What we've been tweeting

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Tweet: Seriously, like there was any way that #OCCUPY and Ahmedinejad weren't going to be spooning eventually.

From the Weekly Standard:

A report today in an official outlet of the Iranian regime claims that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, will meet with members of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Ahmadinejad is currently in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, where these reported meetings will take place.

"Ahmadinejad is also set to meet American university students, artists, intellectuals and elites, including Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist protestors, despite the ongoing efforts made by the pro-Zionist lobbies to prevent direct link between American people and the Iranian president," the Iranian organ Fars News reports.

American university students, artists, intellectuals and elites..?

Can he take them with him?



Anti-semitic socialists with scant to zero respect for American ideals. A natural fit if there ever was one.

Summer time reading

Again, for your perusing pleasure, an excerpt from Walter Russell Mead's outstanding essay, The Top Ten Lessons of the Global Economic Meltdown:

3. The rogue states are parasites.

It may seem unkind or gloating to say so, but the point needs to be made: the pathetic pretensions of regimes like the ones in Iran and Venezuela to some kind of world leadership have been cruelly exposed. The governments of these countries are parasites on the global economy and far from representing alternatives to the global model, they are entirely dependent on capitalist success. When the global capitalist system is booming, the price of oil goes up and Venezuela and Iran have the cash for subsidies at home and adventures abroad. When the hated global system goes bust, Venezuela and Iran go broke. The leadership of these countries are like adolescents criticizing the bourgeois habits of the parents they sponge off. Both Iran and Venezuela have immense potential to help shape world civilization and culture in the twenty first century, but to make that contribution they will have to use their oil wealth to join and help shape the world system, rather than using it to feed the egos and illusions of their leaders.

Oil isn't the only thing fueling that ego. Western useful idiots like Oliver Stone and Sean Penn do their part as Chavez seizes businesses and silences opposition press, TV and radio as his soup kitchen Socialist dream begins to crumble all around him.

Trailer for Stone's documentary on Chavez and other South American statists, here.

It's come to this...

Ahmadinejad Stresses Need for New World Order

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday called for cooperation among world states to forge a new world order.


"The conditions we are experiencing today need planning for new orders in the world and (our) cooperation and co-thinking for organizing the conditions," Ahmadinejad told reporters before departing for Istanbul, Turkey to take part in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

(italics, ours)

Terrific.

We're hitting "reset" buttons, trashing our allies and doing apology tours while one of our chief nemesis will be participating in trust fall exercises.

Encouraging signs?

Better late than never we suppose but President Obama finally had some strong words of support for the protesters and condemnation for the Iranian regime on Monday while denying the U.S. has had anything to do with the civil unrest currently going on in that country.

He completely blew his opportunity the first time around during the first wave of protests in the wake of the Presidential elections this past June. The administration’s line of thinking was that any words of encouragement to the anti-regime protesters would hamper Obama’s hoped-for sit down with Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regarding Iran’s nuclear program. And just how is that all working out?

Maybe now that the administration has received the memo that Iran, through stonewalling and outright defiance, isn’t listening to anybody regarding its nuclear program, it feels it can drop the real-politik sham and step up the rhetoric a bit with the protesters.

At this point it’s a win-win. Similar to Reagan’s emboldening the opposition in the Warsaw Pact nations and Russia itself with his freedom rhetoric, what’s wrong with a little regime change where the Middle East gets itself yet another democracy? And doesn’t the establishment of a mullah-free democracy make the whole nuclear situation just a tad less volatile?

And how are things going over there in Iran right now? Well, the Khamenei thugs are running over protesters in trucks – that’s how things are going.



Keep the pressure on, sir. We can all learn from our mistakes and you know we’re always here for you.

Call us. We’ll be awake. Sharks don’t sleep.*




* A BwD atta-boy, if anyone can give us the source of that pop-culture reference. Think early 80s late-night T.V.

H/T: Gateway Pundit via Instaglen

Picture image of the Day

(Please click image to enlarge)

No. There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spent any time at Michigan.

Also, some members of Iran’s soccer team (playing South Korea in a World Cup qualifying match) wore green arm and wrist bands in apparent support for opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi… or was it just for religious tradition?

And when in the 2nd half, some had removed the green bands, were they ordered to or did they choose to do so voluntarily so as to not arouse any suspicions?

H/T: Deadspin

This is what people were all up in arms about?

If you care, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Alternative Christian Message is below.



