Iran Sentences Banksters to Death.

First, let me state that I am 100% against the death penalty for any reason, however, this is the first time--as far as I know-- that banksters will be punished for participating in the destabilization of the global economy. An Iranian court dished out four death sentences in the country's biggest bank-fraud scandal to date: the embezzlement of $2.6 billion.

Constitution of the Islamic republic Article 49

"The government has the responsibility of confiscating all wealth accumulated through usury, usurpation, bribery, embezzlement, theft, gambling, misuse of endowments, misuse of government contracts and transactions, the sale of uncultivated lands and other resources subject to public ownership, the operation of centers of corruption, and other illicit means and sources, and restoring it to its legitimate owner; and if no such owner can be identified, it must be entrusted to the public treasury. This rule must be executed by the government with due care, after investigation and furnishing necessary evidence in accordance with the law of Islam.

Now Iran's "justice" system is barbaric and I am in no way promoting this type of oppression.  Death sentences in Iran are, in theory, legal for: armed robbery, treason, murder, drug trafficking, rape, pedophilia, sodomy, kidnapping, and terrorism, and I guess, bankster fraud. Regarding sodomy, the Iranian Judiciary does not recognize the concept of sexual orientation, and thus from a legal standpoint there are no homosexuals or bisexuals - only heterosexuals "committing" homosexual acts, which is ludicrous in an of itself. On the other hand, transgendered individuals are classified as a distinct group with legal rights.

Meanwhile, in the west, the banksters', Wall Street CEOs, Blackwater executives and/or corrupt politicians--aren't they all?--are rewarded with promotions, bonuses, and trillions of dollars in bail-outs.  The bottom line is that elite criminals should be prosecuted, not protected.

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Israel Lobbyist/Economist Suggest False Flag to Start War with Iran.

In the video below, Patrick Clawson, former economist for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), former senior economist for the World Bank, and currently the Director for Research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and senior editor of “Middle East Quarterly“ references “false flag” attacks that led to the Spanish American War (USS Maine), Civil War (Fort Sumter attack), WWI (Lusitania), WWII (Pearl Harbor), and Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin), suggests that a "false flag" is needed to start a war with Iran.

"So if in fact, the Iranians aren't going to compromise, it would be better if somebody else started the war...I mean, look people, Iranian submarines periodically go down. Some day one of them might not come up. Who would know why?...We are in the game of using covert means against Iranians. We could get nastier." -- Patrick Clawson

See Clint Richardson's Reality Blog for a lot more information on Patrick Clawson and the Israel lobby

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More Executive Orders. More Regime Change.

Over the weekend, in an unprecedented move, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13606,  banning electronic aid - from cellphone tracking to Internet monitoring - to Iran and Syria (foreign nationals who pose a threat) after declaring a national emergency.  In other words, in somewhat vague terminology, which could possibly open loopholes, he is targeting people and entities who use technology to help  Iran and Syria suppress their people. But, is it as bad as the mainstream media makes it out to be?

After spinning these lies, The New York Times was forced to admit, in several articles, that there have been massive rallies in Syria in support of the Syrian government. These rallies are larger than any pro-government demonstration that the U.S. government could hope to organize for itself.

Now, if you continue to believe that what is being reported in Syria is, indeed, real, then instead of feeling a wee bit threatened, you probably see nothing wrong with Obama signing his 117th or 118th  EO.

However, keep in mind, General Wesley Clark's speech in 2007, at the Commonwealth Club of California. He claimed that Paul Wolfowitz said the US had 5-10 years to clean up the old Soviet "client regimes" before the next super power rose up to challenge western hegemony, and then went on to say   that shortly after September 11, 2001, while at the Pentagon, a document handed down from the Office of the Secretary of Defense indicated plans to attack and destroy the governments of seven countries; Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Lebanon and Libya.

Of course, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) thinks it's a great idea as it  reports on the establishment of the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB), describing it as a "new interagency body...that represents a major advance in the U.S. commitment to counter genocide and mass atrocities. If the APB functions as intended, it will make a real difference to the effectiveness of the U.S. government in meeting the challenge of these horrific crimes".

Orwellian translation: "new interagency body...that represents a major advance in the U.S. commitment to encourage genocide and mass atrocities. If the APB functions as intended, it will make a real difference to the effectiveness of the U.S. government in meeting the creation of these horrific crimes".

