4
POPSIranian Protesters to Obama: "You're Either With Us or With Them" "I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect." Now the Iranian protesters know who the man is with. Since we've never had a President who favored tyranny over liberty before, this appears to be uncharted territory for not only the protesters -- but the American citizenry as well.
1
POPSUS Press Freedom Improves At the bottom of the list were Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea "where media are so suppressed they are nonexistent," said Reporters Without Borders. Iran dropped to No. 172 from No. 166, with Reporters Without Borders saying the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had fostered a paranoia about journalists and bloggers. "Automatic prior censorship, state surveillance of journalists, mistreatment, journalists forced to flee the country, illegal arrests and imprisonment -- such is the state of press freedom this year in Iran," the group said. The ranking was compiled from hundreds of questionnaires completed by journalists and media experts around the world and reflecting press freedom violations that took place between Sept. 1, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2009. The complete ranking can be seen at www.rsf.org/en-classement1003-2009.html Read more at source.
9
POPS One Other Thought I know the pundits are all saying this means people will have to take him seriously and go along with the hopey peace thing. OK, only the sap pundits are saying that, but still … Mickey Kaus has a point . Maybe he should turn it down. Before he’s stuck with it, and its stuck all over him. http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/kausfiles/archive/2009/10/09/what-obama-should-do-with-his-nobel-peace-prize.aspx
6
POPSMahmoud Ahmadinejad's Jewish Roots Revealed: "Heil Sabourjian!"
The phenomenon of Jews denouncing other Jews and being their own worst critics (and I do mean worst) is a well known one, in history down to the present day -- whether it's those who profess to still identify with the faith, as with some members of Jewish Voice for Peace (most have long since substituted Marxism for their religion and simply live off genetics), those whose parents converted (as with Marx), or those who converted out themselves and now prove their bona fides by trashing their former co-religionists. One thing's for sure, this is just more proof that there's something about those Jews -- always prime movers on every side of world-historical events and movements. In fact, maybe that's it! Ahmadinejad (nee Sabourjian) is just a ZIonist under deep cover, agitating for a war to bring about Iran's ultimate defeat and the massive expansion of Greater Israel's borders. Think about it, fever swampers. The title of course refers to the fact that Adolf Hitler's . . .
3
POPSSmart Power! Results May Not Be The Same as Implied or Expected That would be the same Mohammed El-Baradei that, you know, conveniently left out of the IAEA reports the part concerning Iran’s work on nuclear weapons; the same El-Baradei that considers himself a world peacemaker that’s doing God’s work! This is the guy the administration is going to rely on to “coordinate the details” of the Qum inspection schedule and regimen? This is the kind of Smart Power ! that’s guiding our nation’s most urgent and sensitive foreign policy actions; yet another example of the President’s Brilliance! and Judgement! perhaps? It’s been observed by some of his opponents that all of Obama’s promises have an expiration date, but a few months ago nobody would have believed that the time period would become this short! And I guess it’s safe to say that his proclamation that, “a nuclear Iran is unacceptable“, has expired too; after all, they’re just words …
5
POPSObama: From Savior to Leftist Windbag in Nine Months Hugo Chavez got a big round of American-hating applause when he said “it doesn’t smell like sulfur in here anymore” in reference to President Bush whom he had previously referred to as the devil. Words are cheap and Obama used a whole lot of them to promote his socialist-light agenda to the nation last year. There might not be much in the ways of original ideas floating around in his head - just a collection of discarded Democrat lost causes from the past half century or so - Obama has convinced himself that as a man of destiny he doesn’t have to bother with trivial matters like telling the truth or keeping his word. In an effort to sell healthcare reform to the nation that it doesn’t want, Obama habitually plays fast and loose with the truth. It’s gotten to the point where he can barely speak on the subject for longer than a few minutes without someone wanting to cough up the word “liar” in the background, just like Rep. Joe Wilson did last week.
5
POPSDiscovering Iran's secret nuclear plant has wiped off Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's smile Holding court at his hotel, Mr Ahmadinejad said he was looking forward to "free and open" discussions during this week's meeting with six world powers on Iran's nuclear programme. But by Friday, Mr Ahmadinejad's composure looked shaken when he appeared at a news conference shortly after President Barack Obama had disclosed that Iran had been developing a second uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom without bothering to inform the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency what it was up to.
