Next to Bush, Iranian President Doesn't Look So Bad

Columbia University was correct to invite the Iranian president, and those opposing the invitation include individuals who do not tolerate any viewpoint other than their own, whether domestic or international.

Iran is a major player in a region of strategic importance to the U.S.. American diplomats are willing to meet with their Iranian counterparts to talk about Iraq; certainly American academics and students (and hopefully the public at large, via CSPAN's television coverage) will get to hear the Iranian president’s opinions from his own mouth, rather than through the filters and spin doctors of the U.S.’s pro-Israel lobby.

Ahmadinejad is no saint; plenty of what he says reflects intolerance and can be considered hate speech. Iran’s role in the Iraq conflict can be debated, but compared to what President Bush and his administration and army have done in Iraq, Guantanamo, and in other parts of the world, I think that the Iranian president doesn't look so bad.

I, for one, plan to hear what he has to say.

---EOE---

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/daoud_kuttab/2007/09/next_to_bush_iranian_president.html

Not just lock them up, but flat out kill them.

Shouldn't we be more concerned about cleaning out our own house?

He just bombs them all.

I mention this for many laws are on the books and are NEVER enforced. Many laws are no enforced for it is hard to get evidence. For example how do you get evidence that a person is a Homosexual? Now the actual crime is NOT being a Homosexual, but having Homosexual sex. To some that may seem a minor difference, but it is important. A person who say he is a Homosexual does NOT incur any legal sanction In Iran (Or in any other country that bans homosexuals as far as I can tell), but it is the homosexual ACT that is illegal. One way to get this "Evidence" is when a man picks up a prostitute and finds out it is a guy rather than a girl. Other ways is to get the defendant to offer someone "Services" (This is how most police officers arrest Prostitutes). Please note, when a man pick sup a man by mistake and finds out the problem, the pick up is often attacked, but charges are rare.

My point is while Homosexual activity may be illegal in Iran, and subject to the death Penalty, have you run across any cases where the sentence has been made and carried out? I can NOT find any, but maybe you can.

Please note, Iran is not alone is this regard. Many states have "Laws" on the books that have NEVER been Struck down as unconstitutional because no one has tried to enforce them in decades. For example in My home State of Pennsylvania it is the law that all public School Teachers MUST lead their students in prays every morning. No court has ever ruled that law unconstitutional for the State (and the School Districts) on hearing of the Supreme Court Ruling that made such laws Unconstitutional no longer enforced them. On the other hand the State Legislature has refused to repeal them. Thus you have a Situation where it is on the law books that Teachers MUST lead their students in pray, the law HAS never been rule to be unconstitutional, for the simple reason everyone knows it is and does not even try to enforce it.

The same with Iran and Homosexual Laws, the mere fact that Iran makes Homosexual acts a capital crime does not mean it is enforced. You also have the problem of Evidence in such a case. How do you get evidence? If the act is consenting by both parties which one will turn it in? How would someone else find out about it? (Unlike heterosexual sex where the women may end up pregnant. If a person comes down with certain diseases is the only way a third party may find out if a person had some sort of sex). If a disease is involved how does a third party determine if it is Homosexual derived as opposed ot Heterosexual derived?

My point is I suspect, few if any homosexuals are being executed for Homosexually activities. Other crimes may be involved (such as rape) which making Homosexual a Capital offense, ends consent as a defense. Such cases MUST be excluded, for the real crime is FORCING some else to have sex, not the Homosexual sex itself (Such crimes are called "Rape" by most people). How many people are being sentence for Consensual homosexual acts? Very few do more to lack of Evidence (i.e. both parties to such acts do NOT talk about it) than lack of Homosexual activities.

It smacks of "Bayoneting Belgium Babies" of WWI fame. After the war it was found to be 100% lies spin-ed by the British war office. The worse part about the "Bayoneting Belgium Babies" claim was when the first indications of the Holocaust was seen during WWII, people assumed it was another case of "Bayoneting Belgium Babies" (i.e. a pack of lies). This continued even AFTER the Soviet Army freed the first camps. It was NOT till the Western Allies freed a Camp in West Germany that you had clear convincing evidence that could NOT be disputed.

The same with this claim of 100,000 death penalty victims, of which 4000 are Homosexuals. The population of Iran is about 70 Million People. That means Iran has executed over .14% of its population for ALL REASONS (or roughly 1.4 people out of every 1000 people).

Amnesty International only finds evidence of 177 Executions in 2006 (but admits more may have been executed). Please note that is the TOTAL people executed, not just for being Homosexuals.
http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Middle-East-and-North-Africa/Iran. This is less than 2.5 people per million.

Compared the .14 % rate of Iran to China's rate. China in 2006 Executed at least 1,010 people and 2,790 sentenced to death (although the true figures were believed to be much higher). China has a population of 1,321,851,888. This makes the Execution rate about just less than 1 out of a Million people (China is considered to have the worse record when it comes to the death penalty).

We may all DETEST the Death penalty, but the subject matter here are death penalty and Homosexuals and claiming 100,000 people killed, and 4000 Homosexuals is just plan to high. Even if you take the 177 number and multiply it by 25 years it is only 4425 people executed FOR ALL CRIMES over the 25 year period.

My point was simple, what HARD evidence do you have of these numbers? Do you have a Witness? Even one? (more than one would be better). Lets NOT get hang up on unverified facts, make sure the facts are as true as they can be before you start to cite them.

I point to wittinesses for the simple reason that is how the first information about the Nazi Death Camps came to light. A series of Wittinesses would be needed as to HOW many people are being executed (I have my doubts if the Iranian Government knows how many people are being executed, the Country is NOT a dictatorship, it is ruled by an elite who have divided power up between various positions. The Courts are Independent of the the rest of the Government, and often ignore even what higher courts orders (Demonstrated by the Courts that ordered people Stoned, even after Stoning was outlawed in 2002).

AI on Iran:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

CIA Fact book on Iran (Which claims Iran has a population only 65 Million):
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html

AI on China:
http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Asia-Pacific/China

CIA Fact book on China (For its population):
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

because they deny Holocaust and want to vanquish Israel :sarcasm: I do think some of us take the enemy-of-my-enemy doctrine way too far. No, we should not bomb, bomb Iran, but he is not someone who deserves respect or admiration either, unless you agree with his fascist views. And neither does Chavez, for that matter, as much as we may enjoy him constantly rubbing Bush the wrong way. There are cases when the enemy of my enemy should still not be a friend of mine...

Evil looks the same no matter what its expression. Whether it's expressed through a Bush, a bin Laden, or a Ahmadinejad.

Israel has no right to exist. The Holocaust didn't happen. Women have no rights except those granted to her by or through a man. Homosexuals should be put to death. And in Iran, that is what they are doing. Increasingly so. Doesn't look so bad? Looks quite bad to me.

No greater good in any evil. Evil is evil.

Bomb,bomb Iran! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Do you really not recognize the flavor Kool-Aid you're swallowing? :shrug: