Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

Maybe he's one of the "Iranian moderates" the U.S. has been courting on and off for the past 30 years.

yeah... he and I went to different schools together.

FTFA: A top aide to Iran's supreme leader called the country's main opposition figure a U.S. agent...

I guess if he said so, it must be true!

40yoVirgin: I guess if he said so, it must be true!

They're taking lessons from the Republicans.. Remember, Obama is a secrit muslin.

Alacritous: Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

he was Prime Minister until the Ayatollah thought he gained to much power and the position was eliminated

Green Brief 17 (new window)

MonkeyVegetables: he was Prime Minister

Right.. knew it was one of those, and didn't bother looking it up, but my point stands. This is kinda like saying Benjamin Franklin was an agent of Holland.

My feeling is that Amadinejhad will survive this, for now, but the legitimacy of the Iranian power structure has been permanently -- and, eventually, fatally -- damaged in the long term.

For a theocracy to function, its people must believe that that is the will of God (or equivalent Supreme Being) that this government rule over them. Suddenly, Iran's government just looks like any other piss-pot dictatorship in the world.

Amadinejad farked up by making the election result a blowout. If he was going to fix it anyway, it should have been a squeaker.

Alacritous: Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

He was Prime Minister before, yes. It was a VERY long-term plan, but the CIA is sneaky that way.

I mean, you gotta remember, these are the same people who managed to put a fake birth announcement for one "Barack Obama" in the Honolulu Advertiser back in 1961 in advance support of a forty-year operation, they're gooooood.

Alacritous: This is kinda like saying Benjamin Franklin was an agent of Holland.

Look closely at the paintings of Ben... he is always seen hanging out with dikes.

jake_lex: My feeling is that Amadinejhad will survive this, for now, but the legitimacy of the Iranian power structure has been permanently -- and, eventually, fatally -- damaged in the long term.

In all seriousness, that's my basic take on it also. These were protests demanding a new election for a new president in the currently prescribed role, protests demanding the people be able to exercise the vote they have in the CURRENT system, NOT explicitly trying to overthrow the government or have a new revolution. Yet the aftermath has exposed (if not created fresh) various divisions in the government which are likely to lead to some changes, even if gradually. That plus the fact that there ARE some younger edge people in the protests who want more, maybe those ideas will gain more followers.

itazurakko: Alacritous: Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

He was Prime Minister before, yes. It was a VERY long-term plan, but the CIA is sneaky that way.

I mean, you gotta remember, these are the same people who managed to put a fake birth announcement for one "Barack Obama" in the Honolulu Advertiser back in 1961 in advance support of a forty-year operation, they're gooooood.

And let's not forget how they also made the Mars Bar into a Snickers Almond, the bastards. They're not supposed to operate on US soil, but those bastiches KEEP DOING IT TO FUTZ UP OUR GODDAMME CANDY! AND LACE THEM WITH HORMONES TO GIVE MEN biatch TITS! THE WORLD MUST KNOW!

jake_lex

Amadinejad farked up by making the election result a blowout. If he was going to fix it anyway, it should have been a squeaker.

Yeah, it always hurts your credibility when more people hit the streets to protest than supposedly voted for the opposition.

Plus they should have waited a tad longer to announce the official results. Say, half a day.

hubiestubert: AND LACE THEM WITH HORMONES TO GIVE MEN biatch TITS! THE WORLD MUST KNOW!

That's preposterous...

/Tightens government issued man-bra.

itazurakko: jake_lex: My feeling is that Amadinejhad will survive this, for now, but the legitimacy of the Iranian power structure has been permanently -- and, eventually, fatally -- damaged in the long term.

In all seriousness, that's my basic take on it also. These were protests demanding a new election for a new president in the currently prescribed role, protests demanding the people be able to exercise the vote they have in the CURRENT system, NOT explicitly trying to overthrow the government or have a new revolution. Yet the aftermath has exposed (if not created fresh) various divisions in the government which are likely to lead to some changes, even if gradually. That plus the fact that there ARE some younger edge people in the protests who want more, maybe those ideas will gain more followers.

There's also the sad fact, that most of the folks who are unemployed right now, are all young. They've been educated, trained, and now there's no work. And Ahmadinijad is part of that--while Mousavi created the Iranian bond market. He wasn't the hip young candidate--he was a PM during war years, and acknowledged by most folks in and OUT of Iran of having real knowledge about how the economy works.

I suspect the idea was to give Ahmadinijad an overwhelming victory so that there would be no question about pesky recounts, and manufacture support behind him with such an "overwhelming" majority--but for guys who overthrew the Shah without CIA support, that was frippin' amateur hour. They've gotten so used to the people not actually questioning what they do--and despite the abuses, the Iranian election system is still known as one of the more trustworthy, which is what they were banking on.

They've screwed that pooch now, and dealt themselves a serious blow--not because the Mousavi is going to get his recount necessarily, but because that's all they were asking. Not to tear down the system, not to open up to the West, not to install a different Supreme Leader. They wanted a recount. They want to believe in the current system. And the government has shown that they themselves don't believe in it, so why should anyone else?

Gosh, and all these Republicans told me that we should have been totally way more proactive in getting into Iran's business!

But the real tragedy is that no one wants to play with Ahmadi anymore! A SUDDENLY MOST UNWELCOME GUEST (new window). They wont even visit him anymore! Oman sultan postpones Iran visit over political unrest (new window). Sadness.

I know, not exactly fresh news.

So, how long will it take for them to arrest Mousavi (if he hasn't been already), organise a "trial" and hang him for treason?

Good grief, that is one embarrassing bunch of sophomoric assholes masquerading as a legitimate government.

hubiestubert: There's also the sad fact, that most of the folks who are unemployed right now, are all young. They've been educated, trained, and now there's no work. And Ahmadinijad is part of that--while Mousavi created the Iranian bond market. He wasn't the hip young candidate--he was a PM during war years, and acknowledged by most folks in and OUT of Iran of having real knowledge about how the economy works.