7
POPSSwedish Shame Yes, these are the words from the current 'President of the EU'. Idiot. Where do we go from here, I wonder?
7
POPSThe UN Loves Barack Obama Because He Is Weak Not convinced about that last “seething with anti-Americanism” line, though. I think the world actually loves America. That’s why the world is all trying to get here. The world just has a bit of an adolescent attitude toward America’s dad-like role in the world. . . I’d say it’s more the United Nations General Assembly that is seething with anti-Americanism. Get back on topic, Nile! OK, here we go: It is natural that much of the UN will embrace an American president who declines to offer strong American leadership. A president who engages dictators like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez will naturally gain respect from the leaders of the more than 100 members of the United Nations who are currently designated as “partly free” or “not free” by respected watchdog Freedom House. The UN is not a club of democracies - who still remain a minority within its membership " it is a vast melting pot of free societies, socialist regimes and outright tyrannies.
6
POPS Delegates Walk Out On Ahmadinejad Undeterred, Mr Ahmadinejad went on to accuse foreign troops of spreading "war, bloodshed, aggression, terror and intimidation" in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he also used his speech to brush off accusations that his re-election in June was a fraud, describing the polling day as "glorious and fully democratic". Notably absent from Mr Ahmadinejad's podium address was the subject of Tehran's stand-off with Western powers over its nuclear ambitions. As the Iranian leader prepared to address delegates, the UN Security Council members announced that they were expecting Iran to engage with them on the issue. "We expect a serious response from Iran and will decide, in the context of our dual track approach, as a result of the meeting, on our next steps," Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on behalf of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Realtime results for #GreenNY http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23GreenNY
3
POPSAhmadinejad: Obama Will 'Regret' Accusing Iran of Hiding Nuclear Plant Doesn't this seem like such a political farce? Everyone already knew about it so what's the secret? Is Medvedev's comment the price we paid Russia for ditching the missile shield? Is this a set-up to give Israel the go-ahead? FTA: "U.S. intelligence believes that the secret Iranian nuclear facility is in an underground tunnel complex on a military base controlled by the elite Revolutionary Guards." "The location at the military base would also undermine Iran's claim that the program is for civilian purposes." Ya think??
5
POPSNetanyahu's speech / Cheapening the Holocaust And if we can compare a poorly equipped terrorist organization to the horrific Nazi killing machine, why should others not compare the Nazis' behavior to that of Israel Defense Forces soldiers? In both cases, the comparison is baseless and infuriating. Netanyahu began the speech as if he were chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial - Holocaust, Holocaust, Holocaust; his family and his wife's family. Then he spoke in Shimon Peres' terms, proposing a "rosy future" to humanity. No less demagogic was his attack on the Iranian regime. They shoot demonstrators there, he protested vehemently. As if they don't do that in our Bil'in and Na'alin. Then came the kicker: Operation Cast Lead was a pinpoint attack. Israel telephoned thousands of people to tell them to leave their homes. Where to, Mr. Prime Minister? Into the sea? He said the IDF, which killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, exhibited unprecedented restraint.
3
POPSEvil Ahmadinejad in Denial as He Discusses 'democratic' Iran at UN Those who stayed had to all but stifle their laughter when Ahmadinejad heralded Iran's recent "glorious and fully democratic election" - a contest that sparked massive street protests, which ended only after Ahmadinejad's thugs brutally beat and killed opponents. "I don't think I have sever seen a walkout of this magnitude," Walter Russell Mead of the conservative Hudson Institute told CNN after Ahmadinejad finished playing to the half-empty General Assembly hall. "It was a speech Adolf Hitler could have given." Outside UN headquarters, hundreds of Iranians picketed the Iranian strongman for much of the day. "He is not our voice. He is not our representative. We want him out of the UN," said Masomeh Ataey, 52, who traveled from Virginia to join hundreds of flag-waving protesters at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. Ahmadinejad insisted his country is ready to shake all hands "that are honestly extended to us," which seemed to be an odd reversal on his comment Tuesday that he'd . . .
3
POPSAnother useless exercise in smartough diplomacy There were, of course, two illicit nuclear projects stopped during that period, though the U.N. had nothing to do with it. One was Libya's clandestine nuclear kit, which al-Qaddafi--spooked by the fate of Saddam--agreed to hand over to the U.S. in late 2003. The other was Syria's North Korea-abetted secret reactor. That was destroyed in 2007, not by a U.N. resolution, but by an Israeli air strike.
