Iranians Protest, Government Cracks Down (Updated)
Iran protests updated by the Iran Press Agency in New York and Ardeshir Arian in Los Angeles. (Also read Roger L. Simon: Netanyahu, Obama, and the Iranian Coup D'Etat and Michael Ledeen: The Iranian Circus III.)
June 19 (Update from Ardeshir Arian)
Friday prayers, which are always held during morning hours, were delayed into the afternoon hours for the first time. The Friday prayers were to happen at Mosalla. They instead took place at the University of Tehran because of extreme security concerns. Here is some more information from inside sources:
1. I received a message last night that there had been a meeting between the coup organizers and Revolutionary Guard commanders.
2. In the meeting, the coup organizers wanted the commanders to agree to the arrests of Ayatollah Montazeri, all of Mousavi’s top advisers, and several clerics.
3. They wanted them to agree to a heavy crackdown on the opposition.
4. Some commanders caved in but many did not.
5. The ones who did not were immediately arrested at the meeting.
6. The coup organizers wanted to do this before Khamenei led Fridays prayers. They did not succeed.
7. At one point, they wanted to cancel Khamenei’s appearance, but they felt it would give the opposition stronger momentum. That is why the whole thing was delayed for a few hours. They had prepared another speech for him, which they changed afterwords.
———————————
June 14
More on the Iranian protest from the Iran Press News Agency. (Watch for updates):
- From Tehran and Tabriz to Mash’had, Esfahan, Kerman, Shiraz, Sanandadj, Babol, and many other cities and towns across Iran people are out in the streets, rioting against the Khomeinist regime’s election results, chanting “Death to the Dictators.”
- Following Khamenei’s order of disconnection of the text messaging and SMS system across Iran on Thursday, since late Saturday evening, June 13, all the cellular phones in Tehran have also been entirely disconnected.
- Entekhab News Agency reported on late Saturday night (June 13) that the other three candidates, Ahmadinejad’s opponents, Mir-Hossein Moussavi, Mehdi Karoubi, and Gholam-Hossein Karbashchi, are now all under house arrest. This report adds that thirty of the journalists who write for the newspaper Etemad’eh Melli (National Trust), owned by Karoubi, are all now also under arrest.
- Tehran University and several of its dorms are also surrounded by anti-riot security forces that are armed with weapons and various forms of chemicals and gases. Also from the vicinity of Tehran University sounds of explosions can be heard and it is reported that cars and buses are being set on fire (video of bus burning).
- Demonstrations are now being organized for Tuesday, June 16, 2009, in front of all the Iranian embassies, consulates, and interest offices around the world, in every major international city and the international media is being called upon to cover these protests. Already on Sunday, June 14, groups of Iranian dissidents and fellow supporters from various countries of residence have begun protesting in front of the Iranian embassies both in Rome and in Copenhagen.
- It is also reported that the police freely tasered pedestrians in the street who spent too much time in one area or didn’t walk along fast enough. There are widespread reports of police and security forces, around Tehran and other big cities where there have been demonstrations, who are not Iranian and either speak Persian with a very pronounced Arab accent or speak no Persian at all.
- There are also reports that special guard forces from the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) have stormed several hospital emergency rooms in order to arrest some of the individuals who were severely injured during demonstrations. It is said that the guards were confronted with doctors and nurses, refusing them access to their patients. However, due to the presence of the guards and as a result of the time the hospital staff was forced to spend fighting the guards off, the patients were unable to receive the necessary care. In some cases where the guards were forced to leave, the injured did receive the required medical attention.
- Reports from various sources around Tehran claim that a minimum of 900 people were arrested and taken to Evin Prison’s wards 240 and 7, which are areas of sequestration and seclusion. Human rights activists also note that the Judiciary and MOIS began moving all the prisoners from Evin’s infamous ward 209, solitary confinement, out to the public wards and they’ve prepared and emptied out that ward in preparation for new arrests.
- There are also rumors of the arrest of a Belgian journalist on the streets of Tehran. Reports said the journalist, who was preparing a report on the clashes on the street, was severely attacked and beaten by the regime’s security forces. He and two other foreign journalists, whose nationalities are as of yet unreported, were also detained for several hours on Sunday morning.
- There are also ongoing calls for protests around Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Rasht, Mash’had, and Ahvaz. The protests are entitled “Let’s Turn Ahmadinejad’s Victory into Hell for Him.”
