Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans

[southsider2k5]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15952309/

 

Message of H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

To the American People

 

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

 

O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers.

 

Noble Americans,

 

Were we not faced with the activities of the US administration in this part of the world and the negative ramifications of those activities on the daily lives of our peoples, coupled with the many wars and calamities caused by the US administration as well as the tragic consequences of US interference in other countries;

 

Were the American people not God-fearing, truth-loving, and justice-seeking, while the US administration actively conceals the truth and impedes any objective portrayal of current realities;

 

And if we did not share a common responsibility to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity;

 

Then, there would have been little urgency to have a dialogue with you.

 

While Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far apart, we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit, which proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought our two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together.

 

Both our nations are God-fearing, truth-loving and justice-seeking, and both seek dignity, respect and perfection.

 

Both greatly value and readily embrace the promotion of human ideals such as compassion, empathy, respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice and equity, and defending the innocent and the weak against oppressors and bullies.

 

We are all inclined towards the good, and towards extending a helping hand to one another, particularly to those in need.

 

We all deplore injustice, the trampling of peoples' rights and the intimidation and humiliation of human beings.

 

We all detest darkness, deceit, lies and distortion, and seek and admire salvation, enlightenment, sincerity and honesty.

 

The pure human essence of the two great nations of Iran and the United States testify to the veracity of these statements.

 

Noble Americans,

 

Our nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the world.

 

Hundreds of thousands of my Iranian compatriots are living amongst you in friendship and peace, and are contributing positively to your society. Our people have been in contact with you over the past many years and have maintained these contacts despite the unnecessary restrictions of US authorities.

 

As mentioned, we have common concerns, face similar challenges, and are pained by the sufferings and afflictions in the world.

 

We, like you, are aggrieved by the ever-worsening pain and misery of the Palestinian people. Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more and more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. In broad day-light, in front of cameras and before the eyes of the world, they are bombarding innocent defenseless civilians, bulldozing houses, firing machine guns at students in the streets and alleys, and subjecting their families to endless grief.

 

No day goes by without a new crime.

 

Palestinian mothers, just like Iranian and American mothers, love their children, and are painfully bereaved by the imprisonment, wounding and murder of their children. What mother wouldn't?

 

For 60 years, the Zionist regime has driven millions of the inhabitants of Palestine out of their homes. Many of these refugees have died in the Diaspora and in refugee camps. Their children have spent their youth in these camps and are aging while still in the hope of returning to homeland.

 

You know well that the US administration has persistently provided blind and blanket support to the Zionist regime, has emboldened it to continue its crimes, and has prevented the UN Security Council from condemning it.

 

Who can deny such broken promises and grave injustices towards humanity by the US administration?

 

Governments are there to serve their own people. No people wants to side with or support any oppressors. But regrettably, the US administration disregards even its own public opinion and remains in the forefront of supporting the trampling of the rights of the Palestinian people.

 

Let's take a look at Iraq. Since the commencement of the US military presence in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, maimed or displaced. Terrorism in Iraq has grown exponentially. With the presence of the US military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty. The US Government used the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but later it became clear that that was just a lie and a deception.

 

Although Saddam was overthrown and people are happy about his departure, the pain and suffering of the Iraqi people has persisted and has even been aggravated.

 

In Iraq, about one hundred and fifty thousand American soldiers, separated from their families and loved ones, are operating under the command of the current US administration. A substantial number of them have been killed or wounded and their presence in Iraq has tarnished the image of the American people and government.

 

Their mothers and relatives have, on numerous occasions, displayed their discontent with the presence of their sons and daughters in a land thousands of miles away from US shores. American soldiers often wonder why they have been sent to Iraq.

 

I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure.

 

Noble Americans,

 

You have heard that the US administration is kidnapping its presumed opponents from across the globe and arbitrarily holding them without trial or any international supervision in horrendous prisons that it has established in various parts of the world. God knows who these detainees actually are, and what terrible fate awaits them.

 

You have certainly heard the sad stories of the Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib prisons. The US administration attempts to justify them through its proclaimed "war on terror." But every one knows that such behavior, in fact, offends global public opinion, exacerbates resentment and thereby spreads terrorism, and tarnishes the US image and its credibility among nations.

