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1. Roxana Saberi Blogburst « Vets On The Watch
2. Israel to Obama: Solve Iran, or Else | NEOAVATARA
3. What A TangledWeb They Weave « Vets On The Watch
4. Bookworm Room » Roxana Saberi
5. Founding Bloggers
6. Attention, Bloggers: US journalist Roxana Saberi Turns 32 Today in Iranian Prison « Frugal Café Blog Zone
7. Free Roxana Saberi! | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
8. Roxana Saberi Gets 8 Years In Iran:Update on Roxana she is on a Hunger Strike « Dianej’s Weblog
9. Roxana Saberi blogburst « The Daley Gator
10. Blog Rally: April 26th is imprisoned journalist Roxana Saberi’s birthday « Danishova
11. Roxana Saberi Blogburst « Nice Deb
12. Roxana Saberi Sentence to Eight Years in Iranian Prison « Desertdweller’s Blog
13. Conservatism with Heart
14. The Woman Iran Fears « Peace and Freedom Promises
15. A False Messiah « Scott’s Slant on Politics
16. Roxana Saberi Blogburst « Grand Rants
17. A Prisoner’s Birthday « The Underground Conservative
18. Conservatism with Heart
19. Roxana Saberi Blogburst; She is 32 Today, trapped in the Iranian “Judicial” System « Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog
20. The Baughers » Roxana Saberi held in Iranian Prision
21. Tel-Chai Nation
22. Roxana Saberi: Iranian Spy or American Journalist in Iran? » Right Pundits
23. Free Roxana Saberi | PowerTowneDistro.com
24. Freedom of the Press (or lack thereof) in Iran « The Legal Satyricon
25. Roxana Saberi Blogburst; She is 32 Today, trapped in the Iranian “Judicial” System | New World News
26. Hallelujah, Journalist Roxana Saberi Freed from Iranian Prison « Frugal Café Blog Zone
27. The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room » SUNDAY ROUNDUP

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Comments

1. #687221
   On April 26th, 2009 at 1:47 pm, puhiawa said:

   This poor woman spent 6 years glossing over the depravity of the mad mullahs. I suspect when she is released she will continue to do so. Somehow in her mind, her imprisonment will be the fault of The Great Satan.

2. #687226
   On April 26th, 2009 at 1:51 pm, Michelle Malkin said:

   That’s not true. Here’s some of her reporting.

3. #687233
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:01 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

   Sad situation. Praying for her and her family. As a father I’d be livid and looking to acquire weapons of some sort.

   Wondering how far we are from same sort of scenario in the U.S.?

   How is her hunger strike going?

4. #687234
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:02 pm, Mookie said:

   I’m sure Debbie Schlussel will be along any minute now to tell us Saberi deserves to rot in jail.

5. #687235
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:04 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

   At the same time as a dad, man I’d be one proud dude. What a daughter! I mean wow….. Sucks to be in jail but how awesome a person she must be.

6. #687239
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:15 pm, bjc said:

   *Happy Birthday to Miss Saberi; May you have many more and regain your freedom soon; I shall lift you up in my thoughts and prayers.
   * The Iranian people have so much to offer the world, so it is quite the shame that they are held back by the mullahs who adhere to a 7th century invented religion of death cult savages.

7. #687242
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:18 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

   How can we do the blue ribbon thing if we just regular old backwards folks who don’t have a blog?

8. #687244
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:24 pm, zyzzyg said:

   The unfortunate reality is that Iran is a sovereign nation and can pretty much do whatever they want to anyone in their territory.

   Heck, they could even waterboard her if they wanted and we could do nothing about it.

   Before anyone gets their pants in a knot. I am not comparing what we do to what Iran does, just that they are a sovereign nation. And we are a sovereign nation and can do what we want, too.

   Hopefully, Roxana Saberi will find her way home.

9. #687247
   On April 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, happyscrapper said:

   She is in my prayers. I don’t understand the hunger strike thing, though. Seems like a lot of pain for nothing. They aren’t going to respond to that kind of thing and she will just waste away. Same with Mia Farrow on a hunger strike for Darfur. It will accomplish NOTHING. We need to find a way to rid the world of these vile, sub-human creatures who only exist to torture and destroy. What good are they to the world? None. It is time for the Obama administration and our hapless, ineffective Sec. of State to step up and get these people out of prison. They are being used as pawns and we are doing nothing. Will we take stern measures? Sanctions? Anything? Doubtful.

10. #687248
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:32 pm, ajmontana said:

    I wish for a day Odopey would channel Ronald Reagan to get this fine lady out of there. Then he can go back to being his wimpy self. If he did it then I might think he was “Hip” now, not so much.

11. #687249
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:33 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    This won’t interfere with Wednesday’s cocktail party will it?

12. #687253
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:41 pm, ajmontana said:

    He likes Air Farce One so much fly over there and bring her home.

13. #687259
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, BrianNY said:

    Time out.

    I thought that President Obama recently released a “hip” and conciliatory new video for the Iranian people to appreciate?

    I thought Obama educated them to the fact that we are all the same and that we can now work together to clear all of the “arrogance” that was perpetrated by the previous administration?

    Iran repays Obama’s attempts at “nice-nice” diplomacy by jailing one of his subjects on a trumped up “bootleg wine tasting” charge and then sentencing her to eight years after a one hour trial with sketchy legal representation?

    How can this be? All I’m seeing on cable right now are stories about how President Obama’s ‘First 100 Days’ have been the biggest smashing success since FDR.

    The MSM were quick to condemn President Bush’s arms length approach towards the little dictator in Tehran. Are they now ignoring this same angle on President Obama’s current failed diplomacy with Tehran?

    Result so far – President Obama shows weakness, in the eyes of an Islamic Dictatorship, by trying to be liked and respected and is repaid with an outrageous display of international disrespect.

    As an American, I’d rather be perceived as “arrogant.”

    And just about now, I bet poor Roxana Saberi does too.

14. #687260
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, formerwm said:

    Big surprise!!! Why was she in Iran? She knows the culture and how women are treated. Did she think she alone would change this? It was only a matter of time before she was arrested for something. Sure I feel for her and her family, but she should have never been there. I do hope she will be alright but afraid she will be used to further some agenda.

15. #687262
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:05 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “but she should have never been there.”