1
POPSTaking a Stand Article was interesting. However, it switched gears a bit in the last half where the author hits on the other issues like UN Protocol and complaints from leader(s) about the UN Charter vs what is really taking place within.
4
POPSCBS: Obama International ‘Darling,’ But Hasn’t Accomplished Anything However, Reid spent the remainder of the segment demonstrating how that break with the Bush administration has failed to achieve any results: "The President orchestrated a mini summit today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but in the end, the result was a hand shake, not a break through....Mr. Obama has reached out to rogue nations like Iran, but that hasn’t stopped President Ahmadinejad...from pursuing a nuclear program." Reid concluding his report by noting: "There are two very busy days still to go in this summit, but the White House is actively downplaying expectations because they concede there won’t be much in the way of immediate results." Here is a full transcript of Reid’s report: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2009/09/23/cbs-obama-international-darling-hasn-t-accomplished-anything "Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
3
POPSNeda Agha-Soltan's Fiance Has Been Released From Evin Prison in Iran Amnesty International had been calling for Makan's release, claiming he had been ill treated in prison and subject to coercion and torture. The circumstances of his release and his imprisonment are not immediately clear, and Amnesty International has apparently suspended its appeal but is continuing to monitor Makan's situation. Others involved in the circumstances surrounding the now-famous videotaped death of the young Neda Agha-Soltan have fled Iran in fear for their own lives, including Dr. Arash Hejazi, who attended to Neda after she was shot, and the television journalist who interviewed Caspian Makan after Neda's untimely death.
2
POPSProtests Resume In Iran With The Government-Backed Quds Day Ceremony 11.57am: At least 10 protesters have been arrested, according to Reuters. "Supporters of Ahmadinejad are beating supporters of Mousavi near the Vali-ye Asr street. At least two protesters were injured," it quoted a witness as saying. 12.02pm: Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi, reporting from Tehran, said the security forces were out in force, attempting to keep opposition demonstrators away from Tehran University where Ahmadinejad was speaking earlier. "I didn't expect the protests to be as big," he said Another video appears to confirm that thousands have been involved in the protests today. It also seems to show attempts to prevent filming taking place. 12.57pm: NBC has released more of its interview with Ahmadinejad. In the latest segment, he defended the detention of three Americans, who have been held for more than seven weeks. They "trampled the law, and in accordance with the laws, they need to be punished," he said. The full interview will be broadcast on Sunday.
2
POPSThe Chávez/Iran Nexus breaks into the MSM Finally! One mad genocidal dictator in alliance with another mad genocidal dictator... what else is new? Well…for most people it is news. But now I hope not for long. You can ask, if the WaPo editorial is true, then why are we harping on Israeli settlements as the key to world peace? Why are we obsessed with reforming the health care system? And so on. Is there a contradiction here? I don't think so: Obama is in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of the state and little issues like Iran's nuclear capabilities and genocidal intent against Israel are not helpful, according to his thinking. He's wrong: the state has expanded historically on the wings of war. He can't expand the state while at the same time promoting a pacifist agenda, as much as this will satisfy his legions of followers.
1
POPSA ''Pariah'' President is Ignored How could Iran expect respectability after this debacle? They have tortured to death the activists arrested for protesting. Does this happen in any non-Muslim world ?
2
POPSCan Game Theory Predict When Iran Will Get the Bomb? Is Iran going to build a bomb? With the help of his undergraduate class at N.Y.U., he researched the primary power brokers inside and outside the country " anyone with a stake in Iran’s nuclear future. Once he had the information he needed, he fed it into his computer model and had an answer in a few minutes. A tall man with a slab of gray hair, Bueno de Mesquita, who is 62, welcomed me with painstakingly prepared cups of espresso. Then he pulled out his beat-up I.B.M. laptop " so old that the lettering on the A, S, D and E keys was worn off " and showed me a spreadsheet that summarized Iran’s future.The spreadsheet included almost 90 players. Some were people, like the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; others were groups, like the U.N. Security Council and Iran’s “religious radicals.” Next to each player, a number represented one variable in Bueno de Mesquita’s model: the extent to which a player wanted Iran to have the ability
4
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update