 

The US administration's illegal and immoral behavior is not even confined to outside its borders. You are witnessing daily that under the pretext of "the war on terror," civil liberties in the United States are being increasingly curtailed. Even the privacy of individuals is fast losing its meaning. Judicial due process and fundamental rights are trampled upon. Private phones are tapped, suspects are arbitrarily arrested, sometimes beaten in the streets, or even shot to death.

 

I have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed deplore it.

 

The US administration does not accept accountability before any organization, institution or council. The US administration has undermined the credibility of international organizations, particularly the United Nations and its Security Council. But, I do not intend to address all the challenges and calamities in this message.

 

The legitimacy, power and influence of a government do not emanate from its arsenals of tanks, fighter aircrafts, missiles or nuclear weapons. Legitimacy and influence reside in sound logic, quest for justice and compassion and empathy for all humanity. The global position of the United States is in all probability weakened because the administration has continued to resort to force, to conceal the truth, and to mislead the American people about its policies and practices.

 

Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they showed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will heed the message of the American people.

 

My questions are the following:

 

Is there not a better approach to governance?

 

Is it not possible to put wealth and power in the service of peace, stability, prosperity and the happiness of all peoples through a commitment to justice and respect for the rights of all nations, instead of aggression and war?

 

We all condemn terrorism, because its victims are the innocent.

 

But, can terrorism be contained and eradicated through war, destruction and the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocents?

 

If that were possible, then why has the problem not been resolved?

 

The sad experience of invading Iraq is before us all.

 

What has blind support for the Zionists by the US administration brought for the American people? It is regrettable that for the US administration, the interests of these occupiers supersedes the interests of the American people and of the other nations of the world.

 

What have the Zionists done for the American people that the US administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors? Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?

 

I recommend that in a demonstration of respect for the American people and for humanity, the right of Palestinians to live in their own homeland should be recognized so that millions of Palestinian refugees can return to their homes and the future of all of Palestine and its form of government be determined in a referendum. This will benefit everyone.

 

Now that Iraq has a Constitution and an independent Assembly and Government, would it not be more beneficial to bring the US officers and soldiers home, and to spend the astronomical US military expenditures in Iraq for the welfare and prosperity of the American people? As you know very well, many victims of Katrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty and homelessness.

 

I'd also like to say a word to the winners of the recent elections in the US:

 

The United States has had many administrations; some who have left a positive legacy, and others that are neither remembered fondly by the American people nor by other nations.

 

Now that you control an important branch of the US Government, you will also be held to account by the people and by history.

 

If the US Government meets the current domestic and external challenges with an approach based on truth and Justice, it can remedy some of the past afflictions and alleviate some of the global resentment and hatred of America. But if the approach remains the same, it would not be unexpected that the American people would similarly reject the new electoral winners, although the recent elections, rather than reflecting a victory, in reality point to the failure of the current administration's policies. These issues had been extensively dealt with in my letter to President Bush earlier this year.

 

To sum up:

 

It is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one of coercion, force and injustice.

 

It is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and honesty and compassion.

 

It is possible to provide welfare and prosperity without tension, threats, imposition or war.

 

It is possible to lead the world towards the aspired perfection by adhering to unity, monotheism, morality and spirituality and drawing upon the teachings of the Divine Prophets.

 

Then, the American people, who are God-fearing and followers of Divine religions, will overcome every difficulty.

 

What I stated represents some of my anxieties and concerns.

 

I am confident that you, the American people, will play an instrumental role in the establishment of justice and spirituality throughout the world. The promises of the Almighty and His prophets will certainly be realized, Justice and Truth will prevail and all nations will live a true life in a climate replete with love, compassion and fraternity.

 

The US governing establishment, the authorities and the powerful should not choose irreversible paths. As all prophets have taught us, injustice and transgression will eventually bring about decline and demise. Today, the path of return to faith and spirituality is open and unimpeded.

 

We should all heed the Divine Word of the Holy Qur'an:

 

"But those who repent, have faith and do good may receive Salvation. Your Lord, alone, creates and chooses as He will, and others have no part in His choice; Glorified is God and Exalted above any partners they ascribe to Him." (28:67-68)

 

I pray to the Almighty to bless the Iranian and American nations and indeed all nations of the world with dignity and success.

