"Basij is after us. Slept in the streets last night. Internet is down in most of the city."
By John Batchelor on June 27, 2009 7:38 PM
|4 Comments
Hope Is Not A Plan.
Impossible to figure at this time if the BBC has changed its tone and direction about the Twelvers because of the Tehran sadism and tyranny of the last weeks or because the BBC has decided that, with the the deaf Bush administration safely retired, it is useful to support liberty again. The conduct of the Twelvers is vastly more open and far more restrained than the brutality practiced by the Saddamites the last sixteen years of the Baathists's reign in Baghdad. Saddam Hussein was an Idi Amin lunatic in comparison to the clumsy, pious, sophisticated, media saavy Ahmadinejad and his coterie. Imagine what the Baathists would have done to protests like those in Tehran. Yet the BBC stood by from 1991 until 2003 reminding everyone that it was wrong to interfere in Iraqi affairs. This despite the no-fly zones in the north and south and the intervention more than once by the US and Britain launching missile and bombing strikes at Baghdad. After 2003, the BBC stood for non-interference in Iraqi affairs, stood against the American and British removal of Saddam's cadre of desert savages. Now the BBC is pro-democracy and pro-protest and pro-harassment of the Tehran regime. Still against intervention. Perhaps Neda Soltan is supposed to rise up and lead a nation of open-handed children chanting "Mousavi," and the Pasdaran will crumble and the Basij will turn in their Brownings. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition works in a more timely fashion. Twenty years after Tiananmen Square (right) -- where the student rebels showed up with open hands -- there is no justice, no credibility, no plan in China; and the goons and their flunkies in Beijing are working to shut down what transparency exists while stoking the proliferation fires in Pyongyang, Rangoon, Islamabad, Tehran. Hope is not a plan.
Satellite Dish.
Watching the second part of the above clip, a Tehran victim leads a video cam to the roof of his building and complains that the security police broken in and wrecked the place because folk were shouting slogans at the mobs below. What I found more important is the number of satellite dishes spread out on the roof (right). Those are all communication devices linked to what used to be called Shah TV cable from Los Angles. They are also internet links via satellite. Compared to Baghdad 2003, Tehran in 2009 is a wide-open and voracious consumer of information that it also adept at feeding video back through the links. The regime is now said to be under ferocious cyber attack by what are called "hacktivists." Denial of service attacks and genuine penetration attacks of government sites.
"Internet is down in most of city..."
Late in the news cycle, London Times reporting a variety of messages from Twitter and Facebook that point to continued conflict and persecution not only in Tehran but also in other cities. None of these messages are confirmed. The regime is using the same services to insert agitprop and disinformation. The Beeb reported an unnatural and contrived dullness on the streets of Tehran Sat 27 (below). Sunday is the first work day of the new week. The predictable announcement that the election is fixed is due from the Qom Council of Elders, the dictator's privy council.
Reliable source Isfahan hospital -- many injured from last 24 hours Persiankiwi 11.30
Stay the hell out of our affairs!! We don't need your help to have an election!!!Iranian Facebook user 14.15
Basij is after us. Slept in the streets last night. Internet is down in most of the cityChange_for_Iran 14.30
I want a president like Obama to protect my people and I think so far Karoubi and Mousavi are better than the rest of those jackasses Iranian Facebook user 16.30
They are now arresting human rights activists in large scale. where is UN watchdog?! Change_for_Iran 16.40
Rally is on. Silent, calm, and peaceful. This is what we all want! Thanks for everyone who's there, and who's watching! parhamdoustdar 17.30
Not only that they attacked us, now they are hiding the bodies of those we lost! I will kill Ahmadinejad myself! Change_for_Iran 19.45
The Persian Empire will come back! The new age has come! Iranian Facebook user 21.15
"University Alley, University Alley, murder scene, murder scene" was the written message held aloft on a makeshift paper banner. Rather than ring out in the air, the rhythmic message reverberated inside the minds of all who read itTehranbureaublog.
Bling Brling “Helro, Fealress Rleader here, how much today?”
