32 Comments

1. Marcus Aurelius:

there is a vide on YouTub video purporting to show the Tehran HQ of the Basij going “boom”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyZo2jOOYY

I have no other source to confirm this and what it is. The tweets on this state the BBC is confirming but all only link to the YouTube video I link to above.

The tweets I see re: the Embassy situation are conflicting — in any event my guess is the Basij are onto this and are blocking the approaches to the embassies.

Jun 20, 2009 - 10:59 pm 2. Unsk:

Via Ace of Spades:

“Mousavi to Obama: You Insult Us”

The Iranian candidate for President has allegedly sent out a letter belittling the response of our Dear Leader. See Ace for details.

You probably won’t see that covered in the state run media.

Jun 20, 2009 - 11:03 pm 3. ledger:

The students are out numbered and out gunned by the Basij thugs. It would seem fair play to quickly supply the students with anything from handguns to hand grenades, and rifles to rockets.

A significant number of Basij need to be bloodied before they will change their ways. Further, Khamenei and his lackey Ahmadinejad need to feel the heat first hand before they will change their ways.

Jun 20, 2009 - 11:05 pm 4. Uncle Jefe:

The Iranian people must take the weapons away from the opressors, and use then against them.
That is the only way forward.
All else is retrograde.
Best of luck to them.
If we had a CIC (Commander in Chief) instead of a Coward in Chief, there could be a much different outcome, considering all of the political ammunition we have against Iran in the form of interference (and outright murder) of Americans in Iraq, as well as hezbollah, etc…not to mention that little nuke thang…

Jun 20, 2009 - 11:18 pm 5. 49erDweet:

Interesting tactic to directly attack the Basij compound. Could this strategy signify something unexpected? Wouldn’t this be a good time to have some MAVs on scene, eh?

Jun 21, 2009 - 12:22 am 6. Beverly:

This video (warning, graphic) of a young girl shot and killed by the Basij is going through the Net like wildfire.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0db_1245519048

Witnesses say that she was targeted by a sniper and shot through the heart. She was dead inside of a minute.

She was, they say, a bystander, with her father, watching the demonstrations some distance away. Horrific.

Jun 21, 2009 - 12:38 am 7. blogstrop:

If the Motoons can set off violence against Danish embassies, what might this state-sponsored thuggery give rise to? Iran should not have an ambassador that anyone wants to know after this. Going by their own playbook, this would be fair game. Iran has never been taken to any international court for their offence against the USA embassy. In the end facts on the ground trump finely principled statements.

Jun 21, 2009 - 1:03 am 8. ledger:

Blogstrop makes and interesting observation:

“Motoons can set off violence against Danish embassies, what might this state-sponsored thuggery give rise to? Iran should not have an ambassador that anyone wants to know after this. Going by their own playbook, this would be fair game. Iran has never been taken to any international court for their offence against the USA embassy. In the end facts on the ground trump finely principled statements.” –blogstrop

Isolating Iranian ambassadors or possibly arresting them would pressure on Khamenei and Ahmadinejad. How much pressure is the question?

I believe that arming Mousavi supporters to the extent of self-defense against Basij thugs who are now entering homes and flats, beating and killing people is fair play.

The corrupt Khamenei-Ahmadinejad gang is sure to build hit lists and continue to murder, torture and intimidate their adversaries. Self-defense for these students is only fair.

I am sure there are hundreds of ways handgun dealers can supply the students with weapons of self-defense. Crates of 9mm autos and ammo could be delivered to those in need of self-defense.

The only way to stop masked Basij thugs from terrorizing people is to arm their would-be victims and turn the tables on the Basij thugs.

I am sure many Iranian student’s know who the Basij are and where they live. If enough Basij thugs get capped they will turn tail and run like rabbits.

If Obama will not do help them, then it up to others in Europe and the Middle East to help them. It is time to aid the oppressed.

Jun 21, 2009 - 1:58 am 9. Pajamas Media » Why Should Obama Speak Out on Iran? Let Me Count the Ways:

[...] there was ever a time to get Reaganesque, this is the moment. (Also read Claudia Rosett and Richard Fernandez on the volatile and historic events in Iran.) June 21, 2009 – by Victor Davis [...]

Jun 21, 2009 - 2:00 am 10. RAH:

Arming the rebels is equivalent to the Iranians arming the shia that fought against the US soldiers in Iraq. Unless the US wants to be outwardly in a state of war with Iran,then that may not be a good idea.

