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A couple of months after the United States military went into Iraq, I got a postcard from a telecommunications company named Primus in Langley, Virginia. With no obvious WMD to be found in Iraq, mumblings about Iran's involvement in terrorism and creation of WMD began to gain volume - - becoming near yells. Other than reading the news and very occasionally watching it on television, I didn't spend much time thinking about Iraq's once-hated neighbor. Then I got the postcard. Primus offered discounted minutes for calls to Iran. Now, that may not seem strange to you, but it upset me mightily. That's because my first name - - Pari - - is of Farsi origin. I don't have a drop of Iranian blood in my veins. The closest I've been to anything Iranian is when I was a Baha'i for a time. That's it. So, why did a telecommunications company - - in Langley, VA, the home of the CIA - - just happen to send me an enticement to call Iran? Is this paranoia? I - - don't - - think - - so. I've always pooh-poohed my friends who worry about Big Brother watching little guys who are doing no harm. But lately, they're not sounding nearly as outlandish as they once did. Conspiracy theories - - both on the right and the left - - have an edge of credibility that makes me cringe. I've been writing POVs for this site for more than two years - - and during the last few months, I've found myself censoring topics. Some of this comes from the worry that I might offend potential buyers of my novel. No one wants to alienate a potential customer. 'Nuff said. More disturbing than the trite marketing conundrum is the self-censorship that emerges from nebulous fear. Will my meager opinions land me in trouble? Will exercising my right to express displeasure or joy somehow draw the attention of someone with the power to squash me? Whatever the reasons for this muzzling, I compromise and feel dishonest in the act. The whole premise of my web site - - of Bad Girls - - is that women don't have to settle for less, that they don't have to take "no" for an answer. And, in that spirit, I'm re-declaring my commitment to Bad Girls everywhere. We don't have to agree with each other's religion - - but we do have to respect each other's right to believe and worship. We don't have to like the state of our world - - but we do have to do something about it. We don't have to vote for the same candidates - - but we do have to take the time to be informed and think for ourselves. We don't have to proclaim our opinions with megaphones - - but we do have to be honest. For: Without honesty, there can be no trust. | |
Pam Smith created the beautiful images on this site. We thank her for her generosity. |
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