Remember, not everyone - if anyone at all - has something to gain by regime change in Syria.  Ask the Christian population. They will tell you they have everything to fear from a regime change, yet, as a supposedly Christian nation, we hear very little about the Middle East - the birthplace of Christianity - Christians, who have all but vanished from that region, from 20% to 2% in 40 years. Syria's Christian population is about 6-10%.

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History of Iran & USA in 10 min

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Déjà vu: Lies About “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and "Terrorism"

Remember the exchange between French president Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama that went out on an open microphone?

Sarkozy: “I can’t stand (Netanyahu) any more. He’s a liar.”
Obama: “You're sick of him? I have to deal with him every day.”

Well, could that have something to do with Iran? Because anyone who's paying attention knows that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu   continues to ratchet up the warnings about Iran, nukes, and the end of the world; meanwhile President Obama is supposedly doing his best quiet the bellicose old fool, asking him for a commitment not to launch a unilateral attack against Iran.

Iran is the new Iraq. It's no secret that the Israelis have been using the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) terrorists - trained, financed and armed by Israel's Mossad - against Iran. Yet, the claim is that the bombing incidents in India, Thailand and Georgia were targeting Israeli diplomats, so, of course, Israel is on high alert. The clear message is: if we - US and Israel - don’t act soon, Iran will get nuclear weapons, which will, most assuredly, bring about Armageddon.

That is, despite the fact that Iran has never started a war; despite the fact that Iran’s nuclear energy program is regularly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency; despite fact that the US possess 10,600 nuclear warheads, while  Israel possesses hundred; despite the fact that Israel, unlike Iran, refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into Israel to monitor its nuclear program.

It wasn't all that long ago that the Bush administration created false links connecting Iraq to 9/11 and Niger uranium. The propaganda campaign designed to demonize Iran as Israel prepares for, or even better for them, convinces the US to attack is in full swing. But, then again, Iran has even more oil than Iraq - fourth largest oil reserve in the world. Hence, the déjà vu situation: the demonization of Iran as a threat to world security.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Related Links:

U.S./NATO bombers massacre children in eastern Afghanistan – once again!

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Bombing Civilians to Save Them?

"Nearly 100 civilians have been killed so far in the airstrikes launched by major Western powers," Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said in the capital Tripoli on Thursday. Really? I wonder how many civilians are dead, almost three days later.

What sort of "humanitarian bombing" campaign kills or injures far more than it saves?   I mean, we're told that Qadhafi forces are bombing the country's hospitals. But, where is the supporting evidence?  Why do we accept what the mainstream media reports as if they're not controlled by the same powers bombing whoever they deem,  profitable?

"This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years. Starting with Iraq, Syria, then Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and finishing off, Iran." -- General Wesley Clark, March 2, 2007

Links:

Canadian pilots abort bombing over risk to civilians

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Where is the Moral Courage of the West?

In addition to using massive layoffs of professionals, including academics, to try and crush the protest movement, still going strong after last June’s re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran hanged two dissidents last week and sentenced nine others to death. Yet, as Iran sends peaceful dissidents to the gallows, so many courageous Iranians continue to risk death to oppose the Islamist tyranny.

What is it that makes people, agents of moral courage? Is it the complete absence of fear? The mobilizing energy fear often engenders? The effort to transcend fear? Extraordinary perseverance? Or something else?

"Sixteen defendants currently facing a “show trial” in Tehran have been selected to intimidate specific groups of dissidents and pave the way for applying the charge of Mohareb, or “enemy of God,” to large numbers of dissidents and protestors, charges that can lead to their execution, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. Five of the sixteen defendants prosecuted in the post-Ashura trials of 30 January face the death penalty, having been charged with that crime."

We, the people are free to express ourselves in the face of injustice. We can assemble, protest, and use just about any form of peaceful demonstration there is to speak truth to power, without the fear of violence and death as retribution. Yet, even though we have plenty of reason to balk, we rarely manifest our discontent. Rather, we watch as our government serves corporate and moneyed interests at the expense of the American people and rarely do we stand up and demand that our government serve us. Why?

Elie Weisel once stated, “Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.” Has America aligned herself with indifference, ignorance, and/or denial. Have we lost our critical thinking skills to the forces of consensus? Mistaken unity with uniformity? Has moral relativity eroded our sense of right and wrong? Or are we more oppressed than we would like to believe? Maybe a combination of all of the above.

