Britain’s PM today assured the nation that the recent upswing in body-bags from Afghanistan is making the streets of Britain safer, a horrific and egregious abuse of his political status.
Perhaps Canada should brace itself for a “me-too” from Stephen Harper, unless he suddenly develops a backbone and denounces this cynical propaganda.
See, there are no terrorists on your main street, or in your suburbs. Or under your bed. It’s working!
And I wonder how long Canadians will continue to buy the “Axis of Evil” status of Iran. We were quick to absorb this Bush-admin propaganda and actively endorse it by sending young Canadians on a one-way trip to Afghanistan (close enough) without knowing a thing about either country.Even the mildest attack of curiosity will change your outlook. Iran is a far more complex country than Canada,with a much larger population of over seventy million. It is also a theocracy, a subject for another post.
Iran is made up of thirty provinces which are divided into counties and then districts and sub-districts. Ostān, ostāndār, bakhsh and dehestān, in case you ever have to deal with paperwork and Iranian civil servants.
It also has one of the highest urban growth-rated in the world,with an amazingly young median age of 26 compared to our 39.
And unbelievably, they can conduct an election. All on their own.
Just like Palestine.
It is clear to me that our dismissive and ignorant non-view of this astonishing nation must change.
* جمهوری اسلامی ايران
Islamic Republic of Iran
ps I couldn’t get the asterisk to the end of the line, it placed it at the “beginning”…….. because it’s Arabic.
Let’s not forget the compliant mediach which fail on a daily basis to place anything in context.
Oh yes…and when we leave for work in the morning…don’t we put on body armour and climb into our bomb proof cars and drive along roads secured by the ominipresent security police? Don’t we? No?
Let me say for the record that ignorance appears to be the prevailing quality amongst our political leaders and for the rest of us folks…ignorance aint bliss by any stretch.
I wonder how many Iranians know about Mr. Lobb’s domain of Huron Bruce? Not many and nor should they. The millions of bright, intelligent, young Iranians, might be sickened- as I was – by Mr. Lobb’s latest and I believe his only policy initiative since the last election…He sent me a flyer in which he said we must all demonstrate: “…that this riding (Huron-Bruce)is the most patriotic in all of Canada.”
I don’t need to put up a flag to show that I love my country…and I can’t do it when I’m ashamed of my government.
Lets not forget that our country backed the overthrow of iran’s secular, democratic government in 1953…and supported the installation of one of the cruellest dictators in the world…Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Mr. Lobb and his ilk can do and say what they like…but I will fly my Canadian flag again when the Canadian government pulls all military personnel out of Afghanistan.
Anyway…fine post Lord Anthony
In the name of the King of the City of Peace:
In these highly-charged times I must exercise great prudence, evidenced by an exhausted runner collapsing this eve in my driveway to gasp out that the Great Caliph Riid of Dun-Gan-Ostān was mightily angered by my poncy presumption of heading a blogpost with Arabic script when I should be identifying Iran as Persian, that a wannabe-inkstained wretch like me should stick to slagging the wealthy english-speaking evangelicals who are rumoured to run the strange Liberal Conservatory of Canada.
I trust they did not torture this poor wretch with Glass Tiger and Celine Dion to mischievously disinform me with their trickery…..
His Excellency also thinks Canada has plenty of problems of its own without criticising others.
On this I heartily agree.
Just a brief comment…i do believe that the Iranians would prefer to hear their language referred to as “Farsi” Rather than Arabic. (Some might also call it “Persian). However Iranian or Persian script (i.e. lettering) is similar to Arabic- although the alphabet contains a few more letters.
I am only saying this to emphasize that Iranians do not wish to be confused with – or thought of as- Arabs.