Iran

Even though the shah gave us personal freedoms, we had no political freedoms. In a democracy, people can choose who rules them and how. This was not the case with the shah. Then Khomeini came along and gave people false promises and they believed him. As we say in Farsi: Gorbe az hole halim oftad too dig! There was certainly corruption during the time of the shah and wealth distribution was far from fair. Originally though what ignited the revolution was the coup that was staged against Mosadegh by the CIA and the British. People never forgot that and never forgave the way the US had meddled in our affairs. The US is always after its own interests (like any other country) and as history proves it, it sometimes stops at nothing to get what it wants. Bad US foreign policy, ignorance, wishful thinking, lying mullahs, and lots of other elements came together and gave birth to the IRI. Today, the people of Iran have lived through lie after lie, massacre after massacre, war, brutality, propaganda, etc. Normalcy has disappeared, yet people crave it and want to find a shortcut to it when there is none. The terrible instability in the region, including the instability in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, etc. doesn't help instill confidence in people. And US and Israel keep screaming about the nuclear program when they should have put focus on Iran's brutal disregard for the human rights of its own citizens. Iranians cannot even trust themselves. Who can forget how we messed up in 1979? What we need is a brilliant and decent leader, a category that has been scarce. But can we ever trust again? I hope the time will come.

Democracy in Iran has to come from within. Our "spring" in 1979, turned into a horrible long winter. We are in a better position than our Arab neighbours to know that an Islamic government is a recipe for disaster. Any ideological political system has no hope of delivering democracy. This is true not only about Islam but also about Communism. In a democracy all are equal and no one is more equal than the rest!

Panopticons

I usually agree with you fully on just about everything you have written about here, but this is not one of them. I see major differences between your Baltimore scenario and this. Firstly, the nature of spying vs. police work, the first being to ostensibly prevent crime/terrorism and the second being to catch a criminal once we are pretty sure a crime has happened. The needs are then very different, ongoing surveillance vs info needed for a particular case. The second is obviously the scope. ‘People using payphones in Baltimore for the period of the investiagtion’ is obviously a much smaller group than ‘anyone using a cell phone/social media site in America from here to eternity’. It’s the ongoing and blanket nature of the surveillance that I think has many people concerned. Next, I’m not sure why you appear to be trusting the very same people at their word regarding the scope of PRISM who were hiding this program in the first place. I am right with you in a complete lack of surprise that this was going on after the Patriot act but the reality here is a little jolting.

The Drudge Report

Regardless of the fact that the majority of these stories seem to be committed by blacks does not justify blatant racism. Melvin put it best when he referred to the fact that these kids are a product of their environment. Unfortunately, many young blacks have been fed a steady diet of self-hatred and victimization where they feel like they do not have to take responsibility for anything. No one is making excuses for their behavior because there is none. With that said, regardless of how disgusting this behavior, terms such as "savages", "bananas" and wishing for death when referring to an entire race is and always will be racism. I know several African Americans whose children are very well behaved and would never be caught dead behaving that way. In fact, my child attended a majority white private school where the white kids constantly came to school drunk or high. Should I make a hasty generalization of all white kids being drunks and drug addicts? Finally, this type of reporting fits a media stereo type. The media will not report otherwise. But alas, unfortunately, these stories are too easy and numerous to find particularly with everyone having a recording device on their phone. There is no excuse for this behavior and no justification for this blatant racist post. Posts like this is why the Democrats can claim that all opposition to their agenda is purely racist and not based on policy. It is racist posts like this that is making it hard to defeat the liberals. Everyday I try to convince African Americans that Republicans are not racist. However, posts like this make it hard. Because just like you, they see one bad apple and assume that it is true of everyone. I guess in a way, you and all of the people that cheered you on are guilty of the same small-minded savagery that you accuse these kids of. Have a nice day.

The Paleo Diet

You should forget grains, anyway. Try out the Paleo Diet. I’ve been on it for 3 years and feel amazing compared to how I felt on carbs/sugars, and I also dropped off my extra weight in the first 6 months of being on it without restricting calories. There are no gimmicks you have to buy (no books, programs, special snacks, etc). Just focus on healthy meats, vegetables, fruits and sparingly nuts/seeds. Whole dairy is optional, some like it and some find they feel better without it. It took me a little over a month to get used to it before my intense carb cravings went away completely, but after that it has been fine. My body easily shifts in and out of ‘ketosis’ between raw fruit snacks. Of course GMO issues are not just limited to grains, but it is a good start for your health to break free of the glucose addiction. Just have to make sure you drink plenty of water and have fruit-instead-of-meat days now and then so you’re being kind to your kidneys.