 

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

 

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

 

29 November 2006

[Jenksismyhero]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15952309/

 

 

Pot meet Kettle...

 

Man this guy has some balls.

[Texsox]

Pot meet Kettle...

 

Man this guy has some balls.

 

To sum up:

 

It is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one of coercion, force and injustice.

 

It is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and honesty and compassion.

 

It is possible to provide welfare and prosperity without tension, threats, imposition or war.

 

It is possible to lead the world towards the aspired perfection by adhering to unity, monotheism, morality and spirituality and drawing upon the teachings of the Divine Prophets.

 

Then, the American people, who are God-fearing and followers of Divine religions, will overcome every difficulty.

 

What I stated represents some of my anxieties and concerns.

 

I am confident that you, the American people, will play an instrumental role in the establishment of justice and spirituality throughout the world. The promises of the Almighty and His prophets will certainly be realized, Justice and Truth will prevail and all nations will live a true life in a climate replete with love, compassion and fraternity.

 

The US governing establishment, the authorities and the powerful should not choose irreversible paths. As all prophets have taught us, injustice and transgression will eventually bring about decline and demise. Today, the path of return to faith and spirituality is open and unimpeded.

 

We should all heed the Divine Word of the Holy Qur'an:

 

"But those who repent, have faith and do good may receive Salvation. Your Lord, alone, creates and chooses as He will, and others have no part in His choice; Glorified is God and Exalted above any partners they ascribe to Him." (28:67-68)

 

I pray to the Almighty to bless the Iranian and American nations and indeed all nations of the world with dignity and success.

 

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

 

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

 

29 November 2006

 

Yep, some balls.

[sox4lifeinPA]

aside from referring to Israel as Zionist, what was wrong with what he had to say?

[NorthSideSox72]

aside from referring to Israel as Zionist, what was wrong with what he had to say?

I'll say this. If that is his letter, after either surviving translation or from his own hand in a non-native language... then he is a lot more eloquent than our current leader.

 

Unfortunately, I am thinking its more window dressing than anything substantial. And I hope sincerely that I am wrong, and that he really is of those opinions (the ridiculous "Zionist" parts aside).

[Texsox]

aside from referring to Israel as Zionist, what was wrong with what he had to say?

 

Not much that I read. And the shot at Israel was expected, and probably tempered. I assume the balls reference was it would not be well received by his cohorts in that corner of the globe. A bit too conciliatory towards the Christian world and the US.

[Jenksismyhero]

Yep, some balls.

 

Oh yeah. A guy preaching about upholding justice after he calls for the annihilation of all Jews.

 

There is nothing wrong with his words if you refuse to remember everything he has said and done in the past.

[Texsox]

The only hope for peace is that each player in the conflict has the same sort of epiphany. I pray this happens. However, if we follow b****'s lead, that will be impossible because of prior acts. I have an eternal optimism for all humankind and believe it can happen, to accept otherwise is to accept the depths of human violence and cruelty as inevitable and unchanging.

[Jenksismyhero]

The only hope for peace is that each player in the conflict has the same sort of epiphany. I pray this happens. However, if we follow b****'s lead, that will be impossible because of prior acts. I have an eternal optimism for all humankind and believe it can happen, to accept otherwise is to accept the depths of human violence and cruelty as inevitable and unchanging.

 

Are you serious? That’s practically the definition of human nature. There’s how many thousands of years of evidence to prove that’s exactly what humans do. That’s the problem with certain people in the world. They hold out for this unimaginable fallacy that people aren’t hard-wired to be this way. They try and deal with irrational people in a rational way. They try to use logic with illogical people. You going to tell me socialism works too?

 

And do you honestly believe this letter is a message to the American people to trust that Iran won't do anything bad in the future? That its sole aim is to uphold justice and be respectful of all other nations and peoples? Oh wait, we already know that's not true CUZ HE'S CALLING FOR THE ANNIHILATION OF AN ENTIRE ETHNIC GROUP.

 

He's pandering to the rest of the world, promoting himself as a good guy against the evil Bush regime. God help us if people actually believe that crap.

[Texsox]

Are you serious? That's practically the definition of human nature. There's how many thousands of years of evidence to prove that's exactly what humans do. That's the problem with certain people in the world. They hold out for this unimaginable fallacy that people aren't hard-wired to be this way. They try and deal with irrational people in a rational way. They try to use logic with illogical people. You going to tell me socialism works too?

