Monday
May032010
The Latest from Iran (3 May): Mahmoud's Road Show
Monday, May 3, 2010 at 9:03
1915 GMT: Start with a Sideshow, End with a Sideshow. Not our top priority at EA, but as most of the media will be focused on Tuesday on the Ahmadinejad presentation, you can check coverage against the published text. And here's the video of the speech [now posted as a separate entry, together with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's presentation].
1830 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Navid Khanjani, a founder of the Population of Combat Against Educational Discrimination (PCED) and a member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), has been released on bail after two months in detention.
1740 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Poorya Ghorbani, detained on Ashura (27 December), has been sentenced to six years in prison: four years for acting against national security, one year for propagating against the regime, and one year for insulting the Supreme Leader.
1700 GMT: Ahmadinejad's Gambit. The President's strategy at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation conference at the United Nations was simply, "Go Big".
The speech was dressed up as a declaration of 11 measures to lead to a nuclear-free world, but it effectively tried to block Western pressure on Iran's nuclear programme by proposing an entirely new system for international supervision. There would be a review of the Non-Profileration Treaty, a new independent agency to interpret the NPT, and states using or threatening to use nuclear weapons (effectively, the US) being expelled from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear states would promise not to pursue research and development of new weapons, while non-nuclear states would be given security guarantees.
This large proposal can be reduced to a dual gambit. On the international front, it is meant to check the pressure on Iran's nuclear programme from the US and other states. And on the domestic front, well, it's meant to take attention away from the domestic front.
1620 GMT: Meanwhile in Iran. Mir Hossein Mousavi met today with Iranian Azeri activists to discuss how to cope with the regime's restrictions on media, finding new ways to remain connected and to promote further interaction between reformist parties and the people.
Mousavi said, “We are moving within a moral framework, and for this reason during any event, the Green Movement has recognised the good and the bad for what they were. For this reason, the Green Movement will acknowledge any positive move on the part of certain segmants of the state which have until now stood against the vote and opinion of the people.”
Mousavi added that, while Iranian authorities have become captives of their own claims about the alleged links between the post-election protesters and foreign powers, the opposition will win out:
In the specific context of Iranian Azeris and ethnic minorities, Mousavi maintained that the authorities' attitude and policies towards cultural diversity had not been appropriate. He made clear that he was against any form of separatism and stated that, on a national level, there was no place for those with separatist agendas.
1615 GMT: Al Jazeera is now reporting that the French delegation also left the conference hall.
1610 GMT: Walking Out on Ahmadinejad. Nothing surprising in the President's speech at the UN conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: it's a harsh denunciation of the US and Israel as nuclear powers with double standards discriminating against non-nuclear states and threatening the world.
The twist in the show's script, however, is that the British and US delegations (and possibly others unseen by Al Jazeera's cameras) have just walked out.
1420 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Maziar Khosravi, the editor of the Hammihan website, has been arrested and taken to Evin Prison. Khazravi had recently written an article about the attacks on Tehran University's dormitories days after the Presidential election.
1415 GMT: Helping Hands. From Press TV's website:
The National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has offered to assist the US in efforts to prevent an ecological disaster from the spreading oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico....NIDC managing director Heidar Bahmani announced the firm's readiness to use its decades-long expertise to fight the oil slick, the company's public relations office told Press TV. "Our oil industry experts in the field of drilling can contain the rig leakage in the Gulf of Mexico and prevent an ecological disaster in that part of the world," Bahmani said.
1410 GMT: The Stabbing of the Minister. Amir Kabir University students are staging a sit-in protest over this morning's knife attack on professor and former Minister Ahmad Motamedi (see 1100 GMT).
1400 GMT: Top May Day Quote. Leaving the memorial service for the father of the Minister of Culture, Mohammad Hosseini, Mehdi Karroubi was heckled by a group of men he believed were plainclothes security officers. Karroubi approached the group and pondered why they might be present at a May Day demonstration: "It looks like your unemployment problem has been solved!"
1100 GMT: Rah-e-Sabz reports that Ahmad Motamedi, a minister in the Khatami Government, was stabbed in his office at Amir Kabir University this morning and is now hospitalized.
1055 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist Ehsan Mehrabi has been released on bail.
Students at Allameh Tabatabei University have remembered their imprisoned professor Arab Mazar by sticking flowers to the door of his office and leaving messages of support.
1050 GMT: Detaining Teachers. Human Rights Activists News Agency has confirmed the names of 11 teachers arrested yesterday on National Teachers Day.
1035 GMT: Unity Does Not Mean Repression. Massoud Pezeshkian, Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005, has declared that "unity" is not possible by arresting, beating and issuing files, but requires cooperation and a desire not to create division in society.
1025 GMT: Clerical Challenge. Ayatollah Mousavi Tabrizi has renewed his criticism of the Government, saying that the judiciary does not follow justice in acting against law-breakers: those are poor or who do not have links to power or influence have no guarantees that they will be treated justly. Mousavi Tabrizi added that the Parliament does have not power to make laws, and those that they do pass are not implemented due to ineptitude.
1000 GMT: The Naderan Allegations. Yesterday we reported on the sweeping allegations of member of Parliament Elyas Naderan, linking charges of corruption to mismanagement and manipulation of power by the Ahmadinejad Government.
Khabar Online (gentle reminder: linked to Ali Larijani) has driven home the point with a lengthy English translation of Naderan's assertions:
Naderan then focused on changes Iran's oil industry:
Naderan concluded, "Such removals and assignments enhance the suspicion that these are intended to put an impact on the forthcoming elections," arguing that Ahmadinejad's Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai (who was blocked by Parliament from serving as 1st Vice President) has intervened in the next elections for city and village councils.
0755 GMT: As for Rafsanjani.... More on Hashemi Rafsanjani's statement yesterday to academics who are members of Parliament. The former President again played his balancing act, saying "illegal actions from each group cause serious public misbelief".
0750 GMT: Larijani Watch. Looks like Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani is bolstering his political position through another call of allegiance to the Supreme Leader. In an article in Khabar Online, he has said that "hardliners must unite", be pious, and accept velayat-e-faqih (ultimate clerical authority). ht
0615 GMT: Remembering the Teachers. Sunday's National Teachers Day passed with little fanfare, despite some talk about protest and hunger strikes amidst detentions and firings that have taken teachers out of the classroom. Photos from Shiraz are among the few markers we have noted of the day:
0605 GMT: Corruption Watch. The sky over alleged mismanagement and fraud involving members of the Ahmadinejad Government is getting darker.
Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, complained to his officials:
It remains to be seen whehter Larijani's defensive remarks --- yes, we really are going to pursue the corruption allegations, even if high-ranking officials are involved --- are more than public protest.
Meanwhile, Elyas Naderan, the member of Parliament who has accused 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi of running a corruption ring, told a group of university students, “In government meetings it has been announced that whoever speaks out against Mr. Rahimi will be dealt with.” He repeated that, as Rahimi is a liar and his credentials are fabricated, the Vice President is unfit for his position in the government.
0555 GMT: For most media, inside and outside Iran, today will almost certainly be taken up by the sideshow of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trip to New York. The Iranian President, at relatively short notice, asked to attend the United Nations conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the US Government, after some speculation that it might balk at the request, granted a visa. So Ahmadinejad took off from Tehran yesterday, with the conference and Mahmoud's moment in the cameras taking place today.
There is a chance that, behind the scenes, there may be some meaningful manoeuvring over the "third-party enrichment" proposal for Iran's uranium stock, given the presence at an international gathering of brokers (Turkey, Brazil), the "5+1" powers taking up the issue (Britain, France, China, Russia, Germany, and, most significantly, the US), and Iranian officials.
Publicly, however, the headline is Diversion. Just as Ahmadinejad used a trip to New York last autumn, with the guaranteed pantomime coverage of "Western" vilification and Iranian state media's glorification, so we are likely to get an outcome bigging up the President's international presence and belittling (if noting at all) the internal dynamics in Iran.
Iran Analysis: The Scattering of Protest is Still Protest
Iran Eyewitness: “The Movement Is Still Strong and Vibrant”
UPDATED Iran Video and Translation: The Mousavi Statement for May Day/Teachers Day (29 April)
The Latest from Iran (2 May): Persistence
1830 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Navid Khanjani, a founder of the Population of Combat Against Educational Discrimination (PCED) and a member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), has been released on bail after two months in detention.
1740 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Poorya Ghorbani, detained on Ashura (27 December), has been sentenced to six years in prison: four years for acting against national security, one year for propagating against the regime, and one year for insulting the Supreme Leader.
1700 GMT: Ahmadinejad's Gambit. The President's strategy at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation conference at the United Nations was simply, "Go Big".