“Jongff! It’s Mockymood. Hhhow arre you dddddoing? The Voice comes through the phone, haltingly. “I never heard from you, you know, after our great exercise in democracy. You know I won by a landslide, don’t you?”
“Res, I know it’s a vely derisive victoly folr rou and the wilr of rour peoprles has been lecolded as a lesoundring okay folr alr oulr goot polricies to continrue,” Fearless Leader acknowledged, “ and we get the pie rand eat it too! I tlied to calr too conglaturate rou, but, the rine was beeze alr ra time and I had to stop tryling recause I am beeze too, rou know.”
“Oh yes, I am very lately occupied, too, with all of our institutions of democracy being tested on what seems to be every street corner and I just needed someone to talk to about all these troubles I’ve been having,” replies Mockymood. “I know I can trust you to tell me the truth, so, I want you to tell me again what your opinion is of the new American President. It seems to me that he doesn’t like me very much and, you know, I always like to have a good time and laugh a lot and smile and make new friends wherever I go.”
Fealess Reader, lying in his bed, is scrolling through radio stations and answers “Rike I said befolre how manry times goot flriend, Obamra ris just anothelr impelriest Plesident pletending to rant to makey kissy kissy rile protting against oulr peoprles to ripe rus alr off the mrap!” Suddenly, Fealess Reader sits up and exclaims, “ Mockymood! I fround it! I fround it! Risten to this!... ‘the radrow of rour smrilre, rah rah rah rah rah’... rou rike rat?”
“Yes, that’s a very nice song, Kim” Mockymood sighs in agreement. “I’m going now. They say I have some pressing matters that need my immediate attention. I just wanted to hear you say again to be careful in dealing with this new guy in the White House and make sure you were still kicking in the boots, hahaha. Stay in touch!”
“I reel folr rou, Mockymood... be calrefurl rand we wilr calr rou when we can get thrlough rour walrs of files!”
I think we are in danger of reaching some kind of impasse when we seek to quantify ‘evil’. First and foremost, in fairness we must acknowledge that which precipitated our drive to unseat the Iraqi dictator. Without it, I doubt we would have even considered our subsequent Iraqi adventure. Right or wrong, our desire to exact some measure of revenge is what motivated much of what would follow. To Bush’s eternal credit, it was always 9/11 - an attack on Americans on American soil - that lent credibility to everything he tried to accomplish on the global stage.
Let’s stipulate (what many still believe) that President Obama is not a Trojan Horse determined to destroy the U.S. as a viable entity; that he genuinely has the best interests of the nation at heart and wants to be the one to lead it into a Promise Land, independent of Middle Eastern oil and, at the same time, rescue the planet (along with Nobel Prize winner, Al Gore, and Palme d’Or winner, Michael Moore) from the evil Republicans, apocalyptic ‘global warming’, pandemic, and/or nuclear war.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that, by clamping down on carbon emissions and by breaking the stranglehold of ‘Big (American) Oil', the best minds, entrepreneurs and investors in our country will rise to the occasion and begin developing alternate energy sources. In the process thousands, if not millions, of lucrative jobs would be created. It would amount to the country coming together and making a commitment akin to deciding to conquer the moon. Perhaps there were those who pooh-poohed it back when Kennedy first proposed it. I can’t remember. But I think that most of us were cool with it. I remember staying in a lodge in Austria on the Mond (moon) See when the live pictures were first being sent back to earth (“One small step…”). My Dad, a scientist himself, was so excited. Everyone in the room was. And we, as the only Americans there, were looked upon as VIP’s.
The problem with Obama’s plans as outlined is two-fold. First, his vision for America is one that only he can see. True, it is vague enough so that each individual can fill in the blanks with his own wish list of desires. On that basis alone, he can expect to maintain some degree of core support. Second, there are, however, enough of us who essentially distrust his motives which throws everything he says and does under a toxic cloud of suspicion. A nation can chart its course confidently only when it can be certain that stability (It can’t happen here.) or the lack of same does not become an issue. Financial markets function as a barometer – a harbinger – of future economic activity. So far, they’ve given the President a decisive thumbs-down. It’s not that Obama lacks consistency. It’s just that everything that he proposes appears to run counter to what people were expecting.
