A Fearful America or a Strong Confident America?

Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a foreign policy speech yesterday in my own backyard, San Diego.  Her audience was full of supporters, many of whom were veterans and their families.  I DVR'ed the speech, and watched it over lunch today.

While I've not been a huge Hillary Clinton supporter, I did admire her unwithering and strong response to the Republican held marathon Benghazi hearings, which showed she was not culpable of anything nefarious in regards to the embassy attack there. Hillary Clinton's San Diego speech on June 2nd was factual, poignant, articulate and informative, even though it was somewhat nationalistic.

You can watch the entire speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWYsORT--e4
...and if you're not good at following links, you can just click on it at he bottom of this posting.

But what I will do, dear readers & visitors, is to list the factual gems that I took from the speech, the ones that really hit home, had impact, and (as I watched the video) brought the crowd to their feet.

"Smart & Principled Foreign Policy"

"Choice between a fearful America that's less secure and engaged with he world, and a strong, confident America"

"Donald Trump's (Drumpf's) ideas are not just different, they are dangerous incoherent. A series of bizarre rants, personal feuds, and out right lies."  [I Loved that quote]

"He is not just unprepared, he is temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability, and immense responsibility."

"It's not hard to imagine Donald Trump (Drumpf) getting us into a war just because someone got under his Very Thin Skin."

"He says he doesn't have to listen to generals, admirals, ambassadors or diplomats, because he says, and I quote" 'I have a very good brain.'"

"He praises dictators."

"He says he has foreign policy experience because he ran the Miss Universe pageant in Russia."

"He says we are, and I quote: 'A third world country'"
[Having Just visited a third world country in April, I can refute that America is a 'third world country']

"We are not a country who cowers behind walls."

"Moscow and Beijing are deeply envious of our alliances around the world. They have nothing to match them."

"If Donald gets his way, they'll be celebrating in the Kremlin."

"We are lucky to have two friendly neighbors on our land borders; why would he want ti make one of them an enemy?"

"He said this about a war between North Korea and Japan, and I quote: 'If they do, they do; Good luck, enjoy yourselves folks.'"

"Our approach must be 'distrust and verify.'"

"There's no risk of people losing their lives if you blow up a golf course deal."

"He brings the following tools to the table: Bragging, mockery, and composing nasty tweets."

"I don't understand Donald Trump's (Drumpf's) fascination with dictators and strongmen who have no love for America.  He praises China for the Tiananmen massacre, saying it showed strength."

"He said if he was grading Vladimir Putin as a leader, he'd give him an A."

"I will leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants."

"He said maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS?"  ... A Trump (Drumpf) presidency would embolden ISIS."

"This isn't reality television, this is actual reality."

"We cannot put the lives of our troops in Donald Trump's (Drumpf's) hands."

"During the raid to kill Bin Laden, our Seals took the time to move the women and children to safety. Donald Trump (Drumpf) may not get it, but that's what honor looks like."

"It matters when he
- makes fun of people with disabilities
- calls women pigs
- proposes banning an entire religion from our country
- or plays coy with white supremacists"

"America stands up to countries who treat women like animals, or different races, religions, or ethnicities as less human."

"Plenty of Muslims and immigrants serve and fight in our armed forces."

"Making the right call takes a cool head and respect FOR THE FACTS. It takes a willingness to listen to other peoples' points of view with a truly open mind. It also takes humility, knowing you don't know everything because if you are convinced you're always right, you'll never ask yourself the hard questions."

"Imagine Donald Trump (Drumpf) sending you spouses and children into battle."

"Imagine if he had not just his Twitter account, but America's entire arsenal. Do we want someone thin skinned and quick to anger who lashes out at the smallest criticism?"

"Every lesson from our history teaches us that we are stronger together. We remember that every Memorial Day."

"Two very different visions; angry, afraid, and based on the idea that America is fundamentally weak and in decline.  The other is hopeful, generous, and confident in the knowledge that America is great just as we always have been!"

I thought the speech was fact-filled, and addressed the FUNDAMENTAL difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald Drumpf. One is an experience, rational thinker, and experienced diplomat - maybe I don't agree with everything she's done and stood for, but at least I know what those things are.  The other, is a thin skinned, egomaniacal failed business man who inherited his fortune from his rich daddy, and who has no filter on anything he says aloud or on Twitter.


I am somewhat sad that Bernie Sanders will probably not be the nominee for the Democrats, but it will probably help me more on my taxes that he's not the candidate, and, Hillary Clinton will likely get more done facing a Republican congress than Bernie Sanders would have been able to do.

If Donald J Drumpf wins, then this blog will stop in 2017 or 2018, once a post apocalyptic nuclear Winter descends on the northern hemisphere of the planet. Australia and New Zealand would becomeisolated quarantine zones where sheep and mankind live out the rest of their days breathing air through filters to avoid the heavier alpha particles that the jet streams will carry across the equator to rain down a slow radioactive death Down Under, while the Northern Hemisphere plays a day-to-day game of kill-or-be-killed in the smoldering ruins of what is left of North America, Europe, and most of Asia.

First 4th of July in N.SD For Us

I just finished hanging up my American Flag outside my home here in N.SD County, for the very first time.  Surrounded by lavender, hibiscus, mandevilla, palm trees, japonica, oleander, humming bird feeders, Allen's & Roufus & Anna's hummingbirds, and flapping gently in the 72F, 5 mph, intermittent breeze 3 miles from the ocean, it struck me as particularly beautiful... even with the gray over-cast sky.


I am appreciative that I live in a country where I can speak English, and not German (link here) - and English is Still spoken around the world by more people than any other language who control more of the world's capital and decisioning making  (even with nearly 1.4 Billion Chinese, not all of whom speak Mandarin), with the most influence internationally;

We hope to replace this grass with mulch and rock in the next 2 months, with the drought

[I once, while waiting for my company car to pick me up, observed a French business man try and check out of a very poorly run South Korea hotel in Changwon, "Hotel International" - a total pit, very unpleasant, highly NOT recommended for anyone who wants a pleasant stay -  using only French.  The poor man tried and tried, but the hotel clerk just looked blankly back at him, until in broken English, and with great venom & distaste in his pronunciation, he was able to pay his bill and leave the wretched hotel].

I have been able to live & work in multiple states, without the central government approving it (unlike my friends in China, who need central approval to relocate), [link here] going from Indiana, to South Carolina, then back to Indiana, then back to South Carolina 3 years later; then to Arizona for 5, OC California for 2.5, and now Northern San Diego County, where I hope I don't have to move again any time soon.

In this country, I don't have religious fundamentalists telling me how I can dress, what I can eat & drink, and what kind of music I am allowed to play in my home without head phones, like the Basiji do in Iran and the Mutaween do in Saudi Arabia.

In this country I don't have to worry that we are on the brink of national bankruptcy, as the Republicans & many Libertarians kept screaming we were when President Obama took office (yes months earlier, in the same financial conditions under Bush, no one on the right seemed to notice or care about a growing national debt - a debt which the Democrats have once again substantially paid down after the Republicans ran it up... again)... and it is not Greece with radicals on both the left and right rioting in the streets because their government has not had a spine to be able to make any hard choices and implement any austerity effectively for the last 4 bankruptcies.

America has its problems, but it is still a pretty damn good place to live & work and raise a family.  I am grateful to the men & women in the US military who have fought to keep us free, as well as grateful to the Federal leaders (Presidents, Secretaries of State, Senators, etc) who have kept us OUT of wars over the centuries making the spilling of the blood of our military unnecessary (Sorry Lindsey & McCain, we Don't need to bomb Iran and [what's left of] Syria and everywhere else that makes you wet your bed).  It's an English speaking, free movement of labor & capital (relatively, Joe M) =-) , pleasant country where peacocks can picnic wherever they please... "freedom baby, that's what it's all about!" [Freedumb Weekend Aloft, Greenville SC, 1992, yelled by a drunk redneck next to a fully armed A-10 warthog, at Donaldson Center].

Happy Fourth of July to everyone, no matter where you live!

November Movie Reviews

On November 8th, I flew from Bangalore to Paris, taking off from Bengaluru airport at 2:45am, after working most of the week  in Bangalore and part of it in Dubai.  I should have been extremely tired, but due to the fact that a Delta Airlines frequent flyer card Does NOT allow you to pick your seat on an Air France (Flying Blue) flight, even though they are both "Skyteam", I was stuck in an aisle seat, 23G on an Air France 777-200.  The aisle seat afforded me frequent bumping by the service cart, crying from the 1 year old sitting one row behind me, and inconsiderate brushes and bumping by any passenger headed to the rest room.  Over the Arabian Sea, I took off the futile sleep mask I'd donned, requested a double cognac, and began watching movies on the little screen embedded in the back of the headrest in row 22G, figuring I'd pass out from exhaustion and get at least a few hours of sleep.  Slumber never arrived.

