Because I love my country and if I leave it to these bastards and run away, who is there to stand up to them?

I did come to the US with the same dream. During that time, I learned many things, mainly your misery travels with you wherever you go so you better confront and solve it at home or you'll never be happy. What happened to all those who left their countries for a fast and comfortable solution?

I've tried to minimize the undesirable situations that can happen if you have got anything to do for the government. I do not work for them, got a pretty good job at a private firm, and no one can make me participate in any sort of demonstrations.

Thanks for the explaination Afs. I applaud and respect you for your dedication and love to your country.

What recourse do you, as a citizen have in removing those in power from office? In other words here in the USA, as you are somewhat familiar with our system, the American people have the opportunity to go to vote in elections and put someone else in power if they are not happy with their current representation.

Who puts the leadership of your country in power?


Don Cardi

Well, you're welcome and thanks DC.

We've presidential elections every four years as well. But the problem is, the candidates have to be approved by a council that would filter people based on their religion, dedication to the regime and many other things that almost make it impossible for a hard-core reformer to become a candidate. And then even if a president decides to take an action, this action can be blocked by our supreme leader who is appointed from God and no one can change him. The same goes with the house of representatives, if they pass a law, this law has to be approved by the same council.

These past eight years we (my family and I) voted for Khatami. His initial promises were to restart relationship with the US. While he did many reforms, he failed to pull off many other promises because he didn't have much power and he compromised a lot. Reformers like us were disappointed and didn't vote this time to show our opposition to the constitution, which we try to change. So this time this fella got elected and has started to run his big mouth the way they do in the Friday prayers, thinking the world is going to take this kind of BS that they shove down the throat of those idiots. I'm very glad that world stood up to them in the UN and passed a resolution against those idiotic remarks. This might give him a lesson.

The house of reps and the presidential office is now in hands of religious right and they have come to power with the promise of improving the failing economy, what they'd blamed on reformers these past eight years. But I'm sure, they can't do much and the demonstrations would increase in near future.

Sounds like the U.S.

Sounds like the U.S. [/b][/quote]That's why someone like me can understand your point about the horrors of slippery slope.

Thank you Afs. You've given me a much better understanding as how the Iranian people, such as yourself, are really not happy with how the government of that country represents you. You've managed to give me some real insight into the world in which you live in. Thanks for sharing this with us. I appreciate it.


Don Cardi

DC, the reason I didnt want to leave my country, well, its because it is my country and will ever be. Even if my family has received death threats and there was also a grenade put in our garden back in 93 because my father was in the opposition and wrote against the government (in northern Iraq which wasnt under direct control of Saddam after 1991) and my Iraqi fellows and me had to go through soo many wars and everydays struggle because of the government, we tried to improve and change things which was nearly impossible of course. Me and my fanily left our country back in 1995 to Germany, it was because of my father's health though. Now graduating in school in Germany and everything it is very hard to go back again but we still wnat to go back. My father will also candidate for the next parlament, so if everythings works out fine we will go back. And besides that, alot of things are improving there but we still do ned alot of time, so in 5-10 years we will have a much greater country and (what is missing right now) security for the people so we can live in peace in democracy....
Sorry for the length but I tried to keep it all short since its not really an easy issue to explain

Thank you Aziatic, you were quite clear in your explaination. I wish you and your family luck and hopefully the day will come where we will all look back on this Iraq situation and will say " See, now the Iraqi people can live in freedom, and those who were forced out can now return to the country that they love."


Don Cardi

You're welcome DC, appreciate your concern. I'm praying for what you mentioned above EVERYDAY. Nothing is more important to me than my people and my country. I'd even give up my life for that. And I can assure you, the day where we can look at the situation and say look, these people are able to live peacefully WILL come. The only thing Im curious about is how that pig Michael Moore will react :p Oh wait, I know. He won't talk about it since he has been proven wrong. F him

Aziatic--There's never going to be peace in Iraq, bro. The best military in the world can't even keep law and order in their right now. What's going to happen when we pull out? It's going to be like Escape from L.A. It's going to be no holds barred. This is all for nothing.

Pat, who are you to tell someone who's lived in that country and belives that his country will now be a better place that it is not? What makes you an expert. Aztiac is the expert about the country he's lived in, not you.
Aztiac has hope for his country Pat. Why do you have to piss all over that hope? You dont know for sure what the outcome is going to be. None of us do. But there is hope.

Maybe they need you over there to straighten things out. You seem to have all the answers and already know the outcomes.


DS

The war against terrorism is difficult but not impossible. The peace won't come tomorrow but soon. We are talking about a country where most people haven't seen nothing but pain for more than 4 decades. These people look for nothing more than peace. Only about 8 percent of the terrorists who destabalize (sp?) the country are from Iraq itself, all sympathizers of Saddam. The rest is coming from other arabic countries, most of them from Syria.
Remember Falludscha? The city where there were explosions like everyday? The situation is under control there now.
Where do we have problems? In parts of Bagdad and Mosul. Nearly ALL other cities of Iraq are already stable and peaceful. The constitution meant alot for the democracy process and will be one of the reason for the peace in this country. The Iraqi forces and the Allies catch over 100 terrorists DAILY! And they all get what they deserve. Their number is decreasing, believe me. Sure there are alot left, but they will not last very long. The democracy will win this war against terrorism.