    Sorry but you are wrong. What an amazingly strong woman who obviously lived consistently with her core values despite circumstances.
    _____________________

    First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

    Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

    Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

    Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
    ________________________________

    We need to get this woman out of jail and all over the media as a high quality role model.

16. #687263
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, old trooper said:

    This may sound crass but why did she go there and what did she expect for consequences?

    Iran is and has been hostile to Americans for decades.Iran has an intelligence group that watches Americans that visit the Middle East, especially ones that visit Iran. She placed herself at risk by stepping on Iranian soil. A US Passport means nothing to Iran. It makes you a target.

    How very sad for her but…what was she thinking?

17. #687265
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:09 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Or this:

    “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

18. #687267
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:10 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Roxana Saberi is not the problem. The problem is that there are not ENOUGH Roxana Saberi’s.

19. #687271
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:17 pm, old trooper said:

    We need to get this woman out of jail and all over the media as a high quality role model.

    Well now, although I respect your opinion, you know that diplomacy does not work. How do you propose to break her out of prison? The Iranians held American Embassy folks, tortured them for over 400 days.

    Obama is no Ronald Reagan. Obama is viewed as weak in the Middle East. Apologizing to the world does not earn any respect there.

    It is sad but courage of convictions is no substitute for conventional wisdom or situational awareness. The Islamic culture does not see females as equals to men. They are viewed as chattel. I spent 12 years in the M.E. and the point was never lost on me.

20. #687274
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:21 pm, rightisright said:

    the problem is we have a whimp for president…an anti-American whimp at that.

21. #687280
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:26 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “How do you propose to break her out of prison?”

    Offer a trade. Hillary and Napalitano? A 2 fer?

22. #687283
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Maybe throw in Garfalo (who cares how she spells it) and Sean Penn?

23. #687284
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, old trooper said:

    I view Her conviction and incarceration as a Political Kidnapping. It is a hostage situation. However, diplomacy with Iran will fail.

    We have no one to trade for her. That leaves a Military option?
    The UN is worthless and anti-American besides.

    High minded quotes from Westerners do not apply. Iran is a separate reality that westerners do not understand. Her incarceration is unjust & despicable to our standards but our standards do not apply in Iran

24. #687285
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:33 pm, nlebou said:

    I have to agree with you old trooper. While I have great respect for Ms. Saberi, she had to know this would be a possibilty. I’m all for doing whatever we can Michelle, but what can we do? Obama sure as heck doesn’t have the ba!!$ to do anything about it. He has only weakend any Americans’ chance of justice anywhere abroad. IMHO

25. #687286
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, old trooper said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:26 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “How do you propose to break her out of prison?”

    Offer a trade. Hillary and Napalitano? A 2 fer?

    They would not even discuss that. They want to rub our noses in their ability do hold an American Female Journo with impunity. She is an opportunity for them to show the West as very foolish.
    That is what it is all about.

26. #687287
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, nlebou said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, happyscrapper said:
    She is in my prayers. I don’t understand the hunger strike thing, though. Seems like a lot of pain for nothing. They aren’t going to respond to that kind of thing and she will just waste away.

    I never understood the point of hunger strikes either. Seems to me she should keep her strenth up.

27. #687288
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:39 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    I still say we should offer? I mean what if they say “yes”?

    Actually my real preference will never happen. My real preference is for Americans to be pissed off enough that plane load after plane load of us heads for Tehran and by hundreds and hundreds we simply overwhelm them. We all just show up and our large numbers force action on Iran’s part. And by doing the whole thing as a citizen volunteer driving process, we show Obama and the left that we don’t need no stinking socialist government to fix even things like this.

    That’s what I would love to see happen.

    I will volunteer to be on the first plane. I’m thinking by daughters will join me without hesitation.

28. #687290
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:40 pm, sbw999 said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, old trooper said:

    Was wondering the exact same thing. Play with snakes, and eventually you get bit.

29. #687292
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:45 pm, old trooper said:

    There is actually a diplomatic solution. Convince their client states, Russia & China, both “strong supporters of human rights” to intervene. Not Bloody Likely!

    I’m quite sure that Russia and or China could quite frankly not give a damn.

    Americans visiting Terrorism Supporting States, not being State Department Diplomats, are unfortunately at great risk. That is a given. That is the state of things.

30. #687293
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:48 pm, dan708 said:

    One more time, Iran is reminding us why W Bush tagged them “evil”. If the burka fits…

31. #687295
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:48 pm, Defector01 said:

    But we can negotiate and make the iranians unclench their fist can’t we Obama? And weren’t the left the people beating their breasts about how evil people like Musharaff and others were because they weren’t democratic?

32. #687296
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:49 pm, collinb said:

    Michelle,
    How about a post recalling Teddy K’s (and the rest) of the Left’s denouncing of Bush’s confrontation of Iran? Now Iran is running uncontrolled.
    I wonder, how long until PROC makes more overtures towards capturing Taiwan?
    collin

33. #687299
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:52 pm, et said:

    Jesse Jackson could go over there and secure her release. That would let Iran show the world that ‘The Magic One’ doesn’t have near the magic he thinks he has. Kind of like a wet flounder up side the head of Obama. Or just Chicago politics on the international stage.

34. #687303
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:01 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

    How ironic that on the same weekend that Iran turns the table of the US by placing its own preconditions to meeting with Obama once Obama waived prior adminstrations’ preconditions, Iran once again takes an American hostage. In demanding these preconditions, Ahmadinejad disingenuously referred to America having cut off relations with Iran in the first place without mentioning that we did so because of the US embassy hostages that he himself participated in seizing.

    Obama is a very weak president and the world is already telling us as much, allies and enemies alike. Obama should (1) immediately declare that no talks will occur so long as any American is held hostage and (2) he has re-instated the preconditions he had earlier waived.

35. #687306
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:22 pm, a crapweasel said:

    Umm, it’s really simple…stay out of Iran.

36. #687324
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:46 pm, beenthere said:

    . . . Ahmadinejad disingenuously referred to America having cut off relations with Iran in the first place without mentioning that we did so because of the US embassy hostages that he himself participated in seizing.

    Which is exactly the line Ms. Saberi used in the first of the compiled reports I listened to when I followed MM’s link. It was fully in the pseudo-objective mode so popular with NPR types, the kind of stuff that leaves you knowing less afterward than you did before you heard the thing. Nevertheless, I did like the touch about her referring to mad Dr. A as a “conservative” — media code for unbridled evil, so I will give her that.