- Ahmadinejad, who spoke at a press conference today, said: “Free elections in Iran are the true voice of the people of Iran and that this election was a huge slap in the face of those ‘world powers.’” He added: “The nuclear issue is a done deal and is no longer inevitable. The people of Iran will stand up to the bullying; the days where a few arrogant countries got to designate the fate of the nations of the world have come to an end.”
- Students from the Sharif Polytechnic University have organized a large protest on the university campus. As they tried to move the protest into the street, in order to march down the streets of Tehran, their exits and gates were blocked by the regime’s security guards and they were blocked from leaving the university grounds; at this juncture the students began to chant loudly and when the sound of their chanting was heard by passersby on the street, they began to gather by the thousands at the other side of the university gates. As reported by the human rights and democracy activists in Iran, the entire area was surrounded by the regime’s guards, who have begun to attack and beat the students and supporting demonstrators. Javan’eh Farda (Tomorrow’s Youth) website reported that, in a statement, 125 members of the Sharif Polytechnic University faculty have condemned the attacks on the students and have jointly announced their resignations, stating that until the time the people’s rights are given, they will neither appear in classes nor for any exams.
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60 Comments
1. BillJ:Substitute the US for Iran in this post and you’ll have our situation in 31/2 years!
Jun 14, 2009 - 5:41 am 2. daveinga:billj – exactly what i was thinking as i scrolled down and saw your post.
if we have 3 1/2 years left.
these people in iran are struggling against all odds, and “the one’s” buddy has sent troops to help quell the crowds. translation: murder those who would resist.
i too believe it will take blood to free us of the new dictator/pretender here. bad times ahead indeed.
Jun 14, 2009 - 8:47 am 3. Delia:1. BillJ:
I wish I could laugh at your response but I truly fear that *will* be the case.
Jun 14, 2009 - 8:53 am 4. Fragmentarian:Venezuelan Riot Troops in Tehran!
Jun 14, 2009 - 10:48 am 5. Fragmentarian:I’ll be patiently waiting for Sheesh or Free Hat et al, to somehow put a warm and fuzzy spin that last comment.
Jun 14, 2009 - 10:57 am 6. Ellen K:This is why the “leader for life” ran off western reporters. He learned a few things from China’s kerfuffle over the Tienanmen Square images. There have been uprisings before. But until the middle class is impacted, there will be no action. I predict that there will be a convenient, trumped up distraction, probably along the lines of a bogus claim of Israeli attack, that will quell the constituency. But what can you expect of a nation that is largely illiterate and where “friendly mullahs” will write in your vote for you. I am sure we will see similar actions in 2012 wherein illegal immigrants will have “friendly liberals” make their votes for them.
Jun 14, 2009 - 11:24 am 7. Chris Hawkins:Listen I’m as conservative as anyone but I’m increasingly reading crazier and crazier posts on here from nuts. We’re not in the same situation as Iram OK? Not now not in three and a half years.
What I hated the most of the past 8 years was reading (not here but everywhere else) post after post from left wing loons decrying BushitlerCheney Co or whatever. But increasingly I’m seeing the same hysteria here against Obama. Get real OK? Obama is not Stalin. If he screws up the GOP wins. That’s it. That’s the way it works. Do I not most of his policies? Yes. Does this mean we should compare Obama’s US with Iran? NO! You sound like the exact same loons who claimed Bush stole FL in 2000 and couldn’t shut up about it for 8 years. It’s gd embarrasing.
Jun 14, 2009 - 12:12 pm 8. Don:I wonder, during this Islamic purge of alleged Euro trash sympathizers, if any of the arrested loyal opposition will be “water boarded?” Probably not, it’s too humane, and it’s more fun throwing people off tall buildings, simulating magic carpet rides. Well what do you expect from a culture that outlaws Barbie Dolls but provides twenty minute auto expiring marriages of convenience so the Mullahs can enjoy a good hoe without sinning?
Jun 14, 2009 - 12:14 pm 9. Sherab Zangpo:I am sorry for all the sufferings of the Iranian People.
From their experience, once more, we learn why the Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Jun 14, 2009 - 12:19 pm 10. Winston:What we see in Iran is probably beyond reform VS hardliner riots. This is the bottled up anger of the Iranian people against a brutal regime.
Jun 14, 2009 - 12:22 pm 11. The Shadow:1,2,3 – What a bunch of dopes!
Jun 14, 2009 - 12:27 pm 12. RAH:I sure as hell hope not if such obvious fraud happened here then I would expect stronger protests and back up if needed. However I do not expect that since we still have a decentralized system.
