Just got off the phone talking to some of my contacts in Iran around 3 am ET. I've to stay up late to be able to catch them after they wake up, just due to time difference. It's been 4 days since I talked to any one in Iran. I feel better now knowing all I know are safe even though they were beaten badly. Okay, these are subjects they all emphasized on and I am giving you a summary of them here. Please remember I have talked to a variety of people with different opinions. Some are pro-reform, some are for total regime change. Here you're with what I gathered from talking to these brave people:
1- Majority of people now openly express their desire to have a new regime in place.
2- Ordinary people are very angry with the regime and are tired of it.
3- People no longer have confidence in the regime. Regime no longer holds people's trust.
4- Regime has severely lost its legitimacy especially after the bloodbath that was this past Saturday. People want to take revenge.
5- People inside of Iran are mourning the loss of Neda so much. It has angered people further.
6- One thing holding some people from wanting to have regime change is the poisonous propaganda by the regime that Iran's enemies want to split up the country and make it look like Balkan states of 1990s. Some fear this BS and therefore don't seek regime change.
7- Regime has complete control over the flow of information inside of Iran. People are scared to send text messages or communicate with each other about further rallies. No one I talked to knew anything about the exact death toll, news of IRGC commanders being detained... etc
8- International support is necessary. Political isolation of the regime is of utmost importance.
9- Tehran is now a garrison full of security forces. Armed thugs and Basijis run checkpoints at major intersections of the city.
10- Emotionally speaking, people are outraged and very sad. It's some sort of collective depression.
27 comments:
I just talked to Iran to everybody is afraid there's a lot off security on the streets they stil hit people as a group is not allowed
@Anonymous
That's correct. Regime is trying to scare people.
Winston: July 4th would be the perfect day for the next massive protest. If anyone is murdered that day, Obama will know he is partying with criminals at his BBQ.
The symbolism of having it on that day would be be priceless.
PS. Do you know of any memorial funds for Neda? The more I learn about this young lady, the more I am saddened by her death. Thanks.
Thanks Winston for the update. I just hope and pray that the regime has not been successful in "beating domw" the resistance.
People!!!
Winston is lying. I live in Tehran, I live in Iran, all the points he posted are LIES.
Me and my family, and everyone on our street and neighborhood don't think the government has lost our trust. We voted for the parliament members and the president. Winston is LYING. Nobody cares about Neda in Iran, people are worried about their own life and are moving on with their life. People die everyday, its sad she died, but at the same time, we don't know who shot her, and she shouldn't have been in the streets in the first place!!!!
Also, Winston will probably delete this post, because he doesnt allow dissent, he is a weak ideologue who thinks he can change Iran via a blog, when he doesn't even live there!!!
Sasan, I just heard a woman calling from Iran crying because the basijis are beating people to their deaths and throwing people over the bridge. Sasan, you tell us here, if everything is calm and perfect as you say, then why have all foreign media been kicked out of Iran?!
You talk about Neda's death as if she deserved it! Grow a heart, Sasan.
Winston, has there been any petition started, which demands Obama do more than just "condemn" the human rights abuses in Iran (such as internationally isolate & end recognition of the Islamic regime as a legitimate government, end export, and cancel the 4th of July plans the White House has with Iranian diplomats)?
FearlessDream....
hmmm...they say all communication is cut in and out of Iran, but yet, American media always finds a person to talk to on the phone who tells them about the slaughter going on in Iran??
Doesnt that sound kind of suspicious? but americans don't care about that, as long as it supports your world view.
Also, Neda, didnt deserve to die, but she put herself in danger when she came out to the streets. If people perform protests without permits, they will be stopped. Do we even know who shot her? do we have any evidence as to who shot her? NO, people just speculate. honestly, people in Iran don't care about her, life goes on.
Sasan: You are probably just a troll, but I'll waste my time anyhow....
The fact that you could care less about the murder of an innocent civilian in your country really says a lot about you. You've been following the mullahs for so long that murder doesn't even register as a crime in your conscience. Your soul is damaged at best.
Thank you Winston for giving us a glimpse inside the Koranic curtain.
Looks like you've earned yourself a troll for your trouble.