First, I watched Lucy with Scarlett Johansson (link here).  It was pretty good, but not awesome.  The premise was interesting, the special effects were good, and it's always a pleasure to watch Johansson on-screen.  Morgan Freeman was subdued, while Amr Waked played a fine role.  Pilou Asbæk - who reminds me of Ewan McGregor's older & creepier brother played an intense and abbreviated role at the beginning of the film (enough said).  There were too many meaningless car chases…  too much gratuitious violence that could have been better wrapped up / better executed with less strings left hanging… and the ending was a little bit "silly" for my analytical mind.  But all-in-all, I'd give Lucy a thumb's up and recommend it if you're bored, or stuck, sleepless on a plane.

Next, before reaching Iranian Airspace, I watched Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and the lovely Emily Blunt link here).  I can't recommend this film, and I have no idea why it has 4 out of 5 stars on IMDB.  Tom Cruise played himself.  Emily Blunt plays a jaded, angry, cynical warrior who hacks up aliens… and who comes to understand Tom Cruise's character.  What I did not like most about this

film, was the ridiculousness of the plot where Cruise keeps going back - like Groundhog Day - to have the day reset, and then learning from those mistakes he made that day in the next regeneration, only to then run into yet another road block.  The Groundhog Day theme MIGHT be plausible when they throw in the alien explanation… ok…  I could take a leap of faith on that and suspend disbelief for a while.  But, the stupid combat simulator that keeps mortally injuring Cruise as he learns to fight, is meaningless and non-representative of what he faces on the battle field later.  After he's mortally injured, he is Frequently shot in the head by Blunt, so much so that almost 1/4 of the scenes end with her cocking a .38 and pointing it at Cruise's head.  Wouldn't a sergeant be courtmartialed for summarily executing another wounded soldier in training?  And if the alien "Omega" can see into the future and reset time to an earlier date to learn from its failures, why couldn't it see that Cruise and Blunt were about to kill it when they find it under a (cliché) pyramid, and roll back the clock to before Cruise tries to kill it?  If you're going to present a premise in a science fiction movie, then be consistent and stick with it.  Paradox time loops, flash-backs, hallucinations, military legal code, physics…  these things need to be obeyed.  One thumb's down.

Crossing over Iran, still wide away, I watched Grand Budapest Hotel. (link here)  Dr Desert Flower had rented this on Netflix some time back in September when we were flying to my little brother's wedding in Chicago, and watched it on her iPad.  My beloved 1/2 deaf wife offered to give me one ear phone so I could watch it too, crammed into the middle seat beside her in a SouthWest Airlines coach seat [she always wants the aisle, I detest the aisle, and really just want a window seat that affords a bulkhead upon which I can lean against and sleep (see earlier postings this month here)].  I declined, tucked in my elbows, and read Voltaire's "Treatise on Tolerance".  Sleepless over pre-dawn Iran, and still disgusted by the Doug Liman hackery I just endured, I watched Wes Anderson's romp through Eastern Europe Vague-a-stan with multi-cameo appearances by many many many actors - The Society of the Crossed Keys, Ha!  It was a somewhat heart warming story, but rather silly, and again, with meaningless chase scenes and needless violence (sleds? shoot outs? beheadings? really…   necessary?) Over-all, it was not unenjoyable, and I did snicker a few times.  Can't say I loved it, but it was not bad.

Crossing from Iran to Turkey, and avoiding Syrian, Pakistani, Ukrainian, Afghani, and Chechnyan airspace, I still was strangely awake - albeit glad to not be shot down by any surface to air missiles.  I saw that Divergent (link here) was on the movie list, so I queued it up, request another double cognac, and settled into 139 minutes of teenage pablum.  Maybe if I was a 12 or 13 year old girl I would have liked it much better, but I didn't care about the characters, the hole-filled-plot, or the "filmed on a tiny budget indoors" cinematography.  I didn't think anyone was "dreamy" or any of the acting believable.  Massive thumbs down.  Ew.  2 hours of my life I will never get back.

