Posted on 06/16/2005 8:49:08 PM PDT by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Statement by the President Bush on Iranian Elections
[Excerpts]
President Bush, The White House:
In recent months, the cause of freedom has made enormous gains in the broader Middle East. ... And as a tide of freedom sweeps this region, it will also come eventually to Iran. ...Here are a few other news items you may have missed.
Today, Iran is ruled by men who suppress liberty at home and spread terror across the world. Power is in the hands of an unelected few who have retained power through an electoral process that ignores the basic requirements of democracy.
The June 17th presidential elections are sadly consistent with this oppressive record. ...
Today, the Iranian regime denies all these rights. ... READ MORE
- The Iranian people deserve a genuinely democratic system in which elections are honest - and in which their leaders answer to them instead of the other way around.
- The Iranian people deserve a truly free and democratic society with a vibrant free press that informs the public and ensures transparency.
- They deserve freedom of assembly, so Iranians can gather and press for reform and a peaceful, loyal opposition can keep the government in check.
- They deserve a free economy that delivers opportunity and prosperity and economic independence from the state.
- They deserve an independent judiciary
that will guarantee the rule of law and ensure equal justice for all Iranians. And they deserve a system that guarantees religious freedom, so that they can build a society in which compassion and tolerance prevail.
- Ayatollah Medhi Haeri, WSJ says the election in Iran is a betrayal of Islam.
- The Jerusalem Post is calling Iran's election a sham.
- The major Iranian opposition broadcasters in a unique display of unity in broadcasting the same feed into Iran calling for a boycott of the elections tomorrow.
- Shirin Ebadi Muhammad Sahimi, WSJ said, Turning a blind eye to human rights abuses, when the vast majority of Iranians desire mutually respectful relations with the West, would only increase their suspicion of the West's underlying motives.
- The New York Times had an analysis why Rafsanjani is not our man in Iran.
- Kenneth R. Timmerman reported that the election turnout tomorrow is excepted to be around 27%. This would be disastrous to the regime if accurate.
- Michael Ledeen says the Iranian election tomorrow is a farce.
- The Financial Times reported that exiled Iranian opposition activists say they are studying and training in the techniques of "non-violent conflict."
- Defense & Foreign Affairs provides a special analysis of the 2005 elections in Iran, June 17th.
- And finally, we have just received a list of locations in the U.S. where Iranians can go to vote in the June 17th election. Opposition groups are asking for help in shutting them down.
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Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!
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"Abolhassan Banisadr, the Islamic republic's first (and only) freely elected president. He was deposed in a coup in 1981 and has been a target of assassination by regime hit teams ever since. Banisadr told me that internal tracking polls conducted by the regime, leaked to his supporters, showed that the regime's own interior ministry expected voter turnout to be around 27 percent. Banisadr is calling on his supporters inside Iran to boycott the elections."
"27%"..........I hope it's 1/2 that!
Ironic, patriot Iraqis risk everything to vote, patriot Persians risk everything to not vote.
In reguards to this "election" I think Henery Ford said it best when asked about his cars, "People can have my cars in any color they want...as long as it's black"
Jimmy Carter will be the first to praise the results as an exercise in democracy.
I hope folks keep us updated on what is going on today. What a slap in the face, of the mullah's, it would be if even LESS than 27% voted.
Have you heard that Iranian websites are reporting that the regime took Ganji's wife into custody?
It's thought to be a way to keep him quiet until after election.
Does anyone know why crowds were standing across Enghelab Square, even blocking the street itself?
Capture off the webcam is at http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-11/895577/engh.jpg (I haven't mastered the tags to insert images in here)
I havent seen anything about protests in that area or anywhere else today for that matter.
VOTE EXTENDED UNTIL 10 PM NOW, I WONDER IF THAT GOES FOR ALL THOSE ILLEGAL VOTING STATIONS IN THE U.S. ALSO?
http://mrbehi.blogs.com/i/
June 17, 2005
Election Day- Behi Coverage
9:00 p.m: The time for vote is extended till 10 p.m and now the noise signal on satellite TVs are gone so I can also track other news channels. BBC Francis Harrison is reporting constantly from Tehran and he interviews a guy called Mr. Ghizilbash who is a political activist. I have never heard of him but he is indeed a fair observer of the election issues here. Bush recent speech made Iran leaders and TV to gain a clue to repeat the stupid slogans against the west. I do not mean he is wrong but will he please try not to support our people by any chance?
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Good luck.
Hi
Well, I can tell there are not large scale protests right now in Iran but some are going on in front of infamous Evin prison and some students are in sit-in strike at campuses.
But there is not high turnout for this sham election. No body is willing to vote for this corrupt regime.
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