Khamenei's Sermon
| Fri Jun. 19, 2009 7:51 AM PDT
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his long awaited sermon today, and it wasn't pretty:
Addressing huge crowds at Tehran University, the ayatollah voiced support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the president's views on foreign affairs and social issues were close to his.
....Responding to allegations of electoral fraud, the ayatollah insisted the Islamic Republic would not cheat. "There is 11 million votes difference," the ayatollah said. "How can one rig 11 million votes?"
....He said the election was a "political earthquake" for Iran's enemies — singling out Britain as "the most evil of them" — whom he accused of trying to foment unrest in the country.
"Some of our enemies in different parts of the world intended to depict this absolute victory, this definitive victory, as a doubtful victory," the Supreme Leader said.
Until now, there was some thought that Khamenei might back down and look for a compromise solution of some kind. Doesn't look that way now. On the bright side, though, Obama's careful reaction seems to have shifted the mantle of Great Satan to a different country for at least a few days.
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Comments
You say Mousavi, I say
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 8:09 AM PDT.
You say Mousavi, I say Ahmadinejad, let's call the whole thing off.
Seriously, are these two guys really going to be that much different to the people of Iran and the world? Isn't the problem Khameni? How does causing a fight over either of these two guys help anyone out?
How much of a reformer is Mousavi?
Obama said as much (which
Submitted by SSJPabs (not verified) on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 8:31 AM PDT.
Obama said as much (which probably helped Mousavi because he got a little punch from the hated US) but look, it's beyond him now. He can only ride the wave of the movement so he is going to have to push farther and faster than he might otherwise have done if he wins.
Although it looks like now, unless the militia forces stand down (and who thinks that? they were chosen for their fanatical loyalty) it's going to take armed revolution to win which makes me weep for the country.
America's fascination with Iran is dangerous
Submitted by tpx on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 8:14 AM PDT.
America's media, and Americans, did not pay as much attention to the disputed presidential election in Mexico as it does to the disputed presidential election in Iran. America's fascination with Iran is dangerous.
Iran similar to Mexico?
Submitted by MarkH on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 7:08 PM PDT.
Now there's a Bush-like comparison if I ever read one.
Is Mexico developing nuclear capabilities?
Does Mexicans hate Israel?
Is Mexico a theocracy with some radical tendencies?
Mexico is a friend to America and Iran's current leadership hates us.
Big difference.
America's leadership that hates Iran's independence
Submitted by tpx on Sun Jun. 21, 2009 9:26 AM PDT.
Calderon is Mexico's W. Bush. Both stole office through electoral manipulation, which was institutionalized by reactionary courts. The Americans cheering the demonstrators in Iran wanted the riot police to smash the Mexicans demonstrating for Obrador. The Americans cheering for the demonstrators in Iran could care less about the civil liberties of Iranians, Mexicans or Americans, and will howl for a Pearl Harbor-like sneak attack against Iran for the oil companies and Israel. It is America's leadership that hates Iran's independence and defense of Lebanon's Shiites. Iran hates the special forces president W. Bush sent into Iran to blow up mosques, though, and rightfully should distrust any US pronouncements about its internal politics.
Americans fear their government more than Iranians fear their's
Submitted by tpx on Sun Jun. 21, 2009 10:06 AM PDT.
If you support the Iranian demonstrators, then you should be engaging in civil disobedience to prevent, disrupt and destroy America's militant aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine, even at the risk of your liberty and life. Americans do not do act out this way because of fear of their government. Americans fear their government more than Iranians fear their's.
I say Mousavi backs down.
Submitted by felinecannonball on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 8:38 AM PDT.
I say Mousavi backs down. He was hoping for recount or revote. I don't think he's up for a revolution or a lengthy imprisonment.
Unless there's a high level coup at the Mullah level, this thing peters out with some police action and bloodshed.
How can you change 11
Submitted by Trippp on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 9:21 AM PDT.
How can you change 11 million votes?!
Geeze, give me access to the database and an editor and I can change 11 bazillion votes. This guy must think the Iranian people are incredibly ignorant.
Tripp
Until now, there was some
Submitted by MacGruber on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 9:51 AM PDT.
"Until now, there was some thought that Khamenei might back down and look for a compromise solution of some kind."
Why would anyone think that? There was no pressure on Khamenei to back down or compromise at all.
"On the bright side, though, Obama's careful reaction seems to have shifted the mantle of Great Satan to a different country for at least a few days."
That's the bright side, huh?
It's just a hobby
Submitted by SRW1 (not verified) on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 11:15 AM PDT.
There was no pressure on Khamenei to back down or compromise at all.
Yeah, because the only kind of pressure that counts is American politicians making pious statements about liberty.
More than a million demonstrating in the streets several days after another is just a lot of people simultaneously taking up the hobby of going for a stroll.
Who's the greatest Satan of them all?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 9:53 AM PDT.
Just learned from Ali Ansari's "Iran Under Ahmadinejad" that there's a history of Iranians singling out the UK for even worse criticism than the US, for reasons dating back to colonization (and there was an incident in 2007 in which Iran held 15 British soldiers captive). So the fact that Obama's been more circumspect than Brown probably contributed to Khamenei's rhetoric here, but it's not entirely out of character.
Someone needs to tell the
Submitted by B on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 10:03 AM PDT.
Someone needs to tell the protestors to stop printing out block letter signs in english with their Canon inkjet printers and getting attractive young Iranian women with out head covering to parade in front of the cameras with them.
Everyone knows you need pitted-skinned bearded men in their 40's lashing their backs and holding koranic verses in arabic like this one: "Pharaoh exalted himself arrogantly in the land and divided its people into camps, oppressing one group of them by slaughtering their sons and letting their women live"
think he means it
Submitted by alan (not verified) on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 11:13 AM PDT.
"How can one rig 11 million votes?"
I think he means this.
I don't think he understands one thing about how elections work or what they're for.
He thinks they're just some pretty game for children.
Kahmenei is 'all in'
Submitted by SRW1 (not verified) on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 11:29 AM PDT.
Whether he was a part of the fraud from the beginning or not, Khamenei has effectively declared to be 'all in'. Now Mossavi and Rafsanjani have to decide whether to put up or shut up, and from the way it looks, the Ajmadinejad party appears to have all the guns. But even if the hardliners prevail this time, the damage has been done and the veneer of legitimacy is gone.
The supremo uno lies
Submitted by equinexus on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 1:41 PM PDT.
Indeed, just for a moment, the UK was the "great satan" and not us.
That lasted all of five minutes. Then came this:
"The US president said, we were waiting for a day like this, to see people on the streets. Some people attributed these remarks to Obama."
- Khameni
followed by chants of "death to America"...
Usually the chants are to
Submitted by tpx on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 2:26 PM PDT.
Usually the chants are to nuke Iran.
Mention of the Britain is,
Submitted by nickwib on Fri Jun. 19, 2009 2:43 PM PDT.
Mention of the Britain is, for historical reasons, like a red rag to many Iranians, but the popularity of BBC’s Farsi channel is what really worries the powers that be.
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