Nobody's Comments

Talking : Loud :: Saying : Nothing : Are Jews white?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:14:05 +0000

Scientist,

Power corrupts, but powerlessness also corrupts. The Jewish people in
exile are not protected by lack of power from their extreme follies.

Talking : Loud :: Saying : Nothing : Three things that annoy me about Iran

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:26:21 +0000

Some combination of many factors, including: frustration and anger that their candidate lost, action and adventure, encouragement from western countries and press, the opportunity to interact with members of the opposite sex openly and in public.

Talking : Loud :: Saying : Nothing : Three things that annoy me about Iran

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:59:56 +0000

Wishful thinking!

Talking : Loud :: Saying : Nothing : Three things that annoy me about Iran

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:01:16 +0000

If they\\\'re opposed to the regime, why are their slogans la ilaha illalah and allahu akbar? Why are their banners green? Sounds pretty Islamic-revolutionary to me.

Talking : Loud :: Saying : Nothing : Three things that annoy me about Iran

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:14:14 +0000

Another revolution - no. Maybe an end to the revolutionary republican Islamic regime - but almost certainly not. I don\\\'t know of any data to suggest that most Iranians want any form of government except the kind they have now.

Talking : Loud :: Saying : Nothing : Three things that annoy me about Iran

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:15:31 +0000

The shah's regime was no "dictatorship." There is a vast difference between a dictatorship and a monarchy. A monarchy is a familial ownership of government that tends to manage it with the aim to maximize their wealth in the long run by not plundering the society in the short run. Dictatorship is precisely the plunder that monarchies avoid.

I'm not of the opinion that there's one turbaned guy in Iran who makes every single decision in the country, or even every important decision. Dictatorships almost never work that way, especially dictatorships with highly developed bureaucracies and civil societies like Iran's. There are a lot of factions and interest groups competing for influence in Iran and there is a lot of influence to be exercised. The president of Iran does not have even the symbolic power and influence that the president of the United States has, but he is not some shill either.

I sympathize with the dupes who are pissed off that no one bothered to count their votes. Now they must really feel what it's like to live in a shitty country (no offense to Iran, I'm sure it's less shitty than a lot of places) and not a first world country where rigged elections are slick, professional and well-orchestrated affairs. But I propose a slightly different reason why they're all so angry: they realize now that, by voting, they were legitimizing the regime, which has always derived its claims to legitimacy from democratic principles. The real lesson they should take from this experience is that nothing good can come from voting.