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Sex Changes to Avoid Persecution and Execution

It is well-known that under Iranian law, homosexual relationships and/or "homosexual tendencies" are punishable by death. Some Iranian leaders believe, "homosexuals deserve to be executed or tortured and possibly both".

Since 1979, according to Omid, a Memorial in Defense of Human Rights in Iran, an electronic database of human rights violations, 146 executions occurred as a result of charges related to homosexuality.

Yet, despite the Iranian government's hatred and barbaric treatment of homosexuals, filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian discovered, while making her documentary, entitled ‘Be Like Others’, that the Iranian government's solution - or sometimes offered alternative for homosexuality - is forced sex change operations.

Obviously, no organization or political party is permitted to exist that endorses LGBT human rights in Iran as well as throughout much of the Muslim world. However, fortunately, courageous and heroic people - many who risk their lives - struggle and persist in the fight for gay rights in regions where "coming out" can be deadly.

Here are a few examples:

Green Party of Iran - Except for a very short period of history, democracy and freedom of expression has not existed in Iran. The Green Party of Iran believes that establishing democracy in Iran will be the foundation for any progress in the state of the economy, environment and living conditions. It is for this reason that the Green Party of Iran advocates equal rights: Every Iranian citizen is equal by law, regardless of gender, age, race, nationality, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or political beliefs.

Iranian Queer Railroad IRQR - is an international, non profit, gay human rights organization based in Toronto, Canada. They help Iranian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered refugees all over the world. IRQR also help Iranian LGBT who are threatened with deportation back to Iran, and assist Iranian LGBT in obtaining asylum in friendly countries.

In another part of the Muslim world, Morocco, where homosexual relations is also considered a crime, punishable by fines and prison sentences of six months to three years, Moroccan writer, Abdellah Taia, author of Salvation Army, as well as four other books, and has made it his mission to win acceptance for homosexuals throughout the Muslim world.

Iraqi LGBT - A Human Rights group Supporting Iraqi lesbians, gay, bisexuals and transgender people .

Parvez Sharma, creator and director of A Jihad for Love - a documentary that seeks to refute the belief that LGBT Muslims do not exist. Sharma, director and cinematographer of the film, came up with the idea after listening to the stories of gay Muslims when he attended American University. He decided to give a voice "to a community that really needed to be heard, and that until now hadn’t been. It was about going where the silence was strongest."

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Iran: Faces of the Dead and Detained

Help put a face to each of those hundreds - possibly thousands - killed or arrested since the Iranian election.

Other links that might help people understand better or support the Iranian people in their protests for democracy:

Why we protest - IRAN : Topics such as Keeping Your Anonymity In Iran; News and Current Events; Protest Advice; Activism resources; Help Iran Online; Translation: English to Farsi and Farsi to English; ETC...

Livestation : Free English versions of Al Jazeera, PressTV (Iran's state-controlled station), Russia Today, CCTV-9 (China), France 24...

Iran in crisis.

The fall-out from the Iranian presidential elections has reverberated around the world.

The BBC's World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, was in Tehran as the protests against the outcome of the vote reached their climax. John's been reporting on Iran since the Islamic revolution of 1979 and, in a change to the advertised schedule, he reflects on what he saw during the two weeks he was there.

In this special edition of Assignment, he reveals exclusive new material that exposes how the protests, and the police reprisals that followed, are intricately linked to the rivalry inside the clique of clerics who created the Islamic state.

Iranian Web Spying Aided by Western Technology:

The Iranian regime has developed, with the assistance of European telecommunications companies, one of the world's most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet, allowing it to examine the content of individual online communications on a massive scale (deep packet inspection).

Nokia Siemens Networks has stated that they sold the Monitoring Center to Iran but denies selling the Intelligence Platform. Here are the two Nokia Siemens products:

The Intelligence Platform
The Intelligence monitoring center

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Images of the Iranian Uprising

"I received this from an anonymous Iranian student: “I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to be killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow!”

And she concludes: “I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so that they know we were not just emotional under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow’s children.”

I bow my head to the youth of Iran, the youth that is open-eyed, bold and far more numerous than the near-beardless vigilantes. One such youth was Neda, whose music teacher, Hamid Panahi, was at her side when she died. I asked Panahi if she said anything after the bullet struck. “Yes,” he told me, “She said, ‘Mr. Panahi, I burnt.’"