The speech was dressed up as a declaration of 11 measures to lead to a nuclear-free world, but it effectively tried to block Western pressure on Iran's nuclear programme by proposing an entirely new system for international supervision. There would be a review of the Non-Profileration Treaty, a new independent agency to interpret the NPT, and states using or threatening to use nuclear weapons (effectively, the US) being expelled from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear states would promise not to pursue research and development of new weapons, while non-nuclear states would be given security guarantees.
This large proposal can be reduced to a dual gambit. On the international front, it is meant to check the pressure on Iran's nuclear programme from the US and other states. And on the domestic front, well, it's meant to take attention away from the domestic front.
1620 GMT: Meanwhile in Iran. Mir Hossein Mousavi met today with Iranian Azeri activists to discuss how to cope with the regime's restrictions on media, finding new ways to remain connected and to promote further interaction between reformist parties and the people.
Mousavi said, “We are moving within a moral framework, and for this reason during any event, the Green Movement has recognised the good and the bad for what they were. For this reason, the Green Movement will acknowledge any positive move on the part of certain segmants of the state which have until now stood against the vote and opinion of the people.”
Mousavi added that, while Iranian authorities have become captives of their own claims about the alleged links between the post-election protesters and foreign powers, the opposition will win out:
This approach [by the regime] may unite them for the time being, but it cannot prevent the truth from showing itself ... One cannot stop spring from arriving. Spring will come and greenness will prevail everywhere. This movement should not only be seen in the context of the street protests. The roots of this movement are undeniable. This movement eliminates ignorance. When people come together on different occasions, this is the greatest accomplishment [for the movement] and what is important is that this idea has been born.
In the specific context of Iranian Azeris and ethnic minorities, Mousavi maintained that the authorities' attitude and policies towards cultural diversity had not been appropriate. He made clear that he was against any form of separatism and stated that, on a national level, there was no place for those with separatist agendas.
1615 GMT: Al Jazeera is now reporting that the French delegation also left the conference hall.
1610 GMT: Walking Out on Ahmadinejad. Nothing surprising in the President's speech at the UN conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: it's a harsh denunciation of the US and Israel as nuclear powers with double standards discriminating against non-nuclear states and threatening the world.
The twist in the show's script, however, is that the British and US delegations (and possibly others unseen by Al Jazeera's cameras) have just walked out.
1420 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Maziar Khosravi, the editor of the Hammihan website, has been arrested and taken to Evin Prison. Khazravi had recently written an article about the attacks on Tehran University's dormitories days after the Presidential election.
1415 GMT: Helping Hands. From Press TV's website:
The National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has offered to assist the US in efforts to prevent an ecological disaster from the spreading oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico....NIDC managing director Heidar Bahmani announced the firm's readiness to use its decades-long expertise to fight the oil slick, the company's public relations office told Press TV. "Our oil industry experts in the field of drilling can contain the rig leakage in the Gulf of Mexico and prevent an ecological disaster in that part of the world," Bahmani said.
1410 GMT: The Stabbing of the Minister. Amir Kabir University students are staging a sit-in protest over this morning's knife attack on professor and former Minister Ahmad Motamedi (see 1100 GMT).
1400 GMT: Top May Day Quote. Leaving the memorial service for the father of the Minister of Culture, Mohammad Hosseini, Mehdi Karroubi was heckled by a group of men he believed were plainclothes security officers. Karroubi approached the group and pondered why they might be present at a May Day demonstration: "It looks like your unemployment problem has been solved!"
1100 GMT: Rah-e-Sabz reports that Ahmad Motamedi, a minister in the Khatami Government, was stabbed in his office at Amir Kabir University this morning and is now hospitalized.
1055 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist Ehsan Mehrabi has been released on bail.
Students at Allameh Tabatabei University have remembered their imprisoned professor Arab Mazar by sticking flowers to the door of his office and leaving messages of support.
1050 GMT: Detaining Teachers. Human Rights Activists News Agency has confirmed the names of 11 teachers arrested yesterday on National Teachers Day.
1035 GMT: Unity Does Not Mean Repression. Massoud Pezeshkian, Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005, has declared that "unity" is not possible by arresting, beating and issuing files, but requires cooperation and a desire not to create division in society.
1025 GMT: Clerical Challenge. Ayatollah Mousavi Tabrizi has renewed his criticism of the Government, saying that the judiciary does not follow justice in acting against law-breakers: those are poor or who do not have links to power or influence have no guarantees that they will be treated justly. Mousavi Tabrizi added that the Parliament does have not power to make laws, and those that they do pass are not implemented due to ineptitude.
1000 GMT: The Naderan Allegations. Yesterday we reported on the sweeping allegations of member of Parliament Elyas Naderan, linking charges of corruption to mismanagement and manipulation of power by the Ahmadinejad Government.
Khabar Online (gentle reminder: linked to Ali Larijani) has driven home the point with a lengthy English translation of Naderan's assertions:
Based on the experiences of the ninth government and his chanted slogans [2005-2009] on fighting with corrupt economy figures, Mr. Ahmadinejad was expected to revise the appointment of some government managers. He was supposed to make up for the shortcomings of the ninth administration and remove the concerns of his defenders including members of Hezbollah (Party of God) but actually the opposite happened....
On the one hand Mr. Ahmadinejad removed a number of ministers who were mostly dedicated to serve the Islamic Republic including Lankarani, Mohseni Ejei, Saffar Harandi, Fattah, and Jahromi [former Health, Interior, Culture and Islamic Guidance, Energy, and Labor and Social Affairs Ministers] and made new appointments of some whose unpleasant and negative characters are known to the majority of people and elites.
Naderan then focused on changes Iran's oil industry:
A few days ago, the Minister of Oil Mas'oud Mir Kazemi assigned Mr. Qal'eh Bani as the new managing director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC). Earlier when Mr. Qal'eh Bani was to be appointed as the head of Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO), his suspicious financial activities was revealed through some documents published by Alef website [which belongs to the Principlist MP and Government critic Ahmad Tavakoli].
Later Qal'eh Bani filed a lawsuit against the website but to no avail, since the managing editor of Alef was acquitted of charges. At the time I think that the Minister of industry, Ali Akbar Mehrabian had made such a decision himself [to bring the lawsuit] to perpetuate his position, but now it's clear that the decisions are made at a higher rank. We must bear in mind that the financial authority of the NIORDC managing director is much more than any other in both governmental and nongovernmental organizations of the country.
Naderan concluded, "Such removals and assignments enhance the suspicion that these are intended to put an impact on the forthcoming elections," arguing that Ahmadinejad's Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai (who was blocked by Parliament from serving as 1st Vice President) has intervened in the next elections for city and village councils.
0755 GMT: As for Rafsanjani.... More on Hashemi Rafsanjani's statement yesterday to academics who are members of Parliament. The former President again played his balancing act, saying "illegal actions from each group cause serious public misbelief".
0750 GMT: Larijani Watch. Looks like Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani is bolstering his political position through another call of allegiance to the Supreme Leader. In an article in Khabar Online, he has said that "hardliners must unite", be pious, and accept velayat-e-faqih (ultimate clerical authority). ht
0615 GMT: Remembering the Teachers. Sunday's National Teachers Day passed with little fanfare, despite some talk about protest and hunger strikes amidst detentions and firings that have taken teachers out of the classroom. Photos from Shiraz are among the few markers we have noted of the day:
0605 GMT: Corruption Watch. The sky over alleged mismanagement and fraud involving members of the Ahmadinejad Government is getting darker.
Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, complained to his officials:
In our fight against economic corruption, there are rumours of opposition from certain individuals which unfortunately have also gotten into the media with amateur coverage....The judiciary will never allow people to take possession of public property and the treasury for themselves and their children through cheating and falsifying documents.
It remains to be seen whehter Larijani's defensive remarks --- yes, we really are going to pursue the corruption allegations, even if high-ranking officials are involved --- are more than public protest.
Meanwhile, Elyas Naderan, the member of Parliament who has accused 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi of running a corruption ring, told a group of university students, “In government meetings it has been announced that whoever speaks out against Mr. Rahimi will be dealt with.” He repeated that, as Rahimi is a liar and his credentials are fabricated, the Vice President is unfit for his position in the government.
0555 GMT: For most media, inside and outside Iran, today will almost certainly be taken up by the sideshow of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trip to New York. The Iranian President, at relatively short notice, asked to attend the United Nations conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the US Government, after some speculation that it might balk at the request, granted a visa. So Ahmadinejad took off from Tehran yesterday, with the conference and Mahmoud's moment in the cameras taking place today.
There is a chance that, behind the scenes, there may be some meaningful manoeuvring over the "third-party enrichment" proposal for Iran's uranium stock, given the presence at an international gathering of brokers (Turkey, Brazil), the "5+1" powers taking up the issue (Britain, France, China, Russia, Germany, and, most significantly, the US), and Iranian officials.
