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Monday, February 29, 2016





The Academy Award for Impending Reform/Peace Goes to Iran!
More than 30 million Iranians voted on February 26, 2016 for major changes in two different bodies of Iranian legislation [NYTimes, Feb. 2/28/2016]. These hopeful Iranians voted to change the composition of the 290 member Parliament; from a hardline direction determined by the clerics to one consistent with economic/political reform; which will open Iran to worldwide trade. At the same time, two senior liberal clerics were leading in the equally powerful legislative body of “Assembly of Experts,” an 88 member body which will inevitably pick the next Supreme Leader, replacing the present hard-liner Ayatollah Ali  Khamenei.
The front runners in this clerical election are Presidents Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Rouhani; both highly regarded in the west [NYTimes, 2/27/2016].

Interestingly, the father of Iranian’s Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini’s grandson, was disqualified from the elections. In this case, the usual nepotism that was rampant in both bodies of representation was relatively absent.
So what does this really mean?
For our own country, it means that many of our major transnational companies that were forbidden to do business with Iran will have another opportunity to expand their business and hire more Americans and foreigners to rebuild the war-torn Iranian infrastructure. In particular: Halliburton, Baker-Hughes and other Texas oil/gas companies should see a resurgence of business. France, Switzerland, Japan, Germany will ramp up automobile and consumer products for a sophisticated Iranian population.
In general, acceptance of Iran’s nuclear activities was really the beginning of the end of American economic sanctions that was truly hurting Iran and the world economy.

When I was there several years ago, I witnessed a raging black market [run by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ] to compensate for the absence of a legitimate international economy. More importantly, POTUS Obama’s risk to lift the sanctions has had a very positive effect in terms of realigning the asymmetry of the fighting forces in the Middle East. Contrary to the Neocon/Israeli hysteria that Armageddon will arrive if sanctions would be lifted, nothing of the sort has occurred.
As I predicted eight years ago, Iran would return as a major military/economic power in the Middle East; neutralizing the nefarious Saudi Arabian Salafists, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Sunni terrorists, et. al. More importantly, Iran has, in conjunction with Russia, delineated a path toward peace in Syria which was completely obliterated by the inertia and incompetence of several western/Middle East players.
We should remember that those Democratic and Republican representatives who have professed expertise in foreign affairs [Marc Rubio, Ted Cruz, Hilary Clinton] were wrong on every occasion when judgement, and not experience, was demanded. All three sanctioned the misbegotten Bush Jr/Cheney war in Iraq which eventually led to the untoward consequence of bringing Iran into the fray for power. As a result of their ineptitude, Iraq is now divided into three parts –Kurd, Shi’ite, Sunni—just as I warned it would be turning that area into a post WWI scenario a la Gertrude Bell [MI-6 operative].

Similarly, Libya which was completely destroyed by the pathetic insistence of the Three Lady Tigers in the Obama Administration: Samantha Powers, Susan Rice, and of course, Hillary Clinton. Invading Libya,  a country which posed no threat whatsoever, has recapitulated the horrific consequences of inciting terrorism all over Africa and the EU. Those who had espoused war, failed our nation. And those who initiated peace talks succeeded to improve our financial/political standing in the world.
Grant onto Caesar that which is his: Obama and Kerry must be lauded for their enduring work over the years in trying to seek a lasting peace with Iran. Whatever happens in the forthcoming elections in the USA, the youth of both nations should mirror to some extent the powerful dynamic forces razing the staid political establishments of both America and Iran.The youth of both countries have screamed for change in the political system. So change, it should be… not for us but for our children’s better future.
And….. the Oscar goes to the Iranian people, who for thousands of years ruled as the Persian Empire, now have come forth again with the wisdom and compassion of Cyrus, the Great.
I will end with a Persian warning to its own people:
“If fortune turns against you, even jelly breaks your tooth.”
Merci! 


    

14 comments:

  1. I have nothing to say about Iran. I like the rugs.

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  2. When I was in high school, I had a friend from Tehran, who took various math classes with me, and we used to work out math problems and assignments together, through till university undergrad school.