Yeah, the economy was a huge issue in the election, even before all the vote-tampering shenanigans and the protests. Those sort of more prosaic concerns seemed almost entirely ignored in the coverage, which was unfortunate, in favor of a "new revolution!!!" narrative which was... overly optimistic for an outside POV, I think.

hubiestubert: They've screwed that pooch now, and dealt themselves a serious blow--not because the Mousavi is going to get his recount necessarily, but because that's all they were asking. Not to tear down the system, not to open up to the West, not to install a different Supreme Leader. They wanted a recount. They want to believe in the current system. And the government has shown that they themselves don't believe in it, so why should anyone else?

Also this. (Though they wanted a new election, since the ballots were not all available for counting and very possibly not all legitimate.) Hindsight is always 20/20, but I do think that Ahmadinejad had possible opportunities to think to himself "oh shiat" early on and allow a rerun with only a little dirt on his face, but in all the flailing around afterward, managed to get covered with mud.

We'll never know who won that election really, and it was supposed to be close, everyone was expecting a runoff election on BOTH SIDES. Imagine Bush v. Gore in 2000 but during the overnight vote tally it comes out that people have burnt loads of ballots under a bridge, lost others, and some cities have 140% of the citizens voting. But yes - it's possible that Ahmadinejad did win it, he actually DOES have lots of supporters, but it's ceased to matter as the election scandals (rightly) became the bigger story.

At this point we see where the garden variety political minutiae and maneuvering takes things now, given the cracks exposed.

hubiestubert: They want to believe in the current system. And the government has shown that they themselves don't believe in it, so why should anyone else?

Sounds like the US. =/

paulseta: Good grief, that is one embarrassing bunch of sophomoric assholes masquerading as a legitimate government.

You're gonna have to narrow that down a bit..

Alacritous: Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

Birth certificate?

you telling me no one noticed the silly costume?



/hot like the brats i'm grilling later

i refuse to beleive that the us would meddle in any other county's affairs.
...i also drive a hummer and think obama's tearing the country apart with socialism, and that karl rove's head is a supercomputer powered by the tear of xenu the spacelord.

Obama releases CIA docs showing that Mousavi is on its payroll in five, four, three............

I'm so glad that Obama's keeping his mouth shut during this had such a profound impact on preventing this regime from blaming the US for this uprising.

Oh wait, just blame Bush.

Remember that guy who ran for president of Iran against Ahmadinejad, and all the people were angry and rioted that he didn't win? Turns out he was a U.S.Zionist agent

Fixed that for ya, subby

It's true. Ahmadinnerjacket works for me. He's not been good value for money, but good help is tough to find these days.

Oh gee, no one saw a statement like this coming! Especially with the recent diplomatic history of the US and the support of US citizens! OMG! The guy wants to over throw the system, he must be an American agent! Its the only thing that makes sense.

/we all saw this coming.

I recently wrote an article / lit review of Steinbeck's "The Moon is Down" which is a book primarily concerned with the themes of occupation, war, and rebellion against said occupation.

While this is tangential, I suppose, it struck me as somewhat thought provoking material to consider when thinking about how societies deal with oppression in its myriad forms, even when it comes from within rather than from without.

Excerpt :

The occupation continues to waver and crumble over the cold winter, until at last the sounds of insurgent traps and explosives are incessant, and the news grows worse for the occupiers. During the dying pages of the novel, Steinbeck elaborates, through Orden, on the nature of freedom and the indomitable spirit of man. Speaking to his good friend, Doctor Winter, under penalty of death, Mayor Orden speaks.

"You know, Doctor, I am a little man and this is a little town, but there must be a spark in little men that can burst into flame. I am afraid, I am terribly afraid, and I thought of all the things I might do to save my own life, and then that went away, and sometimes now I feel a kind of exultation, as though I were bigger and better than I am..." (pp. 108)

Continuing this notion, a few exchanges later, Orden directs one of his final monologues to Colonel Lanser.

"You see sir, nothing can change it. You will be destroyed and driven out." His voice was very soft. "The people don't like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and free men who win wars. You will find that is so, sir." (pp. 112)

Link (new window)

Oh well. America's president is a non-citizen, with terrorist funding ties, illegal alien family members, and has relatives in the international drug trade communities.

Iran learned from the beat.

So Hossein Shariatmadari is like the Persian Rush Limbaugh?

Mongo cut wood: I'm so glad that Obama's keeping his mouth shut during this had such a profound impact on preventing this regime from blaming the US for this uprising.

Oh wait, just blame Bush.

Y'might want to tone down the moron here. Perception and truth differ from each other.

For example, in order to portray President Obama as encouraging the uprising, they had to wilfully mistranslate his words so they bore no resemblance to what he said. It would have been different if he had actually said that because that would have been interference, rather than concern.

Bush's approach was different and the uprisings which have taken place previously in Iran were not bountifully successful, even with his vocal support. I'm not saying he wasn't sincere or even absolutely wrong: it just didn't work.

On the other hand, Amadinejhad still achieves his goal to retain presidency and the usefulness of the Revolutionary Guard has been confirmed when it comes to smashing the baton across the face of a protester. The fact that the British Embassy workers have been made into targets, further shows that aside from a few tough words there is nothing that can legitimately challenge the president from within Iran, much less from the outside.

Not to draw comparisons, but this situation seems like embracing the "any power is good power" concept of ruling, and while US and EU wisely do not get involved, the world also has to concede that Iran will not undergo significant political and economical changes for at least one more generation.

Wow.

If those guys want a shiat-storm in short order, I highly recommend trying and executing Mousavi. It'll make the last two weeks seem like a kindergarten play date.

