...years ago, i dated an iranian. when i told my mom she flipped smooth out. said i'd better not marry him because he'd just take me back to iran and let his family hold me prisoner. i very patiently explained that he could never go back to iran because he left, at his mother's urging, so he wouldn't have to be forced into the military and fight against iraq. i figured it would be good to introduce him to her. out of all my ex-boyfriends (and there's been quite a few) she thinks of him most fondly, lol.

my mom's a bleeding heart liberal, but i think all the propagandizing news reels she saw in the movie theater as a kid during world war two really had a strange effect on her.