The Great Purge

June 27, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

The U.K. Times is reporting that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will crackdown on opposition beyond the scope of his constitutional power:

Opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, are bracing themselves for a purge if, as expected, he returns to office following the country’s bitterly disputed presidential election.

His defeated rival, Mir Hos-sein Mousavi, who came a distant second in a poll he insists was rigged by the regime, has continued to defy what he has called “huge pressures” to halt his campaign for a new vote.

Last week his communications with the outside world were severely restricted, his web page was taken down and his newspaper was closed, with 25 of its employees arrested.

Supporters said they feared Mousavi could become another Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest.

Continue reading.

It’s The Security Forces Stupid

June 27, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

People power can be potent, but its limits have become evident on the streets of Tehran today.

Accordingly, David Sanger writes in this version of New York Times Magazine the fate of the theocratic regime hinges on the loyalty of the security services:

Still, a common thread is clear: It is the security services on which the regime’s fate ultimately hinges. If they decide their best interests lie with the powers that they have protected, and that have protected them, they will stick it out. If they decide they are more likely to prosper under new leadership, power can collapse at the speed of a show trial.

There have been reports of ambivalence, reluctance, and outright defection from the state police and the Revolutionary Guard, but I wouldn’t expect a widespread culture change in the state security apparatus anytime soon.

Primarily, the vast countrywide network of Basij militiamen would lose the mystique and martyr-like status gained from the front lines of the Iran-Iraq War should the regime become anything but hard-line Islamist and anti-West.

For their brutal methods used against peaceful dissidents, they could also be brought up on war crimes charges, effectively making their relinquishment of power all the more problematic.

TNN Weekly Weekend Reward

June 27, 2009 by Frank Gannon | Filed Under Weekly Weekend Reward | Leave a Comment 

This week’s Reward was a recent gift from an old friend: the O’Neal Twins’ rendition of Prof. Ronnie Felder’s gospel classic “Jesus Dropped the Charges.”  It’s hard to decide which is more brilliant — the infectious tune or the tight and clever lyrics — but no decision is required.

The O’Neal Twins —Edgar on the piano and Edward as lead vocalist— were born in St. Louis on 17 August 1937.  In 1969 they were voted the World’s Greatest Gospel Duo by the National Association of Television and Radio Artists.  In 2004 they were inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

I was guilty
Of all the charges,
Doomed and disgraced.
But Jesus,
With His special love,
Saved me by His grace.
He pleaded,
And He pleaded,
He pleaded my case.

Jesus dropped the charges,
Jesus dropped the charges,
And now I’m saved through grace and faith.

I was guilty
For oh so long
Lived in sin too long.
But Jesus,
With His special love,
Reached down with His arms so strong.
He picked me up,
Turned me around,
Gave me a brand new song.

Jesus dropped the charges,
Jesus dropped the charges,
And to Him I belong.

He dropped the charges,
Jesus dropped the charges,
Although I was wrong.
He dropped the charges,
Jesus dropped the charges,
Showed me right from wrong.

He dropped the charges,
Jesus dropped the charges,
He cast them all away.
At Calvary I heard Him say:
“Case dismissed, case dismissed —
Saved by grace.”

Edward O’Neal passed away in 1990; Edgar died in January 2008.

Featured Articles — January 27, 2009

June 27, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Featured Articles | Leave a Comment 

Interesting Takes From Home And Abroad:

Iran’s Second Sex By Roger Cohen, The New York Times
From Day 1, Iran’s women stood in the vanguard. Their voices from rooftops were loudest, and their defiance in the streets boldest. “Stand, don’t run,” Nazanine told me as the baton-wielding police charged up handsome Vali Asr avenue on the day after the fraudulent election. She stood.

Silence Has Consequences for Iran By Jose Maria Aznar, The Wall Street Journal
If there hadn’t been dissidents in the Soviet Union, the Communist regime never would have crumbled. And if the West hadn’t been concerned about their fate, Soviet leaders would have ruthlessly done away with them. They didn’t because the Kremlin feared the response of the Free World.
The prescience of protest By Natan Sharansky, The Los Angeles Times
Once again, the world is amazed. As with the seemingly sudden appearance of the Solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980s, or the gaudy, grand-scale collapse of the Soviet empire at the end of that decade, the massive revolt of Iranian citizens has elicited the unmitigated surprise of the free world’s army of experts, pundits and commentators. Who would have known?

Iraq on the knife’s edge By Peter Feaver, Foreign Policy
With all the excitement further east, it is almost possible to forget that the coming week will be a momentous one for Iraq. Almost possible, but not quite, because tragically, Iraq still generates more than its fair share of newsworthy events.

When There’s a Will By Greg Sheridan, The Australian
BARACK Obama has become ahero to the Palestinians. Meanwhile, a poll published in The Jerusalem Post shows a minuscule 6 per cent of Israelis believe Obama’s administration and policies are pro-Israel.

What will happen when U.S. combat troops withdraw? By Fred Kaplan, Slate
By June 30, all U.S. combat troops are scheduled—in fact, they’re required—to be withdrawn from all of Iraq’s cities, towns, and villages.

What the Energy Bill Really Means for CO2 Emissions By Bryan Walsh, Time
With a razor-thin margin of just seven votes, the House of Representatives on Friday evening passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act — the first bill to put a fixed and declining cap on U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions. Republicans and Democrats in the House spent much of the day sparring in sharp language over the bill, which will reduce U.S. carbon emissions 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% below by 2050.

A Different Kind Of Inauguration

June 26, 2009 by Robert Nedelkoff | Filed Under American Politics, Entertainment, Presidents, Richard Nixon | Leave a Comment 

Michael Jackson was always a keen reader of comic books, and in the 1980s he was often referred to in them. Comicbook.com takes a look at some aspects of his association with the comics world. It’s been widely reported that in his last weeks the Gloved One enlisted the help of TV’s Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, to help get in shape for the marathon series of London concerts he planned to undertake next month before tragedy struck.

But did you know that Jackson reportedly once met with Stan Lee to discuss buying Marvel Comics – the whole shebang? With Spidey and the Fantastic Four in the hands of MJ, the whole course of history might have been changed.

And speaking of Marvel, back in the early ’70s it had a short-lived title called Spoof, somewhat in the tradition of the 1950s Mad. The cover of issue #3 (for January 1973) featured the first appearance of Jackson on the front of a comic book. He was depicted with his brothers, Bob Dylan, the former Beatles, Elvis, the Stones, and the Osmonds in the grandstand of that year’s Presidential inauguration in Washington, watching as John Lennon swore in David Cassidy as Chief Executive. The foreground of the cover showed Spiro Agnew casting a baleful glance at Richard Nixon and saying, “You had to lower the voting age to 18.” (The scene was clearly inspired by that wacky old movie Wild In The Streets.)

Send Green Balloons To The Sky

June 26, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

(H/T: Andrew Sullivan)

From Voice of America:

Groups of Iranians visited a Tehran cemetery Friday and released green balloons to pay tribute to a young woman named Neda Agha Soltan they say was killed by Iranian security forces.

Strong Statements From Obama And G8

June 26, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

President Obama railed against the Iranian regime’s treatment of dissidents:

In Washington, President Obama accused Tehran of violating “universal norms, international norms,” and saying that the bravery of the Iranian people is “a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice.”

He also said that he doesn’t take Mahmoud Ahmedinjad seriously:

At the news conference on Friday, President Obama dismissed Mr. Ahmadinejad’s gibe. “I don’t take Mr. Ahmadinejad’s statements seriously about apologies, particularly given the fact that the United States has gone out of its way not to interfere with the election process in Iran,” he said. “And I’m really not concerned about Mr. Ahmadinejad apologizing to me.”

Rather, Mr. Obama said, the Iranian president should “think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people. And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who’ve been beaten or shot or detained.”

The G8 also came out with a statement but with some reservations to appease Russia:

At a meeting in Trieste, Italy on Friday, the foreign ministers from the Group of Eight issued a joint statement saying they “deplored post-electoral violence which led to the loss of lives of Iranian civilians” and urged Iran to respect human rights, including freedom of expression. Along with the United States and Italy, the group includes Japan, Russia, Canada, France, Germany and Britain.

The statement called on Iran to “guarantee that the will of the Iranian people is reflected in the electoral process,” but it said the door must remain open to dialogue with Tehran on its contentious nuclear program, news reports said.

The joint statement was a compromise between some European countries seeking a harder line, and Russia, whose foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said at a news conference in Trieste that while Moscow wanted to express its “most serious concern” over use of force in Iran, “we will not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.”

“Our position is that all issues that have emerged in the context of the elections will be sorted out in line with democratic procedures,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying. Unlike other G-8 members, Russia has recognized the election result and played host to Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Guardian Council: Election Healthiest Since Revolution

June 26, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

Not very encouraging news:

“The reviews showed that the election was the healthiest since the revolution,” Mr. Kadkhodaei said. “There were no major violations in the election.”

The statement fell short of formal certification. But it offered further evidence that despite mass demonstrations and violent confrontations with those who call the election a fraud, the authorities are intent on enforcing their writ and denying their adversaries a voice.

Initially, three losing candidates registered complaints of electoral irregularities, but one of them, Mohsen Rezai, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, withdrew his objections on Wednesday. Mr. Moussavi said Thursday he had come under pressure to drop his complaint.

Absent international observers, the Guardian Council will conduct a courtesy 10 percent recount to validate the fraud:

“The reviews showed that the election was the healthiest since the revolution,” Mr. Kadkhodaei said. “There were no major violations in the election.”

The statement fell short of formal certification. But it offered further evidence that despite mass demonstrations and violent confrontations with those who call the election a fraud, the authorities are intent on enforcing their writ and denying their adversaries a voice.

Initially, three losing candidates registered complaints of electoral irregularities, but one of them, Mohsen Rezai, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, withdrew his objections on Wednesday. Mr. Moussavi said Thursday he had come under pressure to drop his complaint.

Mousavi: Khamenei And Ahmadinejad Have Blood On Their Hands

June 26, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

Mousavi on his Twitter page — at the very least — said as much implicity:

Mir Hossein Mousavi says he holds those behind alleged “rigged” elections responsible for bloodshed during recent protests. #IranElection

Cleric: Rioters Waged War Against God

June 26, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

Before President Obama enters into nuclear disarmement talks with the current regime, he should take a listen at the vitriolic statements from the Khamenei crowd. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami (no relation to former President Mohammed Khatami) is the latest no to draw any nuances at today’s Friday prayers:

Khatami, a member of the powerful Assembly of Experts, said the judiciary should charge the leading “rioters” as “mohareb” or one who wages war against God.

“They should be punished ruthlessly and savagely,” he said. Under Iran’s Islamic law, punishment for people convicted as “mohareb” is execution.

Forget Taxes – What About Death?

June 26, 2009 by David R. Stokes | Filed Under Culture, Faith, History, News media, Religion | 3 Comments 

Daniel Defoe, early eighteenth century novelist (Robinson Crusoe), pamphleteer, and part-time spy, is usually credited with the first use of some form of the phrase about the certainty of both death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin borrowed from Defoe and refined it: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” And, in Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell included a play on the now famous maxim: “Death, taxes and childbirth! There’s never any convenient time for any of them.”

Columns such as mine talk a lot these days about taxes – maybe too much. But we certainly don’t talk enough about death, except when someone famous or beloved, sometimes both, passes on.

How many times have you heard the idea that bad things come in “threes?” Well, recently it seems we have transcended that. Ed McMahon passed the other day; so did Farrah Fawcett, now comes the death of pop icon Michael Jackson. The first two events seemed to be sadly imminent for sometime, one because of chronic health issues due to age, the other because of a battle – valiantly fought – with cancer. Mr. McMahon was 86, the former Charlie’s Angel was 62; Michael was 50.

There was Stephen Johns, the kind and generous security guard who opened a door at the Holocaust Museum recently, only to be gunned down by a hateful excuse of a man. And just the other day, a memorial service was held here in the Washington, D.C. area for Jeanice McMillan, the Metro train operator who perished after gallantly trying to stop her train from crashing into another. By all accounts, the lady was a hero. Then, of course, there are the eight others who died in that rail tragedy. Among them, Retired Major General, David Wherley, former commander of the D.C. Army and Air National Guard, and his wife, Ann, along with LaVonda King, a 23-year old mom on her way to pick up her two boys from daycare.

Of course, any morning newspaper is filled with death notices, names that mean something to relatively few as compared to what happens when someone famous dies. So, why is it that we find ourselves moved – even a little emotional – when we hear of the passing of someone we only knew from afar? Is it just because of the whole overdone 24/7 news coverage, looping stuff over and over and talking ad infinitum about a person?

I actually think something else is at play. Something deeper. Something instinctive. Something that is directly tied to how we are all wired.

