Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian

In Article 13664 in soc.culture.iranian seyyed@wuee1.wustl.edu (Seyyed Mahdavian) writes:


>No. I am saying: If you think the system is corrupt, try to change it, but
>do it in a wise way. Be a friend. If you see a mistake, don't report it to
>the enemy, tell it to the friend. If the friend doesn't understand, be
>patient. Don't betray him. If you have this policy, you will never fail,
>because even if you make a mistake, you are safe. But if you get involved

The Islamic Republic is not our friend. For 14 years it has worked against
the country and betrayed the people for the benefit of expanding its 
ideology.  Even if I wanted to "make friends" with them, they wouldn't
go for it, or at least it wouldn't last vert long.

>because even if you make a mistake, you are safe. But if you get involved
>in political issues, and take side, you might end up in killing innocent

This is your problem - you see involvement in politics as equal to violence.
Why cannot one express one's political views peacefully?  Like a column in a
newspaper, or better yet, have your own newspaper? If I were to write or say my 
views in Iran, the only innocent person that would get killed is me.

>>You really don't know the meaning of freedom, do you Seyyed?
>
>The kind of freedom you are looking for, doesn't exist in the whole world!
>Do you think the relative freedom you have in the US, is because they are
>JUST? Do you think if they had economic problems and bombs exploding
>everywhere, you would have the same freedom? Do you think if CIA considers
>you as dangerous to the security and integrity of the country, you will
>have a fair trial? Your problem is that you are not involved with REAL

Nobody is defending the United States' motives in giving us freedoms here,
although the rights we have in the US are the very basis of American society.
I don't care why we have this freedom in the U.S.  The fact is, that we
HAVE it, and we DESERVE the same freedom in our own country after doing
the sacrifices we did as a nation during the 1979 revolution against
dictatorship. The Islamic Republic has betrayed the peoples' demand for
"Esteghlal" and "Azadi" (independence and freedom), because to this day,
they have denied us both of these (if not the former, definitely the latter.)

>problems that a country has. Just think about the problem of mandatory
>military service. As you know, in the US, military service is ordinarily
>voluntary. But look at what happened during the Gulf war. How many
>people were forced to go to war? I personally am against mandatory

NOBODY was drafted or forced to go to war during the Gulf War with Iraq.
If someone had voluntarily enlisted in the US army, he/she was obliged to 
go as he/she was already a soldier by his/her choice. I heard from people
in Iran that during the Gulf war, the IR was spreading lies that the US is
forcing Iranians here to go fight with Iraq, thus deeply worrying all our loved
and loving ones.  Meanwhile they were shaking hands and kisses with Tariq
Aziz and his team of butchers who were responsible for invading our country and 
devastating our people and cities.  What a CHEAP SHOT, man!  And you call them 
a friend!!  The line between being for Iran and being for the Islamic Republic 
was drawn by the Islamic Republic itself many many years ago! Just go back
to the news reports in those days, where they would say "Neerooye-HavAeey-e-
artesh-e-jomhouri-e-eslami", or "havApeymAee-ye-jomhouri-e-eslami", 
dropping the "Iran" out of these completely! No Seyyed, we "exiles" put Iran 
way way before the Islamic Republic. 

And don't threaten us about playing with fire, either. I'm not looking for 
any bonuses from the IR.  All I ask is that they recognize that we
are human beings, and it is our country too.  And I nor any of us "exiles"
will kiss up to them for it either.


May you eat the best paneer-e-Bolghari,


Agha Javad



p.s.  btw, I agree completely with your explanation of the Monty Hall
paradox.  It depends completely on whether or not Monty knows which one
is the prize, if he is deliberately showing the empty one, and whether we
know all of this, so I think you are right.  (Finally, we agree on something!)