 

And do you honestly believe this letter is a message to the American people to trust that Iran won't do anything bad in the future? That its sole aim is to uphold justice and be respectful of all other nations and peoples? Oh wait, we already know that's not true CUZ HE'S CALLING FOR THE ANNIHILATION OF AN ENTIRE ETHNIC GROUP.

 

He's pandering to the rest of the world, promoting himself as a good guy against the evil Bush regime. God help us if people actually believe that crap.

 

So after dropping an atomic bomb we will forever be the most blood thirsty country on the planet. OK, I can accept that.

[Rex Kickass]

So, he's a nutjob. Established.

 

But he's an established nutjob with a good point in this letter.

[Jenksismyhero]

So after dropping an atomic bomb we will forever be the most blood thirsty country on the planet. OK, I can accept that.

 

 

Not a good comparison.

 

So, he's a nutjob. Established.

 

But he's an established nutjob with a good point in this letter.

 

 

Agreed, so long we keep in mind he has an ulterior motive in producing said letter.

 

Sort of akin to a mass murderer preaching about the sanctity of life. Yeah, he makes a good point, but look at the source...

[Texsox]

Not a good comparison.

 

Are you serious? That’s practically the definition of human nature. There’s how many thousands of years of evidence to prove that’s exactly what humans do. That’s the problem with certain people in the world. They hold out for this unimaginable fallacy that people aren’t hard-wired to be this way. They try and deal with irrational people in a rational way. They try to use logic with illogical people.

[Jenksismyhero]

Are you serious? That’s practically the definition of human nature. There’s how many thousands of years of evidence to prove that’s exactly what humans do. That’s the problem with certain people in the world. They hold out for this unimaginable fallacy that people aren’t hard-wired to be this way. They try and deal with irrational people in a rational way. They try to use logic with illogical people.

 

Thousands of years full of evidence of human action.

 

Two bombs.

 

Yeah, that's the same thing...

[southsideirish71]

So, he's a nutjob. Established.

 

But he's an established nutjob with a good point in this letter.

 

Here is another nutjob, a bit before most of our time. He made similiar wonderful nice speeches about being friends of his neighbor, and how he wanted peace. Very similiar to what the Iranian nutjob is doing right now.

 

It [the German government] is impressed with the importance of its duty to use this nation of equal rights as an instrument for the securing and maintenance of that peace which the world requires today more than ever before.

May the good will of all others assist in the fulfillment of this our earnest wish for the welfare of Europe and of the whole world...

 

...we should be happy if the world, by reducing its armaments, would see to it that we need never increase our own.

(February 1, 1933)

 

It is the sincere desire of the National Government to be able to refrain from increasing our army and our weapons, insofar as the rest of the world is now also ready to fulfill its obligations in the matter of radical disarmament. For Germany desires nothing except an equal right to live and equal freedom...

 

...The German nation wishes to live in peace with the rest of the world...The keeping open of this wound leads to distrust on the one side and hatred on the other, and thus to a general feeling of insecurity. The National Government is ready to extend a hand in sincere understanding to every nation that is ready finally to make an end of the tragic past. The international economic distress can only disappear when the basis has been provided by stable political relations and when the nations have regained confidence in each other...

 

...we are ready to co-operate with absolute sincerity on the basis it provides, in order to unite the four Great Powers, England, France, Italy, and Germany, in friendly co-operation in attacking with courage and determination the problems upon the solution of which the fate of Europe depends...

 

...The Government of the Reich is ready to cultivate with the Soviet Union friendly relations profitable to both parties.

(March 23, 1933)

 

What we want lies clear before us: not war and not strife. Just as we have established peace within our own people, so we want nothing else than peace with the world. For we all know that our great work can succeed only in a time of peace (May 1, 1935).

 

 

..The German nation has no feeling of hatred towards England, America or France; all it wants is peace and quiet.

The nations will in a short time realize that National Socialist Germany wants no enmity with other nations; that all the assertions as to our intended attacks on other nations are lies, lies born of morbid hysteria,or of a mania for self-preservation on the part of certain politicians...

 

s always, I attempted to bring about, by the peaceful method of making proposals for revision, an alteration of this intolerable position. It is a lie when the outside world says that we only tried to carry through our revisions by pressure...