France did help the US in the revolution but they were at war with England and so that action did not chnage their status with England.

Obama in Iran is voting present. On the hard decison he chooses not to decide. He dithers.

Jun 21, 2009 - 3:36 am 11. RAH:

The US is run by an idiotic leader and we do not want to be involved in a war in Iran. Covert means to assit the rebellion is good because instability in Iran is in our interest, Not Obama’s interest but America’s interest.

We have a bigger problem with interdicted the NORK freighter. Tecnichally we are in a state of war with NK. Boarding a NORK ship is an escalation that may resukt in missiles shot at Seoul.

So with the possibilities getter greater of a war with NK getting excessuvely involved in Iran is not a good idea.

What aggravates me about the dissent in Iran is the lack of organization planning to stage a rebellion. Street demonstrations just does not cut it. It is a recipe for killing useful idiots that are on the street.

All the killing will do is to encourage resentment and possibly some real planning of a sucessful rebellion. However the PTB will know that and more secret police to sniff out planners of a rebellion will be done.

Jun 21, 2009 - 4:10 am 12. ADE:

Glorious line from Dan, commenting on Sunday Morning in Iran, A Letter from Mousavi’s Office over at Pajamas.

“My administration,” the president will tell the Mullahs, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.“

ADE

Jun 21, 2009 - 4:22 am 13. Fat Man:

It is kind of fascinating.

Guys, with sticks on motorcycles, should not be a problem for other guys with sticks if they can get some number to work together. One guy jumps out and baits the cyclist, who makes a run at him. His compatriots charge the cycle from an angle, knock the cyclist off the cycle, and kick the $#;+ out of the cyclist.

Sticks? We got sticks. How about sections of re-bar one to two meters long.

My real point is that the Government has not yet decided to win. There is no way that unarmed crowds can defeat tanks and machine guns. Why hasn’t the Government brought out the heavy weapons yet. Do they think their opponents will get bored and go away? Or are they concerned that the army won’t follow their orders.

I think that is the real question.

“Unless the US wants to be outwardly in a state of war with Iran, then that may not be a good idea.”

The US seems to be disinclined to notice but Iran has been fighting a war against the US since 1979. Nothing the US does will change that.

Jun 21, 2009 - 4:23 am 14. The Wobbly Guy:

Well, if the mullahs sit tight, what CAN the protestors do? Social breakdown and denial of services will bring life to a grinding halt.

Perhaps they’re betting that the furor burns itself out in a few weeks, and at the end of things, nothing will have changed. As long as control of the military remains with the mullahs, they will be considered the winners.

Jun 21, 2009 - 4:34 am 15. ADE:

Fat Man
It is kind of fascinating.

It is indeed.

In Wafa Sultan’s words:

The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash or civilisations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilisation and backwardness, between the civilised and the primitive, between rationality and barbarity. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights on the one hand, and the violation of these rights on the other hand. It is clash between those who treat women like human beings and those who treat them like beasts. What we see today is not a clash of civilisations. Civilisations do not clash, but compete.

Now we all know this, so the fascination is morbid. There will be a lot of dead bodies, because one life(?)-form is in the process of losing its Darwinian clash with evolution.

ADE

Jun 21, 2009 - 4:46 am 16. RWE:

A lady close to the Iranian freedom movement just said on Fox News that 200 people have been killed just in Tehran.

Jun 21, 2009 - 4:58 am 17. Mark:

I’m not a revengeful kind of person, but I seem to remember lots of US servicemen killed by EFPs supplied by a certain regime, and I’m getting the feeling that many in the US, not to mention many other countries, would not mind a little payback at this time.

If we get to the part when the EFP’s start slicing through regime tanks, then the wheel will have turned in an interesting way.

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:09 am 18. Tony:

That VDH article pointed to in #9 elucidats all the obvious issues, well worth a breeze-through.

We must remember that President Obama is a pure product of the Blame America First crowd. Ergo, he speaks in Cairo of the CIA helping overthrow Mossadegh 56 years ago, but makes no mention of Iranian agents, funding and advanced weapons (EFP’s) killing our troops in Iraq right now!

