From Tehran: "If it sounds like a coup, and walks like a coup, it probably is a coup!"

[kpete]

Tehran at night. A note from an unnamed member of a list in Tehran tonight, followed by the memory a former western diplomat in Iran in 1979 rekindled by it.

1) Tehran at night

Over the past two evenings, the air in Tehran has been filled with
loud cries of "Allah-u Akbar" following a request to this end by
Moussavi's supporters.

....................

Many more things are happening in Tehran tonight, which we'll only
know about tomorrow or perhaps never.

What seems also to be a concerning developing trend is that the
majority of the international media are yet again failing in their
duties as the vanguards of democracy. There are some bright spots, but
the mainstream media is yet again proving worthless. For example, Al
Jazeera, who even has an Iranian born correspondent in Tehran who
should understand that there is more to this than meets the eye,
appears to be revelling in the fact that Ahmadinejad has once again
been "re-elected". BBC Persian, which is being heavily scrambled, is
doing the best job of them all, but I guess probably since it doesn't
cater to the same crowds as the MSM. All the while, the cries of
Allah-u Akbar keep getting louder.

The Guardian Council has not yet approved the election results, even
though the Supreme Leader came out with his statement yesterday.
Nobody seems to be analysing this and what this may mean for the
future of democracy in this country - i.e. what will happen if it
dissapproves the results and what may happen if it approves the
result. They simply show some footage of unrest, then show some
footage of Ahmadinejad but seem to forget to say anything about what
his speeches mean for the future of democracy in this country. The
media don't seem to be reporting on the fact that it is not only
Tehran in which unrest is happening, but in many other places across
the country. In the face of this national treason, the international
media, so high and mighty with its lofty claims of protecting
democracy is yet again betraying its own ideals. All the while, the
cries of Allah-u Akbar keep getting louder.

The statements on this list (even though limited in numbers), in the
media and in other parts of the public domain noting that the results
of this election are real, insult the intelligence and dignity of the
thousands of people who are out on the streets of Tehran, Shiraz and
Esfahan tonight, and who may in the worst case not come home. Anyone
who believes that this election was real, is either dillusional,
completely ignorant about Iran or both. If it sounds like a coup, and
walks like a coup, it probably is a coup!

Events are stirring tonight in Tehran.

But most importantly, the cries of Allah-u Akbar are getting louder and louder.

more at:
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/009350.html

[MADem]

1. Why the Supreme Leader is going along with this charade is beyond me.

Does Asshole-Done-His-Job have naked pictures of the guy's wife, or what?

His actions suggest that Mahmoud has cut off his danglebusiness and has it in a jar, or something. It is a subjugation of the authority of the principal religious-governmental authority in the land. Mahmoud is acting like Saddam...only without the class. After all, when Saddam murdered HIS enemies, he was killing full grown adults, not students at the uni.

Keep hollering from the rooftops, kids, adults, and old folk too. Some of the older smartasses ought to dig out their old KHOMEINI tapes from Feb 79 and do a reprise of some of those lectures from those very same rooftops (they used to haul the speakers up to the roof and play them FULL BLAST) --especially the ones about unjust governments. That oughta give some of the old revolutionaries pause.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Perhaps the religious class in Iran aren't as powerful as we think.

As usual, the ones who control the military/police have the real power. And I suspect that the mullahs are split on their backing, so their influence might be self-canceling. I'm clueless who'll prevail in this election, but I think this is going to fracture the country for a long time.

[MADem]

8. They always used to be. The Supreme and the Council decide who gets to run for office.

They shape the ballot, they shape the make up of the Majlis. Or at least, they always have. There's never been any question up to now. They've exerted their authority, too, and been obeyed without question.

This is a real sea-change, and my biggest concern is if Mahmoud gets ahold of authority over the military, which he does not have now. In that case we do have something to worry about in a big way.

[regnaD kciN]

10. Or, more to the point...

...fear that they may lose their power if the "reformers" bring Iran back to anywhere close to modern times.

Remember, the Mullahs in Iran, much like the Religious Reich in this country, thrives not only on appealing to a belief in God or in a particular revelation of God (which, after all, is shared by a lot of people of all political stripes), but to the notion that the divine plan includes a throwback to a long-ago time when their world-view was unquestioned. Whether that time is the 1950s (for our own homegrown Talibornagain) or the 1450s (for the hardline Islamists), each sees the adoption of elements of a modern world-view as a threat to their status and position.

[DJ13]

2. "..the international media are yet again failing in their

duties as the vanguards of democracy."


The MSM isnt a vangard of anything in todays world but profits and protecting the status quo.

[Selatius]

3. They represent the shareholders on the Board of Directors more than they represent democracy.

A great many of them are a bunch of charlatans who have taken the industry of journalism and have thrown it into the sewer.

[scarletwoman]

6. Thank you. Man, talk about delusional! (nt)

[aquart]

5. Last night this student was twittering on his dorm roof with his laptop.

<http://twitter.com/Change_for_Iran>

Tonight is a little different.

# typing as fastest as I can in both English & Farsi, Still we need outside help, I really don't want to be captured by Ansar #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# unfortunately the entrance door is completely destroyed and there is no way of barricading it. #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# to other sources: this isn't the police! police is still outside! we're under attack by Ansar-Hezbolah. #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# they used some kind of riot control gun in their last attack, never seen it before #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# my friend saying more than 100 students arrested, I can't confirm this but the numbers are high #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# bastards just attacked us for no reason, I lost count of how much tear gas they launched at us! #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# all university's own security and personnel already evacuated by police, there are only us students in here right now. #iranelectionabout 4 hours ago from web

# we have now some students with urgent need of medical attention I'm calling out to all ppl who can come here don't leave us #iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

# trying hard to sleep, there are rumors about karoubi's march toward here! if it is true there is still hope for us! #iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

# 4:09am from dormitory building of university of Tehran, we will wait for day light and hoping people of amirabad help us out #iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

# there is nothing we can't do right now, police & basij forces are waiting outside blocking anyone from getting in or out #iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

# using freegate now, nothing else working. no power in most of the buildings & cellphones & land lines are out again. #iranelectionabout 5 hours ago from web

# http://bit.ly/vnz0l police will break in if you give shelter to people! #iranelectionabout 7 hours ago from TwitterFox

[Kaleko]

9. Wow. This is journalism in the raw.

Everyone with a web connection can be a journalist now and replace the old fogies on TV.

Gripping account.

[aquart]

11. Haven't been able to look away.

He wants to live his life. Now I'm scared for him like I'm his mother. I'll be wearing green tomorrow for him, for his friends who valued their vote more than we did, not for Mousavi. I'll be wearing green for the people of Iran who think an honest count matters.

[Kaleko]

13. It's such a gripping account, I feel the same as you do.

My helplessness is eating me alive. What can I do???

Since there's not a stitch of green in my wardrobe, I'll have to go out and buy some bright green clothes and banners to hang from my window tomorrow.

[bdamomma]

16. I wish there was a way for us to communicate with them

it must be horrible for them.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. Has anyone got a spare Shah?

that would keep them quiet

[aquart]

12. No. It wouldn't.

They're scared for their lives. They are holed up in their dorms with bleeding friends who can't get to a hospital.

And you think it's funny.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. no I don't think it is funny

[dysfunctional press]

15. is it still considered a coup d'etat when the party in power remains in power?

:shrug: