On 2015-07-21 22:44:28 +0000, sf said:

> On Tue, 21 Jul 2015 08:04:04 -0700, gtr > wrote:
>
>> I went to school in Oklahoma in the late 60's and there were many
>> Iranians students there, mostly studying petrol engineering. They
>> *always* referred to themselves as Persians. They spoke with great
>> loathing of the Shah, and great disgust with the USA for propping him
>> up. 10 years later they spoke with disgust about how we supported
>> Iraq's border war with them--but still called themselves Persians. Now
>> they have about 80 years of complaints--all of them predicated on
>> America's love for Saudi oil and deference to Saudi paranoia--but still
>> call themselves Persians.
>
> Do you blame them?

Not in the least; I pity them, and though I don't condone terrorist
activity, state run or individual lone-wolf, I can frequently find a
viable rationale.

> They've been trying to crawl out from under
> shariia law since 1928, but the West keeps pulling the rug out from
> under them. We ousted a democratically elected government and
> installed the Shah back in 1941 - and they have been unstable ever
> since.

The US has always been a big fan of the "stability" that comes with
having one highly corrupt strongman to deal with. Sadly we usually have
some significant pushback in a generation or two.

> They are the most educated people of all that middle eastern mess and
> even better, they don't treat their female population the way Saudis
> treat theirs. Given a fighting chance, they will move into the 21st
> century while the rest of them move backward to the 800's. I'm
> praying for Afghanistan, but they are in the grip of ISIS and I don't
> have much hope.

That would be keen.