And if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

/yea, its old, but you get the f*cking point

Can't say I miss the Iran threads, the election results were probably the biggest disappointment of the year. We desperately wanted to believe the Iranian people were just like us, (and not like the belligerent Arab) A civilized people eager to renounce their incumbent peasant leader while returning Obama's warm embrace and offerings of Pax Parthia.

Instead it was a sad month as we learned that Iran has a sane progressive minority, albeit very visible, amongst a much larger population that lusts for blood and rises up to Ahmadejinad's calls for Islamic supremacy over his opponent's softer words. It's not surprising, Muslims openly admit that turning the other cheek is not part of Islamic scripture. We overestimated this people for even today the greatest bogeyman in the Iranian hive-mind isn't the government with Persian blood on its hands, it's the British Queen and anybody that speaks English.

First, it was "Obama: The Secret Muslim!"

Now, it's "Ahmadinejad: The Secret Jew!" Link (new window)

The only reason there was a serious opposition candidate was bc Bush (and the exteral threat he caused) was gone. Many Iranians said they went along with the regiem bc of that threat while Bush was in office and McCain was shown singing "bomb Iran".

If this still confuses you read "The Prince" the whole playbook is in there.

Why would the Council of Guardians allow a US agent to run for the Iranian presidency?

We overestimated this people for even today the greatest bogeyman in the Iranian hive-mind isn't the government with Persian blood on its hands, it's the British Queen and anybody that speaks English.

It's like you internet revolutionaries need this hyperbolic romantic bullshiat to survive.

People who knew anything about Iran didn't overestimate anything because the result was a foregone conclusion. It wasn't going to be a second Marcos overthrow no matter how much you blogged about it.

People who got their news from Wikipedia or Twitter and who watch too much TV are the ones who overestimated the internet hype for a revolution that no one showed up to participate in.

Tis is what we get for being involving ourselves. The US should have just stayed out of it. Now Iranians will be outraged that we tried to make one of our agents their president.

beoswulf:
Instead it was a sad month as we learned that Iran has a sane progressive minority, albeit very visible, amongst a much larger population that lusts for blood and rises up to Ahmadejinad's calls for Islamic supremacy over his opponent's softer words. It's not surprising, Muslims openly admit that turning the other cheek is not part of Islamic scripture. We overestimated this people for even today the greatest bogeyman in the Iranian hive-mind isn't the government with Persian blood on its hands, it's the British Queen and anybody that speaks English.

I understand the depression, but I will have to disagree on one key point. All reports and photos indicate that it is not those that want "revolution" that are the minority. Most thoughtful analysts agree that it is the minority in power lashing out to maintain their control against the majority on the street.

The numbers were close according to polls before the election, but after the crackdown many fell on the side of the protesters.

I look at it in many ways like our 2000 election here. Gore had the majority, but Bush won due to our government structure. The difference is that our system is transparent, mostly, and therefore actually demoralized those against Bush before anger could really fester.

Fox News is now a mouthpiece for the Khamanei-Ahmadinejad administration?

Dome: you telling me no one noticed the silly costume?

/hot like the brats i'm grilling later

Wait... Captain America carries a gun? Has he always carried a gun? I've never noticed before...but it seems appropriate.

gadian: Dome: you telling me no one noticed the silly costume?

/hot like the brats i'm grilling later

Wait... Captain America carries a gun? Has he always carried a gun? I've never noticed before...but it seems appropriate.

You can't be a Real American unless you are armed.

And a Christian.

Alacritous: Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

prime minister, not president

moothemagiccow: Alacritous: Wasn't Mousavi one of the people responsible for the 1979 revolution? and helped organize the current system of government there. Not to mention served as president previously? That's one hell of a sleeper agent.

prime minister, not president

And he was the PM that we helped arm Sadaam against to boot. Man, that CIA is always thinking ahead. Especially given that Iraq was the aggressor in that conflict...

dear Middle East

You people are the most useless, hateful, bellicose sonsab*tches on the face of the earth and we don't really care if you destroy yourselves, but leave us out of it.

- the part of the world that uses reason

BigBaum: beoswulf:
Instead it was a sad month as we learned that Iran has a sane progressive minority, albeit very visible, amongst a much larger population that lusts for blood and rises up to Ahmadejinad's calls for Islamic supremacy over his opponent's softer words. It's not surprising, Muslims openly admit that turning the other cheek is not part of Islamic scripture. We overestimated this people for even today the greatest bogeyman in the Iranian hive-mind isn't the government with Persian blood on its hands, it's the British Queen and anybody that speaks English.

I understand the depression, but I will have to disagree on one key point. All reports and photos indicate that it is not those that want "revolution" that are the minority. Most thoughtful analysts agree that it is the minority in power lashing out to maintain their control against the majority on the street.

And still more are coming to the side of the protestors. If the clerical split widens even more, things may get VERY interesting.

mousavi1388: Assembly of teachers and scientists of Qom cleric school, declaring this election to be ilegitimate. http://www.majmaqom.com/bayaniyeh4.html (in Persian and doesn't translate particularly well. Any Farsi speakers willing to help translate the translation?)

Sat Jul 04 - 9:39:24 am

Nobody thought this was going to be over in a week or two. Read up on the '79 Revolution. While the streets may only be smoldering at this point, I'm sure the behind the scenes action is furious. Nightly rooftop calls (which reportedly are getting louder) remind those in power that the people are only biding their time and regrouping. July 30th will be an interesting day to watch.

Was he trying to find the Red Skull?

TedNigma: Oh well. America's president is a non-citizen, with terrorist funding ties, illegal alien family members, and has relatives in the international drug trade communities.

Iran learned from the beat.

Nigma, please.

It's true.
Mousavi's as American as abaloo pie and Mabaath in July.

BiblioTech:
Nobody thought this was going to be over in a week or two. Read up on the '79 Revolution. While the streets may only be smoldering at this point, I'm sure the behind the scenes action is furious. Nightly rooftop calls (which reportedly are getting louder) remind those in power that the people are only biding their time and regrouping.