Publicly, however, the headline is Diversion. Just as Ahmadinejad used a trip to New York last autumn, with the guaranteed pantomime coverage of "Western" vilification and Iranian state media's glorification, so we are likely to get an outcome bigging up the President's international presence and belittling (if noting at all) the internal dynamics in Iran.
tagged Ahmad Ghalebani, Ahmad Motamedi, Ahmad Tavakoli, Alef, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, Ali Larijani, Allameh Tabatabei University, Amir Kabir University, Arab Mazar, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Mousavi Tabrizi, Britain, Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Ehsan Mehrabi, Elyas Naderan, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, France, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie, Goudarz Eftekhar-Jahromi, Hammihan, Heidar Bahmani, Hezbollah (Iran), Hillary Clinton, HomyLafayette, Human Rights Activists News Agency, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Kamran Lankarani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Masoud Mirkazemi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Maziar Khosravi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Hosseini, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Mohammad Sadegh Larijani, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, National Iranian Drilling Company, National Teachers Day, Navid Khanjani, Parviz Fattah, Poorya Ghorbani, Press TV, Rah-e-Sabz, Saeed Soudmelli, United Nations, uranium enrichment in Middle East & Iran
Ahmad Ghalebani, Ahmad Motamedi, Ahmad Tavakoli, Alef, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, Ali Larijani, Allameh Tabatabei University, Amir Kabir University, Arab Mazar, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Mousavi Tabrizi, Britain, Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Ehsan Mehrabi, Elyas Naderan, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, France, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie, Goudarz Eftekhar-Jahromi, Hammihan, Heidar Bahmani, Hezbollah (Iran), Hillary Clinton, HomyLafayette, Human Rights Activists News Agency, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Kamran Lankarani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Masoud Mirkazemi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Maziar Khosravi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Hosseini, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Mohammad Sadegh Larijani, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, National Iranian Drilling Company, National Teachers Day, Navid Khanjani, Parviz Fattah, Poorya Ghorbani, Press TV, Rah-e-Sabz, Saeed Soudmelli, United Nations, uranium enrichment in Middle East & Iran
Reader Comments (33)
Dear Americans,
Could you please, please do us a big favor and keep Mahmoud in the US?
It's very easy, just make him "mamnu ol khoruj", i.e. deny him a departure permit. Or, if that causes diplomatic problems, just give him lift to Alaska.
As to the maintenance costs, I am convinced many Iranians are eager to pay for them.
Yours faithfully,
Arshama
Arshama,
Well Press TV reported it yesterday:
No US visas for Iran press
Sun, 02 May 2010 08:14:07 GMT
The US government has refused to issue visas for the Iranian press delegation that was scheduled to cover the president's trip to New York and his participation in a nuclear conference, Mehr News Agency reported on Sunday.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125154§ionid=351020101" rel="nofollow">http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125154&sec...
I guess that tidbit was just not meant for local consumption :-)
RE Arshama's first post: "Could you (Americans) please, please do us a big favor and keep Mahmoud in the US?"
I sure bet the Leveretts would LUV to have him. Scott - you know them, don't you? Couldn't you make them an offer they can't refuse, like: "You guys tkeep the Mahmoudi" and I solemnly swear neither I nor any EA readers will EVER post on your blog again". Sounds like a much better deal than the P5+1 nuclear swap!
RE 05.55 GMT - the nuclear sideshow
Iran Turns US Nuclear High Ground into Tricky Terrain
While US officials like to paint a picture of the international community united against Iran and ready for sanctions, besides Washington and its closest allies, most countries believe that dialogue, rather than coercion, is the way to solve the issue, and are looking to broker a compromise rather than line up to endorse new sanctions, says Tony Karon.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38744" rel="nofollow">http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=3...
Western-led human rights challenges are "greater" than Western-led nuclear challenges, according to Secretary General of Iran's High Council for Human Rights Mohammad Javad Larijani.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125219§ionid=351020101" rel="nofollow">http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125219&sec...
All the more reason to put human rights *on* the table and take bombing Iran *off*, imo.
Executions Watch
Don't know if this made it through the switch, I believe Scott mentioned it back in a comment to Eric tin he lengthy iran Interview thread. Here in English and in detail:
Two More Baseless Death Sentences Rubber Stamped by Appeals Court
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/04/more-death-sentences/" rel="nofollow">http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/04/more-dea...
Mahmud Ahmadinejad joins colleague Hu Jintao and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the ‘Predators Of The Press’ List:
http://www.rferl.org/content/Predators_Of_The_Press_List_Released/2030722.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rferl.org/content/Predators_Of_The_P...
