Posted on 05/26/2025 7:38:32 AM PDT by nuconvert
Writing about the death of #MichaelLedeen is something I always feared a quiet dread I carried in my heart for years. Today, with overwhelming sorrow, I find myself doing just that.
@michaelledeen was everything. Everything I have today my safety, my second chance, my voice I owe to him and his beloved wife, Barbara.
In 2008, after surviving a decade of imprisonment and torture in the Islamic Republic in #Iran, I managed to escape to Iraq. It was Michael who intervened. He engaged directly with the U.S. government and secured my entry into the United States as a political refugee. He didn’t just open the door he paid for my flight out of his own pocket to ensure I reached safety.
From the very first day I set foot in America, Michael became a steady presence in my life. Like a kind father, a wise teacher, and a loyal guide, he helped me rebuild my life from the ashes. With his unwavering support and Barbara’s loving encouragement I slowly began to heal. I integrated into society. I learned the language, embraced the culture, found employment, continued my education all the way to a doctoral degree, and became a proud, contributing citizen of this country.
Had it not been for Michael and his boundless compassion, there’s no guarantee I would even be alive today. But I was not the only one he helped. Michael never saw assisting victims of injustice as charity it was, for him, a moral duty. Beyond his legacy in the world of politics, he committed himself to aiding those whose voices had been silenced and whose lives had been broken.
Michael was half the world he built for me. And with his passing, he has taken half of my heart with him. The great #Persian poet Saadi once wrote: “The virtuous never truly die; it is only those who leave no goodness behind who are gone forever.” Michael’s name lives on, etched in honor and gratitude.
Though he is no longer with us in body, his legacy will forever live in our hearts. To his beloved family especially . @barbara_ledeen and dear . @SimoneLedeen I send my deepest condolences and prayers for strength, healing, and peace.
see more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Batebi
https://alchetron.com/Ahmad-Batebi
pong
Amazing story.
The people of Iran got the very government their parents and grand parents rioted for in 1979. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. And the Iranian people got it good and hard.
While not well understood in the West, Iran is almost equally divided between religious fanatics and folks who just want to live normal lives and be left alone.
Blaming the normies for their fate under the boot of the kooks is unfair and cruel.
Leedeen used to post here, IIRC.
Yes, he did
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