...You know the endless attempts I made for a peaceful clarification and understanding of the problem of Austria, and later of the problem of the Sudetenland, Bohemia, and Moravia...

...In the same way, I have also tried to solve the problem of Danzig, the Corridor, &c., by proposing a peaceful discussion...

...For four months I have calmly watched developments...

...These proposals for mediation have failed because in the meanwhile there, first of all, came as an answer the sudden Polish general mobilization, followed by more Polish atrocities. These were again repeated last night. Recently in one night there were as many as twenty-one frontier incidents; last night there were fourteen, of which three were quite serious...

...Germany has no intention of exporting its doctrine. Given the fact that Soviet Russia has no intention of exporting its doctrine to Germany, I no longer see any reason why we should still oppose one another. On both sides we are clear on that...We have, therefore, resolved to conclude a pact which rules out for ever any use of violence between us...

...This night for the first time Polish regular soldiers fired on our own territory...

[Gregory Pratt]

Here is another nutjob, a bit before most of our time. He made similiar wonderful nice speeches about being friends of his neighbor, and how he wanted peace. Very similiar to what the Iranian nutjob is doing right now.

Good job.

 

--

 

So the son of a b**** knows how to write a nice letter. He's a phony man, a liar and a future War criminal, if the War allows it.

[Texsox]

Thousands of years full of evidence of human action.

 

Two bombs.

 

Yeah, that's the same thing...

 

Two bombs? Yep, just a couple of bombs. Hell, we've dropped thousands on some countries in one day. We win wars.That's how we have become the leading superpower in the world. We've killed hundreds of thousands of people in our couple hundred year history. So which would prove your point about being hardwired? A nation that in a couple hundred years has killed more people or one that killed less and did it in thousands?

 

So if you want to preach that this is hardwired and people can not change, then you have to accept that includes Americans. There is nothing in our history that would have you believe we favor peace over war.

 

Yet, I believe in the principle of tabula rasa. I believe a leopard can change its spots. There have been negotiated peace accords. Those only happen when both sides agree to put down the weapons. An eye for an eye leaves both sides blind.

[jackie hayes]

So, he's a nutjob. Established.

 

But he's an established nutjob with a good point in this letter.

It's pure hypocrisy. "We all condemn terrorism"...even though we fund Hezbollah. "Our nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the world"...except Israel, which we want destroyed. "It is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and honesty and compassion"...but we exclude Israelis, cuz they're not really humans. It's not even that he's a nutjob, it's that the speech is mere dissembling. That's not laudable in ANY sense. It's right to scoff when the whole point of a speech or letter is to get people to approve of you by concealing your true intentions. f*** him.

 

Two bombs? Yep, just a couple of bombs. Hell, we've dropped thousands on some countries in one day. We win wars.That's how we have become the leading superpower in the world. We've killed hundreds of thousands of people in our couple hundred year history. So which would prove your point about being hardwired? A nation that in a couple hundred years has killed more people or one that killed less and did it in thousands?

 

So if you want to preach that this is hardwired and people can not change, then you have to accept that includes Americans. There is nothing in our history that would have you believe we favor peace over war.

 

Yet, I believe in the principle of tabula rasa. I believe a leopard can change its spots. There have been negotiated peace accords. Those only happen when both sides agree to put down the weapons. An eye for an eye leaves both sides blind.

You're completely insane if you think this is some radical self-rediscovery. It's bs posturing.

Edited November 29, 2006 by jackie hayes

[Gregory Pratt]

It's pure hypocrisy. "We all condemn terrorism"...even though we fund Hezbollah. "Our nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the world"...except Israel, which we want destroyed. "It is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and honesty and compassion"...but we exclude Israelis, cuz they're not really humans. It's not even that he's a nutjob, it's that the speech is mere dissembling. That's not laudable in ANY sense. It's right to scoff when the whole point of a speech or letter is to get people to approve of you by concealing your true intentions. f*** him.

You're completely insane if you think this is some radical self-rediscovery. It's bs posturing.

 

[Texsox]

You're completely insane if you think this is some radical self-rediscovery. It's bs posturing.

