Iran aide: Ahmadinejad “misquoted” on the gay thing

Sometimes when someone claims they were misquoted, it’s a legitimate excuse. Sometimes it’s an attempt to weasel out of having said what they obviously did. And sometimes it really doesn’t make a difference.

I’ve previously gone after people who parrot the misquotes of Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he claimed Israel would be “wiped off the map”, for example. However, his presidential aide’s recent claim that he was misquoted at the University of Columbia when he did or didn’t say that Iran has no gays in it falls into that third category.

“What Ahmadinejad said was not a political answer. He said that, compared to American society, we don’t have many homosexuals,” presidential media adviser Mohammad Kalhor said.

Kalhor told Reuters that because of historical, religious and cultural differences homosexuality was less common in Iran and the Islamic world than in the West.

Here’s the thing, folks. It doesn’t really matter what he said. He made some sort of claim that Iran either has no gays or a lot less than the United States. Either way, the fact is that Iran has executed homosexuals in the past. Remember, for example, back in 2005 when a pair of teenagers were hanged for being gay. So either way, Ahmadinejad’s comment had a dark undercurrent of “…because we execute them.”

Thanks for trying to clear the record, guy, but it doesn’t matter.

A followup on our Army Recruitment Video Game

So I’m sure at least some of you have read N’s writeup on the Army’s recruitment BS. If you haven’t, the swift version is that at an electronics/videogame expo, he got to check out a “virtual reality” simulator for a game sponsored by the Army that had more than a slight undertone of “SIGN UP NOW!!”. Let’s revisit a piece of that.

I had to register first, which involved putting my (outdated) personal information into their computer as a blatant grab for recruitment info. Once that was done, they scanned my license and put my face on a freshly printed ID card/badge that said I was partaking in the simulator. They also had a webcam to snap photos for the ID cards if the licenses didn’t work. The ID cards went into black pouches, like many convention badge holders. Also in the pouches were a plastic device about the size of a USB key.

Now keep in mind that he didn’t actually sign up for the army. He signed up to try out this America’s Army shooter simulator. So what’s happened since then? The Army’s started contacting him. A lot. It started off simply enough.

Thank you for your interest in the U.S. Army. As you might imagine, becoming a Soldier can teach you things about yourself you never expected. Like just how strong you can become mentally, physically and emotionally. The journey to Soldier might be challenging, but it’s also rewarding.

Nothing major, just your standard “thanks for checking the thing out, let us know if you’d like to sign up” affair. Things escalated, and the latest is a typed-out message “thanking” N for expressing interest in the Army (he didn’t) and for requesting opportunity information (he didn’t). Attached to that one was a 43 question “survey” to judge his eligibility or something. Now he’s getting voice mail left at home telling him to contact the recruitment office.

This isn’t a searing indictment of the Army or anything, I’m sure they’re desperate for recruits. It’s just absurd that they’re borderline harassing my friend after he just wanted to check out a video game.

Where’s the love for Gravel?

I give Ron Paul a bit of a pounding on here now and again (which reminds me, I have another one coming soon…), and there are two simple reasons for this. The first is that while I like his foreign policies and his general attitude of limited government, his domestic policies downright scare me and seeing him get so much support frequently irks me.

The second is far more direct. I am absolutely green with envy at the swell of support he is getting. So I ask you all, where’s the love for Mike Gravel?

Support for the Democrats is dwindling thanks to a general trend of inaction and/or cowardice in the face of the GOP machine. With the candidates still acting as though Karl Rove is still lurking in the shadows and that a majority in Congress still isn’t enough (“we can’t override a veto!”), it’s more than a little disheartening to see so little change. When I found that a website called The Smirking Chimp hosted an article abandoning the party, that told me we have a problem.

The solution? Mike Gravel.

Annoyed that Democrats are all wimpy in opposing the war? Mike Gravel wants out now and tore into Hillary over her vote over it. The man wrote an article called “Why Hillary Scares Me” for chrissakes.

Hillary, as an active supporter of the war, you are one of many Americans who are guilty. And now all Americans are left responsible, regardless of whether we supported or opposed he war. When we pull out, our hands will drip with the blood of the tens of thousands of American casualties and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead. The Iraqi government didn’t start this, we did.

Bam!