Tha alternative to a peaceful transfer of power is a violent transfer of power. Let s make sure it is peaceful by getting the federal government to liosten to us by talking to our representatives
Jun 14, 2009 - 12:29 pm 13. Carol Herman:One thing will be obvious. If this was such a landslide victory, you wouldn’t have such violence breaking out. And, such a desperate cut off of telecommunications.
I doubt Obama can duck the obvious. And, up ahead? It he really wants to stick his head into a meat grinder; he will pump up meeting this FRAUD!
Sure, you can steal elections. But this one is so brazen, it has to make ACORN shout out to Obama that there’s some dangerous “curves” and “slides,” ahead.
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:16 pm 14. Delia:11. The Shadow:
“1,2,3 – What a bunch of dopes!”
Let me guess, homey:
You’re already poor and you have no problem with making more people poor, only the crux is, the more poor people who refuse to work as slaves, the less slave labour to slave for the entitled dim-wits like you, who don’t want to work.
Have you lifted a shovel of dirt in your life, Shadow? I bet you masterbate to online screemishes.
Truly pathetic.
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:16 pm 15. wazowsky:As I read this I thought, had this been 1 year ago, everything happening in Iran would somehow have been Bush’s fault according to 90% of the news reports – it would have been crazy and unsubstantiated, but ubiquitous. I no longer read the mainstream media, but I’ll bet no-one has made the crazy assertion that this is Obama’s fault… I wonder why not.
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:18 pm 16. Harry:“We’re not in the same situation as Iram OK? Not now not in three and a half years.”
—
Yeah, sure. And don’t worry about any Socialism creeping into America. That is like so not gonna happen. Comparing Obama (the most liberal Senator) to any sociast leader is so over the top. It is not like America will ever nationize any private corporations.
And there won’t be any economic unrest, nor any hyper inflation. 3 and a half years from now will not be much different from 4 years ago, right? I mean, we really haven’t seen much change in America in the last six months, right?
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:23 pm 17. Andrew:One thing the protestors have in their favor is that they are all young Iranians. They want freedom and what the West has to offer, in moderation I am sure. They will regulate it accordingly to their beliefs which I believe are not as extreme as their elders.
Given enough time, the old farts have to die. Sooner or later their knuckles will rise above ground level and they will stand upright.
You cannot defeat a larger more determined force for long, irregardless of the disparity in weapons available. Sneakiness works.
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:24 pm 18. eon:The fact that the “sequestration” section of Evin Prison is being cleared to prepare for new “guests” tells me that the regime’s next step will be a roundup of known or suspected “dissident” leaders, to most likely be followed by the sort of “trials” and mass executions Khomeini himself was so enamored of. The rapid response of the Revolutionary guards, etc., and the apparent neutralization of the actual military (which could be expected to side with the reformers) strongly indicates that the regime’ anticipated this, and (I suspect) was at least partly hoping for it. On the grounds that getting their opposition out in the open where they can be conveniently “dealt with” is more efficient than having them remain more or less hidden, thus forcing the mullahs and their thugs to constantly play “whack-a-mole”.
Keep in mind that Khamenei, the rest of the mullahs, and their sock-puppet, Ahmedinejad, intend to stay in power at any cost, and don’t care one whit what the rest of the world thinks of their methods. Their endgame, whether anyone else wants to believe it or not, is to bring about the return of the Twelfth (Hidden) Imam, by the proverbial “any means necessary”. Up to and including obtaining and using WMDs, in the most likely scenario nuclear fission weapons.
And as for “deterrence” or “negotiation”, also be mindful that it is difficult to reason with someone who operates on eschatological rather than purely pragmatic/utilitarian principles. And that just because a belief system appears completely bizarre to a nonbeliever, it in no way prevents an “insider” from believing it to be the absolute, final truth.
clear ether
eon
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:34 pm 19. Dmitry:Wait, didn’t the One told that these were good elections?
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:34 pm 20. Conservative Journalist:Substitute the US for Iran in this post and you’ll have our situation in 31/2 years!
Don’t be retarded.
Jun 14, 2009 - 1:38 pm 21. Meryl:It’s going to be instructive to hear Soetero’s spin on this tomorrow.
3 days ago he was excited about Iran’s “robust debate.”
Actually, I would guess this is exactly the kind of robust debate he envisions in our future.
For those of you scoffing at posts 1, 2 and 3–that’s fine. However, just 12 months ago, responses like yours scoffing at posts like theirs were a dime a dozen. And….just a sec…let me check. Oh, yeah….