    There were 3 brothers; one, the oldest brother was "good" at being a playboy and furniture salesman. Another was good at math and freestyle dancing on roller skates. He was the middle brother. And the youngest brother was a great dancer, roller skater as well and interior designer.

    When I entered college, and my mother was dying from breast cancer, I was thrown out of my family's house for wanting my mother to start hospice care and forego chemotherapy.

    My late father, a pharmacist, wanted to administer chemo and ameliorate the nausea with the chemical Ingredient in marijuana, namely THC, but didn't want me to be in this loop, so out I went.

    My Persian friend's family took me in and I came to learn that a son in a Persian family is treated in a "Princely" fashion. I was lucky; to be "rescued" at that time by my Persian friends, and was able to learn a little about their culture, habits, traditions, as well as art, including Persian rugs, and interior construction and decorating.

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  3. Learning about Persian food was one of the flash bulb memories i have of those days as well.

    My friend's late father named Reza, was trump like in that every business venture he engaged in, turned to gold, but not without hard work, long hours, and great business acumen. It was inspirational to watch "Ray" work. He became very well off, and was very humane, (altruistic), and generous with family, friends and clients.

    Among the businesses he owned, was a Taxi service with 120 some cars in Tehran, which he sold when the Shaw of Iran Reza Pahlavi was overthrown. Ray then moved to America in the 1970's.

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  4. The 3 brothers were living a real life version of "Happy Days" while in high school with cool cars, girls, and lotsa fun; dancing at discos, and watching Bruce Lee movies and enjoying being footloose and fancy free.

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  5. I was an introvert whose friends sole mission, was to "get me out of my shell". A real coming of age like theme, straight from a TV sitcom or movie script.

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  6. My high school friend taught me how to earn a living as a teenager in the construction trade, which became a necessity due to my father having had a heart attack when he was 43. I became a licensed contractor to help pay for my college.

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  7. And I renewed that license every 2 years until just a few years ago, to remember my life journey.

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  8. I had driven 140,000 miles in my work truck while in undergrad school and had worked on Public projects, commercial projects, and private residential projects in some of the finest homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills and San Marino.

    And none of that could have happened without my Persian friend and his generous family.

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    Replies
    1. LfH! Lovely recounting of your fond memories. Thank you for sharing, you are getting tons of views :)

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    2. There's a lot of wealthy Iranians in southern California. They gravitated to that area. I remember around 1980 or so that Jewish kid who changed his name to "Hunt" and started the "Billionaire's Boys Club." At one point an Iranian friend of his I think had a father who was rich and lived in Homeby Hills or equivalent place and so they kidnapped him and drove him around in the back of a truck. I don't remember how they planned to get money from him. Maybe to have him sign over property or accounts or forge his name. Anyway he cried and screamed the whole trip while they were driving him around. He was in a trunk in the back of the truck. He was pissing himself and crying and screaming the whole time like a little pussy. At one point they opened up the trunk and he was dead. Anyway I think his lawyer started objecting to these transfers of his property to Hunt and the kids...like it was any of the Lawyer's business. It wasn't his money. The lawyer had no business interferring in the family's conflicts. At least that's the way I see it. If it were me I would have off'd the lawyer for his interference. Can you imagine the frustration of Hunt and his team with this "lawyer" making allegations that the signatures were not that of the dead pussy in the trunk? What a dipshit. Anyway Hunt was convicted of his murder, and I think the murder of another Jew who was a con man in beverly hills....Ron Levin. Levin scammed Hunt and so Hunt did the world a favor and clipped him.
      Those were the days. I think Hunt had an office on Wilshire, and at that time I had a movie company in a building next to his, and the owners were Iranians and they weren't even collecting the rent from any of us. Everyone in that tower were there rent free. I could never figure it out.

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    3. Joe "Hunt's" name was really Joe Gamsky. And I admired him. He was a very good trader and knew how to make money and was the original Gordon Gekko. And also was not afraid to kill people who deserved it. I wish him well.

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  10. Joe Hunt is not Jewish. He is of Irish & German descent & yes I admire him too because he wasn't all wrong, either.

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