Jun 19 2009
Amazing Days In Iran
 
I don’t have time to post a broad review of the massive demonstrations yesterday in Iran, but then again I don’t need to when sites like this one provide a complete round up of stories, pictures and videos from the Iranians themselves. BTW, it is coming to a head as the totalitarians demand the protests stop or else. I think the answer will be ‘or else’.
There are rumors abound about defections, coup attempts, and other signs that this could be a turning point. See this artilce at PJM
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/cracks-begin-to-show-in-the-iranian-regime/
It doesn’t look like Mousavi is going to give in:
Update: The Standard notes that Mousavi’s Twitter feed has a message out urging supporters not to go to prayers tomorrow, which presumably means he won’t be there either. In the unlikely event that they take his advice, that’ll reduce the odds of confrontation. But if he boycotts the event too, it’s a direct slap at Khamenei’s authority. Which means this isn’t Mousavi versus Ahmadinejad anymore, it’s Mousavi versus the whole regime.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/18/tomorrow-tiananmen-in-tehran/
I think the answer will be ‘or else’.
Just saw, at Gateway Pundit, an Iranian protester holding up a sign that translates into, “DON’T FORGET WHAT HAPPENED TO SADDAM!”
–
On another blog, a commenter on a post about “Freedom in Iran”, observed…
I have to say right now that we should be very cautious about depicting the Iranians as liberal-thinking Westerners who want total freedom. This is a mistake that we make all the time.
Perhaps, but…
How many times have we partnered with, or dealt “pragmatically†with, some oppressive regime, using the justification that their people weren’t “READY†for freedom (as if they were sub-human or something). I really think this is an EXCUSE for preserving status quo.
Could it be possible, that after recent events, there could be some Iranians wondering, “If the Iraqis and Afghans can pull off genuine elections, WHY THE HELL CAN’T WE?!!!â€
–
POMED NOTES: Poll Shows Iranian Support for Democracy and U.S. Engagement
June 8th, 2009
A poll, released today by the New America Foundation, Terror Free Tomorrow and KA Europe SPRL, reveals that on the eve of the Iranian elections, Iranians are widely interested in a more democratic system, a free press and improved trade relations with the U.S. The poll was made available today at at an event titled “Iran’s Next President?†hosted by the New America Foundation. View POMED’s notes on this event.
http://pomed.org/blog/2009/06/poll-iranians-support-democracy-freedom-and-us-engagement.html/
About that “Don’t Forget What Happened to Saddam” Iranian protest sign. Interestingly, I note that this sign isn’t in English. That says a lot more than you think.
“I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow! There are a few great movie scenes that I also have to see. I should drop by the library, too. It’s worth to read the poems of Forough and Shamloo again. All family pictures have to be reviewed, too. I have to call my friends as well to say goodbye. All I have are two bookshelves which I told my family who should receive them. I’m two units away from getting my bachelors degree but who cares about that. My mind is very chaotic. I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so they know we were not just emotional and under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow’s children…†– an Iranian blogger, with more courage than most of us will ever know.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/before-the-battle.html
How do you say “Groundhog Day” in Farsi ? Tehran, Jun. 25 2005 – “Ahmadinejad? Who’s he?†This was the typical reaction of most Iranians a day after the first round of presidential elections in Iran, when they heard that the two candidates facing each other in the run-off were veteran politician Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the little-known, ultra-conservative mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Last week’s surprise was all forgotten by the much bigger shock on Friday, when Ahmadinejad defeated the former President and iconic figure in the ruling theocracy in a landslide victory that consolidated power in the hands of the ruling Islamic clerics.