What is Obama’s mandate that allows him to disrupt, transform and lay waste existing institutions and templates that have worked flawlessly for so long? Is it the largely self-inflicted banking collapse? Is it the hyped-up and mostly unsubstantiated threat of ‘global warming’? Or is it the imagined grievances of a vocal minority that refuses to appreciate the sacrifices our country has already made to atone for past sins? None of these warrant the immense dislocations that can be expected should Obama’s agenda proceed unopposed. By fashioning himself as a messiah or mahdi - as a primal event (black swan, if you wish) - he runs the risk of becoming a tyrant; an oppressor; an ‘evil’ – not unlike Batchelor’s Twelvers - that will be opposed by all who are slated to suffer undeserved consequences.
When the US mainly the Globalist/CIA/Mossad/MI6? Stop trying to overthrow countries which dont pull the line.
The Iranians are getting sick of it. The world is getting sick of this constant manipulation of nations for corporate interests with the CIA and American military might at the ready.
Meanwhile in the US, Michael Jackson and Farrah Faucet have died. The US media goes into a frenzy about MJ's death.
While Later still Congress votes on a 1200 page bill called the Clean Air and Security Act, HR2454 which is going to tax almost everything an American does in the so-called fight on "global-warming." No Congressmen read it except Rep Boener(sp) read 300 lines of the bill then only short bits afterwards in his attempt to fillibuster the bill.
Congressmen were pressured by the Banks to push through the stimulus bill or expect martial law. Congressmen were pressured by the Banks to push through this bill to solve the so-called economic crisis. The Banks own the Congress and the Senate. Except for maybe one or two Congressmen and Senators who are not bought off; the system is broke.
How can you vote for a bill you have never read? If any of us were that incompetant in our jobs we would be fired.
At least the Iranians are awake to what his happening in their country. I figure a third of the American population understands what's wrong with the system while the rest is going on with their daily lives unaware what's really going on in their name.
Bling Brling “Helro, Fealress Rleader here, how much today?”
“Jongff! It’s Mockymood. Hhhow arre you dddddoing? The Voice comes through the phone, haltingly. “I never heard from you, you know, after our great exercise in democracy. You know I won by a landslide, don’t you?”
“Res, I know it’s a vely derisive victoly folr rou and the wilr of rour peoprles has been lecolded as a lesoundring okay folr alr oulr goot polricies to continrue,” Fearless Leader acknowledged, “ and we get the pie rand eat it too! I tlied to calr too conglaturate rou, but, the rine was beeze alr ra time and I had to stop tryling recause I am beeze too, rou know.”
“Oh yes, I am very lately occupied, too, with all of our institutions of democracy being tested on what seems to be every street corner and I just needed someone to talk to about all these troubles I’ve been having,” replies Mockymood. “I know I can trust you to tell me the truth, so, I want you to tell me again what your opinion is of the new American President. It seems to me that he doesn’t like me very much and, you know, I always like to have a good time and laugh a lot and smile and make new friends wherever I go.”
Fealess Reader, lying in his bed, is scrolling through radio stations and answers “Rike I said befolre how manry times goot flriend, Obamra ris just anothelr impelriest Plesident pletending to rant to makey kissy kissy rile protting against oulr peoprles to ripe rus alr off the mrap!” Suddenly, Fealess Reader sits up and exclaims, “ Mockymood! I fround it! I fround it! Risten to this!... ‘the radrow of rour smrilre, rah rah rah rah rah’... rou rike rat?”
“Yes, that’s a very nice song, Kim” Mockymood sighs in agreement. “I’m going now. They say I have some pressing matters that need my immediate attention. I just wanted to hear you say again to be careful in dealing with this new guy in the White House and make sure you were still kicking in the boots, hahaha. Stay in touch!”
“I reel folr rou, Mockymood... be calrefurl rand we wilr calr rou when we can get thrlough rour walrs of files!”
‘The radrow of rour smrile, rah rah rah rah rah...rou rike rat?”
'I dreamed I saw Jahil last night
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But, Jahil you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he
"I never died" said he.'