When Divergent ended, we were transitioning from Hungary to Austria, and then breakfast was served over Germany.  Air France "Premier Economy" was not 1/2 as nice as I remembered it being in 2012 when I last flew on AIr France, and instead of "bolting on" Premier Economy to the back side of Business Class and treating it like business class, Air France has changed their model, and now treats Premier Economy like it is "slightly bigger coach", with no seat reclining, no business class food, and much-more-absentee service than I recall from 2 years ago.  It was very slightly better than coach in that the arm rest was wider than 2 inches, and there was a tiny metallic foot rest that folded down from the row in front of you… but I would not say it was truly worth a 40% higher air fare than economy  / coach (thigh still less than the 4X multiplier difference from coach to business class).

After we landed in Paris, I got a lobster wrap and a 1/2 bottle of wine, and slept well from Paris to Newfoundland, before waking up to do some email, eat lunch, and get ready to land.  Atlanta to OC, I got a nice window seat (here).

On the way TO Dubai and India, I couldn't sleep so well in the aforementioned uncomfortable Premier Economy Air France seat, so I watched Guardians of the Galaxy (link here) upon Jon Stewart's recommendation.  It was OK.  Not great, not that enjoyable.  Very not believable.  Very hoaky.  Perhaps I would have enjoyed it if I was taking a small child or a grand kid to the movies to see it…  I dunno.  I had No Idea that both Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper were in it as a walking tree and a raccoon - a stretch for both pretty boys to pull off successfully.  I still have no idea why SO Many People LOVE Chris Pratt - he's a goof, and he played himself in Guardians.   Sadly predictable that they're going to make a Guardians 2 sequel.  Ugh.

Last weekend, Dr Desert Flower agreed to go see Fury with me (link here).  She told em she wanted to go.  She said she wanted to see it.  I took her.  She hated it.  We were not even home and she was IM-ing people telling them how she hated it.  I should have followed my retired neighbor Bob's advice and gone to see it in the afternoon while she was at work.  Graphically violent, with a very-unbelievable ending (as in "cannot be believed", not "unbelievably awesome!")… I would have enjoyed the film more had I gone to see it by myself (or seen it on a plane, over Iran).  I still think that the older Brad Pitt gets, the more he begins to resemble my younger brother…  or at least, in the make-up for Fury, they made him look like my little brother.  

The next night, we went to see Rosewater (link here) at the same theater - nice leather seats with arm

rests, a wine bar, and table service in the theater if you really want it (they were delivering pizzas and entrées to movie goers who ordered before the credits.  Rosewater was good.  I wanted it to be great.  Parts of it were heart-moving, wrenching, inspiring.  Parts of it were silly, and very Jersey-esque.  Filmed in Jordan while Jon Stewart took a sabbatical from "The Daily Show", it was very believable.  I recommend anyone who geopolitically aware, go to see this movie, regardless of your politics - right, left, green, centrist, it doesn't matter… it has a message for everyone.  And it is amazing that cinema can take a Dane interrogating a Mexican in a Jordanian room, and make you think they're all Iranians in an Iranian prison.  The Iranian women in the film were actually Iranian actresses, refreshingly.  And DDF liked it much more than Fury, of course.  

How Wolves Change Rivers - Trophic Cascade

How Wolves Change Rivers.  Or... "How destructive uncontrolled deer populations can be to an ecosystem".



This video was brought to my attention by my friend John Kress.  It's produced by "Sustainable Man".  Very nice indeed.  Excellent scientific work that went into all of the factual observations, recorded data, and scientific method applied.   (you mean, they didn't just trust in a Bible story for guidance on how to observe the actual changes, over time?)

Whenever I hear a former Wasilla Alaska mayor (a town with NO City Services whatsoever, relying entirely on the county & state to help the citizenery) turned partial single term governor, talk about how she enjoys shooting wolves, I begin to mourn for the loss of insight, the lack of focus on science, and perpetual dumbing down of the United States electorate.  At least she helped prevent a McCain presidency (and a war with Iran that would have resulted)... even if she's really bad at everything else she's tried to do.