My personal vote would go to supporting the resistance, but not promoting violence, or for God’s sake, arming them. I think Ronaldus Magnus hit it right with his Proclamation 4891 – Solidarity Day
January 20, 1982

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate January 30, 1982, as Solidarity Day. I urge the people of the United States, and free peoples everywhere, to observe this day in meetings, demonstrations, rallies, worship services and all other appropriate expressions of support. We will show our Solidarity with the courageous people of Poland and call for an end to their repression, the release of all those arbitrarily detained, the restoration of the internationally recognized rights of the Polish people, and and the resumption of internal dialogue and reconciliation in keeping with fundamental human rights.

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:13 am 19. what is occupation:

It will be interesting to see if the “arabic speaking” Basij forces will be exposed in the MSM…

I have read that Hamas and Hezbollah have been working the crowds…

Would love to see that proven and exposed

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:15 am 20. ADE:

occupation

Is Israel on high alert?

ADE

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:17 am 21. what is occupation:

Ade…

YES…

But the High alert predates this blow up…

Israel is expecting something to happen soon…

Hezbollah now has 40,000 rockets, Hamas has re-armed… Hezbollah is assisting Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt almost openly…

MY opinion? Look for Iran to do something to drag attention away from themselves…

The only odd thing is that the WORLD is silent about Irans situation, no UN security calls…

The more desperate the Iranians get the MORE likely something ELSE will pop…

Hezbollah lost the election but that doesnt mean anything.. Last summer they attacked WITHIN lebanon…

It’s going to be a hot summer…

AND all this stuff in Iran doesnt change the fact that IRan is racing for a nuke stockpile…

I predict war…

I see in America the ghettos burning this August…

I see Israel understanding that Obama will DO NOTHING to stop Iranian nuke plans..

I see North Korea causing issues…

Not to mention Russia in Georgia…

Taliban in Pakistan….

As many in Washington told me 7 weeks ago…

Be scared, Be armed, Be ready, Be aware…

Every American needs to Be Prepared for fuel, food and water disruptions for about 5-9 days…

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:27 am 22. Cannoneer No. 4:

Beverly, her name was Neda.

Her death, recorded on cell phone and posted to Youtube, will become as iconic as Mathew Brady’s “The Dead of Antietam.”

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:30 am 23. Tony:

It’s interesting to go back and compare American reaction to the Tianmen Square massacres under Bush 41: Tiananmen Square, 1989 – The Declassified History
In the days immediately following the crackdown, U.S. and Chinese officials were already sensitive to how recent events would impact the bilateral relationship. On June 5, President Bush had announced the imposition of a package of sanctions on China, to include “suspension of all government-to-government sales and commercial exports of weapons,” and the “suspension of visits between U.S. and Chinese military leaders.” Document 32, an embassy cable sent three weeks later, notes that a military official had lodged a formal complaint that “strongly protested recent U.S. military sanctions,” and had canceled the planned visits of U.S. military officials. Embassy officials felt this to be a “measured response to U.S. sanctions,” indicating that the official “did not adopt a confrontational attitude and emphasized that both sides should take a long-term view of the military relationship.” Two days later, on June 29, the State Department prepared “Themes,” (Document 33), in support of Undersecretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger and national security adviser Brent Scowcroft, who were to leave the next day on a secret trip to China to meet with Deng Xiaoping. “Themes” provided the framework for the discussions the two emissaries would have with Deng. It focused on the global strategic benefits of the U.S.-PRC relationship for both sides, the impact Chinese “internal affairs” could have on the relationship (characterizing the American people as being “shocked and repelled by much of what they have seen and read about recent events in China”), Bush’s view of the importance of the long-term relationship between the US and PRC, and the impact that further repression could have on US relations with China. As Scowcroft later remembered, “The purpose of my trip … was not negotiations–there was nothing yet to negotiate–but an effort to keep open the lines of communication.”

Of course, at the time, the Chinese government was not threatening the destruction of one of our allies, was not openly supporting our enemies on a field of battle (Korea was long past) as Iran is now, and they were not supporting international terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas. Still, I find this history instructive, perhaps President Obama is considering this?

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:41 am 24. ADE:

Beverly, Cannon

Her name was Neda Soltani. She was an employee of Rademan Airways.

To be murdered at such a young age; so beautiful; our future struck down.

I haven’t seen anything so tragic. May she rest in peace.

ADE

Jun 21, 2009 - 5:54 am 25. Derek:

Fat Man: The reason no tanks are in the streets is quite simple.