Sasan...your sentiments are repulsive; take your hate and blind ignorance away. The blood of the innocent Iranians will be partly on your head for contributing your support to the oppressive brutal regime there. SHAME ON YOU!!!
Jay,
What do you mean I could care less.....do you care much when a person in your city gets gunned down by a criminal???? Do you post her pictures on the internet and make her a martyr??? No you don't. Don't judge me.
I have been following the mullahs??? excuse me, but this revolution was brought in by the people in 1979. I was there, I was a young kid back then, you don't like it, you dont have to live here, and thank god you don't. Leave us alone.
Caroline,
How are my sentiments repulsive? how am i being hateful or ignorant. I voted for Ahmadinejad and he won, so that makes me repulsive. you live thousands of miles away and dare to criticize me when there are thugs ruining our capital city?
And this government is not repressive, last time I checked, women can't even drive in Saudi, or vote, or do anything for that matter, but you don't hate them or say they are repulsive, because they give you cheap oil and they are your client state. Go to hell Caroline, go learn something about international politics. Leave the people in Iran alone, we will deal with our own problems.
Sasan, boro gomsho jakesh!
Sasan,
1. You surely represent a portion of Iranian people. But, hopefully a minority. The minority that is now in the streets beating innocent people and killing them and shooting them.
2. I am happy that Winston left your comment here. since you also deserve to be heard. We need to know the kind of heartless people who (although in minority) are ruling our dear country. He also proved you wrong as you did think he is not going to publish this, but he did. As you can see your opposition is far more open-minded than you.
3. You ask westerners to leave the people of Iran alone, for which you have no right. People of Iran is a large group of people and not all of them want to be left alone, as you can see from the ones who are so brave to come to the streets and show their desire for a change. So speak for yourself.
4. I am promising that your day will come, when your dear AhmadiNejad and Khamenei are not ruling anymore, Iran is free and democratic and you have to go to exile in somewhere like Saudi where they treat women the way you like.
I could have deleted this troll's comments here but I won't. Let people see the stupidity of regime's supporters. His next comments will be deleted.
Christopher Hitchens wrote an article in Slate just a little over a week ago in which he said this:
"For a flavor of the political atmosphere in Tehran, Iran, last week, I quote from a young Iranian comrade who furnishes me with regular updates:"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."
I think we have one of those boys here writing comments.
LoL @ Louise. Excellent quote. LMAO..........
I like poetry, so I thought I'd share this touching poem for Neda that I came across with everyone here:
A Poem for Neda Agha Soltan (1982-2009)
Written by Mandana
-
Stay, Neda—
The twittering birds,
Green-garbed forests,
Scented blossoms… all sing
of spring’s arrival
Don’t go, Neda…
-
Stay, Neda—
Sing with your people in the streets
Say, Long live life!
Down with death!
Tell the sun to shine,
the cold to depart
Don’t go, Neda…
-
Stay, Neda—
Look at this city
At the shaken foundations of palaces,
The height of Tehran’s maple trees,
They call us “dust,” and if so
Let us sully the air for the oppressor
Don’t go, Neda
-
Don’t be afraid
It is the sound of fireworks, not bullets
The offspring-sparks of a great flame
We are aflame,
Fueled by baton-cracks and gunshots
We are ablaze
Don’t go Neda…
-
Oh Neda, Neda!
Breathe
Rise
Shatter the cage
Break through the bars
Don’t go, Neda
-
Don’t go, Neda—
Wait—
Look beyond the clouds
Lady sun is breaking through
She is just like you
Don’t go Neda
Oh God, don’t go…
Sasan, sounds like you are a stooge of Khamenei. He is the right hand man of satan. You will join him in hell sooner than you think. Would you like to come to Birmingham UK so that I could have a good kick of your ass and foul mouth.
You're a real man Anonymous, why don't you post your name and come to Iran.
If I am a stooge of the Supreme Leader, then so are the Iranian people. THe majority of Iranians, by far support our government.
Winston is a traitor, and im afraid you may be one to. go to hell.
Susan, nothing more needed be said. We understand you very well. you belong to a mental institution together with the rest of your crowd in Iran.
Tell you my name,why? I enjoy tormenting you until you ended up in hell where you belong.
