well said

[Vsicks Pathy]

This is a very good read for anyone interested in world affairs.

 

 

 

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0530-21.htm

[govols74n]

Things that make you go HMMMMM. Brings up some good points.

[Terrano]

That's really a good read A serios issue, as well.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[nige]

The more I read up about Iran, the more I feel like they're getting the shaft. I've read the Wikipedia entry on Iran and I never realized all the advancements the people of that country made in medical, scientific and mathematical fields. The only thing I wish the country would do is shed the religious influence upon the government’s decision-making process. It seems to me like most of the turmoil in that region can be accredited to religion and a small group of people that use their personal interpretations of the Qur'an to justify their cowardly and heinous actions. That extremism is not limited to the Muslim faith. There are fundamentalist Christians that are just as dangerous to the peace process as their Muslim counterparts (Pat Robertson is one I can think of off the top of my head). They have every right to say what they feel, but as soon as they plan take actions which harm others, they become criminals and, for lack of a better word, 'terrorists'. These people are all hypocrites in my eyes as they disrespect the very religion which they claim they are fighting for. If only world leaders and religions figures would encourage their people to learn the difference between spirituality and religion. I don't think the religious leaders of the country would ever adopt those teachings as they'd be effectively shooting themselves in the foot (religion is one of the oldest businesses next to that of prostitution.) Now I’m not an Atheist, I just know the difference between spirituality and religion. I do believe there is a God, but I have my own set of morals beliefs that I try to follow. I have no problem with people practicing their chosen religions, but keep to yourself and separate from the state. The media is accountable for most of my feelings towards the separation of church and state. The most recent example I have I can think of is a recent image of Peter McKay (Canada's foreign affairs minister) praying to the weeping wall with his Jewish cap (not sure what they're called) on his recent trip to the mideast.

 

 

I'm sure the newspapers could have selected an alternate photo of him on his tour, but why they chose the one with religious connotations, I’ll never know. Couple that with the fact that Peter never even visited Palestine, or Iran on his tour to discuss mideast "Peace and Dialogue" and it becomes easy see how some people feel Canada is siding with Israel. I mean how can you talk about bringing the people of that region closer when you don't even include key representatives in your discussions? All this does is add fuel to the fire in the hearts of the 'insurgents'.

 

The President of Iran makes some good points in his letter to George Bush and a general letter to the American population:

 

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2006 letter to the American people

 

Ahmadinejad's 2006 letter to Bush

 

But to get back on topic, I believe Iran has every right to pursue their desire for nuclear power provided it's used for domestic purposes. I just wanted to lay down a bit of info to show you where I’m coming from. The more I learn about Iran, the less agree with Bush declaring Iran part of an 'Axis of Evil' who is building a nuclear arsenal to wipe Israel off the map. I still don't think Bush would be stupid enough to proceed with a 'regime change' in Iran, but seeing how far he has gone with Iraq, who knows what to expect from him next. All I know is someone here isn't being %100 honest with their citizens.