I'm afraid many did, and now that it hasn't happened they're saying it's all over.

July 30th will be an interesting day to watch.

This.

bunner: - the part of the world that uses reason



This part ... right ?

bunner: dear Middle East

You people are the most useless, hateful, bellicose sonsab*tches on the face of the earth and we don't really care if you destroy yourselves, but leave us out of it.

- the part of the world that uses reason

they did in the middle ages provide the world with many advances in math and science but..since then, not so much. carry on with self destruction

jake_lex: My feeling is that Amadinejhad will survive this, for now, but the legitimacy of the Iranian power structure has been permanently -- and, eventually, fatally -- damaged in the long term.

I've found the parallel between Almondinejaschadenfreude and Bush somewhat interesting.... both are figureheads for someone elses conservative ideals, both are actually not very good speakers and yet maintain a weird "lovable" view in the eyes of their parties. Both barely eeked out a 2nd term with the opposition very upset and demanding recounts.

This much stupid will eventually divide and conquer.
Widen the gap, expand the unreality, multiply the absurd.
Just as the Republicans discovered, when you stray way way too far from honesty and reality, ultimately you become irrelevant. Idiots always over estimate and over reach their power.
You can lie to the population, but you cannot make your support look like fools.

and never crash the ambulance

GoteamVenture: they did in the middle ages provide the world with many advances in math and science but..since then, not so much.

Yeah, but then the Muslims came along and farked all that up.

Slartibartfaster: bunner: - the part of the world that uses reason

This part ... right ?

Could be this part.

Great headline.

Not deceiving at all.

Delores De Syn:

I'm afraid many did, and now that it hasn't happened they're saying it's all over.

A product of American Media ADD. News is news if it's fresh and exciting, a long drawn out story starts to lose it's flavor. See: Iraq War

Out of sight, many must conclude that the revolution lost, as they haven't heard otherwise.

Although it is a bit out of character for me, I actually must applaud McCain. Not for what he has been saying, but for at least keeping attention on Iran.

Farkers don't care about Iran you silly subby.

give me doughnuts: gadian: Dome: you telling me no one noticed the silly costume?

/hot like the brats i'm grilling later

Wait... Captain America carries a gun? Has he always carried a gun? I've never noticed before...but it seems appropriate.

You can't be a Real American unless you are armed.

And a Christian.

That's not Captain America, that's US Agent. they look exactly the same, but Captain America has the super soldier serum and doesn't use guns, while US Agent doesn't, and does...

Ohhh... checklist:

1.) War Drums
2.) Accounting Suicides
3.) Middle East shenanigans
...

There is usually an Enron right about now.

Bush did authorize the CIA to begin operations against Iran many years ago. Who knows whats really going on...

Dome: give me doughnuts: gadian: Dome: you telling me no one noticed the silly costume?

/hot like the brats i'm grilling later

Wait... Captain America carries a gun? Has he always carried a gun? I've never noticed before...but it seems appropriate.

You can't be a Real American unless you are armed.

And a Christian.

That's not Captain America, that's US Agent. they look exactly the same, but Captain America has the super soldier serum and doesn't use guns, while US Agent doesn't, and does...

I had to look that up to make sure you weren't messing with me. Thanks, I feel my nerddom growing.

BigBaum:
A product of American Media ADD. News is news if it's fresh and exciting, a long drawn out story starts to lose it's flavor. See: Iraq War

Out of sight, many must conclude that the revolution lost, as they haven't heard otherwise.

Although it is a bit out of character for me, I actually must applaud McCain. Not for what he has been saying, but for at least keeping attention on Iran.

Unfortunately not only an American issue. On our national broadcasting company's website the reopening of the Statue of Liberty is bigger news than the upcoming trials against the Newsweek journalists and members of Iranian opposition.

I mean, the reopening might be a big deal for Americans, but from my perspective it kind of pales in comparison with an oppressive government smashing liberty...

SockMonkeyHolocaust: We overestimated this people for even today the greatest bogeyman in the Iranian hive-mind isn't the government with Persian blood on its hands, it's the British Queen and anybody that speaks English.

It's like you internet revolutionaries need this hyperbolic romantic bullshiat to survive.

People who knew anything about Iran didn't overestimate anything because the result was a foregone conclusion. It wasn't going to be a second Marcos overthrow no matter how much you blogged about it.

People who got their news from Wikipedia or Twitter and who watch too much TV are the ones who overestimated the internet hype for a revolution that no one showed up to participate in.



To be fair, they were led along in this. Just think about the vast number of websites, posts, tweets and blogs that sprang up hours after the election. It was everywhere. Its suddeness almost as suspicious as the seeming coordination of random internet users.

The most suspicious were the "lists" - lists of links to Iran Election items that came out of the woodwork. I spent some time looking into a few of the most curious of those lists. All I looked in to were on secondary pages of existing websites. Websites that seemed to have been dormant until the Iran Election. All were sites being sat on by Enom Inc - ie registration lapses and Enom (ICAAN registrar) takes over the domain. At different times they were mirror images of each other. Two were making identical updates at nearly the same time, though both were ostensibly being put together by unrelated people.

I went so far as to track down the former owner of one site and call him up. He is an older gentleman who retired to Florida last year and let his website registration lapse because he didn't want to keep up with it anymore and was doing most of what he did through his site in another forum. I emailed him a link to the list he was supposedly publishing and he called me back, pissed off as hell.

Why would some domain registrar be so interested in this? Who knows, except that Enom has a history of censoring and downing websites that don't agree with their politics - ie they censored and seized websites owned by a European travel agent who arranged travel to Cuba. That one made the NYT. A Wave of the Watch List, and Speech Disappears NYT Mar 4 2008

In addition Wikileaks has discovered a previously unreported eNom proposal from last year to bulk-release customer records to government agencies. The plan is to convert the entire internet domain system to into "Secure Blobs for Law Enforcement", a big-brother scheme redolent of the NSA CLIPPER chip fiasco. Not content to roll over eNom customer records when asked, eNom has apparently realized it can decrease subpoena processing costs by giving away domain holders confidential information to government agencies en-mass. eNom's idea is to encrypt registrant's confidential information and attach it to every public "whois" record. This would allow law enforcement, or anyone else with a decryption key, to obtain all confidential records automatically. Not content to undermine the 1st amendment, eNom apparently has plans to do away with the 4th as well.

Link (new window)

Enom, and their CEO Rosenblatt are as dirty as they come.

And there they were right in the middle of what can only be seen as a massive Internet-based propaganda campaign against Iran.

Don't blame the sheep, blame the shepherds. And wonder what their motivation is.

Slartibartfaster: bunner: - the part of the world that uses reason



This part ... right ?

but,but... CHRISTIANS!

Yes, the people who died for that statue must be a thousand fold!

I was thinking more the West, in general but your anecdotal trolling BS has convinced me that every Western worlder is a whackjob.

/It sure as hell isn't the part that posted that crap : )

Alacritous: 40yoVirgin: I guess if he said so, it must be true!

They're taking lessons from the Republicans.. Remember, Obama is a secrit muslin.

I came here to say that.

Remember that guy who ran for president of Iran against Ahmadinejad, and all the people were angry and rioted that he didn't win? Turns out he was a U.S. agent T-Shirt

But aren't we like one of the largest Muslim nations and not at all Christian according to our own Dear Leader? What's the problem with that? Iran should be rejoicing to have such support for the newly elected whatever.

Turns out he was a U.S. agent T-Shirt

Farked by the cut-n-paste. And it passed spell check OK.

To Obama: Just for fun, let it slip out that the world don`t need to worry about Ahmadingo because he`s on our side...

Mongo cut wood: I'm so glad that Obama's keeping his mouth shut during this had such a profound impact on preventing this regime from blaming the US for this uprising.

Oh wait, just blame Bush.

Butthurt, party of one. Your table is ready.

Nice post, Apik0r0s.

Congress allocated 400 million dollars to destabalize Iran. Some of the money may have gone to those around Mousavi. It is certainly conceivable. Over time, the extent of US/Israeli meddling will be better known. Ahmadinejad knows more that we do about what has gone on there and where the US has spent the money.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=10839&sectionid=351020101

"American ABC News Network has revealed CIA's covert operations designed to destabilize Iran and instigate a soft revolution in the country.

The network on Wednesday quoted former CIA and Defense Department officials as saying that President George W. Bush has signed a document authorizing secret operations inside Iran to destabilize the Iranian government.

Based on the report, this non-military campaign involved media propaganda, publication of articles in newspapers and manipulation of Iran's currency and banking transactions.

A former CIA agent told ABC television that the Bush administration has come to the realization that military operations against Iran have negative impact.

The disclosure of US's sabotage plot against Iran coincides with the arrest of Washington-based academic Haleh Esfandiari who has been working as the Soros Foundation representative.

Esfandiari has admitted that Soros Foundation has established an unofficial connection network inside Iran under the pretext of promoting democracy and human rights but with the covert aim of overthrowing the Iranian government."

Happy 4th!

Delores De Syn:
Unfortunately not only an American issue. On our national broadcasting company's website the reopening of the Statue of Liberty is bigger news than the upcoming trials against the Newsweek journalists and members of Iranian opposition.

I mean, the reopening might be a big deal for Americans, but from my perspective it kind of pales in comparison with an oppressive government smashing liberty...

Yeah... that does seem like kind of an important story, right?

But I am sure, based on their history, that their courts will not have an bias against foreign embassy employees.

And anyway, the statue of liberty is a worthy front page story. It allows people to try and fulfill their GhostBusters II fantasies.

Alacritous: 40yoVirgin: I guess if he said so, it must be true!

They're taking lessons from the Republicans.. Remember, Obama is a secrit muslin.

He is.

The Pope is also a Nazi and a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Cheney is a Halliburton plant.

Bush is really a chimpanzee.

Democrats are the best teachers.

A Tout Le Monde: Alacritous: 40yoVirgin: I guess if he said so, it must be true!

They're taking lessons from the Republicans.. Remember, Obama is a secrit muslin.

I came here to say that.

Your side is the only one I hear saying that lately. It's become clear that what Obama really is is a not-so-secrit spendthrift, power-mad, ally-shiatting-upon, Zionist-hating, dictator-humper.

""It has to be asked whether the actions of (Mousavi and his supporters) are in response to instructions of American authorities," said Hossein Shariatmadari in an editorial appearing in the conservative daily Kayhan."

Man they really do follow the Republican playbook. Make an accusation in the form of a question, and you then you don't have the burden of proof!

"Is Obama really an American?"

"The question has to be asked if Obama palled around with terrorists."

Ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!

These guys are seriously deluded.

BigBaum: Delores De Syn:

I'm afraid many did, and now that it hasn't happened they're saying it's all over.

A product of American Media ADD. News is news if it's fresh and exciting, a long drawn out story starts to lose it's flavor. See: Iraq War

Out of sight, many must conclude that the revolution lost, as they haven't heard otherwise.

Check out todays's Caturday thread (new window) for ways to keep this IN sight, stealth-style!

Dunno if this was mentioned, but it is a concern to me: what if this all "blows over" at least in the short term(longterm confidence in their elective process notwithstanding)and the current regime holds on until the next election. With the record highest turnout having happened previous to the next election and having seen what jack-all effect it had, what if the major turnouot never happens again due to disenchantment over the setup, and Ahmedinejad actually wins outright? Is the conflict happening now just going to end up being a hollow memory as more and more states recognize his victory, expecially if the potential second win actually were to happen?