Obviously there is a troll on here who is not civilized enough to dissent without throwing personal attacks at the blogger and the rest of us.
It's pretty sad that I'm from the "white trash American south" as Sasan put it, and I somehow manage to be more civilized than this nutcase...
PLEASE, EVERYONE HERE, DO NOT FEED THIS TROLL ANY MORE. He is obviously in desperate need of attention and has nothing better to do than to hover around Winston's blog all day long (it's after 3:00am in Tehran btw, if Sasan is really in Iran as he says he is) and run his filthy mouth.
Maybe if he'd learn how to disagree in a more compassionate way, then maybe his posts won't be deleted.
If his posts have been deleted you'd see a message to that effect from the blog administrator where the post had been, so with that in mind I'd like to quote another famous wordsmith for our little boy troll, in this case it's Mark Twain:
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt."
that idiot sasan is pretending to be from iran - there is no way in hell he would have net access they way he has tonight if that were true. he's a liar, a stupid shit stirrer and not Iranian.
You can't have reason and neo-conservatism
neo conservatism is old liberal left wing interventionism you fool. educate yourself. Reason belongs to the left? not with the tone of your comments and debating skills it doesn't.
As I had to type in the readings at my church for this Sunday, I was struck by what is written in the Book of Wisdom and the psalm for this week. I could not help but think of Neda and the 200 plus who have died but remain almost anonymous to the rest of the world:
"Death was not God's doing, he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living. To be - for this he created all; the world's created things have health in them no fatal poison can be found, and Hades holds no power on earth; for virtue is undying. Yet God did make man imperishable, he made him in the image of his own nature; it was the devil's envy that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners will discover" (Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24)
I will not quote the Psalm but I think of Neda, and that she has attained the most glorious entry into heaven because she is a true martyr. I think the same about the others who have died via such evil means. It is the work of those who partner with the devil.
Yes, please ignore the ignorant troll named Sashan. These apologists are busy everywhere, but what Sashan says is not true. The images that I have seen speak the truth.
Just my twopence on your Point 6.
Persian Iranians shouldn't fear that if democracy comes, some of the minorities, possibly helped by unfriendly outside forces, could split Iran. In the Balkans, this happened in only one country - the former Yugoslavia. This was because superpowers had assembled it artificially, joining nations who had never wished to live together and installing on top the most backward and intolerant of them, the Serbs. In the Mideast, the danger of splitting with democratization still exists in Iraq, for generally the same reasons.
In my country (Bulgaria), ethnic Bulgarians are a clear majority, as are Persians in Iran. This makes the situation different and much more stable. However, our Communist regime in its last years tried the "divide and rule" game, repressing our Turkish, Muslim and Gypsy minorities and trying to brainwash us the majority that the ethnic Turks want to split the country with the help of Turkey and would certainly succeed if given equal rights.
Well, despite our "Sasans" we have had (imperfect) democracy for nearly 20 years and yet no splitting can be seen in the crystal ball. The minorities have their grievances against us and we have ours against them, but still manage to coexist.
In these affairs, the majority always bears more responsibility and must lead. So Persian Iranians must resist the regime's propaganda, not fear the minorities and not harbor hostile feelings against them. Do not let the "divide and rule" game succeed. Those who have personal contact with minority members should try and reach out to them.
And if somebody still waives the scarecrow of "splitting", then let's remember Czechoslovakia, which was divided peacefully and everybody seemed happy with the result.
Hi there, I haven't been around for some years and you probably don't remember me but I wanted to express my full support with the protesters and my hope the revolution will go on.
Sasan is like a beated wife who defends her husband. It's a commonplace behaviour, especially to those mullah dick suckers (sorry for being mean).
And let me be mean again by recalling that the protesters chanted 'MARG BAR JOOMHURI ESLAMI'.
Sasan clearly does not represent the opinion held by the majority of the people of Iran.
The splitting of Iran is very unlikely too. The struggle is about Iran as a nation against a supranational and anti-iranian islamic state.
Let Kooroush's (Cyrus') descendants prevail: MARG BAR JOOMHURI ESLAMI, MARG BAR JOOMHURI ESLAMI...
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