I'm still in the process of catching up.
I see that Stop Ahmadinejad is up and running - have a gander. (hat tip: Aryamehr)
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No, not the Butcher of Tehran...an actual butcher (who kills animals, not his own citizens). Well, saying that, he probably asks his human butchers advice on many things too.
Highlighting a common touch that has become a trademark of his presidency, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he keeps his finger on Iran's economic pulse by talking to his butcher, newspapers have reported.
"We have hardworking shopkeepers in our neighbourhood from whom I get important economic information because they are living among the people," Ahmadinejad, the son of a blacksmith, was quoted by Iran's Sharq daily as saying.
"For example, there is an honourable butcher in our neighbourhood who is aware of all the problems of the people and I also get important economic information from him," he said in a meeting with worker unions, Sharq reported.
Not like this hasn't been going on since before Ahmadin-jihad's time, but the Seattle & Los Angeles Times try to analyze why it's sped up (or the media has given it more attention) in recent months.
Why the regime has cracked down now remains unclear, although analysts offered several overlapping theories.
The widespread purges and arrests are expected to have an impact on parliamentary elections next year and the presidential contest in 2009, either discouraging or preventing reformers from running against the hard-liners who dominate all branches of government, Iranian and U.S. analysts say. The elections are one of several motives behind the crackdowns, they add.
Public signs of discontent — such as students booing Ahmadinejad on a campus in December, teacher protests in March over low wages and workers demonstrating on May Day — are also behind the detentions, according to Iranian sources....
The current crackdown is a way to instill fear in the population in order to discourage them from future political agitation as the economic situation begins to deteriorate," said Karim Sadjadpour, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"You're going to think twice about taking to the streets to protest the hike in gasoline prices if you know the regime's paramilitary forces have been on a head-cracking spree the last few weeks."
Despite promises to use Iran's oil revenue to aid the poor, Ahmadinejad's economic policies have backfired, triggering 20 percent inflation over the past year, increased poverty and a 25 percent rise in the price of gas last month. More than 50 of the country's leading economists wrote an open letter to Ahmadinejad warning he is endangering the country's future.
Others see the repression as an attempt to establish firm control over the domestic situation as the country girds for possible war, international isolation or economic sanctions.
Amazing, at the same time that the LA Times is doing a good job at pointing out unreported crackdowns in Iran, with their other hand they are mis-portraying the political & religious situation in Iran. This ridiculous article makes it seem like Ahmadin-jihad and extreme Islam actually have a significant amount of support among the youth (who make up c. 70% of the current population), when this could not be further from the truth. The majority of these youngsters have turned away from Islam quite dramatically, and most think this so-called President is an idiot who gives their country a bad name & image.
...But Amiri, a pious 22-year-old from the south of Tehran, just smiles. He knows who he is and where he comes from. He rests easy in the comfort that he is not alone. Unlike those of his generation who clamor for social and political change, Amiri is a stalwart supporter of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is a proud member of the Basiji militia, which many say took part unofficially in a recent crackdown throughout the streets of the capital.
And he believes his side is growing.
"It's not only the bearded people who are true believers," said Amiri, who operates a small shop selling Islamic books and CDs in downtown Tehran. "Look at my customers. Many of them are cleanshaven and wear jeans."
Although Western analysts believe Iran's youthful population strives for change and can be coaxed to revolt, the country's conservative leaders have also been wooing their young.
Two takes on the same thing:
A loyal Noggrite sent me this YouTube video with the below explanation. It's in Farsi, so please read the below summary before watching it if you don't speak Farsi. Unbelievable, huh? Well, not if you know the mullahs and their pawns, the so-called elected leadership of the IRI.
Noggr,
Below is the link for the video which shows Ahmadinejad in his pre-election interview talking about the fact that Islamic Republic should give attention to the real problems in Iran and not whether the girls in Iran are showing a bit of their hear or Not.
The second part of the video shows a girl while screaming being dragged into a police car for her Hejab in the recent clamp down on the women and young people in Iran.
There is a lot on the net on how they have recently started arresting the young generation in Iran.
