Today, I am at Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, where my ex-spouse and best friend Barbara is having a kidney biopsy done. I am sitting in the waiting room here at the hospital, as it will be a while before she is out, and after grading a few papers for my students and taking care of some other business, I thought I would utilize the time with a bit of writing today. The last time I recall being in a hospital waiting room was also for Barbara a few years back, when I was in the waiting room at the hospital in Waynesboro, PA, when she had cataract surgery. Barbara has had some serious health issues the past few years, and your prayers for her are greatly appreciated. Anyway, I just had a few observations on some random topics I thought I would share while I wait.
I am still watching what is happening with Iran, and while it is not official that the corrupt and oppressive Ayatollah regime has fallen yet, I am hopeful as are thousands of Persians throughout the world. The crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, who is the son of the deposed Shah, has been gathering a great deal of support. While a co-teacher of mine at the school who is also Persian feels somewhat pessimistic about the Crown Prince, noting that his political experience may lack a bit, I hastened to remind her that the Crown Prince is an intelligent man who knows his limitations, and if he were to take back the throne I would be confident that he would surround himself with capable people who would help him. So, I have no worries or pretensions about the issue. Also, it must be noted that a monarchy is not subject to the same rule as a republican government - while a politically capable monarch is a great benefit, it is not a necessity. The day-to-day affairs of the political apparatus of a government is generally not micromanaged by a monarch anyway in many cases, as in most cases a prime minister or a vizier of some sort handles the administrative duties of state. The key to Crown Prince Reza's success is choosing a capable deputy to work with him, and if he does that he is guaranteed to have a successful reign. The same idea is also true in a republican system as well, such as the United States, where the President is not expected to be an expert on everything - that is what he has the cabinet for. If more people were at least schooled in this fundamental detail of governance, it would also make our voting and electoral processes a more efficient system.
At this point, the campaign in Iran is still happening, and I don't think it will be truly over until all of the Islamic Republic regime is dealt with and deposed from power. Whether or not the Iranian people will ultimately welcome the Crown Prince back remains to be seen, as they could opt for something.
A bit ago, Barbara came out of her procedure - she is a bit groggy but otherwise doing OK. So, for now I will go but will come back soon. Thanks for visiting.
