United 4 Iran rallies, Ahmadinejad's inauguration

Protesters in about 100 cities worldwide on Saturday demanded the release of hundreds of detainees in Iran who were arrested in the bloody aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election, CNN reported.

They rallied against the Iranian government's brutal crackdown on citizens who protested the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claiming it was fraudulent.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets after the election, clashing with security forces in a series of chaotic and violent encounters that led deaths, injuries and the arrest of many protesters who remain in jail despite pleas by families and friends.

Several of the demonstrations, especially in the U.S. and Europe, called for western governments to be more vocal about the reported human rights violations in Iran, according to the report.

Saturday's "global day of action" was organized by United For Iran and supported by several human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.

United For Iran is demanding U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon send a delegation to Iran to investigate the fate of political prisoners; the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists; an end to state-sponsored violence; freedom of the press; and Iran's adherence to international agreements it has signed.

Ahmadinejad's inauguration set for first week in August

Iran President Amhmoud Ahmadinejad (photo source unknown).

Iran has announced that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn into office during the first week of August.

I've been wondering when, if ever, this inauguration would take place, and where and how because of the challenges of it being done safely--for him, I mean.

After weeks of violent and not-so-violent protests in Tehran since the June 12 presidential election, countless of people must want his head on a stake.

The actual date of the inauguration has yet to be announced. According to the state-run Mehr News Agency, deputy parliament speaker Mohammadreza Bahonar said it will take place between Aug 2 and Aug 6.

After witnessing what transpired in Tehran after the elections, I can't imagine Ahmadinejad being able to walk or drive down any street in the city without getting a bullet in his head. I'm not taking sides here, by the way, just sayin'...

His second term will officially begin a few days after he takes the oath of office, when he participates in a ceremony officiated by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Now, that's another one who should watch his head...if you ask me.

Sources: CNN
Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Iran reform leader Mousavi: 'It's not yet too late'

Ahmadinejad supporters demonstrated in Tehran along with Mousavi supporters. (Newsha Tavakolian/Polaris, for The New York Times)

Iran's embattled opposition leader urged his supporters Wednesday to keep working for "the rights of the people" in his first rally since the regime earlier this week validated the results of the country's disputed presidential election, AP reported.

In a fresh show of defiance, Mir Hossein Mousavi reasserted his claim that the June 12 election was illegitimate, and he demanded that Iran's cleric-led government release all political prisoners and institute electoral reforms and press freedoms, according to the report.

"It's not yet too late," Mousavi, who has slipped from public view in recent days, said in a lengthy statement posted on his website. "It's our historic responsibility to continue our complaint and make efforts not to give up the rights of the people."

Mousavi better watch his back. I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly went missing...

Mousavi also called for a return to a more "honest" political environment in the Islamic Republic. Return?

His latest challenge came as Iran's Basij militia asked the chief prosecutor to investigate Mousavi for his role in violent protests that it said undermined national security.

I'm telling you--if this continues they're going to lock him up, and when they do, the shit is going to hit the fan yet again. A call for reform is understandable, but it came on the heels and partly as a result of the June 12 elections. What if indeed Ahmadinejad is the legitimate winner? That would mean that the majority chose him, and in a democracy the majority rules--right?

The semiofficial Fars news agency said the militia—known as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's street enforcers—sent the prosecutor a letter accusing Mousavi of taking part in nine offenses against the state, including "disturbing the nation's security," which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment, AP reported.

Mousavi insists the vote was tainted by massive fraud and that he--not incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--is the rightful winner.

Will we ever know for sure? With the Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral oversight body, confirming Ahmadinejad won after recounting only 10% of the votes earlier this week, I doubt it.

Iran's regime says 17 protesters and eight Basiji were killed in two weeks of unrest that followed the election.

Hmm...that figure is something else we'll never know for sure.

"Whether he wanted to or not, Mr. Mousavi in many areas supervised or assisted in punishable acts," said the Basij letter, which also accused Mousavi of bringing "pessimism" into the public sphere.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad canceled plans to travel to Libya as an observer at an African Union summit, Libyan officials said. It would have been Ahmadinejad's second trip outside Iran since the election.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said unspecified "preoccupations" (such as being shot) kept the president at home. Some African officials had complained that Ahmadinejad's presence at the three-day gathering could divert attention from Africa's problems.

Ahmadinejad on Tuesday repeated the claims that post-election street riots were linked to a "soft revolution" aided by foreign powers.

If that's what a soft revolution looks like, I'd hate to see what a regular revolution would look like in Iran. It's not like the general public has weapons at its disposal...

"Enemies, despite overt and covert conspiracies to topple (the ruling system) through a soft overthrow, failed to reach their goals," state television quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Intelligence Ministry officials, AP reported.

