Browsing through comments i've missed-found this site way too late. This one struck me right off: "This is my first time to this site. Well, I have never read such whine whine whine whine....all your Iranians complain about the clerics and usa. You want freedom but seem clueless as to how to get there." How offensive and I'm American. It's not as simple as all that.The world is not all that simple.But please-readers take this with a grain of salt. Defend his right to speak his mind openly,even if it is offensive and realize that it's one persons opinion. History would tell this guy America didn't drop down to the earth as a democracy. The Iranians do know how to get there-it's not as easy as wanting to 'get there.' Been thinking about these issues a lot lately-especially now that we're under the orange terror alert again(i was surprised it wasn't up to red). So what is the problem? It's like this. The United States is the Great Satan from the perspective of Islamic clerics. Hmm wonder why that is? We DO have some problems-i imagine they fear that. Of course,non Islamic countries fear that too-because it means lack of government control. On the other hand-it's the same things i loathe myself. I wouldn't say I loathe America because of these problems-I would say I loathe the people tin America that promote the things I don't like..which are not good for America either. Drug use,teens having sex before marriage,abortion,"gay rights" etc. On the other hand there is the alternative that the Islamic clerics provide-imprisonment and human rights abuses,among other things. So now you have another group of evils-including terrorism. What it comes down to is that people in the world do bad things-make terrible choices-and have no religous foundation whatsoever. And it will always be a world where people do these bad things-BUT (and this is the big but)you cannot take away a person's freedom and abuse human rights and commit terrorist acts to control people and make them live the way you want.It's more than that though,because some people use the bad behavior of some people as an excuse to consolidate their own power. Sometimes they create an enemy to consolidate their own power. A dictatorship,theocracy,totalitarian regime creates an enemy because it can convince people that their own problems and desperate lives are caused by an outside force-an enemy. People are more likely to rally around the hate of an 'enemy'-and thus not question the authority that rules them or at least justify the reason for their own authority.It's about power. It's about one man wanting to have total control. It's what terrorism is about. One person having the right solution for the whole world and it has nothing to do with Islam. This one man will even adopt the people he wants to "defend". These are the people I represesnt according to the authoritarian. Some people do make people out like this to almost a demi god. What people need to realize that the power to form governments is within themsleves..they have the right to choose who is to represent them even if the society it creates is less than perfect. Maybe I'm wrong. it's just an opinion afterall. It's just not as simple as most of us would like to beleive-all we can do is the best each of us can do to help each other out. IF it means trying to help one man who did not deserve to be put in jail and has a wife and baby at home-then signing the petition is probably the best thing I did in a long time. Maybe there aern't a whole lot of simple answers or great solutions.
- By: "love our dog" on May 21, 2003

Any word yet? What is the lastest news?
- By: "love our dog" on May 20, 2003

Sorry I typo'd Sina's name in the url.Got it right in the page. Wondered-if petition would hurt more than help but then you consider. What would they do withtout this petition? IMHO it does put int'l as well as local pressure on people in authority when they get these kinds of mail. I hope we have good news soon.His wife must be beside herself. But don't think we should give up the petition either-have the feeling the good news is not as good as it sounds. I read your comments about the Iranian people would prefer to be ruled by Americans rather than Mullah's.Actually Americans would rather Iranians were ruled by Iranians-of the people,by the people,for the people. It's a bit hard to grasp for some people but Americans would much rather not rule anyone. It's one of the problems we had about 200 yrs ago. ;^) I hope we really do have good news soon. There's nothing worse than seeing a family torn apart especially for non criminal activity. Does it seem like the evil go free-the good end up in prisons? Keep us posted-everyone is very much concerned. Yes,we do need to raise our voices. People in power count on no one saying a thing.
- By: "love our dog" on May 17, 2003

I'm trying to follow these sad facts in Italy too...take a look if you want. I'm posting in both english and italian(just in the section Iran.watch), so that people from all over could read it. Tnx and good luck to Sina! ;)
- By: Valerio on May 13, 2003

Where the hell did you learn Math? 300,000,000 Rials is about $37000.00 (US Dollar)!
- By: Aziz on May 13, 2003

What do you mean by "sad denial interviews," E:M?
- By: c. brayton on May 13, 2003

God bless him!
- By: Mr. Plate on May 13, 2003

29 days or 22 days?
- By: erfan's father! on May 12, 2003

You mean $38,000 !!! Right ?
- By: Saviz on May 12, 2003

But the prosecution is underway and the court will probably sentense him to imprisonment. Am I not right? If so, we should not think he is really released and that they have given up. They may simply put him back behind bars right after the prosecution :-( Therefore, there is no reason to stop the his support campaign at this point.
- By: Jafar on May 12, 2003

no, you didn't get confused between tomans and rials, you just got all the zeros confused. it's about $36,700. I propose 3 zeros should be chopped off all Iranian currency forthwith.
- By: namakdoon on May 12, 2003