Ziba Kazemi: A Play in Memory

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

Zahra (Ziba) Kazemi was murdered four years ago this July 10th by Iranian Guards. They have not yet released her body, nor shall they ever, I fear. Her son, Stephen Hachemi, is still trying in mourning. He is trying to get her remains moved to Canada so that she may be near him. Here is an article that was written only a little while after her murder. For more information about her, you will find it here. This will help those of you who are following this case to keep up with the news about her. (Hat tip to Serendip for the links and some info. Thank you.)

The reason I have given you this background is because a fried of mine, Winston, has sent me a play which is going to perform in Canada only six times. That is the only chance we will have to see it. It is truly a must see.

Dear Friends,

I am very pleased to invite you to visit our latest production: Ashes to Ashes, from Nobel Prize winner playwright: Harold Pinter.

Our adaptation is dedicated to the memory of Canadian/Iranian photojournalist Zahra (Ziba) Kazemi, who was brutally killed behind the prison walls.

The show will be part of SummerWorks Theatre Festival and will have only 6 runs on the following dates at the Tarragon Theatre's mainspace:

• Friday August 3rd 6:00 pm
• Saturday August 4th 1:30 pm
• Sunday August 5th 12:00 pm
• Tuesday August 7th 9:00 pm
• Friday August 10th 6:00 pm and
• Sunday August 12th 7:30 pm

Our artistic team includes: Gemini Award winner Brenda Bazinet (actress), NTS' graduate Sam Malkin (actor) and NTS' directing program's student V. Rahbani (designer & director).

For more details please click on the poster.

You really shouldn't miss this!

Yours,
Levon Haftvan
Artistic Director
Lemaz Productions
www.lemaz.org.
416-816-8405

I realize it is rather far for some of you, but I expect my Canadian friends to go. Please, send me a review. I would very much appreciate. Thank you, and have a nice day.

Great Iranian Blogger reveals CAIR wannabe's

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

This is horrendous. If there is hunger in the world? Blame America. If there is a flood in the world? Blame America. If there is torture, stoning, raping, murder, or any other criminal offence in Iran? Blame America?!

Serendip has written a very worthy and timely article about National Iranian American Council (NIAC). They are supposedly a human rights group, but Iran has used this trick before. They know what will move public opinion, unlike some people we know, and they use it against us.

Who could say human rights is not a good cause? From these people, ME! How dare they come onto our soil, go into our Congress, and try to persuade them to relieve Iran from the sanctions. Do you know why? BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING!

Please stop over at Serendip's blog, and read about this. They are as bad as CAIR, if not worse. We must be louder and more active than these make believe groups. They are not civil rights groups. They are beholden to the Ayatollah Khomeini. Don't ever forget that.

There are 5 Americans being held hostage in Iran

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

Here we go again. Let's see what this cowboy is going to do. Will he turn out to be another Jimmy Carter to our shame, or will he do the responsible thing and get our citizens back? Only time will tell. It has already been since May.

I do not want to hear anything more about talking to these maniacs. I am ready to go in for our own. Call me whatever you like, I have been holding back from war for a very long time. If we do nothing but talk now, in the eyes of the Middle East, we have lost all credibility. Would you please remind the Left that this is not good for what they call, "Relationships" in the world!

Frankly, I don't give a hoot what the rest of the world thinks except in one sense: Fear us. As long as they fear us, they will not attack us. These are just the simple facts of war. Do you want to stop wars? Make your enemy afraid. It is just that simple.

The three people who the IRG have captured and thrown into jail are Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Kian Tajbakhsh who is a respected Urban Planner and sociologist working for the Open Society Institute, Ali Shakeri, a peace activist, Parnaz Azima, a correspondent working for Radio Farda, the joint Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty–Voice of America Persian-language radio broadcast to Iran, and Robert Levinson who disappeared in early March during a visit to Iran's Kish Island and is believed to be held by the Iranian authorities. Levinson, a retired FBI agent, reportedly had traveled to Iran to investigate a matter on behalf of a private client.

The charges are as follows:

While on the way to airport after a visit with her 93 year old mother, some thugs (IRG probably) stole her passport. This 67 year old grandmother has been charged with being involved with a propaganda campaign to foment a "soft revolution" against the brutal clerical regime.