It is just a concern, a pessimistic concern. I hope the best for the Iranian citizenry, and would like to believe they can make a better future for themselves, and hope for it.

GoodasGold: Happy 4th!

'[America] goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.'

---John Quincy Adams

GoodasGold: Nice post, Apik0r0s.

Congress allocated 400 million dollars to destabalize Iran. Some of the money may have gone to those around Mousavi. It is certainly conceivable. Over time, the extent of US/Israeli meddling will be better known. Ahmadinejad knows more that we do about what has gone on there and where the US has spent the money.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=10839&sectionid=351020101

"American ABC News Network has revealed CIA's covert operations designed to destabilize Iran and instigate a soft revolution in the country.

The network on Wednesday quoted former CIA and Defense Department officials as saying that President George W. Bush has signed a document authorizing secret operations inside Iran to destabilize the Iranian government.

Based on the report, this non-military campaign involved media propaganda, publication of articles in newspapers and manipulation of Iran's currency and banking transactions.

A former CIA agent told ABC television that the Bush administration has come to the realization that military operations against Iran have negative impact.

The disclosure of US's sabotage plot against Iran coincides with the arrest of Washington-based academic Haleh Esfandiari who has been working as the Soros Foundation representative.

Esfandiari has admitted that Soros Foundation has established an unofficial connection network inside Iran under the pretext of promoting democracy and human rights but with the covert aim of overthrowing the Iranian government."

Happy 4th!


Bush and the CIA worked with Soros to overthrow Iran?

Excuse me, my head just exploded.

From the article:
A ruling system which relied on people's trust for 30 years cannot replace this trust with security forces overnight."

So, it's a theocracy ruling atheists?

(Yes, they're still muslims, but they no longer believe that Allah speaks to the 'Supreme Leader'.)

BiblioTech: Green Brief 17 (new window)

Where are all the people from the Green Threads? Where's Persepolis and Tatsuma? Has this died down on Fark too? Man ... am I going to have to go to irc #iranelection or #irantech? I wouldn't mind at all, everyone over there has been great, but there's nothing on here anymore!!

BiblioTech:


Check out todays's Caturday thread (new window) for ways to keep this IN sight, stealth-style!

Persian Kitteh! maybe lil 2 stealthy tho... Other Kitteh news 2 busy with Jacko.

flexflint: BiblioTech: Green Brief 17 (new window)

Where are all the people from the Green Threads? Where's Persepolis and Tatsuma? Has this died down on Fark too? Man ... am I going to have to go to irc #iranelection or #irantech? I wouldn't mind at all, everyone over there has been great, but there's nothing on here anymore!!

An iranian prison at this point?

Somaticasual: flexflint: BiblioTech: Green Brief 17 (new window)

Where are all the people from the Green Threads? Where's Persepolis and Tatsuma? Has this died down on Fark too? Man ... am I going to have to go to irc #iranelection or #irantech? I wouldn't mind at all, everyone over there has been great, but there's nothing on here anymore!!

An iranian prison at this point?

Tats don't roll on Shabbas

flexflint: BiblioTech: Green Brief 17 (new window)

Where are all the people from the Green Threads? Where's Persepolis and Tatsuma? Has this died down on Fark too? Man ... am I going to have to go to irc #iranelection or #irantech? I wouldn't mind at all, everyone over there has been great, but there's nothing on here anymore!!

Tatsuma is moving and currently without internet. You can catch his blog here (new window). Haven't seen Persepolis lately but I have just been popping in and out and trying to scroll through the articles to see if there's anything Iran related. Others from the threads have been doing the same as I know I've seen several of them. It's just that it is relatively quiet in Iran right now so we don't have a lot of news coming out. I even submitted one for U2 going green on Sunday Bloody Sunday to try and keep an awareness out there. Didn't fly but that's the kind of stuff we'll need to do. I really expect things to heat up in Iran on the 30th because of the mourning cycle. The embassy stuff will also make news in the meantime.

austinheap: #Iran brings formal charges against UK embassy official http://is.gd/1npp0 #iranelection

Sat Jul 04 - 1:36:16 pm

Here's a link to my tweetgrid (new window) if you want. It doesn't have as many as some of the others but the ones on there are reliable, it does add in Austin Heap, and keeps the general tweet stuff down to one column.

BigBaum: BiblioTech:


Check out todays's Caturday thread (new window) for ways to keep this IN sight, stealth-style!

Persian Kitteh! maybe lil 2 stealthy tho... Other Kitteh news 2 busy with Jacko.

I don't know, I thought the one with a persian kitteh wearing a green headband in front of Iranian demonstrators and asking for freedom was a bit obvious (and a lot of fun to photoshop). I'd do more than the three I put up but I don't want to hit people over the head with the stuff or we'll get the troll action we had before. Just trying to keep it in people's minds....

Somaticasual: An iranian prison at this point?

Those have no room left.

Fano: Tats don't roll on Shabbas

I'm just having trouble finding the Iran threads that are still "on fire", so to speak.

BiblioTech: I even submitted one for U2 going green on Sunday Bloody Sunday to try and keep an awareness out there. Didn't fly but that's the kind of stuff we'll need to do. I really expect things to heat up in Iran on the 30th because of the mourning cycle.

Still trying to get a proxy up, while trying to get the story out to relatives and friends, waiting for the 30th as well I guess.

BiblioTech: Here's a link to my tweetgrid (new window) if you want. It doesn't have as many as some of the others but the ones on there are reliable, it does add in Austin Heap, and keeps the general tweet stuff down to one column.

Nice. Bookmarked. Keep up the good work!

Tats isn't here because it is the sabbath and if you check his blog Link (new window) he is currently without internet. I'm not sure why Persepolis isn't here.

