Friday January 27, 2012, 4:48 am
sadly noted

Friday January 27, 2012, 5:50 am
thanks Cal, noted

Friday January 27, 2012, 10:00 am
What I find also really remarkable, nearly amazing, is the veerrrrrrrryyy different representation in the Mass(Stupidification)Media, which different regimes in the ME are treated with.
To name but one example, " Undoubtedly the Iranian regime is simply horrible. But comapred to Saudi-Arabia, Iran is a human-rights-paradise. " (~- Noam Chomsky), which --judging only from MSM here-- you'd never ever guess and think the exact opposite.

Friday January 27, 2012, 1:28 pm
life has value beyond measure
Peace and Love

Friday January 27, 2012, 3:32 pm
How can anyone even consider that Egypt is in a better place? During Mubarak, were juornalists killed? Were there news blackouts? This is what the Middle East calls democracy?

Friday January 27, 2012, 9:17 pm
thanks

Friday January 27, 2012, 9:32 pm
Thank you, wolf a.. I'm sorry I cannot give you another green star this week.

The masked media propagate stereotypes. We then make war on the basis of these stereotypes, and only then, when the targeted country is in rubble, do we realize that the stereotypes were false. Our troops are left to mediate the conflict between our propaganda and reality.

That is especially true of Iran. Revolutionary zeal has waned in Iran, but we Americans are still stuck in 1979, fearing and hating a long-dead Ayatollah.

The following article helped me to let go of my own stereotypes:

See Iran: Stereotype versus reality. Here's a quote from that article:

> A central assumption behind the West’s hostility toward Iran is guided by a stereotype. Iran is seen as a kindred version of Saudi Arabia or Talibanist Afghanistan, with a brand of Islam that is intolerant, doctrinaire, and inflexible. Iranian society is regarded as backward, anti-modern, and marked by medieval attitudes. Within the stereotype, most people readily submit themselves to fanatical mullahs, who regulate their daily life.

> These assumptions are not supported by reality. Sociologists and scholars say that Islam in Iran is more ritualistic than ideological or doctrine-driven. In the streets of Tehran, one comes across portraits of various prophets and the great Shia imams, including Hossain.

> Middle-class Iranians are more interested in Hindu spiritual gurus and cult-figures like Rajneesh, Sai Baba, Mahesh Yogi, Satya Sai Baba, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar than in Islamic clerics. Many are yoga enthusiasts and vegetarians.

> The clerics do not command universal respect in Iran. Taxi drivers often refuse to be hired by them. They are seen as overbearing and intrusive on people’s privacy. The hijab dress code can only be imposed with a degree of coercion. Many women defy it subtly or overtly. They routinely wear lipstick, expose their ankles, and cover their heads only partially.

-- Praful Bidwai, "Iran Won't Be Bullied", antiwar.com, 06 May 2006

Friday January 27, 2012, 10:05 pm
What a desperate and cowardly way to control the masses! I hope the guilty will be held accountable for any injuries or deaths for which they are responsible and that the imprisoned will be released.

Friday January 27, 2012, 10:50 pm
These dictaors are something else, do they really think that by killing journalist the news is not going to get out, have they not heard of the internet, even in these countries people are connected and will get the news out one way or another

Friday January 27, 2012, 11:01 pm
NOTED THANK YOU

Monday January 30, 2012, 8:38 am
interesting. thanks for the article.