Centuries ago, a king whose name is synonymous with wisdom, but who actually did a lot of dumb things – that being another story – reflected:

Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies – so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. – Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 (New Living Translation)

Solomon wasn’t talking here about some kind of morbid fascination with the details of death. He was referring to the quite healthy idea of stopping to think through the meaning of death. It is the ultimate area for personal reflection. We all identify with dying, death, and grief – whether we like, or want, to admit it.

So, as I watched the around the clock coverage of the passing of Michael Jackson, I found myself moved, not because I was a big fan – far from it. I liked the old Jackson Five stuff and when he sang to that rodent named Ben, but as he grew up and out there, I lost interest. This is not meant to demean or disparage the deceased, not at all. I feel for his family and his fans.

And I also hope that moments like this help all of us to think about what life means and what death is. We have birth certificates (those of us who can find them), but I have never seen one with an expiration date. Death comes in all shapes and sizes.

As a young minister starting out 31 years ago, the first funeral I conducted was for a stillborn baby, whose mother had gone into labor at the church baby shower. Three days later, I was called upon to officiate the service for a 93-year old man. Since then, my work has thrust me into moments somewhere between those age parameters.

I have given eulogies before thousands. And I have comforted an audience of one – a grieving mother – at a service for her son, a Vietnam vet who took his own life. I cried when she was given the flag.

Being a trumpet player, I have played taps in the distance. Being a preacher, I have shared words of comfort as best I could, always with the nagging sense that they fell short, because, well, they did. Being a human being, I have wept, even if my tears were tempered by my Christian faith and hope. Jesus himself wept, though knowing that his deceased friend, Lazarus, would momentarily rejoin the living.

Do I think celebrity-driven grief is overdone? Yeah probably, but I know it is easy for us to become myopic these days, obsessed with something out of proportion to how it actually impacts our individual lives. I also find myself somewhat put off when people can’t seem to find emotion in them when something sad – writ large – happens.

You see, when I think of Ed McMahon’s passing, I think of my elders, some who have long since left this earth, and others who are moving toward that inevitable moment. When I think of Farrah Fawcett, I can’t help but think of my mother, who passed several years ago in her 60s, after a lengthy and valiant battle with cancer and its complications.

Identification.

What do I think of when I focus on Michael Jackson’s passing? I think of a little boy with such talent, and then the man he grew into. He was obviously someone who struggled on several levels, and seemed to have so many unhappy moments, in spite of a global fan-base and the fleeting nature of material success.

As a student of history – and as an amateur historian, as well – I know that there is a time and place for the analysis of a life: the good, bad, and ugly. But it’s not during the wake. There should be a time and space to mourn, especially for those who really knew him. It is unseemly to sift cynically through a man’s life – and I imagine there is a lot there that would not match my values – in the immediate shadow of his passing. History can be written later, revealing things and teaching lessons.

Was Michael Jackson a bad or good person? I have my thoughts (rooted in scripture), others may think differently. But that he was a broken and hurting person, most would agree. When Jesus announced his ministry in Capernaum, quoting from Isaiah chapter 61, he did not indicate that he was on the scene to root out the bad people, but he did talk a lot about the broken and needy. And in the verse after the great John 3:16, Jesus talked about how he wasn’t sent to condemn the world, but to redeem it.

This is not an exercise in semantics, nor is it an attempt to water anything down. Jesus didn’t need to condemn, because the righteous law of God had been doing that all along. God is a judge and will judge according to righteousness. His righteousness. Defined by Him. It will be very real. In fact: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27 New King James Version)

For now, the most compelling lesson for us as we note the passing of some famous people is to approach it all like Solomon: “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.”

Words And Deeds

June 26, 2009 by Frank Gannon | Filed Under International Affairs, Iran, Obama administration | Leave a Comment 

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Robert McFarlane writes about “Obama, the Neocons and Iran.”

President Barack Obama has made clear his wish to engage Iran’s government. But he ignores a fundamental question. What, beyond conversation, does engagement mean?

Dealing with Iran, the president needs to use all the tools of diplomacy at his disposal. First, the president needs to strengthen our position by adding partners. Mr. Obama should sit down with moderate Arab states. He should listen to their views and forge an agreed regional security strategy. Such a strategy should include a vigorous program of support for the Iranian opposition, based on a well-funded program of broadcasts and other communications into Iran. This would help the opposition become better organized and grow. Recent surveys reflect that Iran is the most “wired” nation in the Middle East. Nearly 35% of its population is connected to the Internet.