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Blog Action Day 2008: What's Going On That We're Not Hearing About?

If Monica Lewinsky, Britney Spears and the winners and losers on American Idol can unsettle the reasoning minds, thus diverting our attention away from important current events, imagine the level of distraction as we face the horror and confusion that this fiscal crisis has produced.

As the powers that be rush to "repair" the havoc, that the egregious greed of the powers that be has wrought, by "borrowing" trillions of our dollars to reward themselves; in hopes that they can save our economy, I wonder what else are they up too? Let me rephrase that question without the annoying cynical overtones. What is happening or developing right now, that may affect our lives in the near future, as we focus all of our attention to the plight of our pocketbooks?

Global poverty is one issue that has and will suffer from the lack of attention that they might have otherwise received if not for the current fiscal crisis, especially if rich nations renege on their pledges of aid.

The world's wealthiest nations pledged billions of dollars at a U.N. food summit in June, following a spike in commodities prices that tipped 75 million more people into hunger last year.

But the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said very little of promised aid had been received so far, even though the outlook had darkened for the world's poorest.

Although, considering foreign aid represents 1% of the U.S. federal budget, and that the U.S. ranks last in the percent of gross national product spent on foreign aid - the Department of defense spending 20% of that 1% - it's not as if global poverty is a top priority anyway. However, those people, unfortunate enough to exist in a state of having no money, food, clean water, shelter etc, and most importantly no way of earning the necessities to ensure their survival, will undoubtedly take anything they can get.

Well, what does global poverty have to do with this financial crisis or us? Aside from moral imperative, there is the geopolitical one. As our world shrinks, we can no longer afford to ignore the combination of geographic. and political factors around the world. More and more, those factors will influence us, whether we want them too or not. Existing circumstances of hopelessness, marginalization, impoverishment and conditions where violation of human rights is the norm, are fertile breeding ground for terrorism, disease, backward thinking, and conflict, all of which can spread faster than William "The Refrigerator" Perry can scarf down 40 hotdogs.

What else are we missing?

On a more positive note, “Chinese leaders are expected to allow peasants to buy or sell land-use rights for the first time, a step that could draw hundreds of millions of farmers more firmly into the market economy, now centered around the cities.”

Iran is imposing the nation’s first ever sales tax.

History is being made in Zimbawbwe.

The U.S. and Iraq draft an agreement that will allow U.S. troops to stay until 2011 and gives Iraq the right to try U.S. soldiers for felonies committed off duty.

The Iraqi Government is putting 40 billion barrels of reserves up for grabs in biggest sale ever.

It was always oil. Here's the proof.

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Biden says we Must "Reengage America in the World."

In November, 2007 U.S. Senator Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee and among the most experienced foreign policy experts in Washington, gave a speech before the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, called for "A New Approach to Pakistan." Biden is the only Presidential candidate who understands the ever-increasing complexity of global challenges and threats that America faces now and in the future.

We can't afford to elect another President who does not comprehend the ripple effect the smallest of his decisions can make, and because our world is shrinking, that those ripples can come back to us in the form of all consuming tidal waves the likes of which we've never seen.

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Iranian Man Hanged for Alleged "Crime" Committed When He Was 13-years Old.

Makwan Mouloudzadeh, an Iranian man, has been hanged for something he was accused of when he was 13-years old, despite his alleged victims withdrawing their accusations and a judicial review being ordered into the sentence.

Makwan Mouloudzadeh had been found guilty of raping three teenage boys when he was 13-years old. The hanging took place on Wednesday morning at a prison in Kermanshah province in western Iran. Human rights groups say international law strictly forbids execution of child offenders, even after they become 18. "On 11 November the head of the justice administration of Kermanshah received an order from the judiciary head, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, to stop the verdict being carried out," the lawyer, Saeed Eqbali, was quoted as saying. "But the case, which was supposed to be reviewed in Tehran, was sent back from there to Kermanshah, and the execution was carried out quickly," the lawyer said.

An estimated 6,000 people - almost the entire population - from the Kurdish Iranian town of Paveh, have attended the funeral of Makwan Moloudzadeh, 19-year-old Iranian Kurdish youth hanged at dawn on Wednesday. Many young people attended the funeral ceremony.

As the funeral took place on Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, condemned the execution and called on Iran to respect international conventions against executing juvenile offenders. The head of the Judicial Authority, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, had told several humanitarian groups and Molouzadeh's lawyer that the death sentence would be postponed.

