) and it was choke full of roses, sweets, lingerie and other Valentines bullshit.
These idiots just open their mouth and spew stupid shit all the time, MEMRI TV grabs one idiot and then extrapolates it to mean that he is speaking for the entire Arab and Islamic world. LOOK HOW CRAZY THOSE MUSLIM ARABS ARE!


Most people don't think about or care much for the Muslim world, Farhad.

But when people like this choose to immigrate to western countries and perpetuate their backwardness with governmental protection and support, we've got ourselves a serious problem.

It seems like a clerical failure.

The talking head is an idiot because the woman clearly stated that she has no other people she can hand her children over to.

To examplify my point, heres a movie idea:

Show witch burnings, cut to bible verse used as basis for the crime, tell people about the crusades, cut to bible verse, show the thousands dead of HIV/AIDS in africa, cut to pope damning condom use, show the Westmoro baptist church and their "God Hates Fags" signs, cut to appropriate bible verse, show abortion clinic bombings, cut to bible verse, etc etc.... end the film with "stop Christianity and all its insanity."

Have I just outlined the plot for a movie claiming it is acceptable to kill all Christians?, does it encourage violence against Christians?, does it throw every single Christian in the Westmoro Baptist Church camp?

Of course not. it is a criticism of Christianity and its completely appropriate, in all the above examples, Christian doctrine was either the main cause of, or main justification for the various crimes and insanity expressed. Fitna does nothing more then my hypothetical movie.

And dont think Christians and Muslims are the only ones that has to endure films like this, look at "Expelled", it (wrongly, this time) links us Darwinists to Neo-darwinism, Communism, Nazism, Nihilism and who knows what. Perhaps it may even convince a fundie or two to go on a Darwinist killing rampage, who knows?

Fitna is no different. It links Islam to various acts of violence committed in the name of islam, it shows the verses that are used to justify these crimes, it shows powerful clerics with insanely fascist ideas, and links it to islam in general, etc. It is, like the movies described above, one-sided and rhetorical in its combination of text and images, but thats it. In no way does it group all muslims into one, in no way does it encourage violence or murder of muslims or anyone else.

Dubbyuh really must have made an impression.

this why girls should stick to clerical work or like.. switchboard operation. =P

Yeah, the video was informative and paints a scary picture of a dysfunctional application of religion in government (hence the upvote), but saying Israel is wrong in their actions in Gaza doesn't mean that the leaders in Gaza are on the moral high ground either.

I'm curious if the clerics and MP's portrayed in this video are on the more extreme side of the Hamas party and there's generally more moderates, or if this is the position of that whole group. America has its Ann Coulters and Bill O'Reilly's that say some pretty wacky stuff too, but their more insane positions are not supported by most of the their peers. Does this video portray the average Hamas politician and they all go around saying stuff like this?

I manage a team of clerical workers. The job entails answering phones, communicating with clients, faxing reports and that sort of thing. When I put an ad out to fill a position, I regularly get people with B.S. degrees or higher, or people who are highly qualified in IT because the job title has 'specialist' in it. While these people are technically able to do the job, they are very overqualified. This means:

1. They are looking for a job to hold them over just long enough to find something better. That means they will leave and I'll have to hire again shortly.
2. They will be bored, and may not do a great job due to frustration. The old "I hate my dead end job!" mentality.
3. We can't afford to pay them what someone of their education level and/or experience should be paid. That leads to #1.

It's an all around lose. Yeah, the job might help their immediate problem, but beyond that, no one wins.

To be fair though, this video seemed to pose the opposite problem: people who are very well qualified ending up in low end positions. I'd be surprised to see that in real life though - most managers won't hire someone like that for a janitorial job for the reasons I just outlined.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Colin-Powell-Endorses-Barack-Obama-on-Meet-The-Press#comment-549810

In reply to this comment by NetRunner:
>> ^blankfist:
Republicans are left, not right. Foreign interventionism, nation-building, and larger government are leftist ideals. We have two left parties in the majority.


According to whose dictionary? Certainly the Republicans do not claim the term.

Somehow, bf, our disagreements seem to always stem from the definition of words. I think generally we have a schism on the definition of definition: I think words mean what we decide them to mean, and you're more of an etymological archaeologist.

Let me out-dictionary you. The French Parliament defined "The Right" as supporting aristocratic, royal, or clerical interests (because that's the side of the room the aristocrats, nobels, and priests sat in), while "The Left" implied opposition to the same (because that's where rubes like me would be permitted to park their keyster).

The Democratic platform opposes aristocratic, royal, and clerical interests.
The Republican platform supports aristocratic, royal, and clerical interests.

The Republicans continue to move further and further right.

It's funny, the "old" definition of left and right actually fits better than the colloquial one. It's not about the size of government at all, that's just a distraction, it's about whose interests government serves, and that definition is alive and well.

>> ^blankfist:
Republicans are left, not right. Foreign interventionism, nation-building, and larger government are leftist ideals. We have two left parties in the majority.


According to whose dictionary? Certainly the Republicans do not claim the term.

Somehow, bf, our disagreements seem to always stem from the definition of words. I think generally we have a schism on the definition of definition: I think words mean what we decide them to mean, and you're more of an etymological archaeologist.

Let me out-dictionary you. The French Parliament defined "The Right" as supporting aristocratic, royal, or clerical interests (because that's the side of the room the aristocrats, nobels, and priests sat in), while "The Left" implied opposition to the same (because that's where rubes like me would be permitted to park their keyster).

The Democratic platform opposes aristocratic, royal, and clerical interests.
The Republican platform supports aristocratic, royal, and clerical interests.

The Republicans continue to move further and further right.

It's funny, the "old" definition of left and right actually fits better than the colloquial one. It's not about the size of government at all, that's just a distraction, it's about whose interests government serves, and that definition is alive and well.