It's unclear how many people have been detained during the post-election riots and protests, but at least one group, the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, claimed at least 2,000 arrests have been made. The figures could not be independently verified because of tight media restrictions, AP said.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to be sworn in as early as July 26.

They better do that ceremony indoors.

Sources: AP, Reuters
Copyright © 2009

FLASH NEWS - Iran, Jackson, Madoff, Mays, Jobs

Bernald L. Madoff was arrested on Dec 12, 2008, by federal agents accusing him of running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, the largest in Wall Street's history. (Hiroko Masuike/Getty)

- Iran’s top legislative body has confirmed President Ahmadinejad won the disputed June 12 presidential election after a recount of 10% of the ballots, AP reported.

- Former NASDAQ chairman Bernard Madoff has been sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum sentence, for scamming $65 billion from his investment clients in the largest case of fraud in U.S. history.

- A Los Angeles judge approved Michael Jackson's mother's request for temporary guardianship of his children, AP reported

- Apple Inc. spokesman said CEO Steve Jobs is back to work "a few days a week” after liver transplant, Reuters reported

- A Florida medical examiner says cause of death for legendary TV pitchman Billy Mays will not be announced for six to eight weeks, noting heart disease may have caused sudden death and not a bump to the head when the tires of a plane Mays was on the day before blew out upon landing.

Sources: BNO, AP, Reuters
Copyright © 2009

FLASH NEWS Headlines -- Michael Jackson, Iran

• A lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor, cardiologist Conrad Robert Murray, said the doctor did not inject Michael with a painkiller, the Los Angeles Times reported.
• The attorney said MJ was found in bed with a pulse before dying, AP reported.
• Crackdown continues in Iran, with police reportedly clashing with some 3,000 to 5,000 people near the Ghoba Mosque and the Islamic nation continuing to cast blame for its internal turmoil on foreign nations and media.
  

Iran threatens to 'crush' U.S....are we scared yet?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to the annual judiciary summit in Tehran on Saturday. (Rauf Mohseni, AFP/Getty Images)

Iran President Ahmadinejad slammed President Obama on Saturday, saying officials in the Islamic republic are “astonished” over what they see as his interference in Iran’s disputed elections and promising a "crushing" response to continued American condemnation of Iran's crackdown on post-election protest, CNN and AP reported.

How about allowing himself to be "astonished" over what's going on in his country because of he being declared the winner?

"You should know that if you continue the response of the Iranian nation will be strong," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to members of Iran's judiciary, which is directly controlled by the ruling clerics. "The response of the Iranian nation will be crushing. The response will cause remorse."

Well, that does it for me...I'm officially shaking with fear now.

Ahmadinejad has no authority to direct major policy decisions on his own, a power that rests with the non-elected theocracy, but his comments often reflect the thinking of the ruling establishment, AP reported.

So, basically, he's just a puppet...

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Obama said the “violence perpetrated against” demonstrators disputing the June 12 election results “is outrageous."

"We are surprised at Mr. Obama," Ahmadinejad said. “Didn’t he say that he was after change?” Ahmadinejad said. “Why did he interfere? Why did he utter remarks irrespective of norms and decorum?”

I can't think of any other president being more diplomatic on the matter, even at his own expense. What was he supposed to say? "Congratulations on the bloodshed"? "I'm delighted with the peaceful election process in Iran"?

Apparently, to him--or to them--there's no difference between expressing an opinion and interfering.

The cleric-led regime--not surprisingly--appears to have quashed a protest movement that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of Tehran and other cities in the greatest challenge to its authority in 30 years. Mousavi said Friday that he would seek official permission for any future rallies, effectively ending his role in street protests, AP reported.

I think bullies often win because their insecurity is so severe they don't give a crap about the consequences of their actions and the bad karma they bring down upon themselves.

Days of relatively restrained talk from both Washington and Tehran appear to be returning to a familiar pattern of condemnation and recrimination despite Obama's stated desire to move away from mutual hostility.

Will that ever change?

Obama acknowledged Friday that Iran's violent suppression of unrest would hinder progress, saying "There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks."

I wonder how.

"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran. Alright, we have expressed our readiness as well. But is this the correct way?" Ahmadinejad said. "They showed their hand to the people of Iran, before all people of the world. Their mask has been removed."

Ugh!

He still appeared to leave some opening for dialogue, saying Iranians officials "have expressed our readiness" and still want the U.S. to "join the righteous servants of humanity as well."

"Righteous servants of humanity? Are you freakin kidding me?Given this point of view, what are the chances of sensible--forget diplomatic...there's too much lying in diplomacy--talks between Iran and anyone in the West?

Chances are we'll see what we always see: endless lying and bullying and tossing around of concepts and words that in the end have a heck of a lot to do with useless chatter and nothing to do with proactive, problem-solving rational actions.

