Posted on 06/18/2009 4:57:39 AM PDT by Scanian
TEHRAN, Iran -- Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched in quiet defiance on the fifth day of post-election chaos yesterday, setting the stage for a showdown today with the increasingly worried hard-liners.
Trying to stem the uprising, Iran's "supreme leader," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called in representatives of all four candidates in the dubious election, in an effort to quell the angry protests that threaten the 30-year-old Islamic regime.
Khamenei, who backed extremist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, has not been seen in a week but is expected to plead for calm tomorrow. Officials said he will make a rare appearance leading Friday prayers in Tehran.
Today, pro-reform activists plan a rally to mourn "martyrs" gunned down by regime thugs at this week's protests.
Among the latest developments:
* Ahmadinejad opponents cited proof of the rigged election, including figures that showed more than 30 Iranian towns cast more votes than they had registered voters.
One town, Taft, had a turnout of 141 percent, an opposition Web site said. Another town, Kouhrang, had 132 percent.
Government officials said there was a record 85 percent turnout nationally.
* At least 500 political activists, journalists and students were reported to have been arrested during the government's post-election crackdown.
Among those seized yesterday was Saeed Laylaz, editor of the business daily Sarmayeh, who warned last week that Iran could be headed for a post-election bloodbath.
* Iran accused the United States for the first time of "intolerable" meddling in the crisis.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Dearborn, MI, are you listening?
Hooray for the MORAL COURAGE of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney!
Iran might not blow this time - but they will soon. Bye bye Mullahs.
* Ahmadinejad opponents cited proof of the rigged election, including figures that showed more than 30 Iranian towns cast more votes than they had registered voters.
Hmmmm...Throughout my entire adult life, AND especially the last few elections, in a number of locales, we've had a number of precincts reported their tally 113-116% of the registered voters. Yet, though it was reported...nothing...nothing ever came about it. No follow-up investigation, no queries into these discrepancies. No wonder the populace are so jaded...so fraught with exasperation.
Wow! Baltimordor and Chigago never quite manage such amazing civic-mindedness.
Now, that’s a pose worthy of the prophet himself! (see the “Holy Hadiths”)
Sort of like Obamaism.
Since when did Iran have a vote? I thought they just had a fastest camel election?
== I must be missing something... ==
You are.
It’s not about the candidates. It’s only slightly more about the election.
What it’s really about, is that the people are sick and tired of the whole theocratic mullocracy, and want a democratic form of government.
A group called the Association of Human Rights Activists in Iran said that as many as 32 people had been killed in protests -- much higher than the previously reported toll
The top prosecutor in the central Iranian province of Isfahan warned that Iranians responsible for the upheaval could face the death penalty.
Estimates of the size of the march in Tehran's Haft-e Tir Square ranged from 100,000 to 500,000 people
Since the protesters are large city centered, cut off their water and power for a few days.
filled with free healthcare, bailouts and all.
I have said it before and I will say it again: this is not a revolution I would personally be apart of
They must have the goon squad ready!
The US-hating, Holocaust-denying Ahmadinejad returned from a summit in Russia yesterday, then appeared on state television to say the people had voted for his "policies of justice."
This has too much momentum. They won’t just replace nutjob with Musavi. Khamenei will fall and I think if not total regime change, at least the “velayat faqih” the supreme rule of a cleric, a concept by khomeini which has no traditional legitimation in Shia islam, will be rendered powerless or extremely weakened.
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