Ahmadinejad sends letter to Bush - content unknown

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Its really a shame that that's all we focus on, because there is a whole other perspective there that we end up losing in order to relegate him to a simple cardboard cutout bad guy. Rather similar to what people often do with Hitler.

Yup. But it comes in more handy when you need to mobilize public opinion; by dehumanizing someone like Ahmadinejad, it makes it possible to think in clear black and white terms and more importantly to think of Iranis as somehow less entitled to certain rights or rules.

It would certainly nice to have more balanced coverage of what is actually happening in Iran besides Ahmadinejad. But as the whole thing is indicative of the polarized world we live in currently, there are not many avenues to find out anything else. And historically, it fits what we're supposed to know; we've forgotten of anything prior to the Iran-hostage crisis, making it easy to see Iran as THE enemy and us as the poor victims.

I sometimes do wonder what would happen if the news media for a single week or even jsut a day would try to be less biased. Would that actually change the way people view the world or would it lead to a huge confusion?

Its partly the media, reporting standards on almost all of the major networks leave something to be desired. The influence of corporate ownership vs. providing objective news has always been a bit of a conflict of interest IMO.

Can't blame it all on the media of course. People themselves need to be better educated, less willing to rely on the media, and more willing to question. Of course that would take a bit of an attitude adjustment I think - need to be less absorbed by commercialism, but that's taking us into rather controversial territory...

[Mirorgate 0]

So then it wasn't an invitation to prom?

[#@!!* 0]

I was thinking more along the lines of "Hey, you are kind of cute. How 'bout you meet me behind the bleachers after the football game. Don't let the eyebrows fool you, my team kicks a**"

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

LeMonde apparently has a translation of the letter available.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Here's the text from that link

Mr George Bush,

President of the United States of America

For sometime now I have been thinking, how one can justify the undeniable contradictions

that exist in the international arena -- which are being constantly debated, specially in political

forums and amongst university students. Many questions remain unanswered. These have

prompted me to discuss some of the contradictions and questions, in the hopes that it might

bring about an opportunity to redress them.

Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the great Messenger of God,

Feel obliged to respect human rights,

Present liberalism as a civilization model,

Announce one’s opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs,

Make “War and Terror” his slogan,

And finally,

Work towards the establishment of a unified international community – a community which

Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern,

But at the same time,

Have countries attacked; The lives, reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on

the slight chance of the … of a … criminals in a village city, or convoy for example the entire

village, city or convey set ablaze.

Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one country, it is occupied, around

one hundred thousand people killed, its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed,

close to 180,000 foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens

broken, and the country pushed back perhaps fifty years. At what price? Hundreds of billions

of dollars spent from the treasury of one country and certain other countries and tens of

thousands of young men and women – as occupation troops – put in harms way, taken away

from family and love ones, their hands stained with the blood of others, subjected to so much

psychological pressure that everyday some commit suicide ant those returning home suffer

depression, become sickly and grapple with all sorts of aliments; while some are killed and

their bodies handed of their families.

On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to engulf both the peoples

of the occupied and the occupying country. Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to

begin with.

Of course Saddam was a murderous dictator. But the war was not waged to topple him, the

announced goal of the war was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. He was

toppled along the way towards another goal, nevertheless the people of the region are happy

about it. I point out that throughout the many years of the … war on Iran Saddam was

supported by the West.

Mr President,

You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can theses actions be

reconciled with the values outlined at the beginning of this letter and duty to the tradition of

Jesus Christ (PBUH), the Messenger of peace and forgiveness.

There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation,

their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own

country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows

whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.

European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in Europe too. I could

not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the

provisions of any judicial system. For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions

correspond to the values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of Jesus

Christ (PBUH), human rights and liberal values.

Young people, university students and ordinary people have many questions about the

phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of them.

Throughout history many countries have been occupied, but I think the establishment of a

new country with a new people, is a new phenomenon that is exclusive to our times.

Students are saying that sixty years ago such a country did no exist. The show old documents

and globes and say try as we have, we have not been able to find a country named Israel.

I tell them to study the history of WWI and II. One of my students told me that during WWII,

which more than tens of millions of people perished in, news about the war, was quickly

disseminated by the warring parties. Each touted their victories and the most recent battlefront

defeat of the other party. After the war, they claimed that six million Jews had been killed. Six

million people that were surely related to at least two million families.

Again let us assume that these events are true. Does that logically translate into the

establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East or support for such a state? How can

this phenomenon be rationalised or explained?

Mr President,

I am sure you know how – and at what cost – Israel was established:

- Many thousands were killed in the process.

- Millions of indigenous people were made refugees.

- Hundred of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations, towns and villages

were destroyed.

This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of establishment; unfortunately it has been ongoing

for sixty years now.