…and not only have the posters from 12 months ago who were being scoffed at and called–just a minute, have to check and see,”dopes”–
Well, golly gee!
….not only were they RIGHT about obama: they were generous, kind and understated to the point that they were WRONG because THEY COMPLETELY UNDER-ESTIMATED JUST HOW DESTRUCTIVE HIS ADMINISTRATION WOULD BE.
So you just keep on scoffing if it makes you feel safer and superior.
In the meantime, I’ll give 1, 2 and 3 the benefit of the doubt, based on volumes of daily evidence being kindly provided by POTUS and TOTUS.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:16 pm 22. Ellen K:I went to high school with a girl from Tehran. This was before the fall of the Peacock Throne. She wanted to be a surgeon like her mom and dad. She went back on graduation and wrote a few times, but when the hammer came down, we heard no more. While it’s easy to urge the Iranian people to rebel, that is easier said than done. Try “Reading Lolita in Tehran” for some insight in how the average folks survive these periodic purges. It seems that Iran is going to go through it’s own version of the “Summer of Love”.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:17 pm 23. Delia:20. Conservative Journalist:
Don’t try and be a ‘fake’ conservative, CappyTone Obvious much.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:20 pm 24. Michael T:Did anyone really expect anything different from the Iranian mullahs? And these are the people that Obama wants to have meaningful discussions with.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:20 pm 25. EE:We obviously cannot pay for this level of government hand-holding. It is an interesting thought experiment to imagine what it will be like when the money runs out, and the US cannot fund its way out of this tidal wave. Our herculean GDP used to absolve all our fiscal sins, but Obama is attacking production and incentives with his plans.
If armed uprising/revolt is “retarded” or ‘crazy’ to write about, then how do you folks foresee this all ending? Before I read ‘1,2,and 3′ I had come to a similar conclusion 4 months ago.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:21 pm 26. Barry 0351:Won’t much of nothin’ come of the uprising once the Iranians really get mean, gas, mass round ups and executions then things will go back to being Iranian.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:36 pm 27. Chris Hawkins:“If armed uprising/revolt is “retarded” or ‘crazy’ to write about, then how do you folks foresee this all ending?”
Uh I dunno…maybe GOP winning back seats in congress and then maybe the White House.
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:43 pm 28. Bob:Obama be takin’ notes…..
Jun 14, 2009 - 2:49 pm 29. joe:I agree with Chris hawkins’ comment above. I too am weary of hearing the leftists predicting that 2004 was the last
Jun 14, 2009 - 3:15 pm 30. GClarke:election. I want so bad just to tell them they were wrong about that, what else were you wrong about?
EON # 18 — Bingo! We have a winner!
One caveat I have with all the “stolen domestic elections to follow” posts: Seriously, if one party through ground roots fraud actually miscounts a close election, how would we ever know? Illinois has been doing it for years, and what exactly are we going to do — initiate Republican street riots?
Close elections can be manipulated in this country. The newbies overseas haven’t figured out, or seen the need yet to only steal elections that are close, or where the numbers can be fudged incrementally. The Daley machine never would have seen the need to miscount up to 63% in a close election. No need.
Anyway, when you are ruled by a religious Supreme Leader for life, what is the point of an election, anyway? Too bad we don’t have a geopolitical genius in the White House. We already have boots and boats in the area on three sides of Iran’s borders. A little encouragement to the insurgents, and the Middle East could get a lot more peaceful alot quicker than otherwise. But hell, we have a Muslim-wannabe in the White House who never heard of Neville Chamberlain and thinks Churchill’s first name is Ward. Not good. Biden, the foreign policy expert who was supposed to give the O man international gravitas, said on Meet the Press today that its too early to know if there is any problem with the Iran election, but he is going to await further analysis. I am not going to hold my breath waiting for Joe to get back to us.
Jun 14, 2009 - 4:22 pm 31. innameonly:Gonna be a lot of homosexuals hung in the coming days? Thank allah the MSM finds publishing pictures of the ‘hanging cranes’ unbearable, eh!
Jun 14, 2009 - 5:07 pm 32. Natalia:This is NOT a sad day for Iran. We hope this will be just the beginning of many protests in Iran against the injustices in their country. This was the best thing that happend in 30 years! Young people are standing up… they are doing something.They should be encouraged to stand.