If you're afraid of wolves, that's natural for an uninformed human to feel fear of a pack of large predatory carnivores who are poorly understood by most people.  But in the last 100 years in North America, there's been exactly 2 people killed by wolves (link here).  In comparison: "in North America, since 1990, bears (black and grizzly) killed 59 people and cougars killed 11. In the U.S., domestic dogs kill 20 to 30 people every year. And hunters kill nearly 100 people in the U.S. and Canada every year and injure around 1,000."  Appears homo sapiens are still the most lethal species on this planet, after viruses and bacteria (on average).

Argo, Good Flick

Dr Desert Flower and I saw Argo this evening - in a theater full of 40, 50, and 60 somethings - and it was pretty good.  Yes, it was a little over-dramatic and exaggerated beyond what really happened, but it was a good film.   There were no cars chasing them down the run way, and Iran didn't figure it out the DAY OF the escape, in reality, they figured it out the Next Day.  The Americans got out, the Canadian Ambassador & his wife got out, and everyone was safe and fine... but Ben Affleck is a good story teller.  I think Ben Affleck is a better story teller than Clint (the Chair) Eastwood, and Clint's already won Oscars for that.

After the movie, we went out and ate Persian food in Laguna Niguel - very appropriate.  =)  .. and delicious.

Witamy Pana Romney

Witamy Pana Romney  (welcome, Mr Romney)

Yeah, Mitt's not running for "President of Poland", that's true.  But compare his bumbling in the UK, his "culture matters" bigotry in Israel, nearly causing a war with Iran, and his cool reception in Poland.  My, he's proving himself to be quite presidential.

AT-AT Cross Section

Of course, Defense Spending is still going to increase.

USS Stennis Fighting Pirates For Iran

This news story is too funny, and writes itself.  The US Navy reported that they rescued and freed 13 Iranian fishermen who were being held hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea yesterday.  The USS Stennis carrier group that rescued the Iranians is the SAME carrier group that big bad Ataollah Salehi, the Iranian Army Chief, warned “We recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf.” (link here).

Maybe it was not so much a threat by Iran, as it was a veiled plea for help in fighting piracy in the Arabian Sea?  LOL!   Since the Iranian sailors were being held for just 40 or so days before the US Navy (not the Iranian Navy) found and rescued them. 

Did the US Navy throw the Iranians in prison, or demand "payment" for them from the Iranian government?  No, they fed them, and gave them medical attention after rescuing them.  How terrible!!! 

Iranian Children's Stories

I'm a father who's read his son many a children's story in my life time.  With this reference point, I was amazed and disturbed to hear a spokesman for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claim that the Iranian's government's proven involvement in an assassination plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the US in New York "a "child's story" meant to distract Americans" (links here and here).

A child's story?  Seriously?  Is that how children in Iran are raised, put to bed, intrigued... with stories of conspiracy with Mexican drug cartels, being monitored by the DEA, and plotting to explode a diner while the Ambassador ate there (probably killing lots of people who were not the Ambassador)?  Is this what goes for a "child's story" in Iran?   Sick, twisted, bizarre.  I do not understand the current state of leadership in Persia today.

No Turning Back - The Sherbs

My freshman year college room mate, John L, had this Sherbs album.  I heard this song (the "hit single" from the album) ad nauseum that year in our dorm room.  When I heard the BBC news caster this afternoon say there was "no turning back" in Libya for Gaddafi's regime... this is the first word association that came to mind.

Bahrain opposition is taking note of Libya?  Well... the Bahrain monarchy is allied with the oil rich Saudis and never tried to assassinate members of the Saudi family as Gaddafi did.  So it really doesn't matter.

Syrian citizens are taking note of Libya?  Yes, well, the Assad regime is still being well funded by oil rich Iran, and shows no signs of stopping it's brutal and violent crack down on protesters all around the Assyrian empire.

The puppetry will continue, in its brutal, well funded, media-suppressed function, until the citizens are cowed into submission or killed. There's "no turning back" - and that's the W0RD.

Being John Malkovich Assad

The more I hear about Syria killing Sunni (majority) citizens, and Bahrain suppressing Shi'a (majority) citizens, and the more bombs that keep going off in Iraq & Afghanistan & Pakistan... I find it hard to not implicate the involvement of the largest Shi'a nation in the world: Iran. 

