Christopher Hitchens in his 14 June Slate article describes the type of characters who are Ahmadinejad's adherents
The Yahoo news article outlines that the real power in Iran has always been the clerics and their security apparatus. Before the votes were fully counted the country was already operating under seige mode. Internet connections and cell phone lines were cut, opponents arrested, stormtroopers were sent out to control major institutions, foreign and domestic press coverage was stifled or completly removed, and the supreme (with extra cheese) leader himself declared (twice) that their man had won even before the votes were all counted.
Ahmadinejad's post-election responses to CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour about the integrity of the voting process, the validity of the election results, and the safety of electorial opponents were little more than farcial drivel that could have been written by Saddam Hussein's former Information Minister. For example, he claims that Iran, "Is the most stable country in the world" and it is a country where "all are equal." I'm sure that is true, unless of course if you belong to any particular minority group or are a woman.
He states that citizens can vote for any candidate that they wish for. Brilliant, you can vote for any candidate that the Mullahs allow you to vote for and in the present case you will have the representatives that the Mullahs have dictated, in spite of the popular vote. In other words, "You're free to do as we tell you to do!"
I went to the last major Ahmadinejad rally and got the whiff of what I imagine fascism to have been all about. Lots of splotchy boys who can't get a date are given guns and told they're special.There certainly are attributes of fascism, which are clearly expressed in the convoluted theocracy that is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nationalism, belligerent foreign policy, ethnic and class superiority, and authoritarianism are readily identifiable traits. However, the lack of a corporate dominated core and the weakness of the punditry class to adequately define Islamo-fascism other than in the most vague of metaphysical terms leads me to dismiss the label and accept that the Mullahs and their supporters are just good-ole-thugs at heart flying a revolutionary flag of convenience. The Iranian theocracy in my opinion is no different than any other autocratic junta who has seized power through military means and mob assistance. It is hardly a surprise that Ahmadinejad, instead of being a shrewd and refined politician is merely a punch-drunk lackey of the mullahs parading around in proletarian garbs and espousing populist shibboleths to convince the masses that he's one of their own.
The Yahoo news article outlines that the real power in Iran has always been the clerics and their security apparatus. Before the votes were fully counted the country was already operating under seige mode. Internet connections and cell phone lines were cut, opponents arrested, stormtroopers were sent out to control major institutions, foreign and domestic press coverage was stifled or completly removed, and the supreme (with extra cheese) leader himself declared (twice) that their man had won even before the votes were all counted.
Ahmadinejad's post-election responses to CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour about the integrity of the voting process, the validity of the election results, and the safety of electorial opponents were little more than farcial drivel that could have been written by Saddam Hussein's former Information Minister. For example, he claims that Iran, "Is the most stable country in the world" and it is a country where "all are equal." I'm sure that is true, unless of course if you belong to any particular minority group or are a woman.
He states that citizens can vote for any candidate that they wish for. Brilliant, you can vote for any candidate that the Mullahs allow you to vote for and in the present case you will have the representatives that the Mullahs have dictated, in spite of the popular vote. In other words, "You're free to do as we tell you to do!"
"The situation is very good... everyone is friends."The real question in my mind is how much knowledge and involvement did he personally have in this sorid affair? Did he instigate the ballot rigging or was he only told he won with the blessings of the Mullahs? At what point did he know the Mullahs had his back covered?
"Iran is a political power" and will make "economic, scientific, and
cultural" gains in the years to come.
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