The Revolution WILL be televised: You can't stop the signal, Mal

The Supreme Leader has spoken. He's thrown down the gauntlet to the Iranian protesters and put their leaders' heads on the chopping block. Mir Hossein Moussavi and the rest of the wronged candidates in Iran's sham election were put on notice that the election is over, Ahmadinejad is president and any 'violence' is on their heads.

This means Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can call out the Republican Guard (wonderful name for a repressively murderous bunch of savage sycophants, eh) crack down on the protests and do a Tienanmen Square on these people then put the blame on Moussavi.

I wouldn't put a ten dollar bet on Moussavi lasting two weeks in this climate. My gut tells me we're seeing the birth of the end of the Supreme Leader.

A lot depends on the reaction to this speech in the coffee shops and rooftops. Are the Iranian people angry enough to defy their Supreme Leader? Will they throw Moussavi to the wolves and accept Ahmadinejad's warped election? If he was unpopular before, he'll be a freaking pariah after this.

Rachel Maddow pointed out some of the most glaring discrepancies in the election last night on her show. She mentions a few Iranian towns that defied logic and posted more than 100% voter participation. One village, Taft, had returns of 141%.

Apparently, the Ayotollah thinks this is God's way of ensuring a landslide for Ahmadinejad.

What brings me to mention this on my blog is the video series I posted a few weeks ago by Rick Steves on Iran. I had the whole series posted but the segments have been removed by YouTube. The video is only $20.

In the video, Steves goes through the cities and talks with the people. It points a big stick in the perception of the great boogieman that Bush's cohorts created about these people. Yes, the Ayotollahs are repressive and theocratic but the Iranian people, as we've seen recently, are not the 'Axis of Evil' that Cowboy George and Prick Cheney made them out to be. It would behoove us to realize this in the wake of what may happen in the next few days and weeks.

The American people have plenty of demons to deal with. We don't need the government telling us lies to gin up support to overthrow another damn country. Our record on this front is dismal to say the least. Many would like to forget some of the bullshit we pulled back in the day, especially in Iran. Sen. Saxby Chandliss, a GOP goon from Georgia, claims that our well-documented involvement in overthrowing the democratically elected Iranian gov't to install the Shah in 1953 is old news and that he's sure that no one in Iran would remember something that long ago.

Senator Dumbass, Gettysburg was 145 years ago and I dare you to find a fourth grader who doesn't know about it. America's involvement in bringing back the worst dictator in modern Iranian history kinda sticks in the mind. Perhaps the fact that millions of people who lived and suffered under the Shah are still fucking alive makes that happen.

Obama is playing this correctly. We can't let the Iranian authorities use our rhetoric to give them reason for a crackdown. Our silence forces them to take ownership of any violent actions they take against the protesters. However, loudmouths like John McCain, Chandliss, and the rest of the GOP clowns give aid and comfort to the Ayotollah and his Republican thugs. (you know, I've written that phrase before!)

My heart goes out to the Iranian people. It's their country and their responsibility to make it right. They don't need and don't fucking want any help from us, other than getting the message out.

You can't stop the signal, Mal.

Update: It's confirmed! 4:00pm local time tomorrow (4:39am PDT) the protest is ON. Also, the Repubican Guard has ransacked Mussavi's office and ordered him to be silent.

Tomorrow is June 20th but will it be the 4th of July for the Iranian people? The clock is ticking...

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Just plain folks

On Horses' Ass, a blog of some local notoriety, one of the contributors, Lee, posted about Rick Steves' new video on his trip to Iran. For those who may not know Rick, he's a well known travel writer who hosts a show on PBS, Rick Steves' Europe. This time, instead of showing us the back streets of Amsterdam, he went to Iran.

For almost thirty years, we held Iran as one of our most dastardly enemies in the Middle East. They took our people hostage, sponsored terrorist attacks abroad and always seem to have these huge anti-American rallies all the time. George W. Asswipe once placed them in his 'Axis of Evil' list.

They don't like us because our CIA sponsored a coup in 1953 to place the Shah, Reza Pahlavi back on the throne of Iran. He was sent packing in the first place because he was a shill for the the western oil companies. The locals didn't like outsiders getting all the gold for their oil so they kicked out the Shah and elected another leader. The CIA found some generals and other greedy bastards in the government to stage a coup if they would promise to let Big Oil back into the country. That shit lasted until 1979 when the people had enough of the corporate bullshit and Pahlavi's secret police squads so they revolted by storming the American Embassy and taking its people hostage. That lasted 444 days until Jan. 1980 when they were released.

Since then we've not spoken directly to them, only through intermediates. The government of Iran has become a theocracy, which means it governs at the whim of the high priests of Shiite Islam supposedly according to the tenets of the Quoran.

Theocracies are bullshit. As soon as you start legislating morality you get trapped in a vortex of social and political upheaval that always ends in violence and anarchy. Freedom and liberty are the first victims in a theocracy. But, theocracies are not limited to the Muslim world. There are many folks here in this country who privately look at Iran and ponder how they can do that shit here. Not a government ruled according to the Quoran, but a government ruled by the tenets of the Bible.

I took the time to view Rick's video yesterday and I was impressed. The government of Iran was not portrayed in a wonderful light but it wasn't demonized either. He showed how the restrictions were imposed on the everyday people, the regular Iranian who went to work and paid the bills and just wanted to live a somewhat normal life. Just like me.

They were genuinely happy to see Americans. No 'Death to America' chants or displays of hatred, just curiosity and congeniality. It was really cool. You could still see some anti-American shit but it seemed to be ignored mostly.

I recommend watching the videos. They're in six parts on YouTube and can be purchased for $5 through Rick's website. If you like the videos as much as I did, order one of your own. Here are the links to the video in six parts:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Take the time to look at this. If we are going to deal with the Middle East we have to see these people as who they are, not as how their government is. Consider what the world thought of us after eight years of the Monkey King? Jesus, that sends a shudder down my spine every time I do.

During the Bush years, I was not part of that government, but I was a part of America. I considered that while watching the video. After viewing it, think of John McCain famous little ditty stolen from the Beach Boys. Can you honestly think of bombing that country without a damn good reason?

So Mote It Be,
David A.