Kian Tajbakhsh has been charged with "seeking the overthrow of the Iranian government. He and Esfandiari are being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, which contains many other Iranian political prisoners and dissidents."

Ali Shakeri and Parnaz Azima may be joining them soon due to trumpt-up charges. Panaz has been charged (because she works for RFE) of "an institution that spreads propaganda against the Islamic Republic." (And the Europeans still want to have more talks?)

At least Radio Free Europe did not sit on their hands. They used some very strong 'words' toward the Iranian regime. How about you, Mr. President?

The Iranians are hoping to use this former FBI Agent as a pawn to gain leverage in the release of the bastards we caught.

While some may think this is related to Bush in some way, let me make this clear. These arrests started in December of last year, and they got worse when the Iranian regime started cracking down on any dissent. Not every damn thing is George Bush' fault.

Remember. All of these people had passports which were confiscated, and most of them have dual-citizenship.

Sources: The Jawa Report, Iran's Growing List of Hostages and The Invisible Crisis: What if Iran took hostages and no one noticed? (I highly recommend all of these, especially the last two. I found them through google, but you have to add the year 2007, or you will get Jimmy Carter stuff.)

Trackback. (@ My Newz 'n Ideas.)

The Caliphate or the United States?

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

I have been banning all Iranian products into my house since 1979. Here is a group now that is asking you to do the same. Actually, they are asking for a little more.

Ask President Bush, today, to impose strict economic sanctions against Iran’s import of refined petroleum products. Iran, one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil, lacks the facilities to produce a refined product. As a result, Iran is one of the largest importers of gasoline – nearly half of all gasoline used by Iranians. Now, the Iranians are feeling the pinch of raised prices and gasoline rationing imposed by the government.

A bipartisan group in the U.S. House is seeking economic sanctions against Iran in an attempt to reduce the amount of gasoline imported by Tehran.

The legislation calls for companies that provide Iran with gasoline or assists with the import of gasoline would not be allowed to sell gasoline to U.S. customers. Iran imports most of its gasoline from Persian Gulf states and India.

According to Rep. Mark S. Kirk, R-IL: "This is becoming the critical weakness of the Iranian government, meaning its dependence on gasoline. Riots [in Iran] show the gasoline shortage is a growing danger to the Iranian regime and a diplomatic opportunity for Western countries to force Iran to adhere to international nuclear rules."

The legislation would provide President Bush with several options, as well as several penalties. Included among these are: denial of loans and credits from the Export-Import bank and loans or licenses for exports to the U.S. [Um...I thought we already had this?] The House Foreign Affairs Committee has already approved “legislation designed to strike at investments in Iran.” State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, "We need to do everything that we can to continue to raise the stakes in Iran in terms of its nuclear program."

Another supporter of the bill, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., said, “Our goal must be zero foreign investment.” To reach that end, the U.S. is also working with European allies to try to increase penalties against Tehran. Of course, the countries that do a lucrative business with Iran don’t want to do anything to upset the powers that be.

Vote Your Opinion NOW!

Just as we have defeated big business here in America (NO illegal aliens!), we must bring to the light our European 'friends'. We must explain to them, in a calm way, that there are higher ideals in this life than how much money you can grab. This is one of them.

Unless you want all of your women living under the Caliphate, which means clothed from head to toe with no skin showing, you must be with us on this. There truly is a war against us. It is to elimate everyone who does not believe as they do, Sharia Law, their idea of what a Muslim should be, and many more horrific things.

If you want to understand more, you may be interested in this book:

The Final Move Beyond Iraq.

Thank you.

Stop Ahmadinejad badges

You HAVE to go to this site if you really want the Iranian mullocracy regime to fall: Stop Ahmadinejad. You will find a badge that suits your taste. There are many there. Then, don't forget to visit the site! It is StopAhmadinejad (without any further extentions). You can also leave comments. They could use some good, sound encouragement. Okay, get going!

Hat tip: Winston of The Spirit of Man.

Revisiting the question: What happened to the WMD?

Scott Malensek over at Floppy Aces (great site!) has a very interesting post today. It is about the WMD issue. Were they there? Were they not? Did he get rid of them? How? Who received them? He tries to answer these oh so old questions in a fashion that makes it new. He did a pretty good job.

He may have accidently told us what happened to those 3 ships that were in the Indian Ocean that were nonresponsive to anyone. They were possibly Russian ships getting rid of the evidence.