Sources: CNN, The Associated Press

FLASH NEWS: Iran election, Michael's death, SC Gov.

- Iran is to set up a special commission, including representatives of defeated candidates, to draft a report on the presidential poll, AFP reported. And who will be in that committe, the same dudes insisting there were no irregularities, calling for protesters to be severely punished, and making them confess "the West made me do it" on national TV?

- A hardline Iranian cleric during Friday prayers today demanded the punishment of opposition leaders, blaming the U.S. for their actions, CNN reported. He also said that the demonstrators themselves killed Neda to attract international sympathy. Ugh.

- Michael Jackson received a daily injection of Demerol at 11:30 a.m. yesterday, TMZ reported. Family members are saying the dosage was "too much" and that's what caused his death. Police is interviewing a doctor, Dr. Conrad Robert Murray, who lived at Michael's home. His car reportedly was impounded because it might have "medications pertinent to the investigation," LAPD said. That was quick.

- As expected, more people are coming forward to reveal (not much of a revelation) that Michael had a 20-plus-year addiction to prescription drugs. He was hooked on Oxycontin and received daily injections of Demerol (a drug that like morphine is a highly addictive opioid), LAPD said. The coroner is about to give press conference about the autopsy; however, BNO reported no findings would be announced . The toxicology results will be interesting, to say the least; unfortunately, we'll have to wait six to eight weeks for those results.

- Debbie Rowe, the biological mother of Michael's children, would be the one to get custody of the children because though she tried to terminate her parental rights in 2005, the judge did not grant that because a parental fitness investigation was never conducted. Issues regarding Michael's estate and his kids are likely to be extremely complicated. I don't envy the lawyers.

- People throughout the world are both mourning the death and celebrating the life of the King of Pop. Crowds gather in cities in many countries. U.S. House of Representatives held a moment of silence in honor of Michael Jackson.

- Actress Elizabeth Taylor physically collapsed when hearing that longtime friend Michael had died. "My heart...my mind...are broken. I loved Michael with all my soul and I can't imagine life without him," she said on Twitter.

- Pop icon Madonna (up there with MJ) says, "I can't stop crying."

- Calls for South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to resign gain momentum. Nah...really?

Sources: BNO, TMZ, CBS

Iran doctor tells of Neda's death: BBC

Below is a BBC report (untouched by me) about the doctor seen in the video of Neda's death trying to stop the bleeding from a bullet wound on her chest.

Iran doctor tells of Neda's death: BBC

Dr Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a university in the south of England, said he ran to Neda Agha-Soltan's aid after seeing she had been shot in the chest.

Despite his attempts to stop the bleeding she died in less than a minute, he said.

Dr Hejazi says he posted the video of Ms Soltan's death on the internet and images of her have become a rallying point for Iranian opposition supporters around the world.

He also told how passers-by then seized an armed Basij militia volunteer who appeared to admit shooting Ms Soltan.

Dr Hejazi said he had not slept for three nights following the incident, but he wanted to speak out so that her death was not in vain.

He doubted that he would be able to return to Iran after talking openly about Ms Soltan's killing.

Neda Agha-Soltan

"I was there with some friends because we had heard that there were some protests and we decided to go and take a look," he said.

"Anti-riot police were coming by motorcycles towards the crowd."

Dr Hejazi said he saw Ms Soltan, who he did not know, with an older man who he thought was her father but later on learned was her music teacher.

"Suddenly everything turned crazy. The police threw teargas and the motorcycles started rushing towards the crowd. We ran to an intersection and people were just standing. They didn't know what to do.

"We heard a gunshot. Neda was standing one metre away from me. I turned back and I saw blood gushing out of Neda's chest.

"She was in a shocked situation, just looking at her chest. The she lost her control.

"We ran to her and lay her on the ground. I saw the bullet wound just below the neck with blood gushing out.

"I have never seen such a thing because the bullet, it seemed to have blasted inside her chest, and later on, blood exiting from her mouth and nose.

Neda has become a rallying point for protesters around the world

"I had the impression that it had hit the lung as well. Her blood was draining out of her body and I was just putting pressure on the wound to try to stop the bleeding, which wasn't successful unfortunately, and she died in less than one minute."

Dr Hejazi said he first thought the gunshot had come from a rooftop.

But later he saw protesters grab an armed man on a motorcycle.

"People shouted 'we got him, we got him'. They disarmed him and took out his identity card which showed he was a Basij member. People were furious and he was shouting, 'I didn't want to kill her'.

"People didn't know what do to do with him so they let him go. But they took his identity card. There are people there who know who he is. Some people were also taking photos of him."

Dr Hejazi said he knew he was putting himself in jeopardy by talking about what happened.

"It was a tough decision to make to come out and talk about it but she died for a cause. She was fighting for basic rights... I don't want her blood to have been shed in vain."

He added: "She died on the streets to say something."

Dr Hejazi said he did not believe he could now return to Iran.

"They are going to denounce what I am saying. They are going to put so many things on me. I have never been in politics. I am jeopardising my situation because of the innocent look in her (Neda's) eyes."

Source: BBC

Ahmadinejad tells Obama to butt out

Iran President Ahmadinejad makes the Peace sign in this undated photo of unknown source. Maybe he's ordering two Tacos...

Iranian president Ahmadinejad is telling President Obama not to interfere in Iran, claiming Obama is repeating what "Bush used to say" about Iran and calling on Obama to "express regret" about U.S. Interference, Reuters reported early Thursday quoting the Fars News Agency.

Are you freakin' kidding me?

This was to be expected, though, and it's exactly what Obama was trying to avoid (among other things), which critics didn't quite get, if you ask me.

I think Ahmadinejad is being a dick. Sorry, my friends, but you should know by know that I have little, if any, tolerance for liars and bullies, not to mention deluded narcissistic pricks.

That sick fuck is asking Obama to express regret for something Obama hasn't done (at least not as far as we know), while he himself expresses NO regret about his people being killed and their blood spilled in his backyard after almost two weeks of ongoing violence and unrest ("traffic violations" according to him) in protest of the June 12 presidential elections that he allegedly won. WTF?

I'm telling ya'...Ahmadinejad won't show his face on the streets of Iran anytime soon, as many no doubt would love to take a shot at--or an ax to--him.

Sources: BNO, Reuters, Me
Copyright © 2009

Unimaginable horror In Tehran today

The Iran government said Wednesday that the presence of sufficient security forces in Tehran today prevented the violence seen in previous days, according to a CNN reported.

The following story was published by ThreatsWatch.org today, and I've decided to pass it on exactly as it was submitted--no rewriting, no editing (except some spelling and style corrections), no additional reporting from other sources, no commentary from me.

By Steve Schippert on June 24, 2009 at 3:30 PM

Iran has executed its Tiananmen Square. Baharestan Square has become synonymous with barbarity, cruelty, massacre and inhumanity.

An Iranian blogger (whose URL I will not publish) live blogging from Baharestan Square in central Tehran today captures but brief glimpses of the unimaginable horror that took place today. Bus loads of protesters were stopped and unloaded from their buses by "black-clad police" and literally herded. When the massing was sufficient, as the barely controlably distraught Tehran caller to CNN described first hand, hundreds of the regime's Basij thugs poured out of an adjoining mosque and commenced a massacre with axes, clubs, guns and gas.

From the live blogger's eyewitness account:

> More than 10,000 Bassij militias got in position in central Tehran, including Baharestan Square.
> Army helicopters flying over Baharestan and Vali Asr Square.
> The streets, squares and around Baharestan (south-east of Tehran) are swarming with military forces, civilian forces, security motorists.
> The crowd have moved to the south of Baharestan, the situation is bad; the shooting has started.
> In Baharestan Square [there's] police shooting; a girl is shot, and the police is not allowing [others] to help.
> In Baharestan we saw militia with axe chopping people like meat--blood everywhere--like butcher.

This is the Iranian regime, wading into its own unarmed people and axing them to death, bludgeoning women (seen as the greatest threat to the regime) and throwing them to their deaths from pedestrian bridges. The same Iranian regime whose embassy officials are invited to American embassies around the world to celebrate on July 4th, of all things, a successful revolution.

This frantic phone call from a Tehran woman will break your heart as you consider our standard response has been "that there are sets of international norms and principles about violence" and that "the international community is watching." Part of yesterday's response by President Obama in a press conference included "that there is a peaceful path that will lead to stability and legitimacy (of the Iranian regime) and prosperity for the Iranian people. We hope they take it." The Iranian theocratic regime clearly is not interested.

There should not be--nor should have ever been--invitations to the ruthless Iranian regime's international ambassadors to celebrate anything with us, anywhere, unless it is an invitation to a tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity.

To my intelligent friends who have been arguing the logic of our President's near silence on the issue of Iran--and not without merit on certain points--you can disengage from me now. I will entertain none of it any longer.

This is an axe wound, just one, doled out by the regime's thug Basiji animals on Saturday, June 20.

This was a brutal murder of an assuredly unarmed protester of the up-close-and-personal variety. An act, and one not isolated, which requires the presence of inhumane malice and aggression and the absence of humanity. The traits required for massacres upon the unarmed. There is no nuance, no logical approach, no deft explanation that covers near silence and inadequate, tepid condemnation of the meekest sort. To decline any mention of possible repercussions on the regime for these acts "because we don't know how this is going to turn out" is moral cowardice of the highest order. Look at the picture above and listen to the frantic woman calling in to CNN again. They seem to "know how this is going to turn out."

There is a way to condemn a regime axing its citizens in the streets of Tehran and other cities across Iran without "making this about the U.S." You, and our President, are intelligent men and women and lacking no gifts of speech and prose. Find what's missing. Each of you frustrate and sadden me. Argue your eloquent points elsewhere. My ears are deaf as of now.

Source: ThreatsWatch.org
ThreatsWatch.Org was established in 2005 as the means to disseminate information on national security threats in an accessible, interactive and contextually aware form. In 2007 ThreatsWatch.Org became the web-based publication of the Center for Threat Awareness (CTA), a 501(c)3 tax-exempt corporation whose mission is to increase public awareness of threats to national security and liberty.

Obama sent direct message to Iran's leader

An Iranian woman holds a picture of Neda Agha Soltan, who was killed while protesting in the streets of Tehran, during a demonstration in Stockholm today. The Swedish capital has seen daily protests by Iranians demonstrating against the outcome of the recent presidential elections. (OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images)

President Obama sent a direct message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weeks before this month’s disputed election, Iranian sources told CNN today.

The letter requested dialogue and engagement between the two nations, CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour reported.

The sources said Khamenei has yet to reply to the letter, but nonetheless it “had set the negotiating table in order for both sides to sit around it after the election.”

Khamenei made an indirect reference to the letter in his sermon on Friday at Tehran University.

“The U.S. President said that we were waiting for a day like this to see people on the street,” the Iranian leader said. “Some people attributed these remarks to Obama and then they write letters to say we’re ready to have ties; that we respect the Islamic Republic and on the other hand they make such comments. Which one should we believe?”

One Iranian source said that the election dispute is wasting time on the issue of starting U.S.-Iranian negotiations.

The Iranian source said that before the election, “We thought President Obama would send congratulations to President Ahmedinajad” and his senior advisers had already prepared a response to the anticipated note, which never came.(Talk about wishful thinking.)

Well, perhaps if Iran had been more open about its elections process, if the results hadn't been so vehemently contested by candidates and voters alike, if the leaders had addressed the people's concerns, if hundreds of thousands of protesters hadn't taken to the streets for almost two weeks now, if Tehran hadn't turned into a burning and bloody battlefield of violent clashes between protesters and riot police, if civilians--including women and children--hadn't been wounded and killed, if the government hadn't ordered a ridiculous $3,000 "bullet fee" people must pay to recover the bodies of their loves ones, then, maybe that letter would've come.

Source: CNN
Copyright © 2009

FLASH NEWS - Iran unrest, Iraq bomb, marijuana

Iran protesters beaten 'like animals'

Security forces wielding clubs and firing weapons beat back demonstrators who flocked to a Tehran square Wednesday to continue protests. One witness told CNN security forces beat people like "animals." A witness told Reuters there were no casualties after riot police clashed with protesters in central Tehran.

New Hampshire Legislature passes medical marijuana bill

Governor reportedly will study the bill before deciding.

Car bomb in Baghdad, at least 72 dead, over 125 injured

Iraqi police told Reuters that at least 104 people were injured in a powerful explosion at a Baghdad market caused by a car bomb.


Sources: Reuters, AP, AFP, BNO, CNN

Iran extends election complaints deadline 5 days

Tehran streets were quieter today. What that means in terms of the movement born from a massive protest against the June 12 presidential results, which declared incumbent President Ahmadinejad the winner, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei agreed to extend deadline for election complaints by five days, NBC news anchor Ann Curry said via Twitter.

Source: Ann Curry/NBC

Son's Death Has Iranian Family Asking Why

People carry the body of a man allegedly shot by pro-government militia near a rally supporting leading opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 15. (AP photo)

One of the most outrageous news coming from Iran is the government's implementation of a $3,000 "bullet fee" people must pay to recover the body of relatives killed by bullets during the protests.

Now, that's as fucked up as it gets, if you ask me.

Farnaz Fassihi of The Wall Street Journal filed the following story on the matter.

TEHRAN—The family, clad in black, stood at the curb of the road sobbing. A middle-aged mother slapped her cheeks, letting out piercing wails. The father, a frail man who worked as a doorman at a clinic in central Tehran, wept quietly with his head bowed.

Minutes before, an ambulance had arrived from Tehran's morgue carrying the body of their only son, 19-year-old Kaveh Alipour.

On Saturday, amid the most violent clashes between security forces and protesters, Mr. Alipour was shot in the head as he stood at an intersection in downtown Tehran. He was returning from acting class and a week shy of becoming a groom, his family said.

The details of his death remain unclear. He had been alone. Neighbors and relatives think that he got trapped in the crossfire. He wasn't politically active and hadn't taken part in the turmoil that has rocked Iran for over a week, they said.

"He was a very polite, shy young man," said Mohamad, a neighbor who has known him since childhood.

