Rick Steves in Iran

Europe Through the Back Door expert traveler Rick Steves is in Iran for 10 days filming a TV show. Rick is an incredible travel writer,and I always read his books before traveling to Europe and take them as guidebooks as well. He was recently asked by the Washington State chapter of the United Nations Association to help build understanding between Iran and the US. I highly recommend reading this blog about his travels in Iran. It's a great read, and he's really finding the Iranian people warm and gracious.

I can't say I'm surprised. If ever there are menacing things being said about another country and its people it is typically coming from the U.S. government or being repeated verbatim by the American media. (And for my international blog readers, I am an American.) Sadly, most of my fellow Americans, the majority of which never travel outside their own country (with the exception of Caribbean cruise ships), never know any different. They hate whomever they're told to hate as being responsible for all their problems, or any problems they may yet to have experienced, instead of seeking out the truth themselves.

Every time I hear our government war rallying about Iran building nuclear weapons it makes me cringe. Oil production in Iran has already peaked and has been declining steadily. Just last year their government started gas rationing. However, you will never hear the U.S. government mention any of those facts. Iran is smart for wanting to build nuclear power plants. It is America who hasn't seen the light concerning peak oil yet. (Please read this if you don't know what peak oil is.) If a side-effect of nuclear power plants is material sufficient for building a nuclear bomb; well, I can't blame them for that either. After all, America voted George Bush into office twice! If I was a world leader I would want some protection from the U.S. government too.

To all of my blog readers, and especially incompetent American politicians, please read Rick Steves blog.