Either way, this was not a war just over WMD, as we have repeated until we are blue in the face. People are going to believe what they want. No, it is not okay, because facts matter. But how does one change stubbornness?

Come on, admit it. When it comes to that one thing you hang on to, you must admit that you, as well as I, are stubborn! I just hope it isn't over something that is factully wrong. Give this a read. It looks like he put a lot of research and hard work into it. Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran

I say, "Everytime duschbag Ahmadinejad declares the elimination of Israel, we should bomb one of their official buildings. 'Parliamentary', preferably." I am very angry and sick of this bastard. How long are we going to sit back and do nothing?

BTW, isn't this the way WWII started? Anyone?

Oh my! Have I got news for you

I have been so busy copying the news (just in case they decide to move the links) that I forgot to post the articles over here! D'oh!

Okay, here we go:

U.S. House members blast China, May 6, 2007.

U.S. House members blast China, 5/6/07.

Sudan, Chad reach Darfur deal, 5/6/07.

Cheadle acts to stop Darfur Genocide, 5/6/07.

China Neutralizes Cutting-Edge Magazine, 5/6/07.

Book Review: The Truth about Muhammed, 5/7/07.

In Mind and Body, N. Koreans Still Suffer After Defection, 5/13/07.

U.N. official accuses Sudan of 'disproportionate' attacks, 5/13/07.

Siniora officially asks UN to form Hariri tribunal, 5/14/07.

'They will repent: 'Ahmadinejad vows 'severe retaliation' for any US attack, 5/14/07.

Palestinian interior minister quits in protest, 5/14/07.

Egyptian court upholds Mubarak decision to try Brotherhood members before military tribunal, 5/14/07.

Japanese premier defends invasion of Iraq, 5/14/07.

Iran lifts 9-month ban on moderate newspaper, 5/14/07.

Moderate Muslim Voices Silenced, 5/15/07.

Television evangelist Falwell dies at 73, 5/15/07.

Islamism, not Islam is the Problem, 5/18/07.

Operation Recruiter Appreciation Day--GOE, 5/19/07.

Moderate Muslim voices silenced, 5/23/07.

With Honor, 5/23/07.
Harsh Birth Control Steps Fuel Violence in China, 5/27/07.

Villagers riot as China enforces birth limit, 5/27/07.

Congress ignores population police in China: Help!, 5/27/07.

Report: North Korea test-fires missiles, 5/28/07.

Hospital ship begins trip around Africa in Liberia, 5/28/07.

U.N. peacekeeper killed in Darfur, 5/28/07.

In Darfur camp, women recount rapes, suffering, 5/28/07.

3,000 Darfur refugees make 10-day trek through bush, 5/29/07.

Your e-mails: Will U.S. sanctions on Sudan work?, 5/30/07.

Tibetan Abbot Forced To Step Down, 5/30/07.

Blair to G8: Keep African promises, 5/31/07.

Burma Detains Opposition AIDS Activist, JUNE/1/07.

In land of war criminals, Liberia divided on Taylor trial, 6/3/07.

C.P.B.’S ‘Rosa Parks’ Treatment, 6/4/07.

So you see, I've been quite busy reading. These are just the articles I copied, btw. lol. I have to stop before my fingertips fall off. LOL.

Hitler 1938=Ahmadinejad 2007?

I have contemplated this very issue myself, as well as Mr. Podhoretz. Mr. Podhoretz refers our perilous times as WWIV (in the Opinion Journal), regarding the Cold War as WWIII. So do I. Anytime the whole world is involved for its very survival, it should be known as a World War.

What makes WWII different from WWIII is that ideologies are much harder to pinpoint the target. Let us take a look at history to see if we can learn anything.

By 1938, Germany under Adolf Hitler had for some years been rearming in defiance of its obligations under the Versailles treaty and other international agreements. Yet even though Hitler in :"Mein Kampf" had explicitly spelled out the goals he was now preparing to pursue, scarcely anyone took him seriously. To the imminent victims of the war he was soon to start, Hitler's book and his inflammatory speeches were nothing more than braggadocio or, to use the more colorful word Hannah Arendt once applied to Adolf Eichmann, rodomontade: the kind of red meat any politician might throw to his constituents at home. Hitler might sound at times like a madman, but in reality he was a shrewd operator with whom one could--in the notorious term coined by the London Times--"do business." The business that was done under this assumption was the Munich Agreement of 1938, which the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared had brought "peace in our time."

Ah, peace in our time. How sweet that would be! Only peace does not come free, especially when your enemy is determined to destroy you in order to achieve their goal. Is Ahmadinejad determined to rid the of Israel, Jewish people, and Americans?

At the outset I stipulated that the weapons with which we are fighting World War IV are not all military--that they also include economic, diplomatic, and other nonmilitary instruments of power. In exerting pressure for reform on countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, these nonmilitary instruments are the right ones to use. But it should be clear by now to any observer not in denial that Iran is not such a country. As we know from Iran's defiance of the Security Council and the IAEA even while the United States has been warning Ahmadinejad that "all options" remain on the table, ultimatums and threats of force can no more stop him than negotiations and sanctions have managed to do. Like them, all they accomplish is to buy him more time.

In short, the plain and brutal truth is that if Iran is to be prevented from developing a nuclear arsenal, there is no alternative to the actual use of military force--any more than there was an alternative to force if Hitler was to be stopped in 1938.

I believe he is. So why is he the guy that does not get any bad press, and we get all the condemnation? Because it is easy to attack the one you know who will not attack you back. Maybe we should take the gloves off?

Much of the world has greeted Ahmadinejad's promise to wipe Israel off the map with something close to insouciance. In fact, it could almost be said of the Europeans that they have been more upset by Ahmadinejad's denial that a Holocaust took place 60 years ago than by his determination to set off one of his own as soon as he acquires the means to do so. In some of European countries, Holocaust denial is a crime, and the European Union only recently endorsed that position. Yet for all their retrospective remorse over the wholesale slaughter of Jews back then, the Europeans seem no readier to lift a finger to prevent a second Holocaust than they were the first time around.

Not so George W. Bush, a man who knows evil when he sees it and who has demonstrated an unfailingly courageous willingness to endure vilification and contumely in setting his face against it. It now remains to be seen whether this president, battered more mercilessly and with less justification than any other in living memory, and weakened politically by the enemies of his policy in the Middle East in general and Iraq in particular, will find it possible to take the only action that can stop Iran from following through on its evil intentions both toward us and toward Israel. As an American and as a Jew, I pray with all my heart that he will.

All in all, I do not want Iran to become a nuclear weapon broker. I love the Persian people, but it doesn't appear as if they are going to overthrow that regime. And what if they do? Will they continue to destroy the Jewish people as is happening in Lebanon? I do not know. Do you want we should wait and find out? Then shut up about Darfur.

As I am not afraid to stand up for what is right, I can still stand up for Darfur without being a hypocrite. I say we get rid of that Islamofascist dictator as well...

To read the complete article by Mr. Podhoretz, click here. (Free registration required.) It is rather lengthy, but it is worth the time.

Interesting Times

Tomorrow, for the first time since February 1979, the USA will sit down with that rogue regime known as Iran. Why? Hell if I know. I am very upset about this, so I am going to lead you to someone who is in the area of the meeting place.

Omar, from Iraq the Model, has written this article to keep us up-to-date on what is going on over there. You know we cannot count on our dinosaur media, but I'll leave that for another day.

I could go into the reasons why this is such a terrible idea, such as human right, nuclear weapons, murdering of our troops, etc, but this has already been said time and time again. Is their anything I could say to stop this from happening?

Why don't we stand them up? They felt all big and mighty when they pulled out of the last meet. Why don't we do it right back? Childish? Then you do not understand what carries weight over in the Middle East! There's always tomorrow.

First, they have to turn over Osama's son...

ALERT: EU is ripping us off & using OUR name to do it!

This is just another reason why we should never trust an ally, just like President George Washington stated in his farewell address. They will stab you in the back the first chance they get. That is what Europe is doing now.

EADS: Partner or proliferator?
CSP Occasional Paper Apr 25, 2007

In this paper, the Center argues that the U.S.'s involvement with European defense conglomerate EADS poses potentially serious problems for our security. For example, although EADS routinely bids for U.S. defense contracts, it sells military equipment to Iran and China, and has even been fingered in a scheme in which Iran purchased nuclear weapons parts.

If EADS wants to be a legitimate, reliable partner for the U.S., it must stop its dangerous and irresponsible behavior, plain and simple. Its bribery, corruption, proliferation, and anti-Americanism need to come to an end. Also, it must fully make clear the extent to which Putin's Russia - which owns a substantial part of the company - is capable of guiding EADS policy.