Unfortunately, nothing outlandish. In fact, his “message” was pretty standard Holiday season pap that, outside of direct references to Islam, we could see any number of Westerners making. He gets in the obligatory thinly-veiled dig at the “imperialist” U.S. that would be stopped dead in its tracks if that Jesus fellow were to make a sudden return. Short of that, though, we will have to settle for “Hope for a brighter future, and hope for the establishment of justice… hope for real peace, hope for finding virtuous and pious rulers who love the people and want to serve them”

(emphasis ours)

Shameless pandering to a post-Christian Great Britain, references to the second coming and a re-packaged U.S. campaign speech circa 2008. C minus for lack of originality and pro forma content.

He would be wise, though, to stay away from any Mary Magdalene references

A lot of people are in a huff over the fact that Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be giving the Channel 4’s (in Great Britain) Alternative Christmas Message. The (regular) Royal Christmas Message, a tradition started in 1932 (Joe Biden saw it on his 27” Philco) will be given by the Queen of England and Mahmoud’s “spiritual message” will be broadcast after the Queen Mother’s.

While we aren’t necessarily denying the fact that this represents another chambered round in Great Britain’s cultural suicide gun, it is the Alternative Christmas Meassage, for cryin' out loud and you don’t get much more alternative to the Western ideals of freedom and liberty than ol’ Mahmoud, so let the guy ramble a while and make a general ass of himself while we’re all enjoying our ‘nog.

Again, with the Semantics...

"The start-up of the first reactor at Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant will be "irreversible" by February next year, asenior Russian nuclear official was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying Monday." Article here.

Exit question: Define "irreversible."

We hear Iran is lovely this time of the year.

Also, by next June the Defense Department will begin to reduce its inventory of cluster bombs that do not meet the new safety requirements.

Tongue-removed-from-cheek story, here.

H/T: The bulletin board at work which remains an inexplicable case of harboring exhibits (and endorsements?) of currently-defined drunkeness, debauchery, sexism, non state-approved wagering and all-around ill-tempered and bad-mannered behavior.

The Iranian Economic Stimulus Plan unveiled

Employing some the same back-handed logic to which some fringe Greenie groups allude with regard to the environment and population sustainability, Brother Mahmoud thinks what’s wrong with the economy is, well…. you. Here’s BroMoud holding forth on his Big Idea in a speech Wednesday in the city of Hamedan as reported by the Mehr News Agency:

"If we want to build the country, maintain our dignity and solve economic problems, we need the culture of martyrdom."

He described martyrdom, dying or being killed for one's religious beliefs, as "a quick and shortcut way to reach the summit of salvation."

Cudos to the Islamicist think-tank that came up with this idea for its actually quite brilliant. They combine the twin elements of waging jihad AND reducing the unemployment roles. And the benefits of this plan are even more dramatic if you can umm… employ into this stimulus plan the sick, mentally retarded, gays and females… you know, the unproductive and unclean members of your 8th century-grounded society. Everybody wins!

H/T: Gateway Pundit

A "Victory" perhaps.... but for whom?

We’ve been scratching our heads the past couple of days trying to square the reaction to the latest National Intelligence Estimate report on Iran’s nuclear weapons program against our own perceptions of the same.

Perhaps best summing up how this is being spun is the front page of the Drudge Report today which has the caption of “Victory!” underneath a photo of the Iranian loon, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. As in, hooray for the madman for his geo-political PR coup over the dunder-headed American, President Bush.

Attached article here out of Reuters starts off by claiming the latest NIE estimates contradict the Bush administration’s assertion that Tehran was developing the bomb. “Contradict” is the money word that is used in about every article we’ve read regarding this subject but is it entirely correct or applicable?

The NIE contends that Iran halted their nuclear weapons program back in ’03 but also adds "We do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons." This is important because the NIE doesn’t know…. there is no conclusive way to determine this given NIE’s means.

But here’s what we do know: it was indeed Mahmoud that was over here just a couple months back asserting his country's own right to develop and acquire nuclear technology. And applying the reasonable man theory, why wouldn’t a kook like Mahmoud intend on developing nuclear weapons? Guys like this remind us of the story of the Scorpion and the Frog. American standards of justice for determining guilt, innocence and intent don’t apply and shouldn’t apply here. We know who this guy is and we know what he would like to do regardless of the existence of any concrete material evidence.

Here’s some more from the article: “But the new assessment found Iran was continuing to develop technical means that could be used to build a bomb and it would likely be capable of producing enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon "sometime during the 2010-2015 time-frame."

And remember: The same NIE of whose report the President’s critics are agush, is the very same agency that botched pre-war estimates on Sadaam’s WMD program.

After taking this all in, are you left with the impression that Iran’s nuke program is as cold-iron as many are portraying it to be or would like it to be in order to score political points?