@ 1100 GMT: Stabbing Ahmad Motamedi
Jaras reports that Motamedi is seriously wounded, his stomach and intestines being cut, and that he is under surgery for 3 hours. http://www.rahesabz.net/story/14802/" rel="nofollow">http://www.rahesabz.net/story/14802/
Angry students have gathered in front of Amir Kabir Uni, complaining about lack of security (normally entrance is not possible without a permit or card).
Does anyone know of or have a list of people that have been condemned for being "mohareb" recently? I know that there are at least several, but if anyone has names, I'd really appreciate it.
I know all will chide me for visting Foxnews but here is a great article on the local attractions of New York Ahmadinejad is unlikely to visit:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/03/irans-president-wont-visit-new-york/" rel="nofollow">http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/03/irans-p...
By the way they also have an article on a Univ Prof in Tehran who was knifed by a pro regime fanatic.
Arshama
We would love to have Ahmadinejad stay. Then we could take him to GLAD's(Gay and Lesbian) world headquarters, the Holocaust memorial museum, and just a stroll around town so he can see what women actually look like!!! :) Sadly the guy would probably wind up in a drainage ditch face down if he tried to "stroll around" in the US. Like you most of us in the US would like see this guy get a one way trip to the moon!!!
Thx
Bill
Wdavit or Bill?
Thank you for your kind offer :-)
I suggest to send him to Mars, perhaps he will find his Hidden Imam there...
Edward,
Here you find a list of Iranians sentenced to death, including those for "moharebe". http://iran.elple.net/" rel="nofollow">http://iran.elple.net/
Arshama
Those delegations are going to give poor AN a complex, walking out on him like that! :-)
Press Freedom Watch
Reporters without Borders have staged a rally for detained Iranian journalists in front of the Iranian Embassy on the International Day of Press Freedom. Nice poster of AN: http://www.lejdd.fr/Medias/Actualite/RSF-une-vie-de-combat-190519/" rel="nofollow">http://www.lejdd.fr/Medias/Actualite/RSF-une-vi...
P.S. A rally in Paris, pardon...
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is urging everyone to spread the attached compelling short video regarding execution sentences in Iran as FAR and WIDE as we possibly can! Please post it onto your social networking accounts, Twitter, and email the link to your lists.
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/end-executions/" rel="nofollow">http://www.iranhumanrights.org/end-executions/
In looking at the picture of the school children posted I can't help but think of what Iran will exist when they have grown up........
Arshama,
It's Bill the same one who has been posting her for almost a year. My real name is William Davit but I go by Bill. As for Mars what about the Sun?
Thx
Bill
Arshama,
Sorry, NO CAN DO, not even for you my friend. We have enough air pollution here; we cannot live with Ahmadi fume.
I suggest we appeal to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, and ask him to take Ahmadi and set him free in the Brazilian Amazon; he will be right at home there. Heck, he may even find his ancestors there. Alaska is too pristine for Antrinejad.
Bijan,
I had the same thought. I believe Iran, as we knew it, is done and over with. Persia before Islam, the one our ancestors called home, does not exit either, does it? Neither would the place we were born in and called it Iran. That makes me very sad.
Bill,
Thank you for your kind confirmation. I apologize for keeping my pen-name for obvious reasons. Whenever our marathon has finished successfully the real name will be revealed. As for Sun I have no idea, but Neptun is going to continue his submarine activities ;-)
Best,
Arshama
Bijan and Megan,
These pictures may appear very strange to all those, who did not visit Iran over the past 30 years. I did and found many changes, but never doubted about some unalterable characteristics of our people.
Persia before Islam is 2500 years away, and the formation of Islam about 1400 years, but we live today. Instead of living in the past, shouldn't we start to care for today and our future?
Arshama
Bill
What's wrong with Fox News - I go there all the time. I particularly enjoy O'Reilly.
Barry
Barry,
I wondered that too. I guess Bill may not like the fact that Fox is # 1 for ten years and counting.
I have started watching Fox News since 2009. I did not want to follow the losers anymore; Fox is eating other broadcasters' lunch for the past ten years.
Bill (and Mike),
That article on the local attractions of New York Ahmadinejad is unlikely to visit is hyst (Oh, no!! I just had another huge crash - that's one per posting so far today) erical. I was thinking about my proposal (above, from yesterday) that the Leveretts take AN, but on second thought maybe he should just be dressed in a tee shirt and jeans and let loose in Arizona ....... WITHOUT his passport!!!! Bwa-ha-haaaa!!!