    But on the whole I just don’t know about this. Only a fool, and an arrogant one at that, would fail to know the incredible danger that she was in every time she crossed the border into that country.

    To be clear I don’t wish her the worst, and as for anyone trapped in a mid-east sewer state, I hope for the best. On the other hand, there are so many more victims worthy of attention — the kind of thing our government used to do when America was a beacon of liberty and all that. Gone, gone, gone.

37. #687326
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:48 pm, SpeakEasy said:

    Before we canonize this woman just yet let’s examine the facts. Yes, her “trial” was a fraud. We are talking about Iran so, really, did you expect anything better? She went there of her own free will accepting the risks so she has to live with the realization of her worst case scenario. Finally, this belief that all you have to do to change the world is to write about its injustices is ludicrous (the adjective not the rapper). Iran will not change until forced to do so either through war or revolution. Welcome to the real world Roxana, I hope you are released soon and unharmed. I also hope you learn from this experience.

38. #687327
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:49 pm, JamieD said:

    I hope this entry doesn’t get deleted, but here goes…

    During the Carter administration and when Iran held several hundred Americans hostage, I would frequently see a bumper sticker that read:

    The Ayatollah is a Asahollah

    I Loved It!
    Someone needs to bring this bumper sticker back!

39. #687329
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:50 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    crap….

    Of course on one level you are 100 percent correct. However on another you are dead wrong. Disengagement seems safe, but only for awhile.

    It is when individuals are willing to sacrifice that change, real change, has a chance to take place.

    Just look at our own country. People not wanting to get involved at any level. They just want to go to work, play, watch TV and be left alone. Meanwhile liberty is slowly being removed, prosperity being stolen, a whole system being subverted and diverted to socialism.

    So sure, just stay out of Iran. Safe play in the short term.

    However our world is a better place and gets better when individuals are willing to pay the price to see change take place.

40. #687330
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:50 pm, nlebou said:

    I REMEMBER THAT!!!

41. #687331
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:52 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Me, I’m sure glad Jesus didn’t look at what this world had become and decide it was not going to change all that much by His entering our world. I’m really glad He took the risk knowing at the end of it was an undeserved Cross.

    Me VERY glad.

42. #687333
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:54 pm, JamieD said:

    Just disclosed my age with that one

43. #687339
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, JamieD said:

    On a serious note though, the Ayatollah and Ajad are probably the biggest threats to world peace.

    Snakes in the grass as I call them.

    When you come across snakes in the grass, you either walk around them or set fire to the grass, but you definitely don’t try to negotiate with them.

44. #687341
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:05 pm, old trooper said:

    Roxana Saberi blogburst
    By Michelle Malkin • April 26, 2009 01:41 PM

    US journalist Roxana Saberi turns 32 today in an Iranian prison. After an hour-long trial, she was sentenced to eight years behind bars for “espionage.” She was initially told she was arrested for buying bootleg wine, and then because she was working as a journalist without a license. She’s now on day five of a hunger strike. Today, one of her defense lawyers was denied access to her.

    Saberi is a former North Dakota beauty queen educated at Oxford and Northwestern with an extraordinary background. Here’s some of her work. Her home state newspaper, the Grand Forks Herald, weighs in:

    Iran’s imprisonment of Roxana Saberi is an international outrage, a flagrant violation of the norms of civilized conduct. But it should come as no surprise.

    The Iranian government has shown its disregard for those norms before. This latest example should give great pause to the Obama administration, which came in to office plainly willing to give Iran the benefit of the doubt — and now has seen Iran repudiate that gesture as it has so many before, with cynicism and contempt.

    Saberi, imprisoned since January, has been convicted of spying, news stories reported Saturday. Now, whenever these kinds of accusations surface, there’s always a chance that the accused is guilty and was caught in the act.

    But in this case, that chance seems vanishingly small. There are ways to credibly accuse and convict someone of espionage, but the Iranian court system has not employed them. Just the opposite: It has mocked those norms by disregarding their substance, while using the norms’ vocabulary — “trial,” “attorney,” “defense” and so on — to give the government’s actions a patina of justice.

    Here is all one needs to know about justice as it seems to be practiced in modern Iran. The quote is from a story in Sunday’s New York Times:

    “Ms. Saberi’s father, Reza Saberi, who came to Tehran two weeks ago from Fargo, N.D., to secure her release, said Sunday that neither she nor her lawyer was aware that the trial was taking place last Monday until after it was under way.

    “‘The lawyer was only told to go meet Roxana last Monday,’ he said in a telephone interview. ‘No one knew that they were trying her. Roxana found out 15 minutes into the session that she was being tried.

    “‘None of them, neither Roxana nor the lawyer, were ready to defend her.’

    “Mr. Saberi said that the trial took less than an hour as he waited outside the courtroom, believing that the lawyer was only meeting his daughter in the presence of the judge.”

    So: Saberi didn’t know she was on trial until after the trial started. She met her defense lawyer the very day of her “trial.” Neither Saberi nor her lawyer had any time whatsoever to prepare her defense.

    And the proceedings took less than an hour.

    No conviction by such a kangaroo court can be believed.

    She is not alone:

    A young blogger arrested in Iran for allegedly insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Internet posting has died in prison, his attorney said Friday. The blogger had been jailed for allegedly insulting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an internet posting.

    The blogger had been jailed for allegedly insulting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an internet posting.

    Attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said Omid Mir Sayafi, reported to be in his 20s, died in Evin prison, which is located in Tehran and known for its wing that holds political prisoners.

    Dadkhah said a fellow inmate, Dr. Hessam Firouzi, called him Wednesday night with the news — and said he believed Sayafi would have lived if he received proper medical care.

    Dadkhah said Firouzi, an imprisoned human-rights activist, said that he carried a semi-conscious Sayafi to a prison doctor but that he didn’t receive the care he needed…Sayafi was first arrested in April, then released for 41 days before being arrested again. He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison for comments on a blog that his lawyer argued was intended only for a few friends to read.

    And:

    Seven other journalists and two cyber-dissidents are currently held in Iran.

    They include Mohammad Sadegh Kabodvand, who has been in prison since July 2007. On Oct. 23 a Tehran appeal court upheld his 11-year jail sentence for creating a human rights organization in Kurdistan.

