Would someone please explain this for me.

[Quicksilver]

Do the Iranian people really believe that anyone is going to believe this? I honestly don't understand their thinking.

A second member of the Royal Navy crew captured in the Gulf has apologised for "trespassing" in Iranian waters, in a broadcast on Iranian television.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6509813.stm

[Eric5273]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Do the Iranian people really believe that anyone is going to believe this?

Your question should be "Does the Iranian government really believe that anyone is going to believe this?"

And the answer is: Yes, they do, and with good reason. I'm sure if there was a poll taken now of public opinion in Iran, 90+% would believe it was legit, just as I'm sure 90+% of Americans believed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad confession earlier this month was legit. In fact, the Iranian one is even more believeable since it was shown on TV. The Khalid Sheikh Mohammad confession was not shown on TV. We were simply told about it by our government.

The purpose of this confession was not to convince you, or the British. It was to convince the Iranian public, and I'm sure it did just that.

Here is a good display of public opinion in Iran:

'Hang the British' cry Teheran students

I'm guessing that the majority of Iranians probably feel that way. Never underestimate the power of government propoganda on its citizens. If they wanted to, they could probably very easily convince their public that the British were planning to invade.

[Eric5273]

Oh, BTW....

Do you remember a few months ago that 5 Iranian government officials were arrested (captured) by our troops in Iraq? If you remember, at the time Iraqi government officials said the Iranians were ok and had been invited to be in Iraq. Well, I just read last night that those 5 Iranians are still in US custody.

Do you suppose that Iran considers that issue just as serious as the 15 British sailors? This is kind of like the crap that Israel pulls.....they capture and hold over a thousand Palestineans in prisons without ever charging them with crimes or putting them on trial, yet when the Palestineans capture 2 Israeli solders, all hell breaks loose.

I know everyone wants there to be a double standard here, but there is simply not one. What is good for one side is good for both sides. If we are going to capture others and hold them, then we can expect other countries to do the same. As we are a world power, our example is followed. This "do as I say, not as I do" attitude is not well received at all.

[illuminum]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Do the Iranian people really believe that anyone is going to believe this? I honestly don't understand their thinking.

A second member of the Royal Navy crew captured in the Gulf has apologised for "trespassing" in Iranian waters, in a broadcast on Iranian television.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6509813.stm

Please don't point your finger at the "Iranian people" for this incident. I'd be more concerned with certain parts of the government, the mullahs, and the revolutionary guard for this mess.

It's like blaming the American people for all the poor decisions President Bush and his cabinet is making.

I'd also like to mention that a very large amount of the Iranian people do not support the actions taken by their government. Their voices are not heard by the international community. Many of them don't stand up, fearing that they'd be executed which if fully justified.

About a decade ago I travelled to Iran and had to spend an entire day at the passport office in Tehran (a miserable experience in any nation). An Iranian woman decided that she had had enough and lost her cool. She stood up and was yelling, cursing the government, the injustice, and complaining about all the problems she was having at the passport office. The "Comiteh" (the military police, which has a strong presence throughout the major cities in Iran) rushed in, knocked her to the ground and dragged her into a room in the back. Now, if you were an Iranian citizen, would you speak out against your government in public and have your voice be heard, or would you keep your head down and mind your own business?

[Quicksilver]

Thanks for the comments but I'm not pointing the finger at anyone. I'm just saying: maybe just maybe i have a brain and guess what I haven't seen the video confessions but i don't believe for a minute that because someone is on TV making a confession that the confession is the truth. Knowing how really dumb i am i can only guess there are others like me who have drawn the same conclusion.

As far as i am concerned it was a waste of time. I didn't do a thing for me because i know when those folks are freed they will be all over it with the backtracking game. I guess i'm one of those people who believes that all of this stuff is nonsense.

[Eric5273]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Knowing how really dumb i am i can only guess there are others like me who have drawn the same conclusion.

I'm sure there are some, and they are probably looked at by their peers as crazy conspiracy theorists.

Do you really believe your government would coerce a false confession from a prisoner and then show it on television as proof of their guilt?

Ask the people of any country that question, and you will only find a very small percentage who will answer "yes".

[Quicksilver]

Oh I guess I still remember the start of the Iraq war and the Iraq officials standing in front of the camera saying "were winning the war", "We got em on the run" when the whole time their butts were being kicked. That's the kind of mentality i'm talkin about.