No one knows which way they would point. I suspect that the Mullahs have strong suspicions they would point towards them.

If we remember Tiananmen, it took quite a while before the Chinese could get army that would shoot on their own people.

Wretchard describes the meetings of those protesting, and the dynamics that are going on. There are parallel meetings among the powerful. Fear is the driving force.

If you had a regime under attack, and had a group of faithful that would do anything, why arm them only with sticks and blades?

Very interesting, and as wretchard says, the next 48 hours will be crucial.

A few things I note. No one wears masks, or rarely. This is a direct poke in the eye of the regime supported thug groups who refuse to show their faces. I’m quite sure the stories of how the Iraq AlQueda treated people filtered into Iran. These people are hated. These crowds refuse to emulate them, be like them.

The women seem to be a driving force. Yet they are covered. Shrewd, good place to hide rocks or other weapons, maybe. I think it shows a certain maturity and forethought. When a place falls apart, is torn apart like Iran is right now, the danger is that it cannot be put back together. The common thread on all sides is the respect for the faith traditions. The show of respect allows the movement to grow. They cannot directly attack Islam, or the Mullahs for that matter. They attack their manifestations of power. In the end, its the same thing, but these smart women recognize that they need the masses, the crowds.

Quite a few videos show women, older women, bystanders attacked viciously by the regime. From what I understand of the culture, women are not respected personally, and often maltreated. But to maltreat a woman in public is a direct poke in the eye, a matter of honor. This type of attack just doesn’t happen. It wells up from the thought patterns, the rhetoric and core belief of the regime. I think we get a glimpse of why people are standing before armed thugs. It is not the protesters who are radical and dangerous (shame on Obama).

I wonder if there are any Iranians in southern Iraq asking ‘how do you make this democracy thing work anyways?’.

May we live in interesting times.

Derek

Jun 21, 2009 - 8:34 am 26. Derek:

Mark: I’d look which way the regime’s tanks are pointed before blowing them up.

Derek

Jun 21, 2009 - 8:37 am 27. mac:

You know, the Iranians haven’t had a lot of luck these past two centuries. This is just another example of it. Why couldn’t this problem come to a head when America had a an actual American sitting in the White House instead of a post turtle?

Reagan and Bushes 41-43 would know how to handle this to America–and Iran’s–benefit. The post turtle hasn’t a clue.

Jun 21, 2009 - 9:01 am 28. Komeil:

Her name’s Neda Soltani, 26 years old, born in 1983.

She was an employee of Radman Tour & Travel Agency.

http://www.radmantour.com/

http://www.ketabeavval.ir/Profile/?id=260889

Your weblog is filtered in Iran since June 21, 2009, 8:54 PM local time!

Jun 21, 2009 - 9:26 am 29. Benson:

27. mac said:

You know, the Iranians haven’t had a lot of luck these past two centuries. This is just another example of it. Why couldn’t this problem come to a head when America had a an actual American sitting in the White House instead of a post turtle?

Reagan and Bushes 41-43 would know how to handle this to America–and Iran’s–benefit. The post turtle hasn’t a clue

The reason it’s happening now is because the Mullah’s knew they could get away with not only a rigged election but could announce the winner so early as to confirm it was rigged. They knew they could do this with no condemnation from the U.S. and Obama. What they didn’t expect was resistance from their own people who had stood quietly by when confronted with the totalitarian extreme’s of the past. If there had been no uprising from the people of Iran the election and its outcome no matter how contrived would have received no comment for the O. I’m sure this would not have been the case under W. The Mullah’s and all of Islam know O not only doesn’t support freedom but is intent on using whatever tactic is necessary to rigg elections here in the U.S. Did O not comment on Iran elections because he feels guilty about his own aspiration. Hardly. Maybe he just didn’t want attention drawn to his own designs on power. But the similarities are there for anyone who can look.

Jun 21, 2009 - 10:12 am 30. NahnCee:

What does it tell us that Ahmadinnerjacket has been sent out of the country and is staying out?

Jun 21, 2009 - 11:34 am 31. Stones Cry Out - If they keep silent… » Things Heard: e73v1:

[...] Why “not nuanced” might be an appropriate response. [...]

Jun 22, 2009 - 7:17 am 32. Pseudo-Polymath » Blog Archive » Monday Highlights:

[...] Why “not nuanced” might be an appropriate response. [...]

Jun 22, 2009 - 7:51 am

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