Further, Mr. Obama must raise awareness among our European and Asian allies of how serious a threat to regional peace Iran has become. He should then launch an effort at the United Nations Security Council to impose strong sanctions on anyone supplying gasoline to Iran. This will underline what should be our commitment to defang Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Barack Obama is seeking to craft a doctrine of effective realism, a doctrine that advances our own interests and those of democratic aspirants throughout the world. It will stand or fall on his actions toward Iran in the weeks and months ahead.

Featured Articles — June 26, 2009

June 26, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Featured Articles | Leave a Comment 

Interesting Takes From Home And Abroad:

Iran’s Revolution Needs a Leader By Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Iran today is a revolution in search of its Yeltsin. Without leadership, demonstrators will take to the street only so many times to face tear gas, batons and bullets. They need a leader like Boris Yeltsin: a former establishment figure with newly revolutionary credentials and legitimacy, who stands on a tank and gives the opposition direction by calling for the unthinkable — the abolition of the old political order.

A loyalist discovers the horror of the regime. By Joshua Muravchik, National Review
Mohsen Sazegara was one of the youngest figures near the helm of Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979. Serving first as a press attaché to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in his exile command center outside of Paris, Sazegara went on to hold a series of high positions in the early revolutionary government — chief of national radio, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, cabinet aide, and head of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization — all while still in his twenties.

Democracy Promotion Is Not a Choice for America By Michael Gerson, Washington Post
In early 2005, the advance of freedom in the Middle East had an air of inevitability. Hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Beirut to demand an end to Syrian occupation. Eight and a half million Iraqis voted with purpled fingers. Even Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak permitted a multiparty election. People talked of an “Arab spring.”

Has Britain Replaced the U.S. as Iran’s ‘Little Satan’? By Adam Smith, Time
If the number of protesters on the streets of Tehran has thinned in recent days — a result of the bloody crackdown by police and militia that continued in parts of the capital on June 24 — there’s little sign of a letup in Iran’s overseas offensive. British passport holders “had a role” in the violent clashes sparked by Iran’s disputed election on June 12, Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei told the Fars news agency on June 24.

Not Enough Audacity By Paul Krugman, The New York Times
On one side there’s Barack the Policy Wonk, whose command of the issues — and ability to explain those issues in plain English — is a joy to behold.

Obamacare not as easy as ABC By Jay Ambrose, The Orange County Register
President’s statist proposition will be more than just another competitor on the field.

The Climate Change Climate Change By Kimberley Strassel, The Wall Street Journal
Steve Fielding recently asked the Obama administration to reassure him on the science of man-made global warming. When the administration proved unhelpful, Mr. Fielding decided to vote against climate-change legislation.

Ed, Farrah, and Michael

June 25, 2009 by Robert Nedelkoff | Filed Under Entertainment, In Memoriam | 1 Comment 

Within a forty-eight-hour period the world lost three figures in the world of entertainment. Farrah Fawcett, in the days when she had Majors appended to her name, was the nation’s most popular sex symbol a year or so after Richard Nixon left the White House. Ed McMahon’s work with the late Johnny Carson spanned eight presidencies (if one includes their late 1950s game show Who Do You Trust?) but for many viewers their true heyday came in the early 1970s, when no weekday in the Nixon era was complete without at least a few minutes watching Ed holler “Heyyy-yo!” or hearing him intone the magic words, “I hold in my hand the last envelope.”

But both of these deaths were inevitably overshadowed by the unexpected passing of Michael Jackson. It would take thousands of words to come close to describing the triumph, tawdriness, and tragedy of his 40-year career but it is worth mentioning that it all started in the Nixon years, with “I Want You Back” in the fall of 1969. Indeed, his first big solo recordings, like “Ben” (which was nominated for an Oscar), happened during the thirty-seventh President’s first term.

May their families be comforted in their time of sorrow.

Karoubi Calls Mourning Ceremonies Off

June 25, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

Via Al-Jazeera:

Mehdi Karroubi, the candidate who finished fourth in Iran’s presidential poll, has called off a planned ceremony to mourn the deaths of at least 19 people killed in protests over the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Despite all the efforts exerted by the sheikh of reforms [Karroubi] to prepare a site for the mourning ceremony, the ceremony will not take place on Thursday,” the website of his Etemad Melli party said.