As far as the NIE claim that Iran halted its weapons program back in ’03, there has been considerable debate over what it was that caused this to happen. Again, applying the reasonable man theory, what significant action in the Gulf Region kicked-off in ’03 and how might that have possibly influenced this decision?

You see, sometimes the most effective “diplomacy” is that which is represented in the stock scene from mob flicks where the wise guy tells the shop owner, “Today is Tuesday and its just me who stopped by to pay you a friendly visit… I’ll be back here on Friday but I won’t be flying solo…. so please have the money you owe us.” Contrary to the beliefs of the well-intended but hopelessly naïve’ “diplomacy” crowd, this is just how things often work in the big bad world of geo-politics.

Please don’t misunderstand us - we really do hope that the NIE’s most optimistic contentions are 100% correct. Iran not having nukes and not having any intention of developing/obtaining nukes is a good thing. So if it is as the NIE says it is, we can’t help but think that Drudge, perhaps, just perhaps, had the wrong mug shot above his headline.

Gettin' that Love Train back on Track

From Hollywood to the Upper West Side and spreading out to college campuses across America, a huge sigh of relief was exhaled… its safe to swoon for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad again. You see, after that unfortunate little slip-up at Columbia University regarding the lack of gays in his country our boy made a nice recovery by visiting fellow thug dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela on Thursday. It was a regular ol’ love-in as the two showered each other with praise and took turns slamming the “imperialist” Americans.

This follows closely on the heels of a visit by American actor Kevin Spacey to pay his respects to Hugo. Other actors/thug apologists such as Sean Penn and Danny Glover have also made trips to Venezuela.

Whether its Chavez, Castro or Sadaam Hussein, its almost a knee-jerk reaction for some folks in this country to cozy-up to these people. We figure the only reason there hasn’t been a George Soros-sponsored “peace and understanding” junket to spoon with Kim Jong-Il is that the weather in Pyongyang is crappy six-months out of the year. C’mon, Havanna or P-town? It’s a no-brainer.

But as we were saying, it was good to see Mahmoud taking the necessary steps to right the ship and get the usual suspects here in our country back in his corner.

At the beginning of the week, we had no intentions of posting about this guy. And never ones to be mistaken for serious journalists, we now know however, what is meant by that adage of a “story just writing itself.” His performance here was just too good to pass up (his quote regarding gays, "In Iran, we don't have this phenomena. I don't know who told you we have it." is one of our favorite lines of smack we've heard so far this year). So we extend our warmest regards and gratitude to Mahmoud Ahmedinejad for making our little hobby here so much easier. Thanks, bro… you’ll be missed. Looking forward to next time.

..... SQUISH.....

Of course there is no way to ever definitively prove this but we couldn’t help but feel that a particular set of people in this country were pretty tickled that Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was going to be speaking at both Columbia U. and in front of the U.N. General Assembly. Afterall, he hates Bush… they hate Bush. He hates the Western ideals of freedom and liberty… they (secretly) hate the Western ideals of freedom and liberty, etc., etc.

Its reminiscent of the free pass that Communism got back in the 20s and 30s in this country from the very same socio-economic set because it offered an alternate path to the wage-enslavement of capitalism. That, and it wasn’t Nazi fascism. Yes, there was a time when being against anti-Semitism was quite fashionable.

Anyway, his talk at the U. was pro-forma for dictators (transcript can be read here) wanting to leverage audience dissatisfaction here with the current elected leadership… lots of make-nice relativism, veiled swipes at U.S. foreign policy over the years and “can’t-we-all-just-get-along” pap…. generally the stuff that sends Sandalista hearts aflutter. And by all accounts, things were going along swimmingly until the Q & A session after his speech.

He talked around the issues of denying the Holocaust and of wanting to destroy Israel but he veered wildly off-course when he was confronted about Iran’s treatment of homosexuals... and no, this "treatment" is not a medical reference, per se, but rather "treatment" of homosexuals that has terminal medical consequences:

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country.

(LAUGHTER)

We don't have that in our country.

(AUDIENCE BOOING)

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have it.

(sound of record needle skidding across vinyl…….. woooopsy-daisy…)

We especially liked the transformation of audience reaction once they realized this guy wasn’t making a joke…. when they realized fully the implications of “We don’t have that in our county.”
It had to happen, though, right? Really, was there any doubt?

After performing admirably to that point in his little try-out to be Bush’s chief 3rd world foil, he stepped right in it. In this case, it wasn’t with respect to the Jews but rather homosexuals. Nice try, Mahmoud. Damn, you were right there, buddy.

“Is Hugo ready for his close-up?”