The Guils of Guilan
Ghaleh Rudkhan
A defensive fortress built during the Sassanid Dynasty (224-651 AD) in Guilan, close to the city of Fuman. It is constructed with bricks on 2.5 hectare of land between two mountain summits next to the Rudkhan River. It has a battlement of 1.5 kilometers and forty-two towers.
Ukraine and the United States
Mr. Walesa ends his letter with these sentences: “Mr. President, material aid—military and financial—can never be equated with the bloodshed in the name of Ukraine’s independence and the freedom of Europe and the entire free world. Human life is priceless; its value cannot be measured in money. Gratitude is due to those who sacrifice their blood and their freedom.”
Ceux Qui Se Ressemble S’assemble
The British picked us a Shah, and the Americans picked us a Shah; now, we have degraded ourselves to the point that Israel must pick us a Shah.
Socio-Political Prostitution
Our freedom is being replaced by despotism, our rule of law has changed place with anarchy, our help for the underprivileged has been reversed to demeaning the neediest, and our lack of leadership has brought us to the lowest possible level in the eyes of the world populace. HOWEVER, WHAT IS LEFT FOR US TO BRAG ABOUT IS OUR MILITARY! WE ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONE MAY WIN WITH THE MILITARY BUT ONE CANNOT PERMANENTLY RULE BY IT! Trump’s rhetoric about the deportation of illegal immigrants is incomprehensible. An estimated eleven million of them are in the country; what means he will use them to accomplish his views? It was estimated that this deportation would cost the nation one trillion dollars
NO DEMOCRATS, NO REPUBLICANS; WE NEED AN AMERICAN
I am mad about what I see in my country during this election year. I am mad that so many of my fellow citizens cannot understand the real handicaps of the candidates. I am mad about the partisanship of our Supreme Court, clearing a convicted criminal for the highest position in the land. I am mad that any medical student can diagnose one of the candidates as having a severe mental problem, and he is promoted for the post that he is by no means qualified! He is medically a sick man and needs to be institutionalized for treatment.
Intelligence – What is it?
A moment later, she said, “I am sorry. We made the decision, and we cannot issue an entrance visa to your brother-in-law. He can go to Mexico, cross the Rio Grande River, and enter the U.S.”
I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. Is it a representative of the United States advising me to undertake this horrendous illegal action? Is she a member of our diplomatic corps? Am I dreaming? The only thing I managed to say before I hung up was: “Thank you. Now I can see why we are in such a disastrous mess worldwide.”
J’accuse/I accuse: In the Defense of the Defenseless
“As for the people I accuse, I do not know them, I have never seen them, I have no resentment or hatred against them. They are, for me, only entities, spirits of social evil. And the act I am doing here is just a revolutionary way to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have only one passion, light, in the name of Humanity, which has suffered so much and has the right to happiness. My fiery protest is only the cry of my soul. So, dare you put me on trial and let the investigation occur! I wait.”
The Downing of Iran Air Flight 655- July 3, 1988, Part II
“I don’t Care What the Facts are, I will Apologize to No-One”, the immortal words of our president George H. Bush. The disgrace that he caused the nation, can never be wiped out from the pages of history.
The Downing of Iran Air Flight 655- July 3, 1988: The Thirty-Sixth Anniversary, Part I
There are points in life that should never be compromised, changed, or ignored. Downing Iran Air flight of 655 was such an occasion. Irrespective of our feelings toward the Government of Iran, their unaccepted governing concept should have never been used as a reason for downing a commercial airliner. What happened was the most hostile act of a superpower against the people of Iran, not its Government. This incident placed the U.S. in a terroristic position.
The Rise of Fascism
Israeli hardliners have been pursuing the wrong policy from the start. The world, however, is catching up with their deceptive action. Can’t they realize that their present policy affects the world’s response toward them? Can’t they envisage that they are creating another Hitler somewhere in the world? Maybe not tomorrow or next year, but fifty or a hundred years from now. It is just a matter of time.
USA, Israel, and the ICC/ICJ
We, as the Americans are acting exactly like ostriches. We submerge our head into the sands and avoid seeing what is going on around us and expect that no one will be able to see us. We are one of the most uninformed nations in the world. We are fed a bunch of nonsense by those ruling over us. We can justifiably be named, “The Nation of Sheep.”
The Mouse That Roared
Moshe Ya’alon, the ex-defense minister of Israel under Netanyahu (2013-2016), summed up Israeli officials’thoughts by stating: “We will act many ways and are not willing to tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. We prefer that this be done using sanction, but in the end, Israel should be able to defend itself.”
The Demise of American Medicine Part IV
A Patient gets discharged from an Affiliated OHSU Hospital Forty-Eight Hours Post-Admission to the Observation Unit Without Ever Being Seen by a Physician: We are Witnessing a New Trend in Medical Training!
On my way home with our son, I pondered what we had witnessed for the preceding few days. Was this a teaching hospital managed by a medical school? What kind of teaching do the students get in such institutions? What type of training do the interns and residents receive there? What kind of physicians will they be after completing their so-called education?
Acute Shortage of Intelligentsia
Senior Americans are hard-pressed with the daily increases in their medical expenses. Drug costs are skyrocketing. Yet we must give billions to a government that shows no respect for us except through cheap talk. Why does our news media not tell the nation the truth about what is happening? Is it because foreign organizations own them as well?
U.S.: A Colony of its Own Creation
Israrel’s Fifth Column in U.S. /Colonialism and Today’s Problems
The resignation of Liz Magill, the president of Pennsylvania University, for whatever reason, should not have been done under the pressure of the Israelis in the U.S. and their financial hold on the country, our elected officials, and dictating what we can or cannot do. …... And, or someone like Mr. Bill Ackman, who became a billionaire in the Hedge Fund business to create a fifth column and try to penalize whoever may have said anything about Israel. Our present situation made us the world’s laughingstock, ultimately costing us the loss of the meager respect that was left.
Response to Dr. Clair Finkelstein
Dr. Clair O. Finkelstein’s writing “To Fight Antisemitism on Campuses, We Must Restrict Speech” is exceptionally superficial, shallow, and detrimental to broadening the faculty of the young generation. If there are misuses involved under the parameter of “free speeches,” in such cases, we should adequately counter the wrong by encouraging counter speeches.
https://guilsofguilan.org/2023/12/13/response-to-dr-clair-finkelstein/
Palestinians- HAMAS and Israel
The repercussion of Netanyahu’s action has been reverberating around the world and resulted in a unanimous disapproval among most countries and nations. Several of the American governments have severed their relations with Israel. Antisemitism has increased in European countries, including France. The present behavior of Israel’s government does not benefit the existence of nation as a progressive country. The Israelis must realize that the time of using the phrases of antisemitism, Jew killers, and Jew haters has passed, and they have lost their value.
The Demise of the American Medicine, Part III
I have heard people expressing the opinion that in our country, pigs on a farm, horses in a stable, and dogs and cats in a house get better medical care than most citizens. Maybe this statement is stronger than the fact, but probably not by much. In a recent encounter, a cardiologist told me, “Literally, nowadays, the privilege to admit our patients has been taken away from us and given to the emergency room physicians. We are not allowed to see or treat our patients unless asked by the hospital-assigned physicians, the HOSPITALISTS. In all cases, the hospitalists will be in charge of the patients.”
The Rats Flee when the Ship is Sinking!
So let us identify these individuals and introduce them to the public, whether they are professionals (doctors, engineers, etc.), business people, professors, teachers, or any other profession. In a recent rally in Houston, Texas, I was informed that the daughter of a prominent pro-religious physician was photographing the demonstrators with a powerful camera. I hope that it was a harmless action!
Open letter to President Biden
The criminality of the present Iranian regime and what they are committing is beyond any description. The security forces shoot innocent young students for seeking a measure of freedom. They punish medical professionals for helping the injured. The ruling party in Iran is forcing the nation to adopt over fifteen-hundred-year-old rules of a backward nation, that even in those days, was way below Iran’s standard.
Humanitarianism; A Lost Word in Russian Vocabulary
At the Yalta Conference in 1945, the Allied decided to place Poland under the Soviet’s Domaine without consulting and considering the Poles’ inputs. General Anders, who created the second Polish Corp and had a magnificent records of victory over the Axis, protested the outcome of the Yalta conference. Churchill in response to his complaint told him “You (the Poles) are no longer needed.” The British did not invite Poles to attend London’s Victory Parade at the conclusion of the war! Did anyone expect otherwise of the British?
If You Cannot Punish the Donkey, Whip the Pack-Saddle
If the West is serious reaching their goals by sanctioning and freezing assets, why don’t they go for the jugular? Why don’t they ask for the dismissal of Russia from the United Nations and all its subsidiaries? Why don’t they close their embassies in Russia and send the Russian emissaries back to Moscow? Maybe, in such circumstances, Putin will think twice before attacking another nation!
Russia and Ukraine- Are we on the Verge of Another War?
Dear President Biden, Prime Minister Johnson and President Macron; you have to wake up. Praying will not alleviate the pain and suffering of the Ukrainians or any nations under siege. They need military equipment, financial help and most possibly foot soldiers. Do not allow the mirage of your immediate welfare blind you of the dangers ahead. China (a GIANT that your governments have created) following Russia, constitutes the greatest hazard to the future wellbeing of the world.
If this is an Emergency, Hang up and Dial 911. Part II
In the previous section under this title, I alluded to a significant part of the difficulties associated with American healthcare. Presently I shall try to bring to the reader’s attention some of the crucial factors contributing to “the Death of American medicine,” as we came to know it.
If this is an Emergency, Hang up and Dial 911
You hear this message whenever you call a clinic or a doctor’s office, or any medical facility. What is an emergency? The dictionary describes it as “a combination of unforeseen circumstances requiring an immediate response.” It is as diverse as the individual callers are. To some, if they scratched their hand, it is a significant problem. To others, the chest pain and sign of an impending heart attack have no real consequences.
The New Kid on the Block
In the third decade of the twentieth century, Europe stepped into a change that ended in a worldwide disaster. Still under the effect of defeat in WWI, Germany was trying to leave the treaty’s results imposed on her by the Allies. Nationalism flourished in that country, and the new party under Adolf Hitler’s direction was getting recognition and support from the masses. Hitler was the leader (Führer) of the National socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the Nazis).
The Impeachment!
A Joke? A Mockery of Justice? A Show of Strength or a Loyalty to the Party! The United States Senate completed its task over the impeachment trial of our ex-president. To find him guilty, two-thirds of the senators (Sixty seven) had to vote for his conviction instigating insurrection on the Congress. All the dissidents were Republican senators.
Too Little and Too Late: Our Fragile Democracy
The events of the recent past in our country were anything but what an American wanted to witness. It was a disgrace brought on us directly under the influence and encouragement of our president. He performed the most degrading action that could ever be committed by an official of a nation. He clearly showed the world the weakest side of our democracy and of how fragile it can be.
The French Predicament!
2015, in France, a group of radical Muslims assassinated several French cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo’s group. The heinous act was a retaliation for the Cartoonists depicting Prophet Mohammad’s caricatures. The action that the French Muslims considered an insult to their faith.
The Decline of US Leadership in the Persian Gulf
Before the Persian Empire was created over 2500 years ago, the Persian Gulf was used by the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Elamites as means of trade to Syria and Alexandria in the West, and to India and China in the East. After the fall of the Sassanid Empire and post-Islamic era, this waterway continued to remain a major commercial trade road as it was in the past.
The Angel of Justice
Decades ago, when I was a little boy and living in Tehran, I would follow my father every morning to school. Before going to his work, Dad would take me to my destination and wanted for me to be safe in my short journey from our home to the school. I remember, often, that I had to run after him I order to keep pace with his fast march.
Why this blog?
Standstill, which is characteristic of a body without a soul, is not an option in human life evolution. By growing older, we accumulate what is known as “Experience.” By spending years pursuing the appropriate knowledge and acting on our training, we will achieve a degree of self-reliance and mastership. After years of practice, a physician becomes accomplished by continuous involvement in managing patients, presenting different aspects of the same disorders. What is learned this way could not be taught in any medical schools and is not be available on the Web. It is the priceless gift of an old life, and societies should never ignore it. Of course, this is not only for the medical fields but also for practitioners in every area.
I have lived through the reign of two kings and witnessed the efforts of a nation trying to stand on its own feet by battling those with opposing interests. I witnessed how foreign powers shattered the fragile democracy of awakening people. I have suffered and tolerated discrimination in my birth country as well as my adopted country. My life experiences revived the conviction that keeping silent can not be my choice. I have tried to use what I learned to teach others that our rights as humans are not usually given to us freely; they have to be obtained, sometimes by force.
For all of these reasons, I have decided to share my lifelong learnings. As the great Iranian poet and philosopher, Saadi, so eloquently said:
Two things darken human intelligence: keeping silent when we should express our views, and speaking when silence should prevail.
I hope that I have made the right decision to share my thoughts on this blog. I appreciate all comments and inputs offered in a civilized and constructive manner.
Guils of Guilan 