Jun 14, 2009 - 5:57 pm 33. robotech master:To 27. Chris Hawkins
Which means what? If obama gets us nuked/stuck in ww3/so indebted that it will take 200 years to repay/etc, etc, etc.
Winning some election seats isn’t going to matter much…. but that is wholly irrelevant. If obama is legit nothing can be done…. however being their’s a huge sum of evidence that he isn’t legit alot can and should be done… and winning some election seats is the most pathetic excuse for an ideas out of those actions.
Jun 14, 2009 - 5:59 pm 34. gca:I agree with the voices of reason concerning the state of voter fraud in this country – close elections will likely be stolen but if the Dems screw up enough (as they currently appear well on their way to doing), the margins will be too great for them and an orderly transition will occur. Republicans just have to score 5% better than Democrats to break even.
This administration is indeed of the Chamberlain/Carter mold. Too bad. They have neither the incliantion nor the balls to support the Iranian people and would rather legitimize its dictatorship.
Jun 14, 2009 - 6:17 pm 35. Derek:How ridiculous is it that in these comments people would rather bash obama than talk about young iranians fighting for freedom.
You guys will never be anything more than jokes unless you get rid of this obsession with one upping Obama. He won. Deal with it and move the hell on.
Jun 14, 2009 - 6:25 pm 36. G. Clarke:Derek:
As an American Exceptionalist who believes in the American Destiny which, beginning in 1789, has inspired the downtrodden around the world to rise up in anger to demand something better from their oppressors, I of course am posting with a view of the interests of the Iranians, both young and old. The Persian Culture is a great Culture with roots deeper than most or, really, almost all.
But any sane American, in hoping for global reform, knows that King George, Jefferson Davis, the torturing Comanches, Kaiser Bill, Adolf H., the heirs of Stalin and most recently Saddam Hussein and the Taliban, did not retire quietly to their retirement estates. Alot of brave men and women gave their all to get the job done.
We know from our history that not much blood now would save alot of blood later. History teaches that. I hate to drag our current president into the story, in violation of your rules, but I have to note that he displays none of the attributes of the great leaders we had in the past, Washington, Lincoln, Reagan and GW Bush being among the greatest. Well, History will tell.
Now I would be happy again to hear your view of how the Iranian youth are going to bring modernism to the Hell they live in everyday and peace and democracy to the Middle East without outside support.
Jun 14, 2009 - 6:59 pm 37. harry:These are exciting days in Iran. Let’s hope for utter mayhem.
Jun 14, 2009 - 7:36 pm 38. Delia:35. Derek:
“You guys will never be anything more than jokes unless you get rid of this obsession with one upping Obama. He won. Deal with it and move the hell on.”
Derelict, you say that ‘as if’ the whole country ‘voted’ for DohBomba. A good half [if not more, considering those folks who didn't want to vote for wishy-washy McCain] didn’t vote for fugly, bigoted, idiotic, teleprompter reliant, self-loving psycho.
Get over it, indeed. DohBama is a lying, theiving, scumbag, tax-cheatin’ appointing piece of chit with chunks of corn-for-ethanol fuel.
The newly appointed, tax cheatin’ abortion czar is coming to a theatre near you.
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:11 pm 39. Pat J:I don’t wish for utter mayhem as much as a cultural revolution in Iran. The country has been ruled by a bunch of ultraconservative old men for 30 years. The revolution of 1979 is as much irrelevant as the deposition of Mossadegh in 1953 to most of them. Especiallly the young people.
I remember sitting in a chemistry class with a bunch of Iranians back in 1979. First impression? Total assholes. I would like to think that a good portion of their children are the same ones who took the streets of Tehran a week ago just to say ENOUGH!
I look forward to how this plays out. I have no problem with the Iranian people. But the Ayatollah and Ahmadinejad have to go.
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:12 pm 40. Whit:Remember the little rumble in and around Tiananmen Square? Followed by disgust and condemnation from the US, and then a quiet visit from James Baker to make things all better? BO will sit this one out and then try to look like the hero. He is determined to show we can all get along, even with murderous fascists who answer only to God.
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:36 pm 41. Bart:Some people in the streets are already crying out to Obama to help them, imploring with the plea of “they’re killing our children”. One blogger has already made the point that with Obama’s continuous bashing of Bush and his Iraq war, he cannot give a legitimate answer to those begging for his help. The point was made that Iraq has had democratic elections for several years but only because Bush took Saddam Hussein out. I can hear it now. Obama telling the Iranian leaders if they don’t behave themselves, he will have to speak harshly to and about them in a public address. I am sure the Iranian mullahs are shaking in their boots.
