Iranians show massive rejection of the Islamic regime at the occasion of its 27th birthday

Yeah, if only it was that easy. I give those Iranian students credit for their resolve. I feel bad for them 'cause you know the goon squads will be putting in overtime for awhile.

I'm lovin it that they gave a party and people did'nt show. Hope it burns them right where it hurts. Also "Sentinel" I think you're correct about the goon squads putting in overtime.

What really matters in an authoritarian system like the Iranian isn't what 'ordinary' peopel on the streets of Theran does, as long as the military and the police remains loyal to the regime it's hard to see how it can be toppled.

Here's a site with many interesting and critical views of Islam:

http://alter-of-democracy.be/

If we attrack Iran the people of Iran will oppose use for our disrespect for the Prophet of Islam and of the religion of Islam is going to hinter our effect around the world because of dumb criminal racist like Huge who doesnot know before you can defeat Terrorism you must win the heart and mind of the moslim people worldwide. Our airstrike against Iran nuclear program are too late as Iran have nuclear weapon sinse 1987 and our bomber might be shot down by Iran air defence system. Than attach on Iran will united the people of Iran against us as it is doing in Iraq. America doesnot have the manpower to invade Iran and occup it like Iraq.

Pat Buchman is right when he write artile in WNN saying the people who insult the Prophet and Islam is make the west lose the war terror.

The Facts Behind the Cartoon Brouhaha Hoax Emerge!

http://adeeperlookweblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/facts-behind-cartoon-brouhaha-hoax.html

Another one of these reports about the "tiny, tiny minority of extremists?" Must be.

To me it looked very different:

I saw the pictures: Looked like every sand-monkey in the ME came to shake his fist at 'the great satan...'

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/156837.php

Iranians need to make the first move to topple their government, like when the Germans tore the Wall down. soem help can be sent in many ways, but initially they have to start it.

My girlfriend is Iranian, her family gave up everything to live in Canada far away from that fascist hell-hole.

If people only knew how much 80% of Iranians hate their government (and yes, even their religion... its that bad) we would be amayzed.

There is never any televised protest in Iran that isn't forced/payed for by the state. If you don't go, you can't pass highschool or don't get payed for army/govt service.

We should have liberated Iran, we would have gotten 80% of 70 million muslims on our side. No theocracy, no hatred for the west, no love for fascism.

Iran was the only Islamic nation that had a candelite vigil after 9/11. After the vigil, the Republican Guard beat the crap out of them.

"Why don't Iranians topple their own government?"

Good question. I recently asked my gf the same thing.

She said in Iran, they don't just go after you, they go after your entire family. She had a friend who was arrested and went to prison. She doesn't know what happened to her, but after she got out she became an opium addict and never saw her again.

The government plays so dirty. They torture/kill everyone you love. They have crippled the society with fear.

Hey sheik,

Can you lay off the slurs please? You can make your point without saying "sandmonkey" or "raghead". The pictures speak for themselves.

I do believe if given a chance Iranians would support a revolution. The students have always protested and been supported.

Given a chance I do think Iran would succeed in establishing a Democracy.

"professional demonstrators and government employees and schools' students. Many of them, such as most governmental employees, are known to be forced to participate in official gatherings and others are fanatics or paid demonstrators." - from the article

Professional demonstrators. Paid demonstrators. Several thoughts come to mind:

First, what a ridiculous use of public money, both in paying demonstrators, and in the loss of productive hours in which gov't employees have to participate. I thought one of Ahmadinejad's campaign promises was the equitable distribution of oil wealth... Sure. After the nukes and propaganda are covered.

Second, no self-respecting media outlet should cover these demonstrations as "news," but I won't rule out the possibility of seeing footage on the evening news tonight. Like similar gatherings in North Korea and Cuba, they're meant to manufacture the notion that the will of the people is somehow involved, as is the case in demonstrations in the West.

Lastly: I mentioned North Korea and Cuba in the previous paragraph. Yes, nothing says "free society" like a government paying or coercing people (those are the "volunteers") to demonstrate in its favor in large numbers (70-80K is still a lot of people to herd around). Authentically Orwellian "freedom," too.

In that vein, with regard to the paid demonstrators, I'm reminded of Vince Lombardi's saying: "If you're not fired with enthusiasm, you'll be fired with enthusiasm."

Or in those countries, fired at.

In totalitarian societies nobody watches the parade because everybody is in the parade.

The west could've used the bus driver's strike as political leverage on the world stage. Bush, Blair & Anan could've made big speeches in support of the Iranian public.

The fact that it instead appeared hushed up in the MSM suggests that policies are already decided.

Defender of pedophilia:

You already seem really stupid, with your
atrocious spelling and grammar (hint: most
people achieve some minimal level of competence
in a language before trying their hand at public
speaking or writing) but what really makes you
look most idiotic is the accusation of racism.
Can you prove that Hugh made a racist comment?

I can prove that mohammad was a pedophile, in
case you're wondering, so I'm not just throwing
sand in your face.