    Kabodvand was the winner of the U.K. Press Gazette’s British Press Awards in the “International journalist of the year” category, announced on March 31. The judges cited his work on behalf of human rights.

    Mohammad Hassin Falahieh Zadeh, a journalist who worked for the Arabic-language service of state-owned TV station Al-Alam was arrested in November 2006 on a spying charge and was sentenced on April 29, 2007 to three years in prison and a fine equivalent to twice all that he ever earned as a journalist. He has been held in solitary confinement.

    Kurdish journalist and teacher Massoud Kurdpoor was sentenced to a year in prison on Oct. 15, 2008 on a charge of “anti-government propaganda in interviews for foreign and enemy news media.”

    Online journalist and cleric Mojtaba Lotfi was arrested on Oct. 8, 2008 in Qom for posting online a sermon by Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, a well-known opponent of Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The sermon criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for saying Iran was “the world’s freest country.” A special court for the clergy sentenced him on Nov. 29 to four years in prison and five years of banishment from the city.

    Kaveh Javanmard of the weekly Karfto was transferred to Sanandaj prison at the end of last month after being held for two years in the northern city of Maragheh, far from where his family lives.

    Bahman Totonchi, a former Karfto contributor, has been held since Nov. 18, 2008 in Sanandaj prison, where he still has not been formally charged.

    Reporters Without Borders is still without any news of blogger Hossein Derakhshan, who has been held in an unknown location since Nov 1, 2008.

    If you’ve got a blog, please let your readers know what’s happening today on Roxana Saberi’s birthday. The Free Roxana website is here.

    This is definitely a moment for bloggers from all sides of the political spectrum to rally. Here’s a blog rally in support of Saberi and others who have dared to express their thoughts freely only to be imprisoned, abused, or killed.
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    Comments

    1.
    #1
    On April 26th, 2009 at 1:47 pm, puhiawa said:

    This poor woman spent 6 years glossing over the depravity of the mad mullahs. I suspect when she is released she will continue to do so. Somehow in her mind, her imprisonment will be the fault of The Great Satan.
    2.
    #2
    On April 26th, 2009 at 1:51 pm, Michelle Malkin said:

    That’s not true. Here’s some of her reporting.
    3.
    #3
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:01 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Sad situation. Praying for her and her family. As a father I’d be livid and looking to acquire weapons of some sort.

    Wondering how far we are from same sort of scenario in the U.S.?

    How is her hunger strike going?
    4.
    #4
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:02 pm, Mookie said:

    I’m sure Debbie Schlussel will be along any minute now to tell us Saberi deserves to rot in jail.
    5.
    #5
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:04 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    At the same time as a dad, man I’d be one proud dude. What a daughter! I mean wow….. Sucks to be in jail but how awesome a person she must be.
    6.
    #6
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:15 pm, bjc said:

    *Happy Birthday to Miss Saberi; May you have many more and regain your freedom soon; I shall lift you up in my thoughts and prayers.
    * The Iranian people have so much to offer the world, so it is quite the shame that they are held back by the mullahs who adhere to a 7th century invented religion of death cult savages.
    7.
    #7
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:18 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    How can we do the blue ribbon thing if we just regular old backwards folks who don’t have a blog?
    8.
    #8
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:24 pm, zyzzyg said:

    The unfortunate reality is that Iran is a sovereign nation and can pretty much do whatever they want to anyone in their territory.

    Heck, they could even waterboard her if they wanted and we could do nothing about it.

    Before anyone gets their pants in a knot. I am not comparing what we do to what Iran does, just that they are a sovereign nation. And we are a sovereign nation and can do what we want, too.

    Hopefully, Roxana Saberi will find her way home.
    9.
    #9
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, happyscrapper said:

    She is in my prayers. I don’t understand the hunger strike thing, though. Seems like a lot of pain for nothing. They aren’t going to respond to that kind of thing and she will just waste away. Same with Mia Farrow on a hunger strike for Darfur. It will accomplish NOTHING. We need to find a way to rid the world of these vile, sub-human creatures who only exist to torture and destroy. What good are they to the world? None. It is time for the Obama administration and our hapless, ineffective Sec. of State to step up and get these people out of prison. They are being used as pawns and we are doing nothing. Will we take stern measures? Sanctions? Anything? Doubtful.
    10.
    #10
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:32 pm, ajmontana said:

    I wish for a day Odopey would channel Ronald Reagan to get this fine lady out of there. Then he can go back to being his wimpy self. If he did it then I might think he was “Hip” now, not so much.
    11.
    #11
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:33 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    This won’t interfere with Wednesday’s cocktail party will it?
    12.
    #12
    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:41 pm, ajmontana said:

    He likes Air Farce One so much fly over there and bring her home.
    13.
    #13
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, BrianNY said:

    Time out.

    I thought that President Obama recently released a “hip” and conciliatory new video for the Iranian people to appreciate?

    I thought Obama educated them to the fact that we are all the same and that we can now work together to clear all of the “arrogance” that was perpetrated by the previous administration?

    Iran repays Obama’s attempts at “nice-nice” diplomacy by jailing one of his subjects on a trumped up “bootleg wine tasting” charge and then sentencing her to eight years after a one hour trial with sketchy legal representation?

    How can this be? All I’m seeing on cable right now are stories about how President Obama’s ‘First 100 Days’ have been the biggest smashing success since FDR.

    The MSM were quick to condemn President Bush’s arms length approach towards the little dictator in Tehran. Are they now ignoring this same angle on President Obama’s current failed diplomacy with Tehran?

    Result so far – President Obama shows weakness, in the eyes of an Islamic Dictatorship, by trying to be liked and respected and is repaid with an outrageous display of international disrespect.

    As an American, I’d rather be perceived as “arrogant.”

    And just about now, I bet poor Roxana Saberi does too.
    14.
    #14
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, formerwm said:

    Big surprise!!! Why was she in Iran? She knows the culture and how women are treated. Did she think she alone would change this? It was only a matter of time before she was arrested for something. Sure I feel for her and her family, but she should have never been there. I do hope she will be alright but afraid she will be used to further some agenda.
    15.
    #15
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:05 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “but she should have never been there.”