The Iranians appear to be trying to repeat the hostage crisis IRE RTing another tweeter: Military official says Iran may take over the 50-acre British Embassy residence http://bit.ly/DqxAR #iranelection Gets popcorn to watch Iran lose all of its European markets.

greentea1985: Tats isn't here because it is the sabbath and if you check his blog Link (new window) he is currently without internet. I'm not sure why Persepolis isn't here.

The Iranians appear to be trying to repeat the hostage crisis IRE RTing another tweeter: Military official says Iran may take over the 50-acre British Embassy residence http://bit.ly/DqxAR #iranelection Gets popcorn to watch Iran lose all of its European markets.

Definitely a relief on tats. Persepolis now becomes the point of worry.. realizing there are some bad possibilities considering fark's publicity in the whole affair..

greentea1985: Tats isn't here because it is the sabbath and if you check his blog Link (new window) he is currently without internet. I'm not sure why Persepolis isn't here.

The Iranians appear to be trying to repeat the hostage crisis IRE RTing another tweeter: Military official says Iran may take over the 50-acre British Embassy residence http://bit.ly/DqxAR #iranelection Gets popcorn to watch Iran lose all of its European markets.

All the more oil for China to buy.

flexflint:

Still trying to get a proxy up, while trying to get the story out to relatives and friends, waiting for the 30th as well I guess.


I think most who are actually following Iran are, in a sick sort-of way, eager to see what happens on the 30th.

I do want to see those in green stand up to subjugation. I think what cemented it for me was the picture of firehoses being
trained on marchers. Those that lived through or studied the civil rights movement here in the states had that hit a little to close to home.


The last thing I want to see, and I hope this is true of most sensible on-lookers, is another Neda video, or more reports of hanging protesters. But each time an event like that occurs, it does solidify the movement, and make the leadership all the more despised by he people.


As an aside:
It should be common knowledge that the Iranian population are not backwards people, they have one of the longest cultural histories of education. It appears that their leadership has forgotten this. constantly pointing to the foreign bogeyman, even if it is right on occasion, is an affront to the intellect.

I have read some posts on how people don't understand how this movement could galvanize so quickly. It's because the leadership lied to the educated masses, and continued to lie to cover it up. unlike in the states, where we are either too stupid or too placated to care when an official lies, The people in Iran got fed up with the bull. And I do say people, not students or intellectual elites, as the average IQ in that country makes the US seem like the back of the special bus.

flexflint: Where are all the people from the Green Threads? Where's Persepolis and Tatsuma? Has this died down on Fark too?

Farkers aren't really known for following through on anything.

Apik0r0s: SockMonkeyHolocaust: We overestimated this people for even today the greatest bogeyman in the Iranian hive-mind isn't the government with Persian blood on its hands, it's the British Queen and anybody that speaks English.

It's like you internet revolutionaries need this hyperbolic romantic bullshiat to survive.

People who knew anything about Iran didn't overestimate anything because the result was a foregone conclusion. It wasn't going to be a second Marcos overthrow no matter how much you blogged about it.

People who got their news from Wikipedia or Twitter and who watch too much TV are the ones who overestimated the internet hype for a revolution that no one showed up to participate in.



To be fair, they were led along in this. Just think about the vast number of websites, posts, tweets and blogs that sprang up hours after the election. It was everywhere. Its suddeness almost as suspicious as the seeming coordination of random internet users.

The most suspicious were the "lists" - lists of links to Iran Election items that came out of the woodwork. I spent some time looking into a few of the most curious of those lists. All I looked in to were on secondary pages of existing websites. Websites that seemed to have been dormant until the Iran Election. All were sites being sat on by Enom Inc - ie registration lapses and Enom (ICAAN registrar) takes over the domain. At different times they were mirror images of each other. Two were making identical updates at nearly the same time, though both were ostensibly being put together by unrelated people.

I went so far as to track down the former owner of one site and call him up. He is an older gentleman who retired to Florida last year and let his website registration lapse because he didn't want to keep up with it anymore and was doing most of what he did through his site in another forum. I emailed him a link to the list he was supposedly publishing and he called me back, pissed off as hell.

Why would some domain registrar be so interested in this? Who knows, except that Enom has a history of censoring and downing websites that don't agree with their politics - ie they censored and seized websites owned by a European travel agent who arranged travel to Cuba. That one made the NYT. A Wave of the Watch List, and Speech Disappears NYT Mar 4 2008

In addition Wikileaks has discovered a previously unreported eNom proposal from last year to bulk-release customer records to government agencies. The plan is to convert the entire internet domain system to into "Secure Blobs for Law Enforcement", a big-brother scheme redolent of the NSA CLIPPER chip fiasco. Not content to roll over eNom customer records when asked, eNom has apparently realized it can decrease subpoena processing costs by giving away domain holders confidential information to government agencies en-mass. eNom's idea is to encrypt registrant's confidential information and attach it to every public "whois" record. This would allow law enforcement, or anyone else with a decryption key, to obtain all confidential records automatically. Not content to undermine the 1st amendment, eNom apparently has plans to do away with the 4th as well.Link (new window)

Enom, and their CEO Rosenblatt are as dirty as they come.

And there they were right in the middle of what can only be seen as a massive Internet-based propaganda campaign against Iran.

Don't blame the sheep, blame the shepherds. And wonder what their motivation is.

This resonates with a little search I did myself. I randomly looked for sites that are organizing against the government in Iran (that's what this is, after all, right?) and landed on one for the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran. This site is all about organizing student opposition to the present Iranian government.

After WHOISing the site, I find that the site is actually registered to a company...IN TEXAS. In fact, I could probably drive over there since it's in Addison and I live in Carrollton.

So what is a Texas company doing sponsoring an anti-Iranian-government website?

Could it be that here in Texas is where a huge percentage of this country's OIL INDUSTRY is based? Surely not.