Until these behaviors are changed, the U.S. has every right to deny EADS a role in our national security.

View Full Paper (PDF).

We must let all Americans know the truth. This is not right. As a matter of fact, it is very dangerous! We are the informers, so let us inform! Get writing, e-mailing, calling, and doing whatever it takes to get this news to as many people as possible.

We got the truth out about Islam vs. Islamists. We can do this. Thank you for all of your help. Have a wonderful day.

Hat tip: Bryan Hill, Research Associate, Center for Security Policy.

Rabbis arrested in front of UN for protesting Iran

I picked this up over at LGF. It is amazing how many things happened that we never hear about. I guess that's because we must endure more important things such as Imus...

Ignored by mainstream media this week, a group of rabbis led by Avi Weiss protested at the United Nations against Iran and Ahmadinejad’s calls for the destruction of Israel. A full report is at The Hall of the Goblin King.

(Video player requires Flash Player.).

Hmm. I wonder what would happen if we caught Jerry Falwell talking to his 11 year old daughter the way Alec Baldwin was talking to his? Hey, it's another one of those, "Gotcha!" moments. Only this one is worse. Is that why there is no media?

AllahPundit does it again, scoops the groups

As we have long feared, George may have gone wobbly. Good news: Quds Force members captured at Irbil might be released soon. In case you do not realize this, that is sarcasm when he says good news. Please pray our troops, our country, and the world!

Disgusting behavior of the UK marines and seamen

Hot Air was on the ball once again, and they captured this gem.

My feelings precisely.

"Between this and the Jack Jacobs clip, it looks like the backlash among U.S. military men is on. I wonder if British media will pick it up and make it an issue. The wound to national pride inflicted by Iran must cut deep, but it’s always safer to lash out at Americans. A little displaced anger at Peters and co. would be just what the doctor ordered. [Read the whole article.]

There is a video that belongs with the above post. Take a listen.

Hat tip: LGF.

British Hostages (to be) Released

The Counter Terrorism Blog has a fabulous list of experts who have written articles about the upcoming release of the British hostages, and they are ready to be read.

I know of these gentlemen, and they are very well qualified as experts. Even if they do disagree sometimes. It is refreshing to see, because they discuss rather than call each other names. You can actually learn something! Go check them out. Have a great day.

News from Asia: 4/2/2007

These articles were written by CNN.

Myanmar allows foreign media into new capital.
NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar (Reuters) -- Myanmar's secretive military government has allowed foreign journalists into its new capital for the first time since it quit the leafy colonial-era Yangon in October 2005.

"As far as I know, visas were granted to everyone who applied for them this time, including those who used to be on the blacklist," an Information Ministry official said on Monday.

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

China, Russia urge Iran to play ball.
MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- The presidents of Russia and China have called on Iran to fulfill the U.N. Security Council's resolutions over its disputed nuclear program.

Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao also said Monday in a joint statement that their countries -- permanent, veto-wielding Security Council members -- were ready to "search for a comprehensive, long-term and mutually acceptable solution to the Iranian nuclear problem."

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

Bank threatens to sue over NK funds.
HONG KONG, China (AP) -- A majority foreign-owned North Korean bank has threatened legal action if money it holds in a Macau bank is transferred to China, a report said Tuesday.

Such a move threatens to derail a U.S.-North Korean deal that was crucial in getting the North to agree to start shutting down its nuclear program.

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

Japan deploys missile near Tokyo.
IRUMA, Japan (Reuters) -- Japan trucked its first ballistic missile interceptors to an air force base north of Tokyo on Friday in an effort to beef up its defenses against its unpredictable neighbor North Korea.

The deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) launchers, capable of shooting down incoming missiles in the final stage of flight as they near their target, was sparked by Pyongyang's firing of a ballistic missile in 1998 that flew over Japan.

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

Judge grills FRENCH OIL CEO for ties to terrorist regimes

Oh, my, my. What do we have here? Could this be the reason why the French did not want anyone to take out Saddam? And they claim to be offended by human rights violations? HA!

You can read two of the articles here: French Judge grills Total chief over corruption accusations (if that link doesn't work, use this one) and French Total oil boss under formal investigation (if this link doesn't work, use this one).