    Sorry but you are wrong. What an amazingly strong woman who obviously lived consistently with her core values despite circumstances.
    _____________________

    First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

    Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

    Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

    Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
    ________________________________

    We need to get this woman out of jail and all over the media as a high quality role model.
    16.
    #16
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, old trooper said:

    This may sound crass but why did she go there and what did she expect for consequences?

    Iran is and has been hostile to Americans for decades.Iran has an intelligence group that watches Americans that visit the Middle East, especially ones that visit Iran. She placed herself at risk by stepping on Iranian soil. A US Passport means nothing to Iran. It makes you a target.

    How very sad for her but…what was she thinking?
    17.
    #17
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:09 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Or this:

    “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
    18.
    #18
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:10 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Roxana Saberi is not the problem. The problem is that there are not ENOUGH Roxana Saberi’s.
    19.
    #19
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:17 pm, old trooper said:

    We need to get this woman out of jail and all over the media as a high quality role model.

    Well now, although I respect your opinion, you know that diplomacy does not work. How do you propose to break her out of prison? The Iranians held American Embassy folks, tortured them for over 400 days.

    Obama is no Ronald Reagan. Obama is viewed as weak in the Middle East. Apologizing to the world does not earn any respect there.

    It is sad but courage of convictions is no substitute for conventional wisdom or situational awareness. The Islamic culture does not see females as equals to men. They are viewed as chattel. I spent 12 years in the M.E. and the point was never lost on me.
    20.
    #20
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:21 pm, rightisright said:

    the problem is we have a whimp for president…an anti-American whimp at that.
    21.
    #21
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:26 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “How do you propose to break her out of prison?”

    Offer a trade. Hillary and Napalitano? A 2 fer?
    22.
    #22
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Maybe throw in Garfalo (who cares how she spells it) and Sean Penn?
    23.
    #23
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, old trooper said:

    I view Her conviction and incarceration as a Political Kidnapping. It is a hostage situation. However, diplomacy with Iran will fail.

    We have no one to trade for her. That leaves a Military option?
    The UN is worthless and anti-American besides.

    High minded quotes from Westerners do not apply. Iran is a separate reality that westerners do not understand. Her incarceration is unjust & despicable to our standards but our standards do not apply in Iran
    24.
    #24
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:33 pm, nlebou said:

    I have to agree with you old trooper. While I have great respect for Ms. Saberi, she had to know this would be a possibilty. I’m all for doing whatever we can Michelle, but what can we do? Obama sure as heck doesn’t have the ba!!$ to do anything about it. He has only weakend any Americans’ chance of justice anywhere abroad. IMHO
    25.
    #25
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, old trooper said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:26 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “How do you propose to break her out of prison?”

    Offer a trade. Hillary and Napalitano? A 2 fer?

    They would not even discuss that. They want to rub our noses in their ability do hold an American Female Journo with impunity. She is an opportunity for them to show the West as very foolish.
    That is what it is all about.
    26.
    #26
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, nlebou said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, happyscrapper said:
    She is in my prayers. I don’t understand the hunger strike thing, though. Seems like a lot of pain for nothing. They aren’t going to respond to that kind of thing and she will just waste away.

    I never understood the point of hunger strikes either. Seems to me she should keep her strenth up.
    27.
    #27
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:39 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    I still say we should offer? I mean what if they say “yes”?

    Actually my real preference will never happen. My real preference is for Americans to be pissed off enough that plane load after plane load of us heads for Tehran and by hundreds and hundreds we simply overwhelm them. We all just show up and our large numbers force action on Iran’s part. And by doing the whole thing as a citizen volunteer driving process, we show Obama and the left that we don’t need no stinking socialist government to fix even things like this.

    That’s what I would love to see happen.

    I will volunteer to be on the first plane. I’m thinking by daughters will join me without hesitation.
    28.
    #28
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:40 pm, sbw999 said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:07 pm, old trooper said:

    Was wondering the exact same thing. Play with snakes, and eventually you get bit.
    29.
    #29
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:45 pm, old trooper said:

    There is actually a diplomatic solution. Convince their client states, Russia & China, both “strong supporters of human rights” to intervene. Not Bloody Likely!

    I’m quite sure that Russia and or China could quite frankly not give a damn.

    Americans visiting Terrorism Supporting States, not being State Department Diplomats, are unfortunately at great risk. That is a given. That is the state of things.
    30.
    #30
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:48 pm, dan708 said:

    One more time, Iran is reminding us why W Bush tagged them “evil”. If the burka fits…
    31.
    #31
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:48 pm, Defector01 said:

    But we can negotiate and make the iranians unclench their fist can’t we Obama? And weren’t the left the people beating their breasts about how evil people like Musharaff and others were because they weren’t democratic?
    32.
    #32
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:49 pm, collinb said:

    Michelle,
    How about a post recalling Teddy K’s (and the rest) of the Left’s denouncing of Bush’s confrontation of Iran? Now Iran is running uncontrolled.
    I wonder, how long until PROC makes more overtures towards capturing Taiwan?
    collin
    33.
    #33
    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:52 pm, et said:

    Jesse Jackson could go over there and secure her release. That would let Iran show the world that ‘The Magic One’ doesn’t have near the magic he thinks he has. Kind of like a wet flounder up side the head of Obama. Or just Chicago politics on the international stage.
    34.
    #34
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:01 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

    How ironic that on the same weekend that Iran turns the table of the US by placing its own preconditions to meeting with Obama once Obama waived prior adminstrations’ preconditions, Iran once again takes an American hostage. In demanding these preconditions, Ahmadinejad disingenuously referred to America having cut off relations with Iran in the first place without mentioning that we did so because of the US embassy hostages that he himself participated in seizing.

    Obama is a very weak president and the world is already telling us as much, allies and enemies alike. Obama should (1) immediately declare that no talks will occur so long as any American is held hostage and (2) he has re-instated the preconditions he had earlier waived.
    35.
    #35
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:22 pm, a crapweasel said:

    Umm, it’s really simple…stay out of Iran.
    36.
    #36
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:46 pm, beenthere said:

    . . . Ahmadinejad disingenuously referred to America having cut off relations with Iran in the first place without mentioning that we did so because of the US embassy hostages that he himself participated in seizing.

    Which is exactly the line Ms. Saberi used in the first of the compiled reports I listened to when I followed MM’s link. It was fully in the pseudo-objective mode so popular with NPR types, the kind of stuff that leaves you knowing less afterward than you did before you heard the thing. Nevertheless, I did like the touch about her referring to mad Dr. A as a “conservative” — media code for unbridled evil, so I will give her that.

