Comments on: An Open Letter to Sisters and Brothers in Iran

By: Bop nam

Bop nam — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:58:46 +0000

I was, nonetheless, reluctant to sign this letter in part because of my suspicion that the press would mischaracterize my measured expression of concern with incendiary terms like "torch " and "lash out, " which is, of course, exactly what they did. I have never met Pastor Warren but I have long been an admirer of his ministry, even when I disagreed with him in significant respects. I have read many of the criticisms of his "Purpose Driven " concepts, including strained allegations of "New Age " associations, but I am unconvinced that he is other than a reasonably orthodox Baptist. I, therefore, did not want my opposition to Senator Obama's involvement in the Saddleback conference to be misconstrued as disapproval or ingratitude for Pastor Warren's leadership on the important problem of AIDS.

By: taylor

taylor — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:10:13 +0000

I won’t be able to thank you sufficiently for the blogposts on your site. I know you placed a lot of time and effort into these and hope you know how deeply I enjoy it. I hope I am able to do the same for someone else sooner or later.

By: pedra

pedra — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:40:32 +0000

Great read. I found your website on yahoo and i have your page bookmarked on my personal read list!
I’m a fan of your site. Keep up the great work

By: Rosa Darley

Rosa Darley — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:36:28 +0000

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By: Fatimah Freehoffer

Fatimah Freehoffer — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:05:49 +0000

To tell the truth, I’am speechless. The Shawshank Redemption is great. I’am a young film fanatic, as a matter of fact, this movie is realised the same yearI was born, and thence I’am to a greater extent accustomed movies with marvellous special effects, edge-of-your-seat action, et cetera. This movie has zero of that, and nonetheless, it close to me . Way Frank Darabont uses the tale of Red to drive on the tale, the beauty of the music used (note the harmonica used merely earlier Red getting the letter at the end). The whole movie, from beginning to end, from actions to music, is a beacon of hope, judgment, and redemption. The cast is perfect, Morgan Freeman(Red) really brings about a refreshing feel to the story, and that is precisely what the movie is, what a film should be. Really recommended for each film fan.

By: Erika

Erika — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:32:11 +0000

Essi55, I resonate with your anger towards the regime and the atrocities that you have witnessed. We have never said that to be nonviolent is to lack rage. In fact, rage towards this unconscionable brutality is essential to nonviolence, and we believe nonviolence is essential to bring about a shift toward democracy. You suggest that raising your own baton (or knife, or gun) will discourage the basij from using his. Isn’t it more likely that it will only increase the brutality of his response in his attempt to defeat you? If you then increase your own brutality to the level where you can prevail, the new regime you will have established will depend on the ongoing continuance of this brutality for its existence. Is that what you are striving for? The end will be determined by whatever means you choose to bring it about; a violent revolution will bring about a violent regime. If democracy is the intended result, nonviolent means are imperative.

You have correctly named this as a conflict between a “ruthless System and the people”. “The System” you speak of are the methods of violence, threat, and domination. “The people” includes all people caught up in that system, including those “thugs” and “fanatics” who are also victims of that system (did you not say yourself that they are brain-washed?) as much as they are perpetrators. The goal must be to eliminate that System and replace it with peaceful means of governance, not to attempt to eliminate people through adopting the System’s methods as your own, thereby perpetuating that System indefinitely.

Today over half of the world’s population lives in a country that has experienced a significant nonviolent event, most of which had a successful outcome. How is it that so often people who use violence are defeated by those who do not? What do the nonviolent resistors use as their weapon? To quote Sergei Plekhanov, an observer of the failed 1991 coup in Russia which was successfully defeated through nonviolent means, they have prevailed only through “spirit, a sense of legitimacy, and the willingness of some people to risk their lives.” Resisting violent force through these means requires sacrifice, and at times suffering and loss of life, but is ultimately the only way brutality itself can be defeated.

By: Essi55

Essi55 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:08:45 +0000

Unfortunately this regime has no conscious and will use nonviolence movement as a weakness and to their advantage, and continues beating, arresting and torturing. At this juncture it is imperative to answer baton w/ baton. When the ruthless basij thug fears his own safety, that he might be subject to baton too, he will refrain from using his, or the knife, gun, etc. When we see innocent standby like Neda (May her soul rest in peace) is murdered cold blood, and we see so many thugs w/ knives slashing young men and women, nonviolence approach becomes ineffective and without purpose. The thugs who are committing the slaughter of my brothers and sisters are mostly brought in from other countries, are well trained, and emotionally weathered for the job. They are well paid cold blooded mercenaries that money is the only thing in their minds. They have no sympathy for Iranians except their own pocket. Some are brainwashed fanatics who believe it is god given mission to them to eliminate non –believers. They laugh at your nonviolence approach and love this method dearly, since it makes it much easier for them to finish their job. This struggle now has taken a new form. It is a war between a ruthless System and the people. You cannot win a war w/ bare hands when the enemy is pointing guns at you. You will lose. The enemy has used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The gathering has no chance to gain momentum and people eventually are discouraged. Nothing accomplishes then, only at the end a few badly beaten and injured or killed. This Regime knows this game and is well experience at it. Has done it for 30 years. They will continue their ruthless tactic until people are finally haplessly accepting their condition and go home looking into future. Iran is at a tipping point now. The future can be changed for better or worse. I will guarantee you- if today’s movement is squashed like all others in the past, Iranian people will let the regime be and dare to go through another up rise like this one for a long time because of the suffering , the injuries, the killing and the incarcerations and tortures. This will give Ahmadinejad enough time to get his bomb and accomplished his mission – which is dropping the bomb on Israel as he has promised.

By: Chad Lupkes

Chad Lupkes — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:37:42 +0000

Democracy must be practiced. I encourage all of your readers to use collaborative Wiki sites like the one I linked to w/ my name to share information about your upcoming local elections. Change must come from the bottom up.

By: Dr Sa'id Farzaneh

Dr Sa'id Farzaneh — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:02:52 +0000

Thanks for your support. mA piroozim!

By: Posts about Mexico Violence as of June 25, 2009 | EL CHUCO TIMES

Posts about Mexico Violence as of June 25, 2009 | EL CHUCO TIMES — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:42:39 +0000

[...] about Mexico Violence as of June 25, 2009 Thursday, June 25, 2009 An Open Letter to Sisters and Brothers in Iran – mettacenter.org 06/25/2009 …at a rally on June 17: Translation: “First they ignore you, [...]