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:39 pm 42. Freedom21:The last time the USA backed a leader in Iran, it gave fuel to the other side – they haven’t forgotten who overthrew their legitimately democratic government in ‘53 for British Petroleum and supported a brutal dictatorship until ‘79. Unfortunately, like East Germany, they got another brutal dictatorship in its place. The credibility lost in that one stupid action renders us impotent to help those who are fighting for freedom in Iran and many other states with similar histories with our CIA.
As far as the theory that they will launch a nuke and guarantee and end to their existence, do you really believe the corrupt crooks running the show are ‘true believers’? They want money and power – not a nuclear wasteland where their mansions were.
Also, Delia, are you saying Shadow is a working-poor slave to the corporations or entitled (of noble birth)? Can’t be both.
Lastly, lets see some proof of the Chavez connection. You should read the Venezuelan Constitution sometime – and keep in mind that international monitors verified the elections in Venezuela – not so in Iran. When Chavez asked for extraordinary powers and the people said ‘no’ in an election, he abided by the results.
Jun 14, 2009 - 10:04 pm 43. Derek:And so it continues. @38 figure out a way to actually win elections then you can go back to whining, until then realize that whining is whining.
Ahmadenijad runs off of the public’s suspicion of foreign influence. Legitimizing mousavi gives Ahmmy that propaganda and requires Obama to bet the farm on a successful revolution.
This isn’t American Exceptionalism, it’s American narcissism. These same flights of fancy about democracy and such that got Hamas elected and embarrassed Rice and Bush. We are not the be all end all of how Iran comes out. That is solely up the the Iranian people. All we can do is allow a leader to emerge and oppose the regime and hope legitimate splits in the powerstructure happen. Any other expectations are is just another example of american self absorption. Who cares if G. Clarke gets to compare Obama to George Washington after this? That is not the relevant issue.
Jun 14, 2009 - 10:06 pm 44. naman:Like a few other people have mentioned; this is starting to look like Tiananmen Square, part 2. Poor guys. Don’t expect any help from the US executive branch.
Jun 14, 2009 - 11:02 pm 45. Marc Malone:#43 Derek – We wouldn’t have thrown off the yoke of England had it not been for french assistance. These kind of regime overthrows require outside assistance, ala Iraq.
Jun 15, 2009 - 2:04 am 46. Marc Malone:To the guys thinking we’re right-wing nutjobs like the left-wing nutjobs of the past, you are confusing behavior patterns. We believe, as Jefferson did, that a little revolution now and then is good for the country. It is our duty as citizens. Also, unlike the Leftists, we believe in keeping and bearing Arms.
This reminds me of the story I was told by an old boss. He told a boy who was taking out his daughter:
“I’m a middle-aged, fat, ‘Nam vet. I own a shotgun, five acres, and a shovel. I am not to be trifled with.”
The funny part is: How do you know he’s not serious? Conservatives don’t riot and burn and loot. Hunt a hole if they ever do take to the streets intent on violence. It may never happen, but do not dismiss it. Remember, they are the ones with the guns and the military experience. They are not to be trifled with.
Jun 15, 2009 - 2:17 am 47. Derek:Fine, maybe you guys can bitch about obama and help at the same time.
http://amerpundit.com/2009/06/14/how-to-help-bring-down-iranian-state-run-media/
Jun 15, 2009 - 4:37 am 48. Alberto:> When Chavez asked for extraordinary powers and the people said >‘no’ in an election, he abided by the results.
LOL!! “He abided by the results”?? You’ve got to be kidding me. Go and do some proper research before writing nonsense.
Jun 15, 2009 - 5:33 am 49. Bart:Apparently reading the newspapers and watching the news is a foreign concept to some. Chavez has already interfered in the internal affairs of his South American neighbors and has established friendly ties with Iran, Russia, and China along with any other country hostile to America. He volunteered his people to Iran a long time ago and maybe he fulfilled his promises. I did like the comment about Chavez “abiding” by the election results when he asked for extraordinary powers. Maybe Freedom21 should talk to those who have been arrested or had their businesses taken away and nationalized. Their definition of “abiding” may be a little different.
And, the idea of Twittering the Iranian news out of existence is indeed an example of childish, simplistic thinking that exemplifies the current administration.
And, we won’t have to figure out a way to win elections. Obama is doing a fine job for us already along with his cabinet aka “The Mickey Mouse Club”.