    But on the whole I just don’t know about this. Only a fool, and an arrogant one at that, would fail to know the incredible danger that she was in every time she crossed the border into that country.

    To be clear I don’t wish her the worst, and as for anyone trapped in a mid-east sewer state, I hope for the best. On the other hand, there are so many more victims worthy of attention — the kind of thing our government used to do when America was a beacon of liberty and all that. Gone, gone, gone.
    37.
    #37
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:48 pm, SpeakEasy said:

    Before we canonize this woman just yet let’s examine the facts. Yes, her “trial” was a fraud. We are talking about Iran so, really, did you expect anything better? She went there of her own free will accepting the risks so she has to live with the realization of her worst case scenario. Finally, this belief that all you have to do to change the world is to write about its injustices is ludicrous (the adjective not the rapper). Iran will not change until forced to do so either through war or revolution. Welcome to the real world Roxana, I hope you are released soon and unharmed. I also hope you learn from this experience.
    38.
    #38
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:49 pm, JamieD said:

    I hope this entry doesn’t get deleted, but here goes…

    During the Carter administration and when Iran held several hundred Americans hostage, I would frequently see a bumper sticker that read:

    The Ayatollah is a Asahollah

    I Loved It!
    Someone needs to bring this bumper sticker back!
    39.
    #39
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:50 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    crap….

    Of course on one level you are 100 percent correct. However on another you are dead wrong. Disengagement seems safe, but only for awhile.

    It is when individuals are willing to sacrifice that change, real change, has a chance to take place.

    Just look at our own country. People not wanting to get involved at any level. They just want to go to work, play, watch TV and be left alone. Meanwhile liberty is slowly being removed, prosperity being stolen, a whole system being subverted and diverted to socialism.

    So sure, just stay out of Iran. Safe play in the short term.

    However our world is a better place and gets better when individuals are willing to pay the price to see change take place.
    40.
    #40
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:50 pm, nlebou said:

    I REMEMBER THAT!!!
    41.
    #41
    On April 26th, 2009 at 4:52 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Me, I’m sure glad Jesus didn’t look at what this world had become and decide it was not going to change all that much by His entering our world. I’m really glad He took the risk knowing at the end of it was an undeserved Cross.

    Me VERY glad.

    He took one for the Team. Kindly be reminded that Iran wants non-islamics to convert or die, Americans are products of the Great Satan, Sharia Law
    is the law of the land there and Females are second class citizens.

    I stopped genocide in Kosovo & Bosnia, spent 12 of my 28 years of military service in the ME and your values are not shared by but a handful in Iran.
    That is the sad reality. I share your values but Iran does not. The ball is in their court. They will hold Roxana as long as they choose. That does not sit easy on my mind but that is the reality. If she was my Daughter, I’d be going in with guns blazing and die trying but that would be a fools venture.

45. #687349
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:21 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “your values are not shared by but a handful in Iran.”

    Yep. And until folks who have different values are willing to engage and sacrifice, nothing will change for the better.

46. #687350
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:25 pm, old trooper said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:21 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “your values are not shared by but a handful in Iran.”

    Yep. And until folks who have different values are willing to engage and sacrifice, nothing will change for the better.

    Their concept of “Change for the better”
    is the total defeat of America. Believe me, they are as fervent in their beliefs as You and I are in ours. Some of them would sacrifice their lives to convert or kill you. Believe it. A sad reality.

47. #687357
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:35 pm, CO2 Producer said:

    According to details of the situation, HRC, BHO, and CAIR are concerned about and are involved in getting her released. To say that Roxana shouldn’t have been there in the first place is to say that we should only rely on non-Americans to accurately report what goes on there. She seems like a brave woman (braver than most of us, I’d imagine) who was trying to get information of what happens in that part of the world to the American public, and she was imprisoned for it. If I’m innocent and in that situation, my country better be doing everything they can to get me out of there.

    I don’t know the facts regarding the charge of espionage, but if it is true that she was spying under the pretense as a reporter, she’s got a rough eight years ahead of her. Until Iran presents the evidence, we can’t be expected to believe them. Roxana may have been coerced into giving an admission of guilt, or Iran could be making up her admission. Because the charges kept changing and the trial was conducted with little time for the defense to prepare itself, it makes one assume that Iran’s motives aren’t exactly pure. Along with the fact that Iranian leaders hate the U.S. and what it stands for, this bit from one of the other articles above doesn’t inspire much confidence in how Iran’s judicial system works, either:

    Online journalist and cleric Mojtaba Lotfi was arrested on Oct. 8, 2008 in Qom for posting online a sermon by Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, a well-known opponent of Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The sermon criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for saying Iran was “the world’s freest country.” A special court for the clergy sentenced him on Nov. 29 to four years in prison and five years of banishment from the city.

    I don’t understand how Roxana thinks that a hunger strike will get her released unless she wants to martyr herself, but I’ve never walked any length in her shoes, so I can’t say much to that part of it. But using an innocent individual as a pawn in a game of strategic international chest-puffing is worthy of condemnation.

48. #687358
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:35 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “they are as fervent in their beliefs as You and I are in ours.”

    Yep. And again, theirs don’t stand a chance of changing unless folks are willing to engage and sacrifice to see them change.

49. #687360
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:36 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    “I don’t understand how Roxana thinks that a hunger strike will get her released”

    Media attention

50. #687362
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:40 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Probably get the same reaction, as in severe, in America as if she said Iran took away her iPod in jail though. Or maybe took away her cell phone.

51. #687372
    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:58 pm, Jeff2161 said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 5:05 pm, old trooper said:

    Methinks, you copied and pasted a wee bit too much…

52. #687375
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:04 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    Any government that would require a license to report news should be labeled crackpot and bombed into oblivion.

    This is one of the most disgusting human rights offenses possible, short of the violent ones.

    What exactly is the non-president going to do about it?

    I don’t imagine much. He doesn’t know his @$$ from a hole in the ground.

    RWR
    http://www.rightwingrocker.com

53. #687394
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:45 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Iran is a totalitarian state-go there and bad things can and may well happen to you. When it does there isn’t really much we CAN do-Iran, as with other totalitarian states, does not recognize the rule of law, rules of evidence or rights of the accused. This is the country that hangs rape victims. And these thugocracies could care less what other countries think of them, Iran would welcome a war, trade is already limited as oil prices have dropped.

