Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush, version HTML, so skip the pdf...

[tocqueville]

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-727571,36-769886@51-677013,0.html

here is the 9/11 part :

"September Eleven was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies."

"All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good standing of their citizens. Reportedly your government employs extensive security, protection and intelligence systems – and even hunts its opponents abroad. September eleven was not a simple operation. Could it be planned and executed without coordination with intelligence and security services – or their extensive infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. Why have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret? Why are we not told who botched their responsibilities? And, why aren't those responsible and the guilty parties identified and put on trial?
All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For some years now, the people of your country and neighbours of world trouble spots do not have peace of mind. After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds of the survivors and the American people – who had been immensely traumatised by the attacks – some Western media only intensified the climates of fear and insecurity – some constantly talked about the possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that service to the American people? Is it possible to calculate the damages incurred from fear and panic?
American citizen lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come at any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the streets, in their place of work and at home. Who would be happy with this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity?"

[stillcool]

1. oh my....this sentence....

..."Of course, this is just an educated guess"...gave me the heeby-jeeby's...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. How'd you feel...

about how he discusses the plight of the Palestinians immediately after that?

[stillcool]

7. The middle-east and it's history. ...

is something that I have limited knowledge of. The seemingly almost constant invasions of varying areas, forming and re-forming arbitrary divisions without regard to societal norms strikes me as barbaric...because I have no reality with which to gauge such an experience. The world is nothing like what I...for most of my life...believed...but I do find the sentiment of the Iranian president, more balanced and reasoned than anything coming from my government.

“Middle East oil is a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history.”– U.S. State Department, 1945

“We must become the owners, or at any rate the controllers at the source, of at least a proportion of the oil which we require.”
– British Royal Commission, agreeing with Winston Churchill's policy towards Iraq, 1913

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. It's kind of interesting.

People get to the holocaust part and, "OMG! Did he just say what I think he just said? How dare he!"

Then people get to the Palestinian part and their eyes glaze over.

[stillcool]

10. The revelations that occur on an almost daily basis....

leave me perched on a see-saw. There is so much that I swallowed whole...without even chewing. Now, I am much more leery of what I claim for my truth.

[papau]

3. Re 9/11:Why have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret?

A very good question.

[tocqueville]

4. Experts: U.S. Hasty in Brushoff of Iran

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
6 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's abrupt dismissal of a letter from Iran's president might only strengthen hardline attitudes and mistrust of America, some Iranians warned Tuesday.

As President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a high-profile visit to a key Muslim country, Indonesia, a former top Iranian official said Rice's response will give new justification to those who oppose ties with the U.S.

Iran's former ambassador to France, Sadeq Kharrazi, said the letter — the first from an Iranian head of state to an American president in 27 years — "could have been a turning point in relations." But he said Rice squandered the opportunity with what he called a "hasty reaction."

"This gives a pretext to those in Iran who oppose re-establishment of ties with America," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060509/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_us_41

[malaise]

5. IF this was written by anyone else

most posters would say it is brilliant. Indeed it is another classic exposure of Bushco's attempt to garb neo-liberalism and globalization in religious clothing.

Most of the world's people have the same view of the New World Order.

[NJ_Lib]

6. I would buy this garbage if I didn't...

... know better...

I lived in the Middle East so don't feed me your "Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful God", who doesn't take kindly to killing innocent women and children... Unless off course, they're from Israel, then all bets are off... The Israelies are vicious, but it's in retaliation to attacks on their own woman and children... I've seen the devastation and blood of the innocent from both sides, with my own two eyes, and I cried for them all... It's a never-ending cycle in the Middle East, you attacked mine so we're coming for yours, and I don't see a solution to it anytime soon... Especially with people like this punk in power... Give me a break... He's "The Chimp" in Muslim clothing, that's all... No more, no less... Don't be impressed by his words, I'm pretty sure he had "help" writing this letter...

[Malikshah]

9. Ah. Only some deaths matter to some.

Bookshelves will be filled with the volumes found in this post.

[NJ_Lib]

13. Huh?

Please, do show me where in my post I said "only some deaths matter"... Show me... Please... I believe I mentioned the senseless devestation from both sides and the fact that I cried for BOTH sides but this off course, is ignored....

How in the world will we ever have world peace, when two people can misunderstand each other so easily?

[Malikshah]

14. Here.

I lived in the Middle East so don't feed me your "Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful God", who doesn't take kindly to killing innocent women and children... Unless off course, they're from Israel, then all bets are off.

Volume I

Putting the digs in with this and then attempting to backtrack is a tiresome ruse

[NJ_Lib]

15. Well, how can you deny it?

God/Allah/Whoever is supposed to be "All-forgiving and All-Merciful" but then innocent women and children are slaughtered in his name... That is not mercy my friend... Like in my beloved country right now, I call it for what it is, my president is just a dirty Chimp... See? I'm not biased, I call them as I see them... You can't claim your God is "merciful" and then in his name slaughter innocent people... So when the ruler of Iran says his Allah is "Merciful", he is being a hypocrite by saying in the same breath that it's OK to kill women and children, so long as they're Israelies...

It's not personal my friend, I feel this way about other religions too... I'm so sick of these world leaders slaughtering innocent citizens and then claiming that "God/Allah/Whoever" made them do it and it was in his glorious name that they did... What do I expect though, it's religion at it's best, always was, always will be...

[Malikshah]

17. The onus is placed on Islam-- it's been done to death

trying to gussy it up w/ other claims is disingenuous at best.

Me, I'm not taking it personally.

Just getting tired of the same old same old.

[NJ_Lib]

18. Look, I did not mean to offend you...

If I did, my sincerest apologies... Like I said before, it really is not personal against Muslims, as a matter of fact, I come from Muslim people so if I offend them, I'm essentially offending my own people... I have the confusing privilage of coming from a Muslim AND an Israeli backround, so I'm really not taking sides here... The only reason I "attacked" the Muslim religion is because that's what this thread was about, the letter of Mr. A of Iran, in which he mentions how "Merciful" his God is many times... Had an Israeli written such a letter, I would be saying the same exact things...

Please make it easier for me to understand, how is it that one can claim their God "Merciful", but then attack innocents? Anybody who does this in the name of religion is a bastard hypocrite, including Jews, Americans and whoever else... Plain and simple...

[Kazak]

11. (PBUH)???

:shrug:

[stillcool]

12. peace be upon him...

These letters are abbreviations for the words Peace Be Upon Him which are the meaning of the Arabic expression " 'Alaihis Salam", which is an expression that is said when the name of a prophet is mentioned.
This expression is widely used by English speaking Muslims. It is to be noticed here that this expression does not give the full meaning of "Salla Allahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam". Therefore it is recommended that people do not use (p.b.u.h.) after the name of prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.); they should use "Salla Allahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam" instead, or they may use the abbreviated form of (s.a..w) in writing.

[sweetheart]

16. always been a text version here (link)

http://www.iran.ru/eng/iran_news.php?act=news_by_id&_n=1&news_id=26782

Hast thou a link for the 2nd letter in text?