Iranian Animated Film for Children Promotes Suicide Bombings

Seen this on the ITN website

http://www.itn.co.uk/news/876559.html

 

Found the transcript........

 

and clips can be viewed here http://www.memritv.org/

Clip #906

And clip #907 seems to follow the theme.

 

Doesn't really help peaceful understanding does it?

 

It applies to Iranians too.

Regards
Steve M

 

Some people say we have no right to dictate to Iran over its nuclear program....well, they're pretty much correct in that we have no real legal or moral right to tell them what they can and can't do, but I do wonder how anyone can argue that its in our interests for Iran to become a nuclear power, when this is the sort of upbringing they give their children and their President seeks to wipe Israel off the map (something of a PR disaster that last statement, but its hasty withdrawal is a token gesture I feel given the strength of the sentiments expressed first time around).

 

If, and it's a big if, Iran is developing its nuclear program solely for energy purposes then we should leave well alone except for safety inspections. They are a developing nation who need power and the cleaner the better. (Yes I know nuclear might not be considered clean" in some scenarios)

Unfortunately when the government makes provocative statements about other nations and the media promote violence to children one can't help but be concerned that the program might lead to a weapons of mass destruction. That in turn will give further credence to Tony Blair's desire to spend £20 billion on Trident.

 

It wasn't even a token gesture. Those ambassadors who tried to 'soften' President Ahmadinejad's speech have now been sacked. So, Ahmadinejad is really sticking his finger up to the world.

Although this is a serious issue, I had to smile when Iran took their Italian ambassador in Tehran in for a grilling to complain about a rally held outside the Iranian Embassy in Rome protesting Ahmadinejad's speech. I think that's called 'chutzpah'.

Obviously the worry is that Iran is on its way to developing nuclear weapons and, unless the Russians play ball and stop supplying them with the necessary materials (unlikely given Russia's trade and oil interests in Iran) it looks like this will be difficult to stop. Israel won't be able to destroy these facilities by bombing (as they did with Iraq's nuclear plant some years ago) as Iran has learnt from the Iraq episode and made their facilities much harder to locate and destroy. Anyway, any attack on Iran by the US and/or Israel, Britain or whoever would probably do more harm than good, particularly while the Iraq situation remains unstable.

Although they have never declared (they are not signatories to the non-proliferation treaty) Israel almost certainly possesses a fair number of nukes herself, including probably, some mounted on the submarines that they've recently purchased from Germany. Israel is such a small country that one nuke would probably destroy it but I dare say that they will make it clear to Iran that if Israel goes, Iran goes too.

Let me just say that many people treat the remarks of the Iranian President as merely noisy threats, hot air or whatever. Given the events in Europe in the 30s and 40s following similar noisy threats (that time against the Jews), it's understandable that Israel takes Ahmadinejad's talk of wiping Israel off the map rather more seriously.

Regards
Steve M

 

As this thread inevitably will focus on Israel I have to ask. Israel contains many sites holy to Islam. Would the Muslim states countance irradiating the place so badly that they can't visit those shrines?

 

Who knows?

 

Anyone see Spooks last night? CIA hires 'deniable' front man to find a disillusioned British Iranian, train him up and equip him with a SAM missile launcher so he can take out a plane on approach to Heathrow. Unsuspecting Iranian patsy is exposed and voila! the US and UK governments suddenly have all the public support they need for the war on Iran they've been dying to start for all sorts of ulterior money, oil and power related motives. Of course the excellent guys at '5' save the day

Sounds a lot more likely that Iran nuking Israel IMO. Ahmadinejad's ill advised comments about Israel were nothing more than sabre rattling for a domestic audience.

Michael.

 

Spooks is absolutely superb - one of the best things on the box. Of course it is fiction but always appears realistic. Did anyone see the one about the ex-KGB double agent and the NHS? Again brilliant and deeply worrying if there's any truth in the claim that the NHS is on the verge of collapse.

One thing about Spooks is that it maintains a very high level of tension during the tense bits as you know that the heros might die - we've lost a couple already.

The other series I enjoyed was "The Hustle". Did anyone see that?

West Wing tonight. Bartlett rules!

Regards
Steve

"Sabre rattling" - let's hope so. I wonder how easily everyone would write off such threats if it was the UK (or Portugal) rather than Israel.

 

Bleak House is the daddy

 

Steve - agree that Spooks is absolutely superb and I love the way that they manage to make it uncannily topical.

You what? I'd have though Bartlett was the exact opposite of what you like to see in a US President . Bartlett does indeed, RULE!

Michael.

 

Actually, I've nearly always preferred the Democrats but remember that they've never been socialists. Traditionally, they were the equivalent of our Tories (a little to the left of Blair).

Steve

 

Talking about the creation of nuclear powers I have a question.
Does anyone know what happened with north korea? They had planned to build a "high speed" reactor. America spotted this and arranged an international treaty running along the lines of they will buy two low speed reactors (can't produce weapons grade material). I wonder why they did just invade =-)
Unfortunatly the USA decided that they didn't want to pay but didn't want the northern koreans to have a reactor they could afford!

So what happened next? Does anyone know?

 

An update on talks here

Some history on the N. Korean programme here

FAS front page

 

As usual, Tom Lehrer said it all in the 60s:

WHO'S NEXT?

First we got the bomb, and that was good,
'Cause we love peace and motherhood.
Then Russia got the bomb, but that's okay,
'Cause the balance of power's maintained that way.
Who's next?

Then France got the bomb, but don't you grieve,
'Cause they're on our side (I believe).
China got the bomb, but have no fears,
'Cause they can't wipe us out for at least five years.
Who's next?

Japan will have its own device,
Transistorized at half the price.
South Africa wants two, that's right,
One for the black and one for the white.
Who's next?

Egypt's gonna get one too,
Just to use on you know who.
So Israel's getting tense,
Wants one in self-defense.
"The Lord's our shepherd," says the psalm,
But just in case.....we better get a bomb.
Who's next?

Luxembourg is next to go,
And (who knows?) maybe Monaco.
We'll try to stay serene and calm
When Alabama gets the bomb.
Who's next?
Who's next?
Who's next?
Who's next?

(1965)
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See also "We Will All Go Together When We Go", "So Long, Mom (A Song For World War III)". and "MLF Lullaby", also by the Master!

 

Don't know about "many", but one is the third holiest in Islam after Mecca and Medina - the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

 

Flanders and Swann were also prophetic on this one (as for so many other things)