    A hunger strike might work–then again Iran could tube and force feed her; our prisons do it all the time.

    I do feel for Roxana Saberi but I do not see what we can do about it. Perhaps she felt she had to go. There are 200,000 or so Political Prisoners in North Korea, huge numbers in Iran, Turkey, Bella Russia and every other tin pan thugocracy–unless we nuke the puke there isn’t much we can do. The UN CAN send a letter of concern AFTER they help destroy Israel.

    But by the end of the week President Obama and Miss Hillary will find a way to blame George Bush.

54. #687395
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:46 pm, graysonret said:

    This is also a wake-up call to anyone planning to go overseas. Other countries don’t have the same system of justice or punishment. Don’t expect the Embassy or the ACLU to help. For example,I know, when traveling to some Asian countries, one has to sign a statement that it is understood carrying drugs in the luggage could be the death penalty. Some countries are just the complete opposite of ours; some, like Iran, are completely abhorrent.

55. #687398
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:48 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:04 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    Any government that would require a license to report news should be labeled crackpot and bombed into oblivion.

    Now now, we don’t want the world to think we are extreme do we? But we should have bombed that bunch of goat humpers into oblivion a week after the first one scaled our embassy wall.

56. #687399
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:49 pm, RabbidSquirrel said:

    It was Iran, what do you expect? At least she had 15 minutes to prepare her defense.

    Miss California never even knew she was on trial here in America until after she was convicted.

57. #687400
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:49 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Hey, some of my best friends are goats.

58. #687401
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:50 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Now that’s insightful rabbid….

59. #687402
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:50 pm, CW4_KGP said:

    Brian NY said
    “Result so far – President Obama shows weakness, in the eyes of an Islamic Dictatorship, by trying to be liked and respected and is repaid with an outrageous display of international disrespect.

    As an American, I’d rather be perceived as “arrogant.”

    Bravo Brian!!

    Personally, I think we need to remember that in the world stage, it is far better to be feared than loved. If arrogance on our part manisfests itself as fear on their part so be it.

    Think – why did we live at (relative) peace in the past? Because other nations knew we would smite them so severely for their transgressions that the “jawbone of an ass” would have been a mere annoyance.

    Why do we not stand up to the ChiComs (oh sorry, the peace loving People’s republic of China), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the islamic republic of Iran, and a host of others? In some cases it is fear of their military capabilities – we FEAR them, even though our respect for their values, ideas and principles are low. In other cases, we are showing the world what “compassion” can do to bring about change.

    Mr. Resident, please do not urinate on my combat boots and tell me it is raining. I have witnessed the outcome of “compassion”, as well as the results of a butt whipping. Compassion may work on a local level, or in a one on one situation, but when you are dealing with a guy in need of a dinner jacket, a Chavez, a Castro, a Morales, an Ortega, a Puta..oops, Putin, Kim Jung (Mentally) Il, or some shadowy Somali “war lord”, nice guys finish last…and even then, it’s only if they outlast the others, which the current Resident seems bound and determined to prevent.

    For those mookie-types, I suggest you relocate your cranium from its’ current position deep in the alimentary canal and after a thorough washing – maybe at a muslim footbath that your tax dollars built – you re-examine your position and make some comparisons vis a vis your life story.

    How many times did you get bullied because you were afraid? And how many times did you willingly give things away, with love and compassion to people you would rather see as road kill? And when did the bullying stop? When you stopped the bully. Not when you appeased him/her…..they just moved on to their next victim.

    And so it goes with life on this crazy little planet we call Earth.

    Have a Good Day.

    Remember Timothy 2 Chapter 4, Verse 7:

    I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith

60. #687405
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:55 pm, Dave Turson said:

    at 3:09 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:
    Or this:
    “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

    From Wikipedia:

    The quotation “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing” although often attributed to Burke does not occur in his works or recorded speeches. It first appeared in the 14th edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (1968), which incorrectly sourced it to a letter that did not in fact contain the quote.[91]

    “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”–Edmund Burke

61. #687406
    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:59 pm, MrOlympia said:

    Ahmadinejad b-slapped our POTUS and spit on him. We have weakness in the White House and Ahmadinejad knows it.

    Hey Mr. WannaBeTheWorldPresident is this something else you blame President Bush for?

    Anyone with an ounce of brain power is appalled at the POTUS while the MM covers daily for his incompetence.

62. #687410
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:06 pm, Member-VRWC said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, old trooper said:
    Her incarceration is unjust & despicable to our standards but our standards do not apply in Iran.

    Give BO another month week. Our standards will apply to standards in Iran just dandy.

63. #687411
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:06 pm, juanhoonose said:

    She is powerless. She doesn’t recognize that fact. Her time in Iran was due to luck, which is mighty powerful stuff when you have it. Maybe her luck will return. But maybe not. Sometimes one doesn’t realize how lucky they’ve been until that luck runs out.

64. #687414
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:12 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:49 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Hey, some of my best friends are goats.

    Do not let them vacation in Iran.
    
    As an American, I’d rather be perceived as “arrogant.”
    Perhaps if we send the world billions of dollars in aid, pay for their defense for generations and give their citizens rights in our courts they will like us, play nice and not perceive us as arrogant.
    And if we drop BIG bombs on them it might not matter–just saying.

    Please don’t troll me–I am old and suffer the heart break of psoriasis .

65. #687415
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:15 pm, right_on said:

    Dare I say that the Guantanamo “Martyrs in Waiting” are probably treated better, fed better, and have more access to outsiders (Red Crescent, Lawyers, Bleeding Hearts, etc.) than does Roxana?

    Gee, I wonder if she gets yelled at, or ridiculed, by her keepers?

    It boggles the mind to think that Roxana, the “convicted spy,” remained undetected for so long, in a society where women are considered chattel, have few rights or freedoms, and are under constant scrutiny. She was either very good at skulking around, or those assigned to watch her were nincompoops!

66. #687423
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:34 pm, cheapseat said:

    didn’t i hear that she held dual citizenship with iran, which puts her squarely in their jurisdiction. i feel sorry, but if you are an iranian citizen and you fight city hall, you might get roughed up. perhaps the u.n. can talk her out of this predicament. but i won’t be backing a call to have america punish iran for their actions as regards their citizens.