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President Bush Not Willing to Table Military Options Regarding Iran

President Bush said Iran is still a danger and he refuses to take military options off the table, despite a US intelligence report saying it had ceased its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"The best diplomacy, effective diplomacy, is one in which all options are on the table...Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."" .

Think Progress has compiled a list of experts who say there are no good military options in Iran.

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U.S. Will Deport Gay Iranian Where He May Face the Death Penalty

The U.S. ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment in 1992 stating, "It is the policy of the United States not to: expel, extradite, or otherwise effect the involuntary return of any person to a country in which there are substantial grounds for believing the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture, regardless of whether the person is physically present in the United States."

Homosexuality is considered a criminal act in Iran, punishable by lashing, hanging, stoning, cutting in half by sword, and other heinous methods of torture. If the U.S. deports Hassan Parhizkar, he is sure to face cruel and inhumane treatment, very possibly ending in his death.

If you wish to protest Hassan Parhizkar 's threatened deportation from the U.S., sign the online IRQO petition on his behalf. Organizations wishing to join the campaign to stop Parhizkar’s deportation should contact his lawyer, Parastoo G. Zahedi, by e-mail at PGZLAW@aol.com, by phone at 703-448-0111, or by fax at 703-448-5552.

Also, check out Gays Without Borders -- An informal network of international GLBT grassroots activists working to make the world a safer place for GLBT people, and for full GLBT equality in all aspects of legal and social life

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Connecting the Dots is Crucial to Our Survival

Joe Biden, presidential candidate and current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a recent interview with Salon, spelled out why he calls himself the "odd man out"...because as he says he has the ability to "connect the dots".

He's right. More than ever we need a President who is an expert in foreign policy who has the ability to assemble the pieces, synthesize the information, and integrate the facts into a conceptual understanding...in other words, see the big picture. We're living in an age of specialization, which can be tremendously useful, and a great advantage as long as we continue to make the connections between the vastly different distinctions, all the while keeping things in proper perspective.

“Reason is understanding the connection between the general and the particular” -- Immanuel Kant

Ironically, Joe Biden's vote for the bankruptcy bill -- the bill I absolutely despise -- clarified my decision as to who I believe should replace Bush.

Unfortunately, Joe Biden resides in one of the only states in the country where there is no cap on interest rates credit card companies can offer, hence the reason every single credit card issuer incorporates in the state of Delaware, making it almost impossible to totally ignore their greedy demands. This puts Mr. Biden at a clear disadvantage if he decides to take on that industry.

As we all know, decisions are not always as clear cut as they appear. One must give priority to certain factors over others, weighing the pros and cons of each one and then incorporate what they've discovered to make a final decision that will hopefully support their overall agenda or goal.

Mindful of Mr. Biden's long history as a Senator including he was the youngest man elected to the Senate in history while at the same time having to overcome the tragedy of losing his wife and daughter in a car accident while raising two young sons, that he was listed as the "poorest" Senator in the Senate, that he drives an economical car, he commutes to Washington DC by train every day and overall has proven himself to be a man of integrity I came to the conclusion his decision may have been made taking the following into consideration.

He knew voting against the bill would make no difference to the outcome; he was pretty sure he would enter the 2008 Presidential race; he knew that foreign affairs is a critical issue to our future; and he knew his expertise in this area is far superior to all of the other candidates. Voting against the bill may have accomplished nothing more than to kill his political career at a time when his knowledge and leadership is invaluable to America.

Joe Biden's response voting for the bankruptcy bill:

"At the outset, I refused to support bankruptcy reform until fundamental changes were made. I fought to establish a "safe harbor" for those below their state's median income. I also insisted on a provision requiring lenders to post a clear warning about the dangers of making minimum monthly payments, one of the worst debt traps for consumers.

This bill establishes unprecedented protections for child support and alimony, making bankruptcy part of the enforcement system for women and children, who now will be at the head of the line, in front of every other creditor. Is this bill perfect? No. But over several congresses it has earned the kind of bipartisan consensus only balanced legislation can achieve."

We can no longer depend on our advantageous geographical location to protect us. As our world shrinks more and more each day, it is crucial to the survival of our country, perhaps the world, that our next President has the ability to as Joe Biden says, "connect the dots".

No candidate is perfect but there is no question Joe Biden has the integrity, strength, wisdom, experience and resolve needed to put this country back together.

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"No Homosexuals in Iran"

When Ahmadinejad made -- what appeared to be an insane comment to those of us living in the western hemisphere -- the statement "In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don't have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you we have It." when addressing the crowd at Columbia University, he truly believed it.

The Arab and Muslim world do not define "homosexual" as we do in the west. The words, "gay", "lesbian", "bisexual" and "transgender" do not translate into Farsi, Arabic, Bengali or any of the languages spoken in Muslim countries. As long as homosexuality is not categorized in western terms, “gay rights” terms, there is a great deal of freedom for people we would label homosexual or gay, but they themselves would not define themselves as such. Most "gay" Arabs do not identify themselves as gay; they see what they do as an act and not in a way that would have social or personal repercussions. Ironically, homosexuals have more freedom to act upon their desires than we do, but much less freedom to identify themselves by their sexuality. Most, if not all people of the Islam faith marry people of the opposite gender but if they have homosexual tendencies, they will adopt a second life where they can for the most part, freely act out their sexuality.

Our reaction to Ahmadinejad's comment makes absolutely no sense when we interpret it through our own cultural filters, but if you take the time to comprehend what he said through the cultural lens of his very different world, it makes more sense, even though we may not agree.

This is an example of why we should not impose our ways onto other parts of the world as we are doing in Iraq. It's arrogant to translate the predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a different part of the world with only the knowledge of our own culture. In order for translation to be accurate, the translator must understand all the knowledge and values shared by both societies.

Having said that, it is clearly wrong for any society to impose such harsh penalties for loving the wrong person but taking the time to learn a little bit about how and why they believe the way they do will give us a much better chance, in the long run, to change the aspects of their belief system that can lead to barbarous acts such as executing people for identifying as gay.

Documentary filmmaker Parvez Sharma, a gay Muslim, who recently released the film, Jihad for Love, wanted to, as he said, “give voice to a community that really needed to be heard and that until now hadn’t been; it was about going where the silence was strongest.” Mr. Sharma explores the complex and often paradoxical issues that exist between Islam and homosexuality. He doesn't condemn the Islam religion, rather he lets the viewer observe for themselves what it's like to be gay and live in a part of the world that has practiced Islam for the last 1400 years, and he does this through a distinctly Muslim prism.

"Clearly, in these times of the slickly packaged and devastatingly ignorant "War on Terror," the desire for nuance, for understanding, has been lost. Knowledge and intellectual curiosity are clearly undervalued; to vilify and demonize Mr. Ahmadi Nejad in the absence of any real understanding of the context from which he comes is all too easy. The kind of "Evil Satan" rhetoric that has been drummed up for a quarter of a century in Iran finds its perfect mirror in America today. The religious extremism found in parts of Iran is no different than the kind that has crept into the American psyche." -- Parvez_Sharma

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What the Hell is Going On?

Larry Johnson from No Quarter asks the following questions:

"What the hell is going on?"

"Why would we want to preposition nuclear weapons at a base conducting Middle East operations?"

"Did someone at Barksdale try to indirectly warn the American people that the Bush Administration is staging nukes for Iran?"

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Is Bush Trying to Pacify the Masses, Perhaps?

President Bush ordered the troop surge in Iraq urging Congress to give the new plan until at least September to work. September's here and President Bush is optimistically hinting that a reduction of U.S. troops may be on the horizon.

President Bush's intimation that he may decrease the number of troops in Iraq may even be followed up with an empty gesture, possibly sending home a few token soldiers to appease us, so whatever he's planned will go ahead without delay.

The symbolic few will come home from war and everyone will cheer only to find out several days later that we are at war with Iran or that the returning soldiers will be replaced with brand new soldiers as a result of the new draft.

I really hope I'm wrong.

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"Yes. We're gong to hit Iran, Bigtime.".

While we're focusing on who's tapping whos foot in public restrooms, our government could be planning to take on Iran.

Naval officer spills the beans:

"I don’t think it’s limited at all. We are shipping in and assigning every damn Tomahawk we have in inventory. I think this is going to be massive and sudden, like thousands of targets. I believe that no American will know when it happens until after it happens. And whatever the consequences, whatever the consequences, they will have to be lived with. I am sure if my father knew I was telling someone in a news organization that we were about to launch a supposedly secret attack that it would be treason. But something inside me tells me to tell it anyway."

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