Iran

On the first day of basketball practice in my one high school Iranian town, I lined up all the prospective team members to take free shots. One after another they closed their eyes and threw the ball in the general direction of the basket. When I instructed them to hold the ball a certain way and to aim just over the front rim, I was met with looks as if I were seriously retarded.

"If Allah wills it, the ball will go into the basket."

I suggested that they could help Allah. Over half of the players did not return for the second practice. I was very lucky not to have been thrown out of town.

Iran is very much in the news lately. As a Peace Corps volunteer I spent two years in modern Persia during the Shah's reign. I found Iranians to be anything but warlike. In fact they have not launched an aggressive war against a neighbor since 1785. In that same period of time we have been in over a dozen serious conflicts and many more minor adventures. In the fifty or so wars around the globe since the end of WWII, the US, in most cases, has sold weapons to one if not both sides. Do not get me wrong, I have served my country not only in the Peace Corps but in the Navy where I became a disabled veteran. I am just stating the facts as I see them. While I am not a conspiracy theorist, the invasion of Iraq and our Iranian saber rattling do not pass the smell test.

For an insight into the Iranian people, I suggest a fun read of my book "Landsberg's Law". You can read the first chapter free by going to www.selfpublishersplace.com and followng the links.