On Mon, 12 May 2008 03:13:18 +0000, Larry wrote:


I lived in Tehran and worked under contract with Pan Am Airlines,
Technical Services Branch, for the Iranian Air Force at Doshen-Tappeh AFB
in NE Tehran. The base is deserted on Google Earth, now, very sad. We
were in the SIGINT/ELINT business against Iraq and Afghanistan. CIA kept
an eye on the Soviets in the late 70's from the "monitoring station on
top of Tochal that did not exist" every Iranian could point out to you.
Shahanshah was our guy, you know...CIA.

While there, I was very intent on learning enough Farsi to astonish the
Iranians and drove my homofars (technical warrant officers IAF) and
especially Raffick, my 12-year-old taxi driver, crazy with questions. He
taught me more Farsi than anyone else, so I spoke more like a street rat
hiphop ho than a proper Farsi speaker, something every Iranian I spoke to
in Farsi found most amusing, except Mullahs...(c; After I learned how to
sign my name, IAF ID number, "engineer" and unit in Farsi, I refused to
sign it in English to anyone. "NO NO! YOU SIGN IN ENGLISH or they think
I signed that form!"....."What? You don't like my Farsi?", I'd retort.
The AF colonel in charge of logistics presented me with my own Farsi
typewriter for my desk he was so proud of me. The conscript soldiers
that guarded the base lived in tents and had a mess tent at the end of
our building. I loved to eat breakfast with them before work if I could
get to work in time. Otherwise, I'd eat lunch with them. They all spoke
street rat Farsi and improved my accent, to the horror of proper
speakers. I was the only American who ate in the army mess tent and if I
needed something that required some muscle outside the secret building
they weren't allowed into where I worked, I had no trouble getting a huge
Russian army truck, my own driver and some grunts. Even Iranian drivers
get the hell out of the way when you're roaring downtown to the Hewlett-
Packard office for parts in a 8-ton truck with 8 drive wheels...(c;

It took some fast talking (in Farsi, of course) to convince my Bank
Markazi branch to allow me to make checks in Farsi with my Farsi
signature, but they relented, finally. The look on a clerks face as this
crazy, obviously American, who was supposed to be ignorant of all local
customs, language, etc., whisk out his checkbook and paid for the
groceries at the Super Shillon all in proper Farsi....(c;

I don't dare try it now in the states as I might find myself in chains
headed for Guantanamo Prison....(c;

I'd go back to Iran any time they decided they'd had enough of the
stonings and beatings and stone aged government. Iranians don't hate
Americans. Like most of the world, they hate our Illuminati Government
trying to kill them all....and they know the difference.

The Army guys even let me drive a T-72 Russian TANK! Way cool!
THAT makes the Peykan orange taxis get the hell out of my way!
They were even afraid to blow their horns!
Ahh...the sound of a steel track tearing up the pavement in the
morning...(c;

Hi Larry,

You've certainly had an interesting life so far. Perhaps that is why
Bruce and yourself can often see the other side in any discussion -
because you have been exposed to other influences.

Interesting comment about Iranians not hating Americans. When we
sailed into Aden when most yachts were sailing past, we radioed
American friends a couple of days behind us to come in and get fuel
instead of going the 600 miles extra to Djibouti and out again. The
Customs/'Inmmigration officers at the port explained to our friends
"We are not anti-American. In fact we really like Americans. We are
merely opposed to thye foreign policy of your current President.
However we know that only half of your citizens voted for him.....and
you look intelligent people (said with a smile). Welcome to our
country.

This seperation between U.S. foreign policy and its citizens we found
to be widespread.

BTW, do they speak standard English in Charleston or do I have to
learn beforehand how to listen slowly when I visit your fair city and
the Folbot factory? I seem to be able to read your words at the same
speed as Bruce's and Roger's. Is it just the spoken word that slows to
a crawl in the South? I was in a shop at the airport in Dall Fort
worth and actaully heard a man who was leaving saying "Buy yawl" when
there was only the shop assistant there. By his reference to "y'all or
"yawl" or "you all" I presumed he was addressing more than on person
which he clearly wasn't. He may of course be giving advice to the girl
to purchase a sailing boat with the mizzen mast aft of the rudder post
as that was what it sounded like.I hope I don't get arrested as either
an illegal or a foreigner because I don't speak the lingo and slowly
enough.

Asalaam
Peter