First, Syria.  I keep hearing questions on the radio
Q: "When will Assad run out of money?"
A: Never, as long as Iran is pumping oil.  Iran won't pass up a chance to take out Sunnis and stick a thumb into Sunni run Saudia Arabia's eyes, whenever possible.
Q:  "How long before the Syrian military generals turn against Assad?"
A:  Never, as long as Iran is providing military advisers, intelligence, weapons
Iran NEEDS Syria and the Assad regime to funnel money and weapons to Hezbollah ( حزب الله‎ ).  Assad is an 'Alawite, which is a off-shoot of Shi'a.  Now, to most so-called christian[TM] Americans, a Muslim is a Muslim is a Muslim.  But to the Shi'a and Sunni, they see themselves as different as Roman Catholic and Orange Protestants in Northern Ireland.  Sunni doctrine dictates that Shi'a are heretics who need to be executed - Martin Luther didn't advocate killing of Catholics, the same way the Inquisition advocated hunting down and taking out perceived "heretics" but the level of hatred is the equivalent. 

So the Iranian Shi'a, who have loads of oil, and therefore a supply of Cash, are able to finance, supply, guide, influence, control the Syrian 'Alawites, and the Lebanese Hezbollah Shi'a militants, and the citizens of Bahrain who are 80% Shi'a but are ruled by a Saudi Aligned Sunni monarchy.  And to make things look worse for the United States, our 5th Fleet is stationed in Bahrain, so the United States Commerce, Energy (oil), Defense & State Departments don't want to have American media cover Sunni suppression of Shi'a majority citizen protests in Bahrain, but they DO want to have intense media focus on Bashar Assad's killing of his Sunni majority citizens in Syria.  Thing is, it's not Assad so much anymore killing anyone, but Iran pulling the puppet strings.  If Iran loses Syria to a majority Sunni revolution, they lose a 2nd front on Iraq through which to funnel IEDs, suicide bombers, and enough mischief & evil to entangle US troops in support of the Iraqi government for generations to come.  Iran would also lose their conduit to easily reach Hezbollah, since in Lebanon there's too many Druze and Christians getting in their way. 

Now, to circle back to Afghanistan & Iraq.  Iran Does NOT want America to withdraw troops, treasure, and attention from their neighbors Iraq and Afghanistan.   They DON'T want to be invaded, but at the same time, they won't pass up a chance to kill as many Americans and NATO troops as possible with increasingly sophisticated IEDs, so Iran creates as much mayhem and havoc as they can without stepping over the line to the point where they blatantly piss off the US and get cruise missile, predator drone & B2 bomber strikes.  From what I've observed, the bloody math figures to < 50 US troops killed / month = American Apathy*
* Note: as long as the IED or violent attack is not directly traceable back to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

So it is the Sunnis in Saudi Arabia who are pulling the puppet strings with the monarchy in Bahrain, and with Hamas ( حماس‎ ) in Gaza.  The Shi'a Iranians are pulling the puppet strings in Syria, in Lebanon with Hezbollah, fueling unrest in Bahrain with the Shi'a majority, in Iraq when Sunnis are blown up, and in Afghanistan when the Sunni dominated Taliban are not involved in killing Afghan & NATO troops. 

John Malkovich is no longer John Malkovich once John Cusack is pulling the puppet strings, and playing out his long lasting dream of exploring the 'art of puppeteering'... all while appearing to be John Malkovich, having the facade and reputation of Malkovich, but living out the dreams and machinations of Cusack.  Pick your puppet, and your puppet master.  Align each with rival Sunni or Shi'a sects who've hated each other and warred with each other for centuries, and perhaps now you have a better impression of just how messed up things are from the Sinai Peninsula to the Hindu Kush range. 

I do not include Libya and Pakistan into this, since they are far more tribal, diverse in which Muslim sect their populations are made of, and are therefore much harder to predict.  The puppeteers are playing smaller roles there, but are not the dominant voices in the cacophony of violence, chaos, and civil war (in Libya Open civil war, in Pakistan, just-below-boiling-point covert civil war).  In Egypt, the society is more educated, more tech savvy, more metropolitan and less agrarian relying heavily on tourism for revenue (or at least they Used To rely on tourism) so the religious puppeteers have less sway. 

Therefore, whenever I hear about "When will the Syrian regime collapse?" I automatically rephrase the question:  "Will Iran capitulate in Syria, to Sunni / Saudi dominance?"