Jun 15, 2009 - 6:40 am 50. Paul in MI:OMG Teleprompter Hussein Obambi is helping the mullahs rig the election so he can declare war on Jesus and perform forced abortions in the rose garden!!!! Get a grip.
Jun 15, 2009 - 7:12 am 51. gclarke:It may be now or it may be in our children’s time or even grandchildren’s. But the Reformation that hit Europe 1500 years after the Christians started getting martyred, can hit the Middle East 1500 years after Mohammed stoked the martial ardor of that part of the world. That would put us at 2200 at the outside, or we, the USA and the Anglo-Saxon tradition, could hurry the Reformation along. You may not like it Derek, but the places where the British Flag flew for even a short period are doing better now throughout the Third World than those places that had no experience of that. It’s real simple to me. Your points are only wrong because your perspective is too short. Look at the bigger picture. The US military is the Iranian freedom fighters best hope, but Obama will keep hunting for Bin Laden, yesterday’s news, and do nothing productive. You can bad mouth our history, but, like Obama, you are mostly wrong and seriously counterproductive.
Jun 15, 2009 - 7:18 am 52. Freedom21:Re Chavez:
Jose Miguel Gomez / Reuters
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22066948/
>>>
“I understand and accept that the proposal I made was quite profound and intense,” he said after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reforms by 51 percent to 49 percent.
The defeated reform package would have created new types of communal property, let Chavez handpick local leaders under a redrawn political map and suspended civil liberties during extended states of emergency.
Other changes would have shortened the workday from eight hours to six, created a social security fund for millions of informal laborers and promoted communal councils where residents decide how to spend government funds.
<<<
He was later successful in another Constitutional change, which eliminated term limits, but this was passed in an internationally monitored election.
Please provide links regarding the people arrested in Venezuela. I think Chavez *should* be criticized for supporting regimes which violate the human rights provisions in the Venezuelan Constitution. Also, please provide links regarding the interference in the internal affairs of his S.A. neighbors. You mean like the US Endowment for Democracy (sic) has interfered in Venezuela and all of Latin America since the CIA-coup period?
The US has friendly ties with China, or haven’t you been to WalMart recently. We should refuse to trade with any nation that does not respect the civil rights of its people, but neither the Repubs or Dems, who work for the same Wall St./Bankster interests, will address that one. It is difficult to complain about Chavez when our own nation hypocritically acts in similar ways.
Jun 15, 2009 - 9:16 am 53. myth buster:We lost our moral high ground when we abandoned Georgia last summer.
Jun 15, 2009 - 3:41 pm 54. eNews Reference:List of Iran newspapers, tv radio and media http://www.enewsreference.com/newspaper/iran.htm
Jun 15, 2009 - 10:06 pm 55. Derek:# 49: “And, the idea of Twittering the Iranian news out of existence is indeed an example of childish, simplistic thinking that exemplifies the current administration.”
you were saying?
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/activists-launch-hack-attacks-on-tehran-regime/
“The impact of these distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks isn’t clear. But official online outlets like leader.ir, ahmadinejad.ir, and iribnews.ir are currently inaccessible. “There are calls to use an even more sophisticated tool called BWraep, which seems to exhaust the target website out of bandwidth by creating bogus requests for serving images,” notes Open Society Institute fellow Evgeny Morozov.”
Almost all the targeted sites are down. I mean let’s go see what the supreme leader’s site is saying:
http://www.khamenei.ir/
Oh, the server is down, gee i wonder how that happened.
Not to mention that one of the reasons iranians are getting around the internet censor is because people are setting up proxies for them.
I fundamentally don’t understand you people sometimes.
BTW, speaking of setting up proxies for iranian citizens so they can continue getting out pictures and video:
http://blog.austinheap.com/2009/06/15/how-to-setup-a-proxy-for-iran-citizens-for-windows/
you going to mock that too smart guy?
Jun 16, 2009 - 1:25 am 56. George Bruce:7. Chris Hawkins:
“Listen I’m as conservative as anyone but I’m increasingly reading crazier and crazier posts on here from nuts. We’re not in the same situation as Iram OK? Not now not in three and a half years.”
Chris, history move in fits and starts. It seems to move slowly for long periods of time. Those who predict sudden movements seem like cranks. When history continues to slumber, the doomsayers are seen by all to be cranks.
Then, when history lurches forward, as it always does from time to time, those who predicted the sudden movement seem like prophets.
In 1857 some predicted a civil war. At the time others thought they were nuts.