When Mr. Alipour didn't return home that night, his parents began to worry. All day, they had heard gunshots ringing in the distance. His father, Yousef, first called his fiancée and friends. No one had heard from him.

At the crack of dawn, his father began searching at police stations, then hospitals and then the morgue.

Upon learning of his son's death, the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a "bullet fee"—a fee for the bullet used by security forces—before taking the body back, relatives said.

Mr. Alipour told officials that his entire possessions wouldn't amount to $3,000, arguing they should waive the fee because he is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. According to relatives, morgue officials finally agreed, but demanded that the family do no funeral or burial in Tehran. Kaveh Alipour's body was quietly transported to the city of Rasht, where there is family.

Everyone in the neighborhood knows the Alipour family. In addition to their slain son, they have two daughters. Shopkeepers and businesses pasted a photocopied picture of Mr. Alipour on their walls and windows. In the picture, the young man is shown wearing a dark suit with gray stripes. His black hair is combed neatly to a side and he has a half-smile.

"He was so full of life. He had so many dreams," said Arsalan, a taxi driver who has known the family for 10 years. "What did he die for?"

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Obama speaks on Iran, energy, health care, jobs

President Barack Obama at a press conference June 23. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Obama began his press conference today with Iran, followed by energy legislation bill the House is working on and finishing with health care reform.

Some of his Iran-related comments so far:

• "This is not about the United States and the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the future that they, and only they will choose."
• "The Iranian people can speak for themselves."
• "We are going to monitor and see how this plays out before we many any judgments about how to proceed..."
• "As soon as violence broke out--in fact, in anticipation of potential violence--we were very clear in saying that violence was unacceptable, that that was not how governments operate with respect to their people."
• "My role has been to say the United States is not going to be a foil for the Iranian government to try to blame what's happening on the streets of Tehran on the CIA or on the White House, that this is an issue that is led by and given voice to the frustrations of the Iranian people. What we've also been consistent about is saying that there some universal principles...freedom of assembly freedom of speech..."
• "The international community is bearing witness to what's taking place."
• "Iranian government must understand...how they handle they dissent in their country...will help shape the tone not only for Iran's future but also [their relationship] to other countries."
• To a question about John McCain calling for Obama to take a stronger stand against what's happening on Iran, Obama said: "I think John McCain has genuine passion about international issues, and I think that we all share a belief that we want justice to prevail, but only I am the president of the United States. I've got responsibilities in making certain that we are continually advancing our national security interests and that we are not used as a tool to be exploited by other countries. You must have seen the reports...[they] translate what I've said [to make it seem as though] I'm saying people should go out and revolt.... They've [Republicans in Congress] got their constitutional duties, and I'm sure they will carry them out in the way that they think is appropriate. I'm president of the United States, and I'll carry out my duties as I think are appropriate."
  
• Q: "Why don't you spell out the consequences?" A: "Because we don't know how this is going to play out. I know you're all on a 24 hour cycle--I'm not."
• Q: "Under which conditions would you accept the election of Ahmadinejad, and if you do accept it, isn't that a betrayal?" A: "We didn't have international observers on the ground..we can't say definitely what the outcome was...what we can say is that [many] Iranians are question the legitimacy of the elections, so ultimately the most important thing Iran should consider is legitimacy in front of its own people. What we can do is say unequivocally that there are...international rules against violence that spans cultures...I think it's not too late for the Iranian government...that there is a peaceful path.... We hope they take it."
• "Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history."
• Q: "What is your reaction to the video [of Neda]?" A: "It's heartbreaking. It's..uh..heartbreaking. And I think that anyone who sees it can see that there's something fundamentally unjust about that."
  

• To a question about the economy and jobs, he replied: "I think it's clear that unemployment will go over 10%...we're not on full recovery yet. What's important to me is how resilient the American people have been, and that they're still more optimistic than the facts [would lead them to be ]...This is a tough, tough period." We've all been struck by the courage of [the Iranian] people...We have to believe that ultimately justice will prevail."

Below are the prepared remarks for his speech:

Iran

First, I’d like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.

I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.

The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. Some in the Iranian government are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others outside of Iran of instigating protests over the elections. These accusations are patently false and absurd. They are an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran’s borders. This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won’t work anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States and the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the future that they – and only they – will choose.

The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That is precisely what has happened these last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice. Despite the Iranian government’s efforts to expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us through cell phones and computers, and so we have watched what the Iranian people are doing.

This is what we have witnessed. We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard. Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights, and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent, not coercion. That is what Iran’s own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.

Energy Bill

The second issue I want to address is our ongoing effort to build a clean energy economy.

This week, the House of Representatives is moving ahead on historic legislation that will transform the way we produce and use energy in America. It is legislation that will finally spark a clean energy transformation that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and confront the carbon pollution that threatens our planet.