"When will the media start covering the brutality against the Bahrain citizens?" automatically becomes "When will the 5ft Fleet leave Bahrain?"

"When will the US withdraw all their troops from Iraq?" automatically becomes "When will Iran stop funding Malaki and other Shi'a insurgent factions?"

I know it's somewhat of an over-simplification to label ALL the carnage in the middle east on the Sunni / Shi'a internecine conflict, but it helps my tired mind to see who the real puppet masters are, and why the killing continues on a massive scale fueled by religious fervor. 

Thanks Iran!

Iran's been stopping fuel trucks from entering Afghanistan, at all the road crossings along the hundreds of miles of shared borders (link here).  The Shia Fundamentalist lead regime misguidedly believes that the fuel is destined for NATO forces fighting Taliban in Afghanistan - even though zero percent of the land shipped fuel is headed for NATO.  NATO gets its fuel via Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, since Iran is considered a "state sponsor of terror" and all US contractors cannot do business with Iran.

So how effective has this fuel blockade been at achieving Iran's goals?  Well, if their goal was to inspire PRO-AMERICAN rallies in Kabul, then Iran is doing a great job!  If their goal was to really p*ss off the civilian population of Afghanistan with exorbitant fuel prices and turn any sympathy they had for Iran into rage against the Islamic Republic to the west, kudos to you Iran!  Mission accomplished! 

Iran's W, folksy Ahmadinejad

Last week in Iran, the country's "elected President" (yeah, right) Mahmud Ahmadinejad used the phrase (link here): "The bogeyman snatched the boob" ( مایه ترس ووحشت ربوده ممه ) - in regards to the United States, and how (in his opinion) the US 'needs to just stop threatening Iran and move on', in the same way the lowest class of any Iranian mother might tell her child, when she is weaning the toddler, that the bogeyman has taken the mother's breast away. It's a crude phrase, and most speakers of Farsi, including all diplomats, would never utter such a base, guttural phrase. But Ahmadinejad likes to follow in Bush's footsteps, and is trying to be folksy with his nation. Also, he got a round of laughter from his audience, and really wanted to ham it up. Using the Farsi word "ممه " ("mameh") is a lower class slang than using "tit" or "teet" or "knocker" or the anatomically correct "breast". Mahmud Ahmadinejad has studied Palin and Bush closely - he doesn't want to appear "elitist" or bother with all that book learnin - naw, he want's to be folksy, and relate to the common man "Joe Six Pack" (in Farsi "جو شش بسته").

He followed up with this phrase later in his diatribe with:
"Pour the water where it burns," he said, "why are you wetting other parts?", in regards to the United States being angry and having "burning asses" or "سوزش باسن". More rounds of laughter erupted. (See video here).

In Farsi, slang for 'breast' is "mameh". But it is not often uttered publicly in a country where words and expressions of even the slightest sexual nature are considered taboo and commonly censored in books and publications. Like his counterpart W, rules apparently don't apply. Like other demagogues (Scott Brown, Palin, Joe Arpaio, Michele Bachmann), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی‌نژاد) has realized that many less intelligent constituents are easily motivated by fear and rhetoric, and getting down to their folksy level - and Never sounding Elitist or Educated! - helps the masses to relate. For a complete list of folksy Bushisms, see this helpful and comprehensive Slate link (here). If any of our Persian visitors know of a similar list for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی‌نژاد) folksy expressions, please leave a comment here! =)

Hypocritical Anti Semite Indignation

Hypocritical Indignation. Yes, the Israeli's acted with a overpowering hand in stopping the humanitarian aid flotilla from Turkey to Gaza, and it was stupid of them to shoot and kill people on the flotilla ships. Non lethal force should have been used. And it was very stupid of the people on the ships to attack the Israeli Defense force soldiers.

But this Outrageous International Indignation, Against Israel, pouncing on them for immediate action and sanctions, is complete and utter BS. Where is this outrage when Iran calls for the destruction of Israel? Where is the outrage when Hamas and Hezbollah launch rockets into civilian areas with the intent of killing civilians, causing fear, and propagating terror? Where is the outrage when the Saudis broadcast telethons to raise funds for Iraqi suicide bombers?