The mohammadan religion is a vile one and their
"Prophet" was a lowlife and scumbag, so I don't
care much what Fr. Charles Coughlin, err, Pat
Buchanan thinks about it.

Check this out:
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/02/C43C681F-0AD1-49B6-AADB-3784CA430536.html

What a desperate measure to take in protest against unfaithful Muslim husbands.

Is there any sociologist around who wants to comment about this one?

American-

Pat Buchanan is one of those sad half-sane people, who say one relatively intelligent thing, then cancel it immediately with some uninformed crank kook-ster-ism comment.

Which is why his political career ended as a p.r. flack for Nixon.

I wish he and Bill Clinton would just convert to Islam and get it over with.

Bill von Saxophone may already have. The "religion" is tailor made for him. Pedophilia (I'll bet Monica was even hotter at 9), polygamy (de facto, his whole life), lying ("I did not have sexual relations with that slut..."), love of loot (his laughable autohagiography/cum [sic] biography) and general pandering to anyone with a stage for his clodhoppers and a pimping lust for raw power.

Pat is just fighting the wrong war. Thinking we live in the pre-Wright Brothers world where a few gunboats ringing Fortress America, and quiet jizya to the Barbary pirates (as was paid by John Admas's government circa 1800), will keep us safe.

"Play It Safe" is a pretty pathetic political philosophy. (Like Woodrow Wilson's "Sometimes a man can be too proud to fight.", which got him clucked at by the ballsier American public of that era, circa 1915.)

If you don't stand for something, you'll be taken for everything.

Imperialistic Islam is watching.

Pat's mealy-mouthings must warm their little (and I do mean little) hearts.

I prefer "We have not yet begun to fight."

Or:

"Nuts!"

It's true their shouold stronger support ,from both the U.S and the rest of the western goverments of the iranian pro-democracy movement.
But sadly there is little to none...

My dental technician is a vivacious Iranian lady in her 20's. She and her family are here in Canada to avoid the mullahs. I might add she considers herself a devout Muslim (but does not wear the burka nor observe any of the other nonsense we associate with fundamentalist Islam). On my last visit I accused her of being an agent for Bin-Laden and after we had a good laugh about that she assured me "Every morning millions of Iranians get down on their knees and pray to Allah that George Bush will invade our country".

Disturbing teachings of the Koran to the countrary, I still believe there is a reform oriented element within Islam we need to tap, encourage and support.

regards,
nomoto

profitsbeard,

What Pat Buchanan is, is a an isolationist. Isolationism is what kept us out of WWI for its first four years. There are isolationists on the left and the right. They believe we can solve our problems by disengaging from the rest of the world. There is a good argument to be made there but I just don't think it's feasible at this point.

_____________________________________________

nomoto,

My Iranian neighbor (lived in US since the 70's) says the same thing. However, what you're seeing in your Iranian friend is not a "reform-oriented element" but a product of a prosperous, secular Muslim society. The Shah ran Iran secularly and had great prosperity. People there haven't forgotten that. Iraq, OTOH, was run secularly by Saddam but things just got worse and worse. I would like to think we're creating prosperous, secular societies in Afghanistan and Iraq, but when their constitutions identify themselves as "Islamic Republics" and use Sharia as a/the source of legislation, I worry that it isn't going to happen.

Iran is very similiar in many points to Nazi Germany.

Once a regime creates an atmosphere as repressive like this, with neighbours grassing on each other, Gestapo style 'religious policing' and other 'niceties', it is very difficult for any kind of resistance to form. Part of the population is a paramiliary police force[1] who enjoy many priviledges due to this affiliation, and who thus are highly motivated to report 'wrongdoers'.

And maybe Iran being a fascist state will be the answer to reforming Islam -- after the war many things look differently, even the thickest boneheads realise reality exists and Islamic dress and concepts will never again be as fashionable as it once was, in the same was that everything Nazi lost popularity after 1945.

I'm not sure that this lesson can be taught theorethically, I have this feeling that it can only be learnt by practice, after the Iranian's themselves work it out from first principles.

:(

Imli

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basij

Some interesting URLs:

http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/news.html
http://regimechangeiran.blogspot.com/

@Jonathan:

I'm no sociologist, but, take a look here. I think that perhaps some cultural exchange might useful here.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9987415&dopt=Abstract

I would say that whilst this is just as barbarian as the current method of self-immolation, it has a lot more educational potential...

Within the first months and years of the Khomeni revolution, making Iran an Islamic republic, there were many bombings and assasinations against the new Islamic regime. The response of the regime was to kill off any opposition.

It is a romantic notion that the populace of Iran will revolt. The regime is securely in place with control of the military and police.

Joseph Stalin died in his bed, and the communist regime was not overthrown by popular revolt. The communist leadership eventually lost faith in its "system", and dismantled itself. How likely is Iran's leadership to do that? How likely, after 1400 years, is Islam to dismantle itself?