Barney the Underwriter - WSJ.com

Barney the Underwriter - WSJ.com: "Back when the housing mania was taking off, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank famously said he wanted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to 'roll the dice' in the name of affordable housing. That didn't turn out so well, but Mr. Frank has since only accumulated more power. And now he is returning to the scene of the calamity -- with your money. He and New York Representative Anthony Weiner have sent a letter to the heads of Fannie and Freddie exhorting them to lower lending standards for condo buyers.

You read that right. After two years of telling us how lax lending standards drove up the market and led to loans that should never have been made, Mr. Frank wants Fannie and Freddie to take more risk in condo developments with high percentages of unsold units, high delinquency rates or high concentrations of ownership within the development."

Faster, Please! » Sunday Morning in Iran, A Letter from Mousavi’s Office

"June 20th, 2009 4:59 pm Sunday Morning in Iran, A Letter from Mousavi’s Office

I’ve received what purports to be a statement from Mousavi’s Office in Tehran. Like everyone else covering the revolution, I get a lot of material that can’t be authenticated, and one must always take such material with a healthy dose of skepticism. That said, the person who sent this to me is undoubtedly in touch with the Mousavi people on the ground, that much is certain. His information has been proven reliable throughout this period. So while the following open letter carefully puts distance between the author(s) and Mousavi himself, I am quite sure that at a minimum it accurately reflects the state of mind of the Mousavi people."

The Cost of Freedom

I think we all need to take a look at what is happening in Iran, when you allow a government too much control you are giving up your freedoms. Every regulation, rule or law removes a freedom. Every payment extracts a price of personal liberty and freedom.

That government control breeds corruption, when you have corruption you have a government that terrorizes it's people. Like we see in Iran, the people want freedom but the government wants control.

Hugo Chavez is supporting the ruling class in Iran, of course he does he see the writing on the wall. Obama is tepid since he appears to want the same control over American Society that the mullahs have.

No place left untouched by Iran's political crisis - The Irish Times - Mon, Jun 22, 2009

"Monday, June 22, 2009
No place left untouched by Iran's political crisis
Protesters gather for a demonstration in support of the Iranian opposition in Berlin yesterday. Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Iranian authorities to recount votes. Photograph: Pawel Kopczynski/ReutersProtesters gather for a demonstration in support of the Iranian opposition in Berlin yesterday. Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Iranian authorities to recount votes. Photograph: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters
In this section »

* Obama briefed on Iran actions against protesters
* New calls for return of Elgin Marbles

Mousavi supporters in Shiraz remain committed to the cause and are prepared to endure, writes MARY FITZGERALD

IT IS early Saturday evening in Shiraz, the city in southwestern Iran renowned for its poets, roses and nightingales.

Maryam and her three girlfriends are packed into her car, and as they drive through busy streets they note the clusters of riot police and soldiers that have gathered in anticipation of trouble later that night.

For the past week, the denizens of this famously laid-back city have felt tense and anxious. The protests that have rocked Tehran in the wake of the disputed June 12th presidential election have also played out here, albeit on a smaller, yet deadly, scale."