The Second Revolution

In the wake of what appear to be a stolen election by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (as if all Iranian presidential election outcomes since 1979's revolution aren’t determined in advance by the mullahs), Iran’s people are rising up against their rulers in favor of the opposing candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi.  As with any revolution, it isn’t pretty.  It is, however, breath-taking.

Instead of going on over things about which I have only cursory knowledge (as if that has stopped me before) here are some words you should read and photos you should peruse.

How an authoritarian theocracy puts down dissent (photos and videos).

Totten—Iran’s government is the Foe of the World:

“Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei’s police and the Basij militia are using violence and terror to suppress the Iranian people at home. His terrorist proxies fire missiles at Israel while torturing, maiming, and murdering Palestinians. He sponsored a violent coup d’etat against the elected government in Beirut last year with his Hezbollah militia. He sponsors a terrorist insurgency against the elected government of Iraq, while his fanatical proxies shoot and kill American soldiers. A car bomb cell belonging to the regime’s Lebanese franchise was recently arrested in Azerbaijan, and more cells were rolled up in Egypt. Terrorists sponsored and encouraged by him and his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, have murdered civilians from Argentina to Japan.

The regime’s only allies in the world are terrorist armies and Bashar Assad’s Baath Party state in Syria. Assad himself, like Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, is a pariah among the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Kurds, Azeris, and Israelis who make up the region.

 In Tehrangeles, support for the people.

 Obama Administration: No condemnation for Iran's violent government suppression of protest.  I thought that the president’s “We’re all Muslims now” speech had made things all better in the Muslim world! 

The world waits for the Leader of the Land of the Free.

(Thanks to Hot Air)

Comments

[babylonandon]

I'd bet a big chunk of money that Barry actually admires Armageddon-eye-jab.
After all, they both started off as revolutionary Marxist "community organizers" with Islamists backgrounds, spent decades with demagogic ministers, and have a passionate hatred of "Imperialist America".

Eye-jab was one of the most important leaders involved in the overthrow of the Shah and the takeover of our Embassy and the 444 days of humiliation that was allowed by that gutless piece of rotten peanut-garbage Carter.

Barry finds ANYONE who is against us to be worthy of courting (and certainly has a disdain towards our friends) and given the similarities in their backgrounds, Eye-jab is an easy fit for Barry's close circle of pals.

His only real message for Eye-jab is "hey buddy, just like me you are a prophet for change and you can do what you want, just do it quietly they way I do so the media lapdogs don't get annoyed and show images that inflame both of our peasants as to what we are up to.

[Folklight]

Professor Azar Nafisi stated in Al Jazeera interview:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middle east/2009/06/2009613181040285185.html

“It was really amazing and interesting to see what Mr Mousavi chose as his platform to win. He didn’t just campaign against Ahmadinejad but against the very foundations of the Islamic Republic. The fact that Mr Mousavi risked his political career to take up this position suggests that a sizable number of the population don’t want what exists now.”

This article highlights the power of incremental change, brought about by discussion of issues one person to another. Truth and Ideals are more potent than bullets though both have their usefulness. Reformers must not be misled into assisting further entrenchment of Theocratic power. They must know their movement & own it.

Iran’s Theocracy is facing social revolution and a repudiation of the underlying source of their continuing power. The dream of a caliphate is not a national dream, rather it’s a fading dream of ideologues. You can not force anyone to believe something, humans must choose to believe.
That is God given volition.

The Wise Choose to use it in pursuit of truth.

http://www.iranhumanrights.org/
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/5 53:
http://www.mei.edu/: http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ISLAM/CALIPH.HTM

[Paul_In_Houston]

Re the Iran situation...

Besides Gateway Pundit and href="http://strata-sphere.com/blog/">The Strata-Sphere, most of the reporting I've seen has come from Michael J. Totten (already mentioned above), who is currently posting much of his Iran stuff at Commentary.

Hope all the links came through, as he is well worth checking out.

FYI.

(P.S. - Someone griped about a floating ad on the Commentary site. It has a closing "X" at the upper right hand corner, and I had no problem making it go away. Please, DON'T blow off the site just because of that.)

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[Zendo Deb]

The Campaigner in Chief isn't going to do anything that would impact him in 4 years. The anti-war crowd is already pissed at him (as are the gays, and the gun-owners, and the...) If he came down hard on Iran, he would be accused of being a sword-rattler. Then where would he be?

[Paul_In_Houston]

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.

Can it be possible, just 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?!!!”

(Just saw, over at Gateway Pundit, an Iranian protester holding a sign that translated into, “DON’T FORGET WHAT HAPPENED TO SADDAM!!!.)
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