67. #687425
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:37 pm, CantCureStupid said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, nlebou said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, happyscrapper said:
    She is in my prayers. I don’t understand the hunger strike thing, though. Seems like a lot of pain for nothing. They aren’t going to respond to that kind of thing and she will just waste away.

    I never understood the point of hunger strikes either. Seems to me she should keep her strenth up.

    I get it (at least I think I do). It’s the only thing left in her life that she can control. You’re right, though… the Iranian barbarians won’t be swayed.

    Seriously though, is anyone else having flashbacks of the ’70’s? There is no way that Ms. Saberi will the last Westerner subjected to this.

    God bless and keep her safe.

68. #687435
    On April 26th, 2009 at 7:58 pm, happyscrapper said:

    The Iranian people need to have a revolution. They are good folks, a beautiful culture that has been destroyed and sullied by the creatures in power. If all the people were like their leaders, I would say we should go in and remove them all from the earth. But it is the leaders, not the people who we need to remove. How to do that is a difficult issue. Perhaps Obambi can teach the ayatollah his famous “fist bump”. I bet that would go far in smoothing our relations with them. He should try it the next time they have one of their cozy get-togethers.

69. #687439
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:15 pm, Dave Turson said:

    at 3:52 pm, et said:
    Jesse Jackson could go over there and secure her release.

    Jesse Jackson is going to Iran. As much as I dislike him, I wish him luck.

70. #687441
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:24 pm, Mookie said:

    If Jesse pulls this off, this site won’t know what to do.

71. #687442
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:33 pm, nlebou said:

    Yes we will.

72. #687443
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:36 pm, CantCureStupid said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:24 pm, Mookie said:
    If Jesse pulls this off, this site won’t know what to do.

    We will thank Almighty God for Ms. Saberi’s safe return.

    Toolbox.

73. #687445
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:41 pm, zyzzyg said:

    You have got to be kidding me!

    What has Pres Obama got to do with this situation? Who in their right mind would think a single video would normalize relationships between our two countries? Why would anyone think that Pres Obama would belive it would? Why would you believe it would?

    And, for those of you who invoked Pres Reagan, what did he do about KAL Flight 007 when it was shot down by the Soviet Union?

    Be consistent, please!

    A few questions, and I am not holding my breath for the answers.

74. #687446
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:41 pm, joannmandolin said:

    Put Carter on the job; he knows how to handle them i-ranians.

    Another blast from the past-
    Back in 81′, I had a sticker on my guitar case that read:
    Afghanistan=Soviet Graveyard.

    I thought that was radical, ha!

75. #687449
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm, ajmontana said:

    Mookie said:
    If Jesse pulls this off, this site won’t know what to do.

    Meaning what Mookie?
    If you’re implying we wouldn’t be ecstatic over his results you are terribly mistaken.

76. #687450
    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm, ajmontana said:

    What if it were Odopey’s Daughter?

77. #687455
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:04 pm, Mookie said:

    Meaning what Mookie?
    If you’re implying we wouldn’t be ecstatic over his results you are terribly mistaken.

    Of course we’d be ecstatic about the results but it would force us to say nice things about Jesse and that’s fate almost worse than death. Doing a good thing every now and then doesn’t make up for 99% of the other crap, i.e. Duke Lacrosse, Imus, etc.

78. #687456
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:05 pm, Mookie said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm, ajmontana said:

    What if it were Odopey’s Daughter?

    You think he should go rushing into North Korea as well?

79. #687457
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:09 pm, ajmontana said:

    Sure Mookie, he said he’d meet with Dinkbrain with no pre-conditions. Go meet with him and bring her back in the process, it’s not like he wouldn’t be protected.

80. #687458
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:10 pm, ajmontana said:

    I don’t care who goes but someone, anyone, just go and get her out. N.O.W.

81. #687459
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:11 pm, Mookie said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:09 pm, ajmontana said:

    Sure Mookie, he said he’d meet with Dinkbrain with no pre-conditions. Go meet with him and bring her back in the process, it’s not like he wouldn’t be protected.

    I asked about North Korea, not Iran.

82. #687460
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:12 pm, ajmontana said:

    If he won’t give this Reporter back, void all Student Visa’s and get them out of here.

83. #687461
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:13 pm, ajmontana said:

    I just noticed, sorry. Iran is another day, another time. not now, I’m tired. lol

84. #687465
    On April 26th, 2009 at 9:19 pm, Mookie said:

    I know the feeling. Besides, the Sox/Yankees game is on.

85. #687476
    On April 26th, 2009 at 10:10 pm, SpeakEasy said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 6:55 pm, Dave Turson said: From Wikipedia:

    You may be correct but I would not rely on Wikipedia for my information. It has proven to be unreliable in the past and subject to unauthorized and unvalidated entries.
    Just sayin’……..

86. #687477
    On April 26th, 2009 at 10:11 pm, WarTip said:

    There are ways to credibly accuse and convict someone of espionage, (Insert crime of choice here … believing in the Constitution, Unalienable rights, belief in the Bible, traditional Nuclear Family values, etc etc et al) but the Iranian court American justice system has not employed them. Just the opposite: It has mocked those norms by disregarding their substance, while using the norms’ vocabulary — “trial,” “attorney,” “defense” and so on — to give the government’s actions a patina of justice.

    Am I the only one that thinks this sounds like it came directly from the exact same playbook that is being used against we the people now?

87. #687485
    On April 26th, 2009 at 10:44 pm, bjc said:

    *I say send that Perez Hilton over there; He’ll show them not to mess with a former beauty queen; Or maybe he’ll end up dead; Ya think?

88. #687486
    On April 26th, 2009 at 10:56 pm, torabora said:

    It’s gonna be pretty entertaining when Venezuela and Cuba take American visitors hostage…no?

89. #687488
    On April 26th, 2009 at 11:01 pm, ajmontana said:

    Italian cruise ship fights off da Pirates, arghhhhhh.
    Amazing what a few guns can do on a ship.

90. #687489
    On April 26th, 2009 at 11:04 pm, WarTip said:

    On April 26th, 2009 at 11:01 pm, ajmontana said: Amazing what a few people with guns can do on a ship.

    Just saying …