This takes things to a new stage of ridiculousness (is that a word?). Read on here, or just see below. At least she said something bad about Ahmadin-jihad. So she's not just a complete and utter moron, just an utter moron...
..."Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,'' Lantos said. "Speaking for myself, I'm ready to go -- and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.''
Pelosi did not dispute that statement, and noted that Lantos -- a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust -- brought "great experience, knowledge and judgment" to the recent bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in addition to Syria.
"I find the president of Iran's remarks to be so repulsive that they are outside the circle of civilized human behavior,'' Pelosi said, referring to Ahmadinejad's past comments that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map and his questioning of the existence of the Holocaust.
"But a person of Mr. Lantos' stature and personal experience is saying that -- even as a Holocaust survivor and even recognizing the outrageous statements of the president of Iran -- it's important to have dialogue. I think that speaks volumes.''
So says The Guardian. Also, apparently the pope asked Ahmadin-jihad to release the prisoners for Easter. The 'air scare' thing is interesting, and no surprise that the British declined the offer from the US - they must not have prepared an exit strategy yet for their faithful mullahs. The article (in the NY Post) can be found here - excerpts below.
British authorities turned down an offer by the Pentagon to have warplanes fly over strategic Iranian bases during the tense hostage standoff, preferring a diplomatic route instead, a London newspaper said yesterday.
But a surprise appeal by the pope, who wrote a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the same day the captives were released, was a welcome, if unexpected, intervention, according to reports in The Guardian.
The Vatican confirmed yesterday that Pope Benedict XVI had intervened in the hostage crisis, appealing to the Iranian leader to do what he could to ensure the British sailors and marines were "reunited with their families in time for Easter."
Potkin has a good post on his blog today. I've pasted it below for convenience. Well done for getting the photos - thank you. And you can bet the few people that did show up were paid (or promised to be paid) by the mullahs, and most likely went against their better judgment/will.Remember MacAakill and Tisdall's article in the Guardian? Couple of anti-American "journalists" who went to Islamic Republic of Iran, had a wonderful time, talked to Ahmadi-Nejad's childhood friend and then reported to their readers in the West that Ahmadi-Nejad enjoys a 70% approval rating?
Well here is some pictures from Ahmadi-Nejad's visit to Yazd and the number of people who greeted him despite all the rent a crowd efforts by the state:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words :)
A loyal Noggrite sent this piece of news/speculation to me earlier today. You can read the full thing on ThreeWorldWars.com's blog, and I've copied some parts of it below. This would be interesting (to some extent) especially if Michael Ledeen is correct in his statements about the Supreme Leader's waning health. Though, as I (and I think Ledeen also) always say, until the Islamic Republic is pulled up from the roots and replaced with an entirely new system, nothing will change fundamentally (no pun intended) - just different faces and a little bit more freedom if people are luck...
According to recent news, Iran President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is suffering from prostate cancer and may only have a couple of months left to live. Because this topic is taboo in Iranian state media, there are conflicting reports about bad the President’s condition is but he is definitely battling cancer.
A great concern is that if this leader dies, a council could be appointed to replace him, which would create numerous constitutional issues for Iran. The possible council may consist of reformist and former president Mohammad Khatami, speaker and moderate Mehdi Karroubi and former president and Machiavellian pragmatist Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani is the next in the line of succession and a top member of the Council of Experts, who choses the council. An Iranian political analyst stated, “It would require an amendment to the constitution. The talk of a council replacing the leader is not new but it is chock full of legal and religious issues.” Clericals in establishment do not view Rafsanjani as virtuous.
The FT reports - the full Monte can be found here. With the visible hand, the UK and Germany wave their index finger at Ahmadin-jihad and say 'no, no, no, you cannot have nukes.' With the hand behind their back they send their minions behind closed doors to negotiate how they will rape the natural resources of Iran for another 27 years...or at least until Dubbya does something.
Eon, Germany’s biggest importer of natural gas, is pursuing its first gas supply contract with Iran in an effort to reduce its dependence on Russia.
