What a tragedy unfolding before our eyes. Have we had the proper response? Has our message been strong enough or the correct one? Did our president receive that 3AM call a week ago last Friday and do nothing? Who knows, certainly not I.
This does seem to be coming to a boil. I've heard the sport coat used to be in Al-Qud, or the secret police. One has to wonder if he's consolidated his power with the military and the great clerics are bowing to him? Whether that's the hold he has on them? Mousavi worked with Khomeini in the 80's. Why would they stick with the sport coat over this person? Rambling...
I've read that several of the Revolutionary Guard have been arrested as well as several clerics for supporting Mousavi and the protesters. This could be the change we've been looking for to bring the Iranian people into our world society. We need to be prepared? To help?
Iranian Regime Killing Its Own Children
Posted by peter at June 20, 2009 09:11 PM"Have we had the proper response?" - peter
Responding is supposed to do what exactly? The regime doesn't give a damn what the U.S. or anyone else thinks. We poisoned our relationship with the Iranian people 50 years ago. Now it's up to the Iranian people to rectify our mistake.
Posted by CA Pol Junkie at June 20, 2009 10:11 PMI answered that in my initial comment.
Who knows, certainly not I.
So there's nothing our president can do? Not very FDR or Truman of him.
Posted by peter at June 20, 2009 10:51 PMWe poisoned our relationship with the Iranian people 50 years ago.
Actually Cal Po it was 56 years ago, but who's counting? The fact is most Iranians like Americans, just not our government. Who would blame them given our fucked policies over there. I've known many Iranians and like them generally. They sure has hell have shown some courage in the last week.
I answered that in my initial comment.
No, you didn't. You just repeated the same whine the other discredited Bushbots have been spewing. Fortunately, Obama's smarter than you idiots and has made it clear that while the US supports anyone to have their voices heard, it's not our business to meddle in Iran's affairs. Thank goodness we have an actual thinking person in the WH again, rather than your cowboy moron talkin' tough and breaking things for no good reason. I love how alla you tough guys keep crying "do something!!" but when asked what Obama should do, you mutter "...I dunno! Something!!"
Posted by Twinky P* at June 21, 2009 06:55 AMSo tell me twinky, how come the Kos kids are all upset over our president's lack of responses?
If they disliked us so much, why in a poll did the numbers go down with our new admin who has been making overtures to the sport coat? Comparing February 2008 to 2/2009. Obama's America sees a 29% approval to W's America at 34%. Iranians seem to like W much more. Maybe they respected W's direct approach.
Let's keep Neda and her family in our prayers.
Posted by peter at June 21, 2009 02:44 PMhow come the Kos kids are all upset over our president's lack of responses?
Why don't you ask them? Oh wait, they're not. Still, what's that got to do with my assertion that your guys whine a lot but don't offer substantial alternatives? You still haven't answered the question of what Obama should say, much less what he should do.
If they disliked us so much
Whiplash! If who disliked us so much? And who's saying they do? And why does it matter in the context of Iran's unrest right now? You're not making any sense!
why in a poll did the numbers go down with our new admin
Which poll? Links?
who has been making overtures to the sport coat?
Wha?? I know Obama's a diplomatic powerhouse, but he's chatting up men's leisure wear? That's going too far, I say. There are more important issues to attend to.
Comparing February 2008 to 2/2009. Obama's America sees a 29% approval to W's America at 34%.
Again, you don't provide links, who's approving whom, or a reason why these numbers are relevant.
Iranians seem to like W much more. Maybe they respected W's direct approach.
Approach to what? Intervening in another country's affairs, like calling them a part of the "axis of evil" and then pointing at the ensuing outrage as evidence of perfidy? You're makin' a lot of words, but no sense is comin' out.
Let's keep Neda and her family in our prayers.
I see you're not above hoisting the still-warm corpse from another movement's cause onto your own banner for...what, exactly? As always, I don't see your point, peter. What are you trying to say??
moron pete once again shows the extremely limited power of the republiKKKon lizard brain....
no common sense, no ideas, no solutions..
It's like Dylan sez: "It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe."
"natarseen, natarsee, ma hameh baham hasteem."
"be not afraid, be not afraid, we are all together."
And then at the end they shout "down with the dictator."
Yeah Capj, sure is a replay of 1979.
Neda Agha Soltan, yes, we should all morn this 27 year old's murder.
Now the authorities are admitting there are more votes than voters.
Posted by peter at June 21, 2009 09:22 PMblah, bleh, god is great but I'm greater, sportcoat blah, blah, kos kids....
think pete, the "I know everything" troll, will ever learn English?
wanna know one of the worst things about you republiKKKons petie?
your total insincerity and dishonesty...
Neda Agha Soltan, yes, we should all morn this 27 year old's murder.
Posted by peter at June 21, 2009 09:22 PM
"Yeah Capj, sure is a replay of 1979."
Huh? Our problems with the Iranian people started in the 1950's, when the CIA orchestrated the dumping of democracy there and the installation of the Shah. We supported his dictatorship until the revolution of 1979, which is why they hated the U.S. and why we would make a convenient foil today for Khamenei and Ahmadinejad if we were to intervene again.
Since you brought it up, though, what is happening now really does have alot of similarities with 1979. The leaders of the opposition today were revolutionaries in 1979, and they are using many of the same tactics. The cycle of martyrdom and mourning is very important in Shiite culture. In both the 1979 and current uprisings, the deaths of those killed opposing the government are then mourned en masse a few days later. If there is violence and more people are martyred in the mourning period, there will be another mourning period.
It took a year for the 1979 revolution to snowball into the toppling of the Shah's government. The forces set in motion over the weekend, such as the killing of Neda, make it likely that the opposition will eventually knock Khamenei and Ahmadinejad out of power. How long it takes might depend on how widespread tomorrow's general strike ends up. If it hits oil production in particular, the regime won't last long.
Posted by CA Pol Junkie at June 22, 2009 10:32 AMExcellent analysis CA Pol, far too nuanced for a brainiac pub like Peter to understand. I would like to point out though that when we installed the Shah in 1953 the world was entirely a different game and the CIA probably played it right for the time. The CIA however underestimated the Shah's grandiose self-envisionment, i.e Peacock Throne-Persian Glory and his brutal suppression tactics thru SAVAK to attain that. We have paid dearly for that mistake. I think Obama is playing this one correctly so far.
Posted by sf at June 22, 2009 10:39 PM