 

America's or Iran's? If human violence is hardwired as b**** believes, you would also have to believe then that we too are hardwired towards this violence. Unless we are somehow a different species than other humans. We are the most successful war machine this planet has ever experienced. If we are hardwired, then we too will choose war over peace.

 

I do not believe that is true.

[Gregory Pratt]

I think it's absolutely laughable to take this letter as anything more than diplomatic posturing.

[Jenksismyhero]

America's or Iran's? If human violence is hardwired as b**** believes, you would also have to believe then that we too are hardwired towards this violence. Unless we are somehow a different species than other humans. We are the most successful war machine this planet has ever experienced. If we are hardwired, then we too will choose war over peace.

 

I do not believe that is true.

 

Let's clarify. If by human violence you mean human struggles and disagreements and hatred and a want to be the most powerful at any cost, then yes, that is a natural trait in humans and is our nature. The ultimate end is to survive, so any threat to your survival will have a 'violent' response. Thats what I thought you were referencing, so I apologize for not reading your post as closesly as I should have if that's not the case.

 

But to assume that a guy with so much hatred in his history (and recent history...like weeks old recent history) could magically change his stance and become an advocate of justice is laughable. Peoples can change once their position in life is altered. However people with deep rooted vendettas, who see the current landscape as a holy war, as a battle between fundamental enemies opposed to each other, will never change their ways. That has been proven over and over again throughout history, most especially when dealing with religion. You can hope all you want, just as you can hope tomorrow we'll wake up with no crime, but it's never going to happen.

 

As to what we will do, yes, we'll choose war over peace when pushed into a corner, as would every country, unless your name is France, in which case you roll over and beg for mercy.

[Gregory Pratt]

Let's clarify. If by human violence you mean human struggles and disagreements and hatred and a want to be the most powerful at any cost, then yes, that is a natural trait in humans and is our nature. The ultimate end is to survive, so any threat to your survival will have a 'violent' response. Thats what I thought you were referencing, so I apologize for not reading your post as closesly as I should have if that's not the case.

 

But to assume that a guy with so much hatred in his history (and recent history...like weeks old recent history) could magically change his stance and become an advocate of justice is laughable. Peoples can change once their position in life is altered. However people with deep rooted vendettas, who see the current landscape as a holy war, as a battle between fundamental enemies opposed to each other, will never change their ways. That has been proven over and over again throughout history, most especially when dealing with religion. You can hope all you want, just as you can hope tomorrow we'll wake up with no crime, but it's never going to happen.

 

As to what we will do, yes, we'll choose war over peace when pushed into a corner, as would every country, unless your name is France, in which case you roll over and beg for mercy.

 

They beg for cheese, more like..... (KIDDING)

 

I'm with you all the way.

[jackie hayes]

America's or Iran's? If human violence is hardwired as b**** believes, you would also have to believe then that we too are hardwired towards this violence. Unless we are somehow a different species than other humans. We are the most successful war machine this planet has ever experienced. If we are hardwired, then we too will choose war over peace.

 

I do not believe that is true.

I'm talking about this letter. If he was renouncing his former beliefs because of this "epiphany", he would have said so explicitly. Either, I should not have said X, I was completely wrong about that, or, I never meant X when I said X, only a monster would say such things. What he did say was a bunch of making-nice-sounding, but completely nonspecific, noncommittal sound bites. Something for some sympathizer in the West to point to when people bring up, oh, Iran's support of terrorism, quest for nuclear weapons, whipping up of anti-Semitic sentiments... Those sorts of things. He has NEVER backed away from those statements, even when asked point blank about the 'wipe Israel off the map' comment.

 

I don't know why you're talking about entire countries ("America's or Iran's","we"). This is about Ahmadinejad and his personal history of assholeness, no more.

[Texsox]

I don't know why you're talking about entire countries ("America's or Iran's","we"). This is about Ahmadinejad and his personal history of assholeness, no more.

 

I guessed you missed the posts about human behavior being hardwired towards hatred and violence. That it would be impossible for someone, once they make a statement as bold as the destruction of Israel, to ever change.

 

We hated Japan enough to drop two atomic bombs. If we accept that Iran could not change their ways, then we must accept that we can not change our ways. Unless we are a different kind of human. I believe that humans can change, it is the only way to have optimism that there can be peace. If the people involved can change, like we did towards Japan, and Germany for that matter, then it is possible for those countries to change as well.