The company on Tuesday confirmed it was in talks with liquefied natural gas producers over a supply contract. “One of the producer countries is, of course, Iran. The country has the world’s second largest natural gas reserves,” said a company official.
Both Germany and the UK are at the centre of international efforts to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear programme and are seeking to frame a new United Nations resolution that would add to limited sanctions on Tehran, by tightening restrictions on the financing of Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes and introducing a travel ban.
Centrica, the UK’s biggest residential energy supplier, also has said it was looking at Iran as a potential source of gas supplies. The decline in North Sea gas production has been a big impetus for it to broaden its search....
...In spite of the odds, Iran has attracted AngloDutch Royal Dutch Shell and Spain’s Repsol as potential foreign partners in its Persian LNG project, and Total of France and Malaysia’s Petronas for its Pars LNG project. For those two projects and the two others for which Iran has yet to attract foreign partners to go ahead, the country will need to secure several 15–20-year supply agreements.
This article in some ways echoes the comments made by Ledeen months ago about whether or not the US may have actually managed to install Ahmadin-jihad in the leadership role in Iran.
I think it's highly doubtful, but hey, you never know. Guy Bechor lists a number of reasons why he's been good for Israel - some of which are pasted below.
Could it be that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is working for us? He is after all doing an excellent job for Israel. This week, while Teheran is divided to pragmatic elements calling to suspend Iran's nuclear program (or at least enter dialog with the US,) and militant elements who are not prepared to make any concessions – militant Ahmadinejad should definitely be supported.
It would be bad news for Israel if the Iranian nuclear program was halted now because international pressure would wane, a new American president would come to power and the smart Iranians would renew the project later on. Fortunately we have Ahmadinejad who insists that his country be isolated and trumpeted as the world's problem child.
Following is a list of Ahmadinejad achievements in less than two years:· Thanks to his defamatory words, he brought the Iranian nuclear issue to the top of the international agenda. If it hadn't been for him, who would have become involved in such a worrisome matter? It should be noted that Ahmadinejad's two predecessors, Presidents Rafsanjani and Khatami, developed nuclear capability but this didn't come to the world's attention. US, Britain and Russia must now ensure that Iran does not achieve nuclear arms.
· Ahmadinejad has pitted the US against Iran, while virtually pushing it to take military action against his country. While another aircraft carrier is already stationed along the Iranian coast and the US military is being reinforced in Iraq, a military attack on Iran is no longer a far-fetched scenario.
· The Iranian president has lost European support to such an extent that countries such as Germany, France and Britain are insisting on expanding sanctions on Iran. It is hard to comprehend but the British and the French are more at odds with Iran than with the US....
...Could Ahmadinejad actually endanger the existence of the Ayatollah regime? – If he succeeds, then agent Ahmadinejad would have done a great job!
Are the 'Iranians' the BBC says are responding to their questions actually on the payroll over at White City (BBC HQ)?
Most Iranians living in Iran hate Ahmadin-jihad (or don't regard him as a real president) and definitely hate nearly all of the mullah's political policies. But you would never see that on the BBC's site, where supposed Iranians "speak out".
These 'Iranians' predictably attack US policy and the logic of any sort of attack on Iran (whether the tactical bombing of nuclear facilities or more) and cover their posteriors by putting 1 or 2 comments that are slightly critical of the mullahcracy and their p(r)eas(id)ant.
In this way, they make it seem like 'normal' Iranians are relatively okay with their so-called government and think the mullahs should develop the nuclear program. It also makes it seem like they are in general very anti-US, which is the opposite of the truth, in typical Beeb style.
Of course, while no rational Iranian (or person of any nationality) wants to see their country get bombed, there are a growing number of people who see this as the only realistic way the mullahcracy can be removed and replaced with something better. Not all, but some. And that says something, because things have to be pretty bad for anyone to want another country to come and bomb their homeland.
The BBC farce (no pun intended) can be read here. Below are some particular gems. Re: sanctions, of course the mullahs have already killed the economy which was thriving under the Shah, so that is a fairly moot point. In fact, it is one of the only practical and effective non-military ways to undermine the mullahs. The Israel thing is fairly self-explanatory - give me a break...