A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to kids, destroys houses

while the occupants are still in them, announces beforehand its list and plans to assassinate

Palestinian figures and keeps thousands of Palestinians in prison. Such a phenomenon is

unique – or at the very least extremely rare – in recent memory.

Another big question asked by people is why is this regime being supported?

Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH)

or liberal values?

Or are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands – inside and

outside Palestine – whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, to determine their fate, runs

contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets? If not, why

is there so much opposition to a referendum?

The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took office. All independent observes

have confirmed that this government represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put

the elected government under pressure and have advised it to recognise the Israeli regime,

abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the previous government.

If the current Palestinian government had run on the above platform, would the Palestinian

people have voted for it? Again, can such position taken in opposition to the Palestinian

government be reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are also saying “why

are all UNSC resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?”

Mr President,

As you are well aware, I live amongst the people and am in constant contact with them --

many people from around the Middle East manage to contact me as well. They dot not have

faith in these dubious policies either. There is evidence that the people of the region are

becoming increasingly angry with such policies.

It is not my intention to pose to many questions, but I need to refer to other points as well.

Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East

regions is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific

R&D one of the basic rights of nations.

You are familiar with history. Aside from the Middle Ages, in what other point in history has

scientific and technical progress been a crime? Can the possibility of scientific achievements

being utilised for military purposes be reason enough to oppose science and technology

altogether? If such a supposition is true, then all scientific disciplines, including physics,

chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc. must be opposed.

Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no doubt that telling lies is

reprehensible in any culture, and you do not like to be lied to.

Mr President,

Don’t Latin Americans have the right to ask, why their elected governments are being

opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, why must they constantly be threatened and live in

fear?

The people of Africa are hardworking, creative and talented. They can play an important and

valuable role in providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and

spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this from

happening. Don’t they have the right to ask why their enormous wealth – including minerals –

is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights?

The brave and faithful people of Iran too have many questions and grievances, including: the

coup d’etat of 1953 and the subsequent toppling of the legal government of the day,

opposition to the Islamic revolution, transformation of an Embassy into a headquarters

supporting, the activities of those opposing the Islamic Republic (many thousands of pages of

documents corroborates this claim), support for Saddam in the war waged against Iran, the

shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane, freezing the assets of the Iranian nation,

increasing threats, anger and displeasure vis-à-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the

Iranian nation (just when all Iranians are jubilant and collaborating their country’s progress),

and many other grievances that I will not refer to in this letter.

Mr President,

September Eleven was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is deplorable and

appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the

perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies.

All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good standing of their citizens.

Reportedly your government employs extensive security, protection and intelligence systems

– and even hunts its opponents abroad. September eleven was not a simple operation. Could it

be planned and executed without coordination with intelligence and security services – or

their extensive infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. Why have the various

aspects of the attacks been kept secret? Why are we not told who botched their

responsibilities? And, why aren’t those responsible and the guilty parties identified and put

on trial?

All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For

some years now, the people of your country and neighbours of world trouble spots do not

have peace of mind. After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds of the

survivors and the American people – who had been immensely traumatised by the attacks –

some Western media only intensified the climates of fear and insecurity – some constantly

talked about the possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that service to

the American people? Is it possible to calculate the damages incurred from fear and panic?

American citizen lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come at any moment and in

any place. They felt insecure in the streets, in their place of work and at home. Who would be

happy with this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and

providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity?

Some believe that the hype paved the way – and was the justification – for an attack on

Afghanistan. Again I need to refer to the role of media.

In media charters, correct dissemination of information and honest reporting of a story are

established tenets. I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain Western

media for these principles. The main pretext for an attack on Iraq was the existence of

WMDs. This was repeated incessantly – for the public to, finally, believe – and the ground

set for an attack on Iraq.

Will the truth not be lost in a contrive and deceptive climate?

Again, if the truth is allowed to be lost, how can that be reconciled with the earlier mentioned

values?

Is the truth known to the Almighty lost as well?

Mr President,

In countries around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of governments so that their

governments in turn are able to serve them.

The question here is “what has the hundreds of billions of dollars, spent every year to pay for

the Iraqi campaign, produced for the citizens?”

As your Excellency is aware, in some states of your country, people are living in poverty.

Many thousands are homeless and unemployment is a huge problem. Of course these

problems exist – to a larger or lesser extent – in other countries as well. With these conditions

in mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign – paid from the public treasury – be

explained and be consistent with the aforementioned principles?

What has been said, are some of the grievances of the people around the world, in our region

and in your country. But my main contention – which I am hoping you will agree to some of

it – is:

Those in power have specific time in office, and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will

be recorded in history and will be constantly judged in the immediate and distant futures.

The people will scrutinize our presidencies.

Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and

unemployment?

Did we intend to establish justice, or just supported especial interest groups, and by forcing

many people to live in poverty and hardship, made a few people rich and powerful – thus

trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs’?

Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them?

Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered

illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them?

Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats?

Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted

version of it?

Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors?

Did our administration set out to promote rational behaviour, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling

obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity

or the force of guns.

Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of

other nations, and trample on people’s rights?

And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office – to serve

the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets – or not?

Mr President,

How much longer can the world tolerate this situation?

Where will this trend lead the world to?

How long must the people of the world pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers?

How much longer will the specter of insecurity – raised from the stockpiles of weapons of

mass destruction – hunt the people of the world?

How much longer will the blood of the innocent men, women and children be spilled on the

streets, and people’s houses destroyed over their heads?

Are you pleased with the current condition of the world?

Do you think present policies can continue?

If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movement were instead

spent on investment and assistance for poor countries, promotion of health, combating

different diseases, education and improvement of mental and physical fitness, assistance to

the victims of natural disasters, creation of employment opportunities and production,

development projects and poverty alleviation, establishment of peace, mediation between

disputing states and distinguishing the flames of racial, ethnic and other conflicts were would

the world be today? Would not your government, and people be justifiably proud?

Would not your administration’s political and economic standing have been stronger?

And I am most sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global hatred of the

American governments?

Mr President, it is not my intention to distress anyone.

If prophet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph or Jesus Christ (PBUH) were with us

today, how would they have judged such behaviour? Will we be given a role to play in the

promised world, where justice will become universal and Jesus Christ (PBUH) will be

present? Will they even accept us?

My basic question is this: Is there no better way to interact with the rest of the world? Today

there are hundreds of millions of Christians, hundreds of millions of Moslems and millions of

people who follow the teachings of Moses (PBUH). All divine religions share and respect on

word and that is “monotheism” or belief in a single God and no other in the world.

The holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on an followers of divine religions and

says: [3.64] Say: O followers of the Book! Come to an equitable proposition between us and

you that we shall not serve any but Allah and (that) we shall not associate aught. With Him

and (that) some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allah, but if they turn back, then

say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran).

Mr President,

According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one God and follow the

teachings of divine prophets.

“To worship a God which is above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases.” “The

Lord which knows that which is hidden and visible, the past and the future, knows what goes

on in the Hearts of His servants and records their deeds.”

“The Lord who is the possessor of the heavens and the earth and all universe is His court”

“planning for the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the glad tidings of

mercy and forgiveness of sins”. “He is the companion of the oppressed and the enemy of

oppressors”. “He is the Compassionate, the Merciful”. “He is the recourse of the faithful and

guides them towards the light from darkness”. “He is witness to the actions of His servants”,

“He calls on servants to be faithful and do good deeds, and asks them to stay on the path of

righteousness and remain steadfast”. “Calls on servants to heed His prophets and He is a

witness to their deeds.” “A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the life of this

world and disobey Him and oppress His servants”. And “A good and eternal paradise belong

to those servants who fear His majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves.”

We believe a return to the teachings of the divine prophets is the only road leading to

salvations. I have been told that Your Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (PBUH), and

believes in the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth.

We also believe that Jesus Christ (PBUH) was one of the great prophets of the Almighty. He

has been repeatedly praised in the Koran. Jesus (PBUH) has been quoted in Koran as well;

[19,36] And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serves Him; this is the right

path, Marium.

Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine messengers.

The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Pacific and the rest of the world

is one. He is the Almighty who wants to guide and give dignity to all His servants. He has

given greatness to Humans.

We again read in the Holy Book: “The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and

clear signs to guide the people and show them divine signs and purity them from sins and

pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people display justice and avoid

the rebellious.”

All of the above verses can be seen, one way or the other, in the Good Book as well.

Divine prophets have promised:

The day will come when all humans will congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that

their deeds are examined. The good will be directed towards Haven and evildoers will meet

divine retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will not be easy to calculate

the actions of rulers, because we must be answerable to our nations and all others whose lives

have been directly or indirectly effected by our actions.

All prophets, speak of peace and tranquillity for man – based on monotheism, justice and

respect for human dignity.

Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is,

monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day,

we can overcome the present problems of the world – that are the result of disobedience to the

Almighty and the teachings of prophets – and improve our performance?

Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and

justice?

Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally

respected?

Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to

monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His

prophets?

Mr President,

History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. God has entrusted

The fate of man to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own

devices. Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. These

tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?

Is this situation of the world today comparable to that of ten years ago? Changes happen fast

and come at a furious pace.

The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises

and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the wolrd

feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and accept

dubious policies.

The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich

and poor countries.

The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.

The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the

disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion.

The people of the world have no faith in international organisations, because their rights are

not advocated by these organisations.

Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of

humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the

sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic

systems.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point –

that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the

prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: “Do you not want to

join them?”

Mr President,

Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice

and the will of God will prevail over all things.

Vasalam Ala Man Ataba’al hoda

Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

[almaty 19]

hmmm...

