More violence in Iran, militia shoots at protesters

Reformist presidential candidate Mir Houssein Mousavi, with his wife his wife Zahra Rahnavard, addresses supporters at a rally today in Tehran. (Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images)

It should be of no surprise that the unrest in Iran continues to be our top story.

We start the day with reports of shootings in Tehran with one person confirmed dead (I suspect this number will climb) and more panic spreading throughout the city, which has been "on fire" in the aftermath of presidential elections Friday Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief rival, Mir Hossein Moussavi, are protesting the election results, claiming fraud .

Tens of thousands of Mousavi supporters--more than 100,000 according to some reports--gathered for a rally in downtown Tehran calling for the annulment of the official result of Friday's election. Moussavi spoke to the crowd at the rally.

It has been reported that the pro-government militia opened fired at demonstrators at Azidi Square, but according to the latest reports shootings have now been heard in at least three districts of northern Tehran.

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, said rally is the biggest demonstration in the Islamic republic's 30-year history and described it as a "political earthquake."

The U.S. State Department stated it's "deeply troubled" by the reports of violence in Iran.

So where is this clash heading to? Will people calm down and the issue die down in a couple of days? Hmm...I doubt it.

But Iran is not the U.S.--there won't be a "recount" there, and foreign nations have no say on Iran's elections. The opposition isn't powerful enough to be a threat to Ahmadinejad. So what are the protesters hoping to accomplish other than rant and vent? Not that there's anything wrong with ranting and venting...

"If Ahmadinejad remains president we will protest every day," the protesters are shouting. "We fight, we die, we will not accept this vote rigging," was another chant in the crowd, Reuters reported.

If indeed Ahmadinejad was the winner, the opposition is toast. But if the election was tampered with and this can be proven somehow, then democracy and justice could have a chance at prevailing in Iran...but I'm not holding my breath.

Sources: BNO News, Reuters, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Man guilty of failing to fake his death

Photos of Marcus Schrenker, compiled by TheWeeklyVice.com

A money manager pleaded guilty on Friday to federal charges stemming from a plot to fake his own death in a small plane crash in Florida in an attempt to avoid financial fraud charges in Indiana, Reuters reported Friday.

Marcus Schrenker, 38, parachuted out of his plane over Alabama in January and let it continue to fly on autopilot before it eventually crashed in Florida. He was arrested a day later at a Florida campsite and taken to a hospital with wounds to his wrists that apparently resulted from a suicide attempt.

OK, can someone please explain to me how a money manager--whom one would expect to be of above average intelligence given the demands of his job--thought he could fake his own death in a plane crash without a body? Poor planning, my friend. But, then again, he got caught with his pants down and charged with financial fraud, so maybe he wasn't smart enough to be a money manager to begin with. If indeed he had tried to kill himself prior to the hoax, could that have been his first attempt at faking his death?

Schrenker was wanted in Indiana on fraud charges alleging that he misled people who invested money with his financial management companies and that he misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars, Reuters reported.

In U.S. District Court in Pensacola, Florida, Schrenker pleaded guilty to two charges, deliberately crashing a plane and placing false distress calls. His trial had been scheduled to start on Monday. His sentencing was set for Aug 19, according to the report.

Authorities say Schrenker radioed a distress call from his single-engine Piper aircraft, reporting that the plane's cracked windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding.

So he has a flair for drama.

Two rescue helicopters and two military F-15 fighter jets were dispatched. When the jets caught up with the plane as it continued to fly with no one aboard, the windshield was intact, the door was open and there was no sign of the pilot, investigators said.

One has to laugh. The last this dude expected was the windshield to not crack after the plane fell from the sky. He also forgot to close the door behind me. Bad manners, if you ask me.

The Piper crashed in a swampy, wooded area north of Milton, Florida.

He's lucky his pilot-less plane did not crash in a highly populated area; otherwise, he would be facing manslaughter charges. *sigh* What a dunce.

When rescuers reached the scene, they found evidence including a book of campsites in America missing its pages on Alabama and Florida, and a list scribbled on the back of a book stating, "cracked windshield, window imploded, bleeding profusely," a court affidavit said.

OMFG, this just keeps getting better and better! Turns out he truly was--is--a dunce! He actually needed to write down the three--count them, three--things he would say when radioing for help. Are you kidding me?

Schrenker parachuted safely to the ground near the Alabama city of Harpersville, convinced a police officer to give him a ride to a hotel and then fled, police said. He previously had stashed a motorcycle near the hotel and got away before local police learned of the plane crash.

Is this for real? So, he lands and takes a ride from--of all people--a cop? Jeez!

He still faces the financial fraud charges in Indiana, Reuters reported.

He should be charged with reckless stupidity, if you ask me.

Sources: Reuters
Copyright © 2009