Posted on 06/19/2009 5:44:30 AM PDT by Fennie
TEHRAN - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday demanded an end to street protests that have shaken the country since a disputed presidential election a week ago and said any bloodshed would be their leaders fault.
He defended Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the rightful winner of the presidential vote and denied any possibility that it had been rigged, as Ahmadinejad's opponents have asserted.
"If there is any bloodshed, leaders of the protests will be held directly responsible," Khamenei declared in his first address to the nation since the upheaval began.
"The result of the election comes from the ballot box, not from the street," the white-bearded cleric told huge crowds thronging Tehran University and surrounding streets for Friday prayers. "Today the Iranian nation needs calm."
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
Those protesters need to tell Khamenei to “STICK IT!”
If you had several hundred thousand people with sticks and knives, fighting in tight urban terrain against several thousand riot police, most of the city would fall to the protesters immediately.
Once you start bringing in tanks and machine guns, it's a different story. For both sides. Because Iran doesn't know for sure who the tanks and machine guns are going to side with, if push comes to shove.
“Not too hard to figgure which side you are on!”
Exactly. Obama would rather “negotiate” with dictators than support freedom. His cousin Odinga is trying to become a dictator in Kenya. Obama is much worse than I thought he would be.
Iran spent large amounts of money beefing up their internal security forces a number of years ago.
They will deal with the protesters when they get the journalists out of the country.
Riiiight. More likely the results come from some imams in the smoke-filled back room at the hookah bar.
Hey, it's kind of like Chicago but with different crooks!
That was one of the purposes of the invasion. Dropping freedom in the middle of countries run by authoritarians of different flavors.
You are SOOOOOOO on the money!!
AKs about as common as kitchen knives in Iran ............................. Yeah, but they’re in the hands of the Revolutionary guards and their families.
thats a great idea!!!
I am afraid that the press does not recall that the Ayatollahs hated the Shah of Iran because he was instituting a land reform that would take away land from the clergy — which was then the preponderant landholder in the country. The dominant clerics remain today very rich and have much to lose should they ever be forced to cede power. They retain their leadership through the Pasdaran, the Revolutionary Guard, which is even more powerful than the military. Unfortunately, these fanatical Islamists will be forced from power only at gunpoint.
And that's who's really running things, anyway. Elections and presidency in Iran is all a fraud. It's almost as laughable is Saddam Hussein's "re-election".
This, a blog from a young Iranian protester, tells what I think is the TRUE story here:
“Amir, Mashhad, aged 23: Please let the world know the people of Iran are using the election and its outcome as an excuse, their real problem is the whole system and the corrupt regime of the Islamic Republic. Anything that happens to us is because of this religion. How can I make you understand, religious beliefs are personal and should not be enforced on the public.”
It’s not about Mousavi. It’s about rooting out the muslim fanatics who have ruined that nation. Whether they will be successful is yet to be determined, but apparently they’re not going to be placated by a “prayer” and threatening words from a dried-up old mullah.
And our Supreme Leader Ayatollah Obama says we should not meddle and cannot bring himself to express support for the cause of liberty.
Like you guys did in 1979?
Then no doubt, according to Stalin’s logic, “We the People” has no merit. But then again, we are talking a dictatorship and theocracy...
It will take years to get those “civil forces” trained enough to go against the hundreds of thousands of “right-wing terrorists” already armed and having had prior military training. Also, those being recruited for the “civil forces” are all going to be coming from the ranks of those who think they’re smarter than anyone else. Those of us who are prior military can remember those types. They make the worst team players.
I understand your point though ...
the iranians that twitter seem to think much of the military will refuse orders to fire on the citizens.
Unfortunately it looks like it’s going to come down to seeing if that is true - or not.
They are faster than Floyd Mayweather, Jr.???
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