[sukie175 0]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

[almaty 19]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter..

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter...

Well, I would, too. If the Iran he's heading was abiding by all the principles he's crying about. Seeing that it's far from that, I'll just file this under the cheap populism that it happens to be.

[almaty 19]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter...

Well, I would, too. If the Iran he's heading was abiding by all the principles he's crying about. Seeing that it's far from that, I'll just file this under the cheap populism that it happens to be.

oh i agree, iran is not leaving up to most of the letter indeed..but i agree on some of his points on america behavior..

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter...

Well, I would, too. If the Iran he's heading was abiding by all the principles he's crying about. Seeing that it's far from that, I'll just file this under the cheap populism that it happens to be.

oh i agree, iran is not leaving up to most of the letter indeed..but i agree on some of his points on america behavior...

I do, too. It would just be so much more power- and meaningful if it wasn't coming from this dude. I mean, who the ** is he to lecture anyone on anything human or right or whathaveyou?

[Razor 0]

Condoleezza Rice admits she responded to Iran letter before US had translated missive

From an interview with the NBC editorial board as released by the State Department. (Just off wires, can't find link yet). Rice also admitted she hadn't read the letter in an interview with the Associated Press editorial board.

#

Q I would love to know more about this letter from Ahmadinejad and what you think he is doing in trying to approach the White House so publicly at this time, and as a second issue, what you think the relationship is between him and the Ayatollah and the other clerics.

SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Well, I won't try to judge the motivations for the letter and I certainly don't know the ins and outs of internal Iranian politics. We choose to treat the Iranian Government as the Iranian Government and to respond accordingly.

We've gotten the letter. We've not had a chance to do our own translation and of course we'll do that, but an initial reading of the letter would suggest that there is nothing in it that addresses the major issues between the United States and the rest of the world and Iran on the other hand. So not concrete issues on the nuclear side or on any of the other issues that we face. It's very philosophical, I would say. But again, I think we want to take a harder look at it, look at the actual translation and get a better sense of what's there. But that's the initial reading.

Q Well, could I just follow up asking we believe we've read that Angela Merkel and other leaders think that it's time for talks between the U.S. and Iran. Where do you stand on that now?

SEC. RICE: I think what it's time for is for Iran to recognize that the international community is on one side of this divide and that Iran is on the other side of the divide. We have a presidential statement in the Security Council. We've had Board of Governors resolutions. We're talking again in the Security Council about the world's just demands that Iran return to the negotiations having suspended its enrichment activities. And so that's really what needs to happen. I don't think there's an absence of communication. That's not the problem. The issue is: Is Iran prepared to actually take the step that it needs to take? And we haven't had any indication that they're prepared to do that.

[almaty 19]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter...

Well, I would, too. If the Iran he's heading was abiding by all the principles he's crying about. Seeing that it's far from that, I'll just file this under the cheap populism that it happens to be.

oh i agree, iran is not leaving up to most of the letter indeed..but i agree on some of his points on america behavior...

I do, too. It would just be so much more power- and meaningful if it wasn't coming from this dude. I mean, who the ** is he to lecture anyone on anything human or right or whathaveyou?

he is a repressive chopf##k wanting to be the major player in the region and snub his nose at the west....this was an example..but on the positive side, at least it broke the diplomatic ice...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter...

Well, I would, too. If the Iran he's heading was abiding by all the principles he's crying about. Seeing that it's far from that, I'll just file this under the cheap populism that it happens to be.

oh i agree, iran is not leaving up to most of the letter indeed..but i agree on some of his points on america behavior...

I do, too. It would just be so much more power- and meaningful if it wasn't coming from this dude. I mean, who the ** is he to lecture anyone on anything human or right or whathaveyou?

he is a repressive chopf##k wanting to be the major player in the region and snub his nose at the west....this was an example..but on the positive side, at least it broke the diplomatic ice...

You might be onto something there. Maybe that's what all this rattling is really about.

[almaty 19]

hmmmm here also Dean

That is exactly what I said out loud after reading this, food for thought and not what I expected at all!

i agree sister sarah.,..i ahve to think on this..i agree on some of the statements in the letter...

Well, I would, too. If the Iran he's heading was abiding by all the principles he's crying about. Seeing that it's far from that, I'll just file this under the cheap populism that it happens to be.

oh i agree, iran is not leaving up to most of the letter indeed..but i agree on some of his points on america behavior...

I do, too. It would just be so much more power- and meaningful if it wasn't coming from this dude. I mean, who the ** is he to lecture anyone on anything human or right or whathaveyou?

he is a repressive chopf##k wanting to be the major player in the region and snub his nose at the west....this was an example..but on the positive side, at least it broke the diplomatic ice...

You might be onto something there. Maybe that's what all this rattling is really about.

i hope so...not communicatiing and sabre rattling on both parties part..always leads to trouble