I think we are in danger of reaching some kind of impasse when we seek to quantify ‘evil’. First and foremost, in fairness we must acknowledge that which precipitated our drive to unseat the Iraqi dictator. Without it, I doubt we would have even considered our subsequent Iraqi adventure. Right or wrong, our desire to exact some measure of revenge is what motivated much of what would follow. To Bush’s eternal credit, it was always 9/11 - an attack on Americans on American soil - that lent credibility to everything he tried to accomplish on the global stage.
Let’s stipulate (what many still believe) that President Obama is not a Trojan Horse determined to destroy the U.S. as a viable entity; that he genuinely has the best interests of the nation at heart and wants to be the one to lead it into a Promise Land, independent of Middle Eastern oil and, at the same time, rescue the planet (along with Nobel Prize winner, Al Gore, and Palme d’Or winner, Michael Moore) from the evil Republicans, apocalyptic ‘global warming’, pandemic, and/or nuclear war.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that, by clamping down on carbon emissions and by breaking the stranglehold of ‘Big (American) Oil', the best minds, entrepreneurs and investors in our country will rise to the occasion and begin developing alternate energy sources. In the process thousands, if not millions, of lucrative jobs would be created. It would amount to the country coming together and making a commitment akin to deciding to conquer the moon. Perhaps there were those who pooh-poohed it back when Kennedy first proposed it. I can’t remember. But I think that most of us were cool with it. I remember staying in a lodge in Austria on the Mond (moon) See when the live pictures were first being sent back to earth (“One small step…”). My Dad, a scientist himself, was so excited. Everyone in the room was. And we, as the only Americans there, were looked upon as VIP’s.
The problem with Obama’s plans as outlined is two-fold. First, his vision for America is one that only he can see. True, it is vague enough so that each individual can fill in the blanks with his own wish list of desires. On that basis alone, he can expect to maintain some degree of core support. Second, there are, however, enough of us who essentially distrust his motives which throws everything he says and does under a toxic cloud of suspicion. A nation can chart its course confidently only when it can be certain that stability (It can’t happen here.) or the lack of same does not become an issue. Financial markets function as a barometer – a harbinger – of future economic activity. So far, they’ve given the President a decisive thumbs-down. It’s not that Obama lacks consistency. It’s just that everything that he proposes appears to run counter to what people were expecting.
What is Obama’s mandate that allows him to disrupt, transform and lay waste existing institutions and templates that have worked flawlessly for so long? Is it the largely self-inflicted banking collapse? Is it the hyped-up and mostly unsubstantiated threat of ‘global warming’? Or is it the imagined grievances of a vocal minority that refuses to appreciate the sacrifices our country has already made to atone for past sins? None of these warrant the immense dislocations that can be expected should Obama’s agenda proceed unopposed. By fashioning himself as a messiah or mahdi - as a primal event (black swan, if you wish) - he runs the risk of becoming a tyrant; an oppressor; an ‘evil’ – not unlike Batchelor’s Twelvers - that will be opposed by all who are slated to suffer undeserved consequences.
When the US mainly the Globalist/CIA/Mossad/MI6? Stop trying to overthrow countries which dont pull the line.
The Iranians are getting sick of it. The world is getting sick of this constant manipulation of nations for corporate interests with the CIA and American military might at the ready.
Meanwhile in the US, Michael Jackson and Farrah Faucet have died. The US media goes into a frenzy about MJ's death.
While Later still Congress votes on a 1200 page bill called the Clean Air and Security Act, HR2454 which is going to tax almost everything an American does in the so-called fight on "global-warming." No Congressmen read it except Rep Boener(sp) read 300 lines of the bill then only short bits afterwards in his attempt to fillibuster the bill.
Congressmen were pressured by the Banks to push through the stimulus bill or expect martial law. Congressmen were pressured by the Banks to push through this bill to solve the so-called economic crisis. The Banks own the Congress and the Senate. Except for maybe one or two Congressmen and Senators who are not bought off; the system is broke.
How can you vote for a bill you have never read? If any of us were that incompetant in our jobs we would be fired.
At least the Iranians are awake to what his happening in their country. I figure a third of the American population understands what's wrong with the system while the rest is going on with their daily lives unaware what's really going on in their name.