I'm sure that all of us - Pat included - would like nothing more than to see peace and democracy in Iraq.

But are any of us here really experts on any of this?

Are any of us even experts on the political situation in our own country? I know I'm not.

All we have is our opinions, which none of us are ever afraid to air here, nor should we be.

Offering an opinion to the contrary about the possible success of democracy in Iraq is hardly "pissing all over that hope." It's merely one person's opinion, and one, I might add, that is shared by many so-called "experts" on the Middle East situation.

I happen to agree with pat, BTW, and I said it a long time ago when the war began.

I don't believe that democracy can be successful in a country in which religion is the most important institution, in a country or region with no historical framework for democracy, and in a country in which it will be necessary to use military force to maintain a democracy.

Of course I sincerely hope that I'm wrong but, nevertheless, that's my opinion.

I think what's really bothering me about your response to Pat, DS (if I may be perfectly frank), is that your reply seems to be attacking him or picking on him for offering an opinion simply because he's Pat.

I just basically said the same things that he did, and I suspect that your response to me would not have been the same had I made my comments before he did.

Plaw, maybe it's in the delivery. You don't make ridiculous remarks comparing the outcome in Iraq to escape from LA. At least when you present an arguement you do so with good reasons, ones that can be respected.
I am not replying the way that I did because it was Pat. I replied the way that I did because of the way the he presents his arguements and at how he makes those cased closed statements. Pat seems top piss on almost everthing that may be a plus for this country. At least you don't do that. He talks like he is an expert or something. you don't.


DS

Plaw, in all fairness I would say that AZIATIC is somewhat more of an expert on a country that he comes from than any of us here. I admire AZIATIC for the hope and faith he is keeping in not only the democracy of his own country, but in the abilities and efforts of the soldiers from our country.

Think about it. AZIATIC, a person from another country, from Iraq, has more faith in our soldiers than the young boy from our own country does. Think about that.


Don Cardi

Aziatic has more faith than I do, too. And more faith than many Middle East experts do. And, as you do, I admire his/her faith that some day democracy will work in Iraq.

But because Pat is a "young boy", is his opinion is less valid?

Don Smitty happens to be right - Pat's "delivery" can, at times, seem to be somewhat less than tactful, but that doesn't change the fact that he's entitled to his opinion, and entitled to express it.

You want to disgaree with his opinion based on the facts as you perceive them, or based on some possible erroneous assumptions he's made, that's fine.

But he shouldn't be criticized for having an opinion (which was basically is what's happening here) because he's young, or not an expert, or because his opinion is pissing all over someone else's hope, or expressing his views.

I don't disregard his opinion because of his age. His opinion is a valid as anyone elses here on these boards. His arrogance when presenting his opinion is what I feel is wrong. And his inability to back up those sometimes outrageous statements is where I think he sometimes goes wrong. Many of his statements are presented in a cold and uncaring or respectful manner. But you are right, he is entitled to his opinion regardless of his age.


Don Cardi

Well, I can't disagree with most of that

I would only take exception to the requirement that he back up his "outrageous statements", presumably with facts.

Opinions are just that - opinions - and, as such, are valid (as opinions only) whether backed up by facts or not. Sometimes it's just a gut feeling that you have that causes you to form an opinion.

Ah, my humble apologies. The parade was in Lebanon, I thought it was in Iran. CNN was talking so much about Iran, they never mentioned where the parade was.

That being said, Ahmadinejad was there, and pledged his support of Hezbollah and destroying Israel, as we know.

New reports are also surfacing that the Iraqi insurgency has been found to be using Iranian weapons.

*Edit: Yes. :p

Do you mean the Iraqi insurgency?

Karl

No, our dear president was in the streets of Tehran, somewhere. I had the TV off this Friday but now I had to make sure from online resources where he was and he has been in Tehran. The Hezbollah parade has been held in Lebanon too. So either you didn't pay attention to the liberal media or you got things mixed up. You should've watched Fox news anyway. :p

He said that he supports Hezbollah of Lebanon though, if that's what you've mixed with other things.

Confused then, because the story I read says:

So much for the focking Canadian press. Last time I trust them.

Okay, so he wasn't there. At some point, I'm sure he will be, and I'll restart this thread.

Regarding the Iraq situation, I hear it alot that Im abit too optimistic when judging the development of the situation. Again, Im not resisting that Im right, only GOD knows how the situation really developes but I, unfortunately unlike most of the people I discuss with, also consider the good aspects in Iraqi life at the moment and how that usd to be a few years back. The salaries for example, the infrastructure, the media, the freedom of speech etc. I also visit the country every few months and speak to the people there. Thats where my faith comes from.
Then again, I can see why the people I talk to come with statements like "Iraq will NEVER be safe", "Iraq is worse than before" etc. Unfortunately, I had to realize that the media (in europe as far as I can judge it) only brings the bad news and the people bring their arguments based on that.
Anyways, I hope that everyone prays for the security in this country to improve and for winning the war against terrorism, thats all what we can do.

Thanks for reading.