Sunday, June 28, 2015

Quakers 2015.6.28

mosque in Alabama, by Temcor

Carol and I both caught colds.  We blamed Lindsey, but then I was outside sweating through my clothes at a crowded launch site for World Naked Bike Ride, so maybe it got worse then.

My phone ran out of power from the pictures I was taking, so I got to walk home, given I do bus tickets on the phone.

I suppose I could have gotten some cash back somewhere, but I didn't mind hobbling on my bad ankle.

Today mom and I breakfasted at Tom's before coming to the meetinghouse to see the Barkers, Isolated Friends who've had a lot of experience "overseas".  I'll chronicle more of their talk as the day progresses.  Next stop after here:  Salem.

I bussed over to Enterprise this morning to rent a brand new red Toyota with under 1000 miles on it.  The Nissan is still in the shop (fine by me -- this one has air conditioning, woo hoo (though given our colds, Carol wants it turned down)).

We're having fruit salad during social hour.  We missed Meeting for Worship, given that would have meant being ready by 9:45 AM.  I was back with the car by then, but Carol needed time to three hole punch and sort papers at breakfast.

Iran (going by current borders, as some World Game people draw them), is currently surrounded by US military bases (Paul showed a slide about that), the latter emulating the UK which had a global empire that included India.

India's troops fought alongside the British against the Ottoman Empire, looking forward to spreading their own administration to Baghdad (Iraq).

Political conservatives of the American Century persuasion miss-associate "imperialism" with "greatness" whereas exporting soldiers is really just the Iron Mountain's way of housing and feeding the more socially unproductive (prisoners, like base populations, are similarly seriously curtailed, in terms of what their contribution to civil society might be).

Persians practiced "sky burial" under Zoroastrianism much as the Tibetans do.  Lots of dynasties so far.

Democratically elected president Mossadegh was victim of Dulles Brothers PR, who convinced Eisenhower he was Communist.  Nixon-Kissinger played their brain dead version of "realpolitik" to disastrous effect.  

DC's bankrupt pro-Shah policies fed Khomeini's rise to power, with student activist support, leading to the so-called "hostage crisis".  

Although Iran was sympathetic towards the US over the events of 911, by 2002 the "Axis of Evil" label had signaled the US was entering a period of prolonged political immaturity complete with idiotic baby talk, farcical clowning, and extreme violence.  We remain in this chapter.

Iran has set aside seats in its parliament based on religious orientation, e.g. two seats for Christians, one seat for Jews.  Such codifications do not impress me as good design.  As a software engineer, I detect cruft just about anytime politicians use their creaky / contrived / obsolete codes to try to run things.

Many young Iranians feel the same way about old fossil politicians as North Americans do.  They flagrantly flaunt the stupid "rules" that the know-nothings wish to impose.  Young people around the world have a lot in common in not wanting to leave global affairs to old fossils.

The Persians got their first research reactor as a gift of the Eisenhower administration.  The current line is nuclear WMDs are anti-Islamic, i.e. against Islamic principles.  DC insists this is hypocrisy, and postures as keeping Iran's WMD ambitions in check.  

However, if Iran is serious, then perhaps Christianity has become the true champion of nuke weapons, given US conservatives like to pose as such and embrace nuclear WMDs wholeheartedly as God-given (Jesus loves nuclear weapons apparently).