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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

News The Ambassador's Daughter

Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 1:41 PM

For the first time since 1980, the US has authorised its embassies around the world to invite Iranian diplomats to Independence Day receptions.

The move is part of a new policy of engagement with Iran under President Barack Obama's administration.

I remember these 4th of July events! I went to several that were held in Zimbabwe, back in the middle part of the 80s. I was invited not by the Ambassador, David Miller, but by his daughter, who was friends with my sister.

But here is the crazy thing that just reached the surface of my mind: On April 14, 1986, the ambassador's daughter is spending the night at our house. She is messing around with my sister in the living room. I'm talking to a friend on a phone in my father's bar. Suddenly knocks erupt on the front door. The dog goes crazy. The maid opens the door and in walk men (seriously) in black. They tell the ambassador's daughter that she has to get her things and leave right away. It's all very mysterious. She enters the big American car and is whisked away. The next morning, while eating breakfast, the newspaper arrives. My father opens it and reads: "The United States bombs Libya." Two days later, David Miller resigns from his post and exits the country. We never see or hear from him or his daughter again.

Comments (14) RSS

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Have you checked Facebook?

Posted by I Got Nuthin' on June 3, 2009 at 2:06 PM

Charles,
That's a fascinating account. Too bad you couldn't keep in touch with her. Sounds like it was done for security purposes.

BTW, what happened to your posting regarding Obama & his Saudi Arabian visit? I saw it and commented on it earlier. I was just looking for it.

Posted by lark on June 3, 2009 at 2:08 PM

It's kind of cool because if the republicans want to bitch about it they'll come off as 4th of July and therefore "freedom" hating jackasses. This admin is really smart, but they probably should go with the all beef franks.

Posted by pissy mcslogbot on June 3, 2009 at 2:10 PM

ah the good old days, hey remember when Qadafi blew that PanAm outta the sky then finally admitted it, like 20 years later. we never see or hear from those passengers again either.

Posted by slogbuster on June 3, 2009 at 2:11 PM

@4 - Having a memory come to mind because of a recent event , and sharing it, is not the same as saying "Ah, the good old days." He was not praising Libya, just recounting a string of related events. I'm never reading the comments after Charles posts ever again. 99.9 % of them are just assanine, and add nothing to the conversation.

Posted by stella on June 3, 2009 at 2:16 PM

@5, here I fixed it for you:

I'm never reading a Charles post ever again. 99.9 % of them are just assanine, and add nothing to a normal humans intelligence..

Posted by Akbar Fazil on June 3, 2009 at 2:49 PM

are maids more common in Zimbabwe then they are here?

Posted by Cochise. on June 3, 2009 at 2:51 PM

Men in black.

You just described half of my Hispanic relatives.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 3, 2009 at 3:01 PM

@9, very much so. @2, i accidently erased it sorry.

Posted by Charles Mudede on June 3, 2009 at 3:14 PM

@5 and 6, here, I fixed it for you:

asinine

Posted by nazi of spelling on June 3, 2009 at 3:59 PM

@4, Lockerbie was indeed horrific. So too was the incident that prompted it, when a US Navy ship shot down an Iranian civilian passenger jet. More people died on that plane, but because they were, you know, MIDDLE EASTERN, we here in the states never hear about that one. 290 people, including 66 children, and George H. W. Bush not only never apologized (nor has any subsequent American official of any rank), he made a big fucking deal out of not apologizing. The crew of the Vincennes was, incredibly, decorated for their bravery in shooting the jetliner down for no reason, and their captain received the Legion of Honor. Ask any Iranian if that still stings a little.

So, yeah, two wrongs don't make a right. But there was a legitimate grievance there. A simple apology would have prevented Lockerbie from happening. And yeah, that's the nice Bush.

Feel proud?

Posted by Fnarf

on June 3, 2009 at 4:56 PM

The Vincennes was in Iranian waters when it shot down the airliner too. IIRC, the captain's wife almost died when someone pipe-bombed their car a few years later. All just part of our incredibly fucked-up legacy of interference in the Iran-Iraq war. Iran = bad, Iraq = good, until they weren't.

Posted by laterite on June 3, 2009 at 5:09 PM