DO YOU THINK THIS PROGRAMME IS DRIVING IRAN INTO CONFRONTATION WITH THE WEST?
Ali Reza: Yes. But unfortunately this war will have no winners and the people of Iran will be the biggest losers.
The US and its allies should think of better ways of trying to achieve their goal. They could lift economic sanctions and give people easy access to free information, for example through satellite TV. This would be the best way of fighting this regime.
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF PRESIDENT AHAMADINEJAD'S RHETORIC AGAINST ISRAEL?
Reza Noroozpour: Mr Ahmadinejad didn't question the historical basis of the Holocaust, he just asked the West and the media certain questions about it.
Hmm...American journalists going to Iran to interview the regime. Sounds familiar doesn't it? The fact that a slew of British and American journalist have recently been traveling in and around Iran under the auspices of interviewing officials, etc. gives you the sense that there is something more going on here. Anyway...I digress.
The point about this is that she doesn't ask him any of the important questions, just soft and mushy ones which he can give pat answers to...typical. Makes the p(r)eas(id)ant seem sort of normal to the average robot viewer that doesn't know about what vicious murderers these guys are. You can read some of her nonsensical discourse here.
For comparison, look at what Western journalists asked the Shah, who by comparison, committed so few crimes. A simple trawl of YouTube will give you the sense of this.
Saw this on FrontPage magazine.
The 2nd International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust took place on January 29, 2007 at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, under the theme: ‘Remembrance and Beyond’. That morning, an ‘Urgent Appeal’ to bring the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to trial before the newly created International Criminal Court – and for Iran to respond before the UN Security Council – was sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, and President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso De Alba. This initiative by two non-governmental organizations: Association for World Education (AWE) and the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) was emailed to all 192 member states at the UN in New York and Geneva.
...At a time when the publication of a report of the Advisory Committee on the prevention of genocide is expected to be released soon, and the mandate of the Special Advisor to the General-Secretary on the Prevention of Genocide (SAPG) renewed, it would be appropriate if UN member states would act now. To fail to do so would be hypocrisy and a betrayal of the 1948 Genocide Convention and the 1945 UN Charter.
The joint Appeal by AWE and WUPJ, signed by its UN representatives in Geneva, is reproduced verbatim.
You can read the full Monty here; I've posted some excerpts below:
...they [the Islamic Republic] excel at deception, and it is folly to take events in Tehran at their apparent face value. The attacks on Ahmadi-Nezad, about which so much has been written of late, are certainly “real,” in the sense that people are saying and publishing such things. On the other hand, it seems very manipulative to me. When official newspapers publish critical remarks, that’s fine with the mullahs, but when students demonstrate against him, they get rounded up and thrown in the dungeons. I would be astounded if he were removed, since I believe he represents the regime. I do believe that, facing the problems at hand, they would strain to convince the West that “moderation” is under way again, and that we should ease up on the pressure (such as it is) and “give peace a chance.” That would enable them to plow ahead on their atomic bombs and missiles, push harder for an overthrow of the legitimate government of Lebanon, and organize further attacks on Israel.
That is why I believe that the campaign against Ahmadi-Nezhad is fundamentally deceptive, a disinformation effort aimed at slowing down any serious countermeasures on our part. I’m sure that Iranian diplomats are whispering sweet nothings to our people, and I’m sure that Iranian intelligence officers are telling their Western counterparts to take it easy, things are moving in a good direction, so don’t rock the ark....
...Life is full of surprises. Firm action against Iran terrorists would be quite a surprise. I really have trouble imagining it. But I would certainly celebrate it.
The Sun reported on this yesterday. You wouldn't want to mess with Israel unless you entirely wipe them out - otherwise you can bet there will be some fierce reprisal.
But do you think Ahmadin-jihad is listening? Nah.
Some excerpts below.
...A defence expert in Israel said last night: “If they put them under a mountain, we will know which mountain.”
The strike threat, which emerged in private briefings at a high-powered conference on Middle East security near Tel Aviv, will horrify world leaders still arguing over Iraq.
