Women in History

Nancy Astor

-1919- Nancy Astor was elected a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She was the first woman to sit in the House of Commons.

Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964), rallied the supporters of the incumbent government, moderated her Prohibition views, and used women's meetings to gain the support of female voters. A by-election was held on 28 November 1919, and she took up her seat in the House on 1 December as a Unionist (also known as "Tory") Member of Parliament. Astor's friendship with George Bernard Shaw helped her through some of her problems, although his own nonconformity caused friction between them. They held opposing political views and had very different temperaments. However, his own tendency to make controversial statements or put her into awkward situations proved to be a drawback for her political career. Astor was challenged by the rise of Nazism. She criticized them for devaluing the position of women, but was strongly opposed to the idea of another World War. Lady Astor died in 1964 at her daughter Nancy Astor's home at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire.

British lawmakers recommend new policy towards Iran

Steve McCabe MP

British Parliamentarians who attended a meeting of the all-party British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom on Tuesday in the House of Commons have endorsed a set of recommendations to the United Kingdom government on its policy towards Iran.

IAEA to be present as samples taken from Parchin military site – Reuters

parchin-nuclear-site

Parchin military site

United Nations inspectors will be present with Iranian technicians as they take samples from a key military site, two Western diplomats said, Reuters reported on Friday.

The diplomats were familiar with details of a confidential arrangement between the regime in Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog for inspections at the Parchin site, where some countries suspect nuclear weapons-related tests may have taken place, Reuters wrote.may have taken place, Reuters wrote.

Iran - Don’t empower Iran’s tyrants

Don’t empower Iran’s tyrants - GEN. HUGH SHELTON

Hugh Shelton

Immediately after the nuclear deal with Iran was concluded, the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, declared that Tehran’s policies would remain “180 degrees” opposed to those of the United States. Even Secretary of State John Kerry, the deal’s handmaiden, described the ayatollah's latest remarks as “deeply troubling”.

The administration ignored the voices of its Middle East allies, a large swath of American citizens, and even Ayatollah Khamenei, who gave many ominous warnings in advance of the deal that the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism would not simply defang in exchange for economic and political concessions. But the most important voices the administration chose to sideline are of the Iranian people.

The educated and well-organized Iranian opposition says the deal will pave Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon. In fact, prior to the final announcement, more than 100,000 Iranian expatriates gathered in Paris, joined by hundreds of prominent international dignitaries, to express their opposition to the emerging deal.

The Iranian people know better. It was the Iranian opposition after all that provided key intelligence to the world that identified previously unknown Iranian nuclear facilities and programs, starting in 2002. It was the opposition that supplied U.S. battle commanders with key information about Iran’s political and military meddling in Iraq.

The Iranian people — and the people of the region and beyond — do not have the luxury to kick the can down the road and hope for a later solution. After all, virtually every Iranian exile who attended the Paris rally still have friends and family members living under the thumb of the clerical regime. Virtually every one of them has lost friends and relatives as a result of the regime’s criminalization of dissent, torture of political prisoners, mass public executions and its extrajudicial killings and sponsorship of terrorism.