This energy bill will create a set of incentives that will spur the development of new sources of energy, including wind, solar, and geothermal power. It will also spur new energy savings, like efficient windows and other materials that reduce heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer.

These incentives will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy. And that will lead to the development of new technologies that lead to new industries that could create millions of new jobs in America – jobs that cannot be shipped overseas.

At a time of great fiscal challenges, this legislation is paid for by the polluters who currently emit the dangerous carbon emissions that contaminate the water we drink and pollute the air we breathe. It also provides assistance to businesses and communities as they make the gradual transition to clean energy technologies.

This legislation is extraordinarily important for our country, and has taken a great effort on the part of many over the course of months. I want to thank the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman; his colleagues on that committee, Congressmen John Dingell, Ed Markey, and Rick Boucher. I also want to thank Charlie Rangel, the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Collin Peterson, the Chair of the Agriculture Committee, for their many and ongoing contributions to this process. I also want to express my appreciation to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

We all know why this is so important. The nation that leads in the creation of a clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. That is what this legislation seeks to achieve – it is a bill that will open the door to a better future for this nation. And that is why I urge members of the House to come together and pass it.

Health Care Reform

The last issue I’d like to address is health care.

Right now, Congress is debating various health care reform proposals. This is obviously a complicated issue, but I am very optimistic about the progress they’re making.

Like energy, this is legislation that will be paid for. It will not add to our deficits over the next decade. We will find the money through savings and efficiencies within the health care system – some of which we’ve already announced.

We will also ensure that the reform we pass brings down the crushing cost of health care. We simply cannot have a system where we throw good money after bad habits. We must control the skyrocketing costs that are driving families, businesses, and our government into greater and greater debt.

There is no doubt that we must preserve what is best about our health care system, and that means allowing Americans who like their doctors and their health care plans to keep them. But unless we fix what is broken in our current system, everyone’s health care will be in jeopardy. Unless we act, premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode further, and the rolls of uninsured will swell to include millions more Americans. Unless we act, one out of every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care within a decade. And the amount our government spends on Medicare and Medicaid will eventually grow larger than what our government spends on anything else today.

When it comes to health care, the status quo is unsustainable. Reform is not a luxury, it is a necessity. And so I hope that Congress will continue to make significant progress on this issue in the weeks ahead.

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

Techonolgy wins in Iran, revolt continues...

Neda Agha-Soltan has became an icon of Iran unrest after she was shot and killed during a protest in Tehran this weekend. (Photo is a still from a YouTube video that captured her last moments before dying.)

All eyes and ears are on Iran, and for the first time it's not because of the award-winning coverage of the media.

Technology has turned average citizens into reporters and photojournalists whose real-time correspondence can be seen and heard throughout the world on computer screens, blackberries and cellphones via text messaging, blogs, emails and social network websites such as Facebook and Twitter. This steady stream of manic reports and images has made every person on the other side of the source an eye witness to these events.

The value of Twitter, a fun and "cute" website set up to enable friends and strangers to be in constant, instant communication with each other and to entertain them in the process, shoot up at rocket speed when it became the news source this weekend, with so-called tweets flowing at a rate of dozens per second, hundreds per minute.

Without these reports, news networks such as CNN would've been lost in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential elections, when confronted with increasing violence stemming from clashes between protesters and security forces the Iranian government banned foreign press coverage of the events.

Well, it didn't work.

Rather than decrease exposure, the communication blackout increased it by encouraging people to seek out information rather than wait for the media to feed it to them.

Without technology in the hands of ordinary people, the world would've never learned about Neda Agha-Soltan (right)--a 26-year-old woman described by family and friends as a "beam of light,” a music and travel lover but never an activist--shot by militia during a rally whose death was captured by a cellphone camera, the graphic images disseminated throughout the world turning her into the movement's first martyr.

Neda Agha-Soltan has become an icon of Iran unrest. In less than a minute, amateur footage shot using a cellphone and later posted on YouTube for all to see, shows Neda bleeding and dying after being hit by a bullet on the neck. This is one of many examples, possibly the most powerful yet, of civilians' ability to document and report events inside Iran despite government restrictions on foreign media as well as Internet and phone lines. (Getty/Handout)

What now?

The public outcry for democracy, justice and freedom has not been silenced despite the government's efforts to crush the masses of people that have taken to the streets of Tehran to protest the election results they claim were rigged to declare incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

The question, for me at least, has been, will it make a difference? Will their efforts to call attention to their cause spark long-term change in Iran or just lead to more of what we have already seen? How long before they give up? If the uprising produces nothing but more violence, why continue to put their lives in danger?

And danger is what they're facing everyday in Tehran--ongoing protests, rallies, fires, clashes, batons, rocks, tear gas, opposers, supporters, riot police...more violence and chaos.

