This headline makes me very sad, and dispirited: "Tehran's streets quiet as protests fade"

[jefferson_dem]

It requires minimal effort and courage for us to sit behind our computer screens and root the Iranians on and, goodness knows, "revolution" is not easy. But the REGIME must not prevail.

Tehran's streets quiet as protests fade
Published: June 21, 2009 at 5:35 PM

This weekend's police crackdown on Iranian protesters appeared to have succeeded Sunday as Tehran's streets were left empty and quiet, witnesses said.

The backers of opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi told the British newspaper The Guardian that a feeling of resignation had settled over the protest movement, which saw at least 19 people killed while demonstrating against election results showing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won a second term.

The newspaper said only sporadic gunfire could be heard in Tehran late Sunday, with no signs of the mass protests that began last week, prompting fierce battles Saturday between pro-government militias and demonstrators.

The Guardian said Mousavi issued a statement Sunday speaking of a "turning point" for Iran but lacking a clear direction or a call for further protest action.

Unconfirmed reports had put the death toll as high as 150, CNN reported.

Amateur video published on social networking sites Saturday showed police and militia going up against tens of thousands of protesters with guns, truncheons, water cannons and tear gas, The New York Times reported.

Ali Karijani, Iran's influential parliamentary speaker, Sunday accused the Guardian Council of siding with one candidate he did not name in a review of the disputed election, CNN reported.

Mousavi supporters have alleged the council, which verifies election results, declared hard-line incumbent Ahmadinejad the winner of the election despite signs of voting fraud.

"A majority of people are of an opinion separate" from that of a minority, Larijani told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

<SNIP>

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/21/Tehrans-streets-quiet-as-protests-fade/UPI-92831245584163

[HeresyLives]

1. Does this look like it's fading to you?

Run time: 00:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bB-gNx1UGQ

[Mira]

2. OH NO - in my opinion, regrouping and wisely assessing

the next moves is not fading.
I think it will be very critical to see how commerce reacts, and if store owners and business leaders chime in tomorrow.

[tsuki]

3. I am more interested in what is happening behind the scenes in Qom. nt

[scarletwoman]

14. That's the real test, imho. Will Rafsanjani find enough allies to seriously challenge

Khamenei's authority? Will the Republican Guard defy the clerics in Qom if they try to push Kahmenei out?

And who knows -- Rafsanjani may just back off altogether to save his own wealthy and corrupt ass.

[tsuki]

21. According to what I have read, white Rafsanjani is not popular among

the people, he is the leader of the Assembly of Experts with a 2/3 majority. The Assembly of Experts can remove the Leader. And there are reasons, his cancer, his age, that can bring his continuity into question.

The closest historical context to Leader Khanenei situation is the "Bloody Sunday" 1905 Winter Palace massacre. It totally changed the way the Russians felt about their Tsar.

It may take some time to remove the Leader, but Kahnenei has no credibility. He's toast.

[Teaser]

4. since the reporters have all been confined to their hotels...

they haven't been following the protests that have been going on. Find a reliable iran twitterer, and they'll tell you what's up.

[rainbow4321]

5. Look at it this way...they will be striking later this week--more effective

There have been calls by Mousavi and his people for a country wide strike starting Wednesday.

So while you may not see the protesters (I'm starting to hate that word--it makes them sound, I don't know, bad, or something) out in numbers that they were in last week--they will be doing something much more damaging to those in charge of the killings/beating/arrests, etc..
They will be bringing down the entire Iranian economy with their ongoing days of "striking".
I read over at the Huffpo streaming blog that it was the "strikes" that caused the most damage in the '79 revolution.


Per reports, 80% of Iranian economy comes from oil exports. No oil workers = no export$.

Add on all the other industry strikes and this may very well be over sooner than if everyone stayed out in the streets 24/7..but will a lot less deaths/arrests.

[WeDidIt]

6. Phase II is coming

Mousavi is organizing a strike.

[hwmnbn]

7. This is a long fight...

it's not on any timetable and the situation is fluid. We are all hoping for a rapid conclusion but events in Iran are completely independent of our wishes.

All the reporting says that there has been a fundamental shift in the political consciousness of the country. The clerics are being exposed as fallible at best, and openly dishonest at worst. Their legitimacy is being challenged whether there are protests today or not. It took over a year to overthrow the Shah.

[madeline_con]

8. Tweets say there are cops literally preventing ppl from leaving their houses.

That they're all over the streets.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Consider the source.

[EFerrari]

10. It's been a week. People have to refuel. n/t

[get the red out]

11. Hard to put things back as before

This is probably a beginning, not an end.

[scarletwoman]

12. Grand Ayatollah Montazeri has declared 3 days of mourning next week.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. If you don't remember the 1979 revolution that finally deposed the Shah, the "days of mourning" were one of the key elements -- huge processions of mourners taking over the streets.

I'm glad they're not out on the streets today -- the point has been made, things have been set in motion, and I don't want to see any more dissidents beaten or killed.

The real power struggle is going on behind the scenes. Rafsanjani is still in Qom, meeting with the council of 86 clerics who theoretically have the power to remove the Supreme Leader.

This is all still unfolding.

[sharesunited]

13. Back to the classroom and back to the workplace to subvert the system quietly.

Quietly quietly subvert.

[Turborama]

15. Well, that headline makes me mad. Totally irresponsible journalism

Check out the the video forum to see what I mean.

[Wizard777]

16. They've clamped down on the media. It's pure state propaganda. Not journalism.

[Turborama]

17. UPI are controlled by Iran?

[Wizard777]

19. If their reports are coming from inside Iran. YES.

If they don not submit to government censoring. The reporter will be expelled or arrested. They were being allowed one report per day. Now they aren't even being allowed that.

[Turborama]

20. actually, it was the Guardian they quoted and

I serioulsy don't understand why the Guardian would fall in line like this. They're usually on the underdog's side.

[backscatter712]

18. Next phase: STRIKE!!!

The strike is going to put the Iranian government out of business.

Just about everyone in the country is participating in the strike, and the oil & bazaars will be on the top of the list.

What do you think will happen when the Iranian government can no longer write paychecks for the Basij?...