Iranian President Ahmadinejad pens letter to U.S.

[Don_1967]

Read the letter http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/iran_pres_letter.pdf tell me what do you think.

[whistle]

1. Impassioned appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the populace

...is demagoguery and thus demagogy is the set of methods used by demagogues. It is a strategy of obtaining power by appealing to the gut feelings of the public, usually by powerful use of rhetoric and propaganda.

[The Blue Flower]

2. What points do you disagree with?

I take strong exception to his laying the blame for our destructive path on the control of Zionists--I would substitute "corporatists"--but where exactly do you consider him to be wrong?

[Kindigger]

3. I think

aside from his preoccupation with "Zionism", he's a very intelligent man saying the same things I read here every day.

I'd file it with the rest of the calls for impeachment.

[Possumpoint]

4. President Ahmadinejad;

You have prefaced your letter with a reference to the prophecy of the 12th Imam. This prophecy is based in Islam, a religion I believe to be false. With that being the starting premise, it makes all your statement suspect. Please don't bother me again.

Possumpoint

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. How cute.

By your reasoning, the instant you say "Jesus," no Jew has to keep on listening to you any further, right?

[uppityperson]

7. !

This is a good question for possum, wish would come back and answer.

:toast: Watching and searching.

[Igel]

5. I think that not everything means what we interpret it to mean.

"Justice" in my church meant something different than "justice" means on DU; there's nothing to prevent Neejad's "justice" from being much more like my former church's meaning.

Same for "oppression", "terrorism", and many other words.

One sort of fallacy involves constructing a argument that would appear valid but in which terms do not hold to a constant meaning. I would want Neejad to define his terms before trying to interpret his letter, and to make explicit why he chose Sura 28, verses 67-68, to conclude his missive.