“It is very unfortunate that in this situation, even political leaders such as Karroubi are not given a site to hold a mourning ceremony,” it said.

Etemad Melli said that Karroubi hoped to hold the ceremony next week, but observers said the postponement appeared to be another sign that the government was beginning to bring the protests under control.

Split In The Sepah?

June 25, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

John Simpson has an eye-opening article in the BBC with first hand accounts and interviews of defections to Mousavi in the Revolutionary Guard and the civil ministry:

He’s done some pretty dreadful things in his life, from attacking women in the streets for not wearing the full Islamic gear to fighting alongside Islamic revolutionaries in countries abroad.

And yet now, in the tumult that has gripped Iran since its elections last week, he’s had a change of heart.

He’s become a backer of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the reformist candidate who alleges fraud in the elections. He’s saved up the money to send his son to a private school abroad, and he loathes President Ahmadinejad.

He’s not the only one.

I had to leave Iran last Sunday, when the authorities refused to renew my visa. But before I left, another former senior Revolutionary Guard came to our hotel to see us.

“Remember me,” he pleaded. “Remember that I helped the BBC.”

I realised that even a person so intimately linked to the Islamic Revolution thinks that something will soon change in Iran.

The 11 extraordinary days I spent there was my 20th visit in 30 years. I’ve been reviewing the material we recorded, taking a second look at what was really going on.

I think that these last weeks may turn out to be as momentous as the Islamic Revolution I witnessed there 30 years ago.

The Revolutionary Guards with second thoughts illustrate some of the deeper forces driving a crisis which I believe could change Iran forever.

and:

After we were ordered to leave Iran, we went around to the Ershad, the Islamic Guidance Ministry, which supervises foreign journalists.

We expected to be scolded and intimidated. But, in fact, the body language of the person who spoke with us was bizarrely apologetic.

Neda Soltan’s Doctor

June 25, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

Dr Arash Hejazi Is risking his life by giving this interview to BBC. He also has an interesting revelation about Neda’s killer. But most importantly he doesn’t want the world to forget the terror on the streets this past Saturday:

The “Miracle on Grass”

June 25, 2009 by Frank Gannon | Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment 

Landon Donovan and US teammates celebrate the “stunning” 2-0 victory over Spain in Blomfontein.  (AP photo by Antonio Calanni)

George Vecsey reports for The New York Times:

The stunning 2-0 victory by the United States over Spain —the best team in the world— is probably the greatest victory by the men’s national soccer team.

And when you think of it, the victory Wednesday is probably the second-biggest upset by an American team, behind only the 1980 Miracle on Ice by the hockey team over the Soviet Union in the Olympics.

Those Soviets were state-supported professionals, beaten by amateurs from the United States. On the field in South Africa on Wednesday, everybody was a professional, although just about every Spanish player is employed at a higher level than his American counterpart.

This shocking match in the Confederations Cup in Bloemfontein was the equivalent of those one-off thrillers, like Gonzaga or Davidson beating one of the giants of American college basketball.

Laughing Matters

June 25, 2009 by Frank Gannon | Filed Under International Affairs, Iran | Leave a Comment 

In its own (foxlike) dumb way, the Daily Show ended up making a serious point last week with one of Jason Jones’ reports from inside Iran.  The three interviewees in the segment “Persians of Interest” —Freedom Party leader Ebrahim Yazdi, novelist and Newsweek contributor Maziar Bahari, and former Iranian Vice President Muhammad Ali Abtahi— were all subsequently arrested in the roundups of dissidents.

After the Jones report was broadcast, Jon Stewart interviewed Dr. Yazdi’s Brooklyn-based son.

Montazeri: Suppression Could Start A Revolution

June 25, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran | Leave a Comment 

The Ayatollah who was supposed to succeed Khomenei rattles off his two cents indicating further rifts among the clerics:

(AGI) – Teheran, 25 June – Grand Ayatollah Hossein Montazeri, the most prominent dissident clergyman in Iran, warned that repression of street protests could uproot the foundation of Iran’s Government “no matter how powerful it may seem.” Montazeri, 87, proclaimed three days of National mourning for the dozens of demonstrators killed in the protests against the regime. In the past he was seen as the favourite to the succession of Ruhollah Khomeini but he was disgraced after criticizing the number of executions carried out after the overthrow of the Shah in 1979. He was in prison from 1997 to 2003 after denouncing the excessive concentration of power in the hands of the Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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