I wonder if there's a point of no return, and if they have reached it.

A tanker would end this. But now that Iran knows a ban on foreign press coverage is useless, would it unleash such military force on its people while the world watches?

A leaderless revolution with many captains

Earlier today, one of the CNN anchors said he's been in contact with a 19-year-old young woman in Iran who has been sending him messages and photos via email. Soon after she was on the phone live from Iran.

The girl reportedly was badly beaten Saturday but returned to the streets today.

Below are some of her statements, some paraphrased and some in quotes, most of which were replies to questions from the anchor.

• When asked about beatings she said: "I have been beaten so many times...and this time it doesn't matter...I just want to help my brothers and my sisters...". She said she saw an old woman and three others being beaten at a bus stop by Basij (Iranian militia) who were telling them to leave, "but the old woman said this is her country...and she's waiting for husband to pick her up and would not move...they beat her and three others."
• About Neda, the woman who has become the symbol of this movement, she said she tried to go to the memorial but police stopped her. She added that people are chanting: "We don't want you to kill another Neda--we are all Nedas today."
• When questioned about a 5-year-old boy who was hurt by the Basij, she said they "hit him with motorcycle...a woman over him was crying for help and we went to help her but police would not let us."
• Regarding whether or not she thought the elections were a success, she replied: "I don't know why they make a fool of themselves because everyone knows...everyone took part in this election because we don't want Ahmadinejad to be president...that's why we all went out...we wanted Mousavi to be our president."
• When asked why she kept going back and risk being beaten again or worse, she said: "because I think it's my, um, responsibility, because many of my friends are in this situation, then I stay at home I worry about my friends other women other boys that are hit, then i think maybe I should go and help them."
• To a question about what she and others say to the police who beat them, she replied: "If you're Iranian you should not beat your mother, your brother, your sister."
• Regarding the role of women in the protests she said: "If you want the truth, I think that women are more than men...the women are all together...they are so more than men...the women, they don't have a chance to express themselves to say that we're important in the future of our country...and now we can play a role...it's a good chance for us."
• And, finally, when asked how she feels about the current state of affairs in Iran, she replied: "I'm absolutely optimistic because history has taught me that every revolution is fought like this...some people die, but nothing stays the same forever...this is how revolutions are...unfortunately we don't have a leader, and that's not good."

At the end of the call, she thanked the anchor for listening to her.

Former Crown Prince Pahlavi on Iran

Former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. (AFP)

Former Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi said Monday the protests in his country were supported by much of the military and clerical establishment and could end up bringing down the entire Islamic government.

Pahlavi, who has sought an end to the Islamic regime since his father was deposed in the 1979 revolution, said he had sources within the military and intelligence that were ready to switch sides, with some refusing to carry out orders to suppress the protests.

"It's almost a revolutionary climate," an at-times teary-eyed Pahlavi told reporters in Washington.

He said "a movement" was born on June 12, the day the presidential elections were held.

"It is not Islamic or anti-Islamic, it is not for capitalism or socialism, nor any other ideology or specific form of government. It cares little about historical squabbles before its birth. It is about the sanctity, even more, the sovereignty of the ballot box. It may not succeed immediately. It may have ebbs and flows. But, let me assure you it will not die, because we will not let it die," he said.

He noted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sealed his own fate by backing Ahmadinejad.

"A week (after the elections), the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic decided to stand erect as a dam in front of this movement, sanctioning theft of the ballot box and flagrant fraud, all in the name of Islam," he said.

"It was an ugly moment of disrespect for both God and man. It will not stand. The citizens of Iran will not stand it. And at the end, he will not stand."

Pahlavi, who was exiled from Iran and now lives in the U.S., warned that a failure of the protest movement would encourage more "extremism" in Iran and urged foreign governments to not fall for the "foreign interference" trap the Iranian regime would use to further crush human rights.

"Your governments have insisted that they would not interfere in Iran's internal affairs. I applaud that," he said. "Any such attempt will give the tyrants the excuse they need to paper over their own differences, and target every man struggling for freedom as a foreign agent. But that is not all they do. They are painting every statement in defense of human rights as foreign interference, benefiting from the confusion between the two."

"It is vital that the free world not fall for such cruel cynicism in the name of realpolitik," he added.

He said that Moussavi, who was part of the 1979 revolution, would soon have to decide whether he will seek a complete overhaul of Iran's regime.

"You can't at the same time hold allegiance to the regime and at the same time hold allegiance to the people," Pahlavi said. "This is no longer tenable."

If you ask me, I believe we won't be seeing Ahmadinejad any time soon because an assassination attempt is all but sure the moment he steps on any street of Tehran.

Sources: CNN, My Twisted Mind; Pahlavi story: mostersandcritic,PR Newswire
Copyright © 2009