Either way, any "Iranian" website based in this country is about as trustworthy as a website examining "The Honest Analysis of US Culture" based in North Korea. You just have to expect a helluva slant.

Greenseadrop: Huh? I don't get the bugs bunny pic and what it's supposed to represent.

Apik0r0s: *i'm using my as a friend voice here* you have WAY too much time on your hands to have done the kind of research you did. I can only imagine the intricate web of conspiracy theories in your head; which, I am almost certain are tied together in some way. I mean who would have cared enough about what is being published apparently out dated websites; and then, to some how hatch the idea they were releasing info simultaneously; to then, call some one about a list that was on thier site.

Uhmm you too featheredsun ... Way too much time, Is Apik0r0s your alter ego you use to validate yourself on Fark? If not we need to keep you two away from each other.

I'm still watching the situation in regards to Iran, though have mainly turned elsewhere for my daily update needs. I'm almost totally a lurker though.

FeatheredSun: After WHOISing the site, I find that the site is actually registered to a company...IN TEXAS. In fact, I could probably drive over there since it's in Addison and I live in Carrollton.

So what is a Texas company doing sponsoring an anti-Iranian-government website?

Even more curious, ten seconds on Google yields this story from the Dallas Morning News:
Brokerage firm was actually FBI front (new window)

On the surface, Talon Holdings Inc. looked like any of the dozens of boutique investment firms in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Its address was a suite on Addison Circle in Addison, the financial center of Dallas' northern suburbs. The NASD's Web site showed the firm and its brokers as being registered to work in the securities business and having spotless regulatory records.

Ha ha.

jake_lex: My feeling is that Amadinejhad will survive this, for now, but the legitimacy of the Iranian power structure has been permanently -- and, eventually, fatally -- damaged in the long term.

I think you are absolutely correct. They always have enjoyed a little bit of legitimacy within and outside of Iran. They have zero legitimacy now.

greentea1985: Tats isn't here because it is the sabbath and if you check his blog Link (new window) he is currently without internet. I'm not sure why Persepolis isn't here.

The Iranians appear to be trying to repeat the hostage crisis IRE RTing another tweeter: Military official says Iran may take over the 50-acre British Embassy residence http://bit.ly/DqxAR #iranelection Gets popcorn to watch Iran lose all of its European markets.

Thanks for the reply. Let's wait and see, ok?

Tats isn't here because it's the Sabbath, Persepolis isn't here because he has a life to run and (my theory), he has better sources than all of us, i.e., he's working behind the screens.

QFT: Grand Ayatollah Yosuf Sanei today stated that, "confessions of detained protesters didn't hold any merit, neither legally or rationally." He added that, "detentions, killings, beatings, lies and tricks should not stop people from trying to retain their right to determine their future."

From here (new window).

jjorsett: A Tout Le Monde: Alacritous: 40yoVirgin: I guess if he said so, it must be true!

They're taking lessons from the Republicans.. Remember, Obama is a secrit muslin.

I came here to say that.

Your side is the only one I hear saying that lately. It's become clear that what Obama really is is a not-so-secrit spendthrift, power-mad, ally-shiatting-upon, Zionist-hating, dictator-humper.

No, I'm afraid your memory is short. During the election that sentiment was fairly widespread, though not necessarily popular.

I saw it expressed from:

- People at work
- Random emails forwarded to me
- Probably hundreds of blogs, or even thousands of blogs if you google searched it
- People on Fark.
- Articles on Fark.
- Talking heads on TV.
- Some lady standing next to John McCain at one of his rallies (though she used the word "Arab", poor soul probably didn't know the difference).
- Lots of people on youtube.

No, I'd say it pretty much wasn't invented by "my side" and was quite real. I'm sure it's embarrassing, I'm sure I would be embarrassed if a last ditch effort of fear mongering to turn the tide an election failed. I would want to quickly sweep it under the rug too. But it happened. It's embarrassing, and yet it still happened.

wolvernova: jake_lex: My feeling is that Amadinejhad will survive this, for now, but the legitimacy of the Iranian power structure has been permanently -- and, eventually, fatally -- damaged in the long term.

I think you are absolutely correct. They always have enjoyed a little bit of legitimacy within and outside of Iran. They have zero legitimacy now.

The other point, which I feel really needs to be stressed in this discussion- is that Iran has VERY strong arms control. So when they protesters went to the streets peacefully, they KNEW the government knew they didn't pose a martial threat. They hoped that the government would shy away from killing people in front of the international community.

They didn't, and so in the face of that, people retreated and stopped marching in the streets. Ghandi's style of protesting worked when people are embarrassed to be seen mowing down unarmed women.

This doesn't mean that people have given up however. This means only that they have withdrawn from this strategy of attempting to make their will known in a relatively bloodless fashion, by marching and chanting. What will happen now is that a very small minority of those who truly want revolution, will disappear, hide, wait, drain their bank accounts and collect the money of others. Smugglers, understanding the money that is to made there, will inevitably slip in and the arms stockpile will grow. IEDs may be set off from time to time, but the second wave won't truly begin until those piles are big enough and there are people willing to use them.

That won't happen overnight. In fact, it may take years. But, if there is a revolution now, I think Supreme Leader and Ahmadinnerjacket have given people the idea that's the only way it can be carried through.

Alacritous: 40yoVirgin: I guess if he said so, it must be true!

They're taking lessons from the Republicans.. Remember, Obama is a secrit muslin.

Not much of a secret, after his Cairo speech.

A top aide to Iran's supreme leader ...

I stopped reading right there.

TedNigma: Iran learned from the beat.

I guess Gloria Estefan was right; The rhythm is going to get you.

bunner: Yes, the people who died for that statue must be a thousand fold!

errrr... wha ?

We're still here, and we're still proud.

/Me, however, I'm on another front
//And I'm afraid that, unlike with Iran or Honduras, we're on our own here