I don't care if you're an Israel lover, or an Anti-Semite. If you're gonna condemn Israel for doing something stupid and draconian, you need to condemn their enemies who target Israeli civilians, and Israel's existence as well. I am disappointed that Israel Defense forces killed civilians who were attacking Israel commandos who had rappelled from Blackhawk helicopters onto Turkish ships headed for Gaza, making diplomacy much more difficult, putting America in a more difficult spot, and eventually costing more American lives in Iran & Iraq.

Just 5113

The US tells Iran to shut up, that it only has 5113 nuclear warheads (link here) and is working to reduce that number - down from 31,255 warheads (link here) in 1967. So in my lifetime, the US has eliminated 5/6th of their nuclear stockpile... going from total planet annihilation X30, to total planet annihilation X5 (at 1000 warheads, released all at once, you can create enough fall out to kill all the vertebrates).

Though angry, indignant right wing talking heads think this is treasonous to state such things, I think it's a good thing. When going from total annihilation X30 to X5, that's a significant reduction in 40 years, but we can do better. It's more change than the meager 15% reduction in green house gasses that the current energy bill proposes.

Richard Engel Explains Last Week's Iraqi Elections

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Richard Engel Explains the ramifications of Iraq's democratic elections last week. Hopefully, this is good news that will lead to Getting US Troops Out!

Night On Bald Mountain

Last night's intense storm here in AZ reminded me of a fine work that my high school marching band played when I was the percussion section leader - we used to think we were such badasses in our aussie hats and mirrored sun-glasses.... but I digress.
Modest Mussorgsky's Night On Bald Mountain, as played by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. Each time I listen to this, certain crescendos still spend shivers down my spine - having practiced it ad nauseam almost 30 years ago.

part 2 is here (link).

Iran's new application of violence...

Foreign Policy ran a good article yesterday (link here) about how the Green Movement's opposition is slowly winning over time. Then today, automatic weapons are fired at opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi's car - he survived (link here). Up to now, opposition leaders had not been the targets of regime violence, just their supporters have been. Has ignition of this highly volatile mix begun? I really hope there's no massacres =(

Slow changes over time, that are organically nurtured, and which become inexorable are much better than violent, bloody, revolution, in my opinion.

The Persian Room, Scottsdale

The night before our son went back to SC last week, we had dinner at The Persian Room in Scottsdale. It was fantastic.

The service started off a little slow, after the onion and fresh cut basil house appetizer was brought to the table, but once our waiter realized we were an easy table to serve, he dove right in and provided a wonderful culinary feast to our hungry family. We started off on the hummus & dolmeh combination plate appetizer, which was the best humus we've ever eaten - we all three agreed. Then, we moved onto the Tour of Persia: "Combination of barg, cornish, koobideh and gheymeh bademjan served with Zereshk polo and Basmati rice. (Serves three)" - WOW. The cornish hens were succulent, flavorful, and fell off the bone. The barg & koobideh kababs ( کباب کوبیده) were mouthwatering. The gheymeh bademjan ( "Eggplant and Lentil Stew") I used as my rice substitute, but Christopher and Dr Desert Flower thorough enjoyed the Basmati.

And the whole meal with tip and drinks for 3, was less than $75. Delicious, and economical.

We could have gone to Cracker Barrel.... LOL!

Ahmed Rashid - An Informative Read

I just finished Ahmed Rashid's Taliban - Militant Islam, Oil & Fundamentalism in Central Asia last weekend. Chalk full of personal interviews, facts, time lines, maps, glossaries, 4 pages bibliographies, colloquialisms, 20 pages of foot notes, written in 2000, Taliban was well organized, insightful, and a very interesting read. The follow on book Descent Into Chaos - the U.S. and the Disaster In Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, written in 2008, I'm only 20 pages into so far.

Through his detailed accounts of the region's history, the main power brokers, and current events, Mr. Rashid subtly expresses a sadness for his native Pakistan as it implodes and staggers drunkenly down the road to disaster paved with corruption & drug money while driven with a fear of India and a proclivity for extreme fundamentalism. I'm looking forward to driving through this 500 page tome.

If you're looking for light hearted entertainment, this aint the book for you. If all the somewhere-a-bads, and vague-i-stans intrigue you, the differences between a Mujaheddin and a Taliban fighter elude you, and clueless Western myopic parachute reporting aggravates you, then give Rashid's works a try.