Jun 19, 2009 - 9:36 pm 57. Rockmelon:“We’re not in the same situation as Iram OK? Not now not in three and a half years.”
Well you are either a communist or mentally challenged if you can’t see what is happening. This imposter of a president will stop at nothing less than America on her knees.
This reminds me of the movie “The Man with Two Brains.” Steve Martin, newly widowed, wants to go out with a woman he met. So he stands before a huge full length picture of his deceased wife and he asks her for her approval. He asks her to give him a “sign”
Suddenly the house shakes, a strong wind comes through the room and his wife’s picture spins around and around. When it dies down, Martin looks again the picture of his wife and says, “give me a sign….any sign.”
Haven’t you seen the signs? There have been literally dozens of them! You better bone up on current events or you are going to be in for one hell of a surprise.
Jun 20, 2009 - 6:42 pm 58. Truth Seeker:The truth about the election is clear and obvious. So, where are these disputes coming from? Who are these protestors? I found a great article describing what is actually going on in Iran and why the metropolitan areas are up in arms:
http://internationalinsights.blogspot.com
Jun 21, 2009 - 10:58 am 59. banks:The son of Iran’s late Shah said Monday he saw echoes of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew his father as massive crowds took to the streets against the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I think the climate that we see in Iran today is not dissimilar to a few months of the regime back then,” former crown prince Reza Cyrus Pahlavi, who lives in exile in suburban Washington, told CNN.
The Shah has stated he is returning to the nation in this time of need. London news wires are reporting that “Reza Shah Pahlavi II” issued the following message to Iranians this morning from an unknown location:”I have returned. By the grace of Alah our Constitutionalist forces will soon stand again on Persian soil — soil consecrated in the blood of our people. We have begun to return, dedicated and committed, to the task of destroying every vestige of theocratic control over your daily lives, and of restoring a foundation of indestructible strength ensuring the liberties of my people.
My countrymen, the seat of your government is now therefore firmly re- established on Iranian soil.
The hour of your redemption is here. Your patriots have demonstrated an unswerving and resolute devotion to the principles of freedom that challenges the best that is written on the pages of human history. I now call upon your supreme effort that the internal enemy may know from the temper of an aroused and outraged people within that ours is a a force there to contend with no less violent than is the force committed by themselves.
Rally to me. Let the indomitable spirit of our people and self-determination lead on. As the lines of battle roll forward to bring you within the zone of operations, rise and strike. Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and children, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! In the name of our sacred dead, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of divine Alah points the way. Follow in His Name to our righteous victory!”
Unidentified sources have reported the “Shah of Iran” will return in a few days and speculation as to the exact time and exact place within Iran will only delay the inevitable.
Reza Pahlavi appealed to Western leaders, particularly President Barack Obama, to “show solidarity” with Iranians, likening their plight to that of Eastern Europeans during the Soviet era.
“I think any other signal other than this will be a slap in the face of the nation,” Reza Shah Pahlavi II said.
The Shah appealed for a strong position by President Barack Obama, who has called for reconciliation with Iran after three decades of hostility.
“I would like to take this opportunity and tell the president this is a crucial moment — on behalf of my compatriots and millions who have been turning to the outside world, particularly to this president — to say, don’t let us down.”
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was deposed and fled Iran in January 1979 as more than a year of protests had spiraled into a paralyzing nationwide movement.
The former Shah, who died in Cairo a year later, had been a close ally of the United States. His domestic agenda included improving the role of women and weakening the power of the clergy.
His son — who has previously stated he is not insisting on the restoration of the monarchy — said he now wants to help the protesters.
“I would love to help them reach complete, real freedom under a secular democratic system where there’s a true separation of religion from government. I will return soon,” he said this morning according to his moving statement.
Iran’s election authorities have again declared hardline incumbent Ahmadinejad the victor just hours after polls closed ten days ago, infuriating supporters of moderate former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Jun 21, 2009 - 4:14 pm 60. Robert:I really like your blog. And I wanted you to know about our new website, timelines.com, where we’ve started a timeline of the iranian election protests at http://timelines.com/topics/2009-iranian-election-protests. Our idea is to create an interactive historical record of anything and everything, based on specific events that combine to form timelines. We’re trying to achieve a sort of user-created multimedia encyclopedia, in which no event is too big and no event is too small, and where each event can contain various types of resources, such as video, images, maps, etc. It’s also a good way to direct traffic to your blog because your events will pop up along with anything else that’s thematically related.
Jul 9, 2009 - 10:40 am