Growing Up Persian in America

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anyone who knows anything about the Middle East knows that falafel is not Persian food but rather Arabic food. Then again what do most Americans know. This story was written by an Iranian or Persian and while it is a work of fiction it is in part autobiographical. The story is set in the Carter era, starting right before the revolution and then going through to Ronald Reagan’s election.

Zomorod is with her family in Southern California, her dad is an engineer making oil wells for a big company. For a while they were living in Compton but then they move to Newport Beach. The move to Newport Beach is not comfortable. Zomorod has no friends there and her parents are different. Zomorod does not know much about American culture. In order to better fit in she changes her name to Cindy. Incidentally the first friend she meets is named Cindy. Zomorod will call herself Cindy and her first friend Original Cindy.

Original Cindy is into herself. She likes horses and Captain and Tenil which she names her pet cats after. Zomorod does not know much about horses and she cannot follow along to the words of a song. They like to go to the pool and get a suntan. Her parents feel swimming and bicycle riding can help to make her grow taller. If she gets scratched by a cat she can lose her eye sight. These attitudes from her parents are a source of embarrassment for Zomorod.

As she starts Lincoln Junior High she goes through A socializing process. Some kids who are ignorant about Iran or Persia make racist jokes, other teacher ask her to give a report on Iran. At school she makes friends with Carolyn, Howie and Rachel. Through her friends she gets introduced to the Girl Scouts different people and different clubs. On a scout outing her dad buys everything that is on sale. The stuff that ain’t on sale and I the list of things needed for the camping trip are simply not needed.

In their condo complex they make friends and enemies with the neighbors, mostly friends though. Whenever someone comes over the mother wants to give them tea and feed them. If the family wants to say thank you they will make food and send it over. Most America’s do not follow this and to them it is different. For Zomorod it is embarrassing.

Things change when the Revolution happens and Americans are taken hostage in Iran. That is when her father looses his job, the family gets worried and stays glued to the television set. Enemies place dead hamsters on their doorstep and over load their trash can with trash thst is not theirs. But things will work out.

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Political Assassination

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All through out Israel’s existence , from the pre state days to present time, assassination has been a tool of national self defense. The purpose of assassination is to prevent a full scale military’s confrontation . The book traces the history of Israel’s use of assassination and with some examination of it’s moral relevance and effectiveness. All branches of the Israeli Defense Establishmment all the way from IDF commando groups, Aman, Mossad and Shin Bet have been involved in assassinating enemy leaders.

In the pre state days the Haganah used assassination against rival Palestinian leaders, some British and even other Jews. One of the most noted assassination in pre state time was of Jacob DeHan. Jacob was a gay Orthodox Jew who was very pro- Arab. He was murdered and the Haganah decided to frame the Irgun. The Stern Gang, radical Jewish terrorists of the time assassinated Lord Moyne in Egypt.

After the establishment of the state of Israel, the fledgling state faced numerous threats. Among them was German Scientists working for Egypt in order to develop rockets and chemical weapon to use against Israel. To stop this the Israelis would send letter bombs to the scientists. These letter bombs killed several scientists and also wounded several of them. This may have had the effect of forcing Egypt to shut down that program.

Black September occurred after the PLO took over the Israeli hotel room during the 1974 Olympics. Almost all of the Israeli athletes were murdered. This would cause Golda Meir to send assassins after the PLO terrorists responsible. To kill someone a Prime Minister must sign a red paper. While many terrorists welfare eliminated there was also diplomatic fall out as Israel assassinnate enemies on friendly European soil. The Europeans were not happy about that. Did the assassination really stop the next generation of terrorists.

During the second Intifadah when Israel was facing suicide bombings a variety of assassination techniques were used . Among them was the use of drones to shoot missiles at opponents , like with Sheik Ahmed Yassin. Or to use booby trapped cell phones like Israel used with Ayash “The Engineer” Israel used assassination to halt Iran’s nuclear program as well as Syrias. While assassination or targeted killing may have solved an initial problem sometimes it lead to an even more complicated situations. For example Sheik Yassin, the founder of Hamas absolutely refused to work with Iran. After his assassination Hamas moved closer to Hezbollah and Iran. This made Israel’s situation all the worse because the new leader chose to work with Iran. This meant that Hamas was working with Hezbollah and Iran. This gave them more of an advantage against Israel. To stop the weapons from flowing in Israel had to assassinate someone who got weapons for Hamas. This triple ring of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran would have to be combated. THE biggest threat was of Iranian nuclear weapons.

Khalid Mashal was a Hamas leader in Amman Jordan. The Israelis botched an assassination attempt against him. It soured relations between Israel and Jordan and they had to give Mashal the antidote anyways plus they had to release tons of Palestinians fighter.Does assassination work. Let’s watch the news and see what happens with the Soleimeni issue.

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The Book of Abbaddon : Become a Living God

ABADDON: The Angel of the Abyss by E.A. Koetting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book marks the 4th in a series of books about working with arch demons. This one is about Abbaddon. He is the gate keeper of the abyss or the guy who guards the entrance and exit to Hell. This fallen angel is the one who stops the demons from leaving Hell and haunting our world. He also won’t let you in either. Abbaddon is not only identified with being the guardian to Hell, he is associated with several other entities.

Since Abbaddon determines who leaves and enters Hell, he has often been conflated with Satan himself. In the Book of Revelations he is mentioned but he is not only called Abbaddon but he is called Apollyon. This connects him to the Greek God Apollo. Abbaddon is at times called the king of locusts or plaques. Apollo can control plagues and he has some warrior aspects in common with Abbaddon. He has wolf like characteristics. Abbaddon has also been conflated with Hades the lord of the dead. In a way that is fitting. After all Abbaddon is a king of Hell as he decides who comes and goes. Abbaddon is also conflated with Bab and Hekate. Both are escorts to the realm of the dead.

Abbaddon used to be associated with a place in the underworld. Now he is a being. The book itself has rituals for initiation , cursing and other rituals connected to the deities mentioned above.

This is a left handed philosophy book and the objective is not to merge with god but rather to become a living god. The book asks for discipline and to cut away our attachments. You will like the philosophy As it is very empowering.

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