But senior unnamed sources made it clear that only a climb-down by Iran can now avert war. The question last night was whether an attack would get the all-clear from US President George Bush — or if America will strike first....
...The Sun can reveal for the first time the astonishing force at Israel’s disposal.
It has 280 of the most sophisticated warplanes in the world — American-built F-16 and F-15 multipurpose jets, capable of flying to Iran and back without refuelling.They carry at least two 2000lb long-range precision-guided bombs, capable of flying down an airshaft or through a window. Some have rock-blasting warheads which can reach deep underground, where Iran’s nuclear workshops are hidden.
With more pilots per aircraft than any other country in the world, Israel’s jets could be in the air almost 24 hours a day, flying hundreds of sorties over Iran.
Israel’s bombing capacity could match the 1990 Gulf War’s Desert Storm attack.
...by one of his own. Something's definitely going on in the higher ranks of the mullahcracy. You can read about Montazeri's criticism of AJ here. A brief excerpt is below.
He said Iranians have the right to nuclear power, but questioned Ahmadinejad's dealings with the international community in obtaining it.
"One has to deal with the enemy with wisdom, not provoke it," he said, according to a copy of his comments made available to The Associated Press. "This (provocation) only creates problems for the country," he told a group of reformists and opponents of Ahmadinejad on Friday in the holy city of Qom, 80 miles south of the capital Tehran.
There have been rumblings in Iranian political circles that the Supreme Leader (sorry, I have to laugh to myself when I think of his image and his title side-by-side) may want Ahmadin-jihad to either tow a softer line on his Western defiance, or replace him so that they can employ a policy somewhere between him and the ever-smiling deceptive Khatami.
This has all the makings of the beginnings of another stalling tactic. The mullahs are saying to themselves: "If we can just last through '08 and get a Democrat installed in the Oval Office, we can suck the blood of our people and give more oil to our masters for a a good while longer..."
Also, with Khamenei not really known to be dead or alive - there's no conclusive proof he's still alive, as you can read on Michael Ledeen's latest update on the situation - it is also possible that the mullahs embroiled in succession planning, and hence the rhetoric putting down AJ (Ahamadin-jihad).
The New York Times reported on the first sentence of this post. You can read some excerpts below.
Iran’s outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appears to be under pressure from the highest authorities in Iran to end his involvement in its nuclear program, a sign that his political capital is declining as his country comes under increasing international pressure.
Just one month after the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear program, two hard-line newspapers, including one owned by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on the president to stay out of all matters nuclear.
In the hazy world of Iranian politics, such a public rebuke was seen as a sign that the supreme leader — who has final say on all matters of state — might no longer support the president as the public face of defiance to the West.
Jacques-ass is back in the forefront re: Iran again. He's reaching out his hand. You can read about this here and here.
I guess just like George Galloway, now that his best buddy Saddam is dead, he needs another dictator to cozy up to - who else could be more agreeable to the bastard than Ahmadin-jihad. Of course, chances are, they already 'know' each other quite well. Some excerpts about his recent statements can be found below.
President Jacques Chirac has begun a unilateral diplomatic initiative toward Iran to help resolve the crisis in Lebanon, despite opposition from his own foreign minister and some of France's close allies, three senior French officials said Tuesday.
But Chirac was so eager to secure Iran's support on Lebanon, where about 1,700 French troops are stationed as United Nations peacekeepers, that earlier this month, he arranged to send Foreign Minister Philippe Douste- Blazy to Tehran. But he quickly found himself in the embarrassing position of ordering the trip to be called off two days before it was to have taken place, the officials said.
Both Douste-Blazy and senior Foreign Ministry officials concluded that such a trip was doomed to fail and would send the wrong signal only weeks after the Security Council unanimously approved sanctions intended to curb Iran's nuclear program, they added. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on such a sensitive diplomatic issue.
Douste-Blazy was put in the uncomfortable position of having to tell Chirac that he did not want to go, one senior official said.
"This is not French diplomacy at its best," the official said.
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