2
POPS No Eyewitnesses to the Crime Still, the world is watching. As we Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence, let’s stand with Iran by recalling the first democratic revolution in Asia. It began in 1905 in Iran, driven by the quest to secure parliamentary government and a Constitution from the Qajar dynasty. Now, 104 years on, Iranians demand that the Constitution they have be respected through Islamic democracy and a government accountable to the people. They will not be silenced. The regime’s base has narrowed dramatically. Its internal splits are growing with the defection of much of the clerical establishment. One distinguished Iran scholar, Farideh Farhi, wrote this to me: “So I cry and ask why we have to do this to ourselves over and over again. Yet I do have hope, perhaps for purely selfish reasons " because I don’t want to cry all the time, but also because of the energy you keep describing.
3
POPSAhmadinejad Says He Wants Public Talks With Obama....
Report: Ahmadinejad says he wants public talks with Obama TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in "negotiations" before international media, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election last month sparked global protests and unrest in Iran. Speaking at a meeting of medical school deans, Ahmadinejad said Iran "will soon pursue a new round of diplomatic activity" amid a new position of strength for the Iranian government, the Iranian Student News Agency quotes him as saying. "I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters." The Obama administration has sought dialogue with Iran but also criticized the government for its handling of unrest
2
POPSNewsweek Reporter Faces Iran Trial: Lawyer "Any kind of interview and confession by these people who are being held in prison is invalid under the law and the Iranian constitution," Nikbakht added. Less than a week ago, the Fars news agency reported an "interview" with Bahari, in which he said that he had filed "unreal and biased reports from Iran which were driven by greed." On Wednesday Newsweek repeated a call on Iran to release its correspondent immediately and rejected charges made against him. The US news weekly said that Bahari has been detained in Iran since June 21 without access to a lawyer. It quoted an Iranian state news agency as saying that Bahari "has said he participated in a Western media effort to promote irresponsible reporting in Iran." Scores of journalists and reformist politicians were arrested following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election, which triggered mass protests in Iran and charges of voter fraud.
3
POPSThe Dictatorship Regime Lead By Supreme Leader By doing so, the regime lead by supreme leader Ali Khamenei, hoped to silence the last remaining (moderate) opposition leaders who themselves count as prominent figures of the Islamic regime, and complete his grand scheme of creating an Islamic state rather than a republic. However, this so called election 'coup' failed as the courageous people of Iran took to the streets to let the world know what is happening and make their cries for justice and basic rights be heard throughout the globe. Once again, a dictatorship has failed to tame the brave and free people of Iran. The Islamic regime has lost all credibility. This is the beginning of the end for this corrupt, backward and violent regime.
2
POPSPope calls for Israel to be wiped off the map When asked whether his latest statements have anything to do with the fact that he is German and that his chief speech writer and spiritual advisor was the recently pardoned holocaust denier Richard Williamson. The Pope replied: "I'm 82 you know". When asked how he suggested Israel be wiped off the map, his Holiness replied: "Ahh, good question, um, condoms, oh wait, lack of condoms, banning condoms, it's one of those isn't it?". Speaking from his Los Angeles mansion, a drunk, naked and slurring Mel Gibson was quoted as saying: "You go Popie, see I told I was right about those damn Jews". He then passed out in a pot plant.
3
POPSThe Green Brief #16 @Iran_Translator(July 02) 4. Samareh Hashemi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's campaign manager, told PressTV today that the SMS outage and cell phone service restrictions were put in place to "ensure security" 5. More international pressure is being mounted on Iran's Government. There will be an EU meeting next week where it is reported that member nations will consider pulling their ambassadors from Iran. 6. Al-Arabiya's website has stated that an Egyptian lawyer belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, Mamdouh Ismail has filed a complaint in Egypt's Prosecutor General's Office. He has asked them to ban Ahmadinejad from entering Egypt next month to attend a diplomatic meeting. He has accused Ahmadinejad of winning the election erroneously and for insulting two of Prophet Mohammed's companions. 7. Seven people were arrested in Qazvin today in connection with the protests. The head of Participation Front in Hormozgan Province, Mr. Ramezanpour, was also arrested.
1
POPSLive-Tweeting The Revolution: Day 18 29 Jun 2009 Tonight, people shouted AllahAkbar much louder and stronger than prev nights in objection to GC's certification People in Melat Park, Valiasr Sq., Vanak and sidewalks of Vailasr St. are holding hands and are trying to form a human chain. But reports of sporadic clashes indicate that the armed forces are trying to prevent the formation of the human chain. Reports: About 3000 Protesters clashing with Hezbollah at Vali Aasr Sq. (not conf) Larijani (head of Par):CNN has given money&cellphones 2 protesters 2 portray a wrong image of Iran
0
POPSIraq election result confirmed The media crank-up of a storm in a teacup. Pre-election polls showed that Ahmadinejad was a clear leader and would win easily. No wonder we are held in such contempt - where was the reaction to GW Bush`s very dodgy 2000 election win ?
4
POPS Ahmadinejad Threatens Obama He said Western leaders who made "insulting and irrelevant comments will be put on a fair trial" by Iran at international gatherings. … Ahmadinejad also vowed to take a tougher approach toward alleged meddling by the West during his second four-year term, which the government has said will begin this summer. "Without a doubt, Iran's new government will have a more decisive and firmer approach toward the West," Ahmadinejad said. "This time the Iranian nation's reply will be harsh and more decisive," to make the West regret its "meddlesome stance," he said. Comments: (1) This over-the-top bellicosity reminds me why I originally endorsed Ahmadinejad to win the June 12 elections and serve another four years as president of Iran. His aggressive comments might even awake an Obama to the inutility of nice words and gestures toward Tehran.
4
POPSVictorious President Ahmadinejad Showers Obama with Insults Though going forward the Iranians undoubtedly can expect to find themselves on the receiving end of some stern, carefully parsed lip pro-democracy service. Indeed, the trick will be maintaining clear moral support for Iran’s democrats " plus any other aid that’s useful, including keeping Iranians’ lines of communication open, from Western broadcasts to cellphones to Twitter " in the face of Iranian negotiators’ inevitable complaints. But in skillful hands, negotiations need not strengthen a dying regime. Instead, if the mullahs can be talked into abandoning some of the ideological pillars that have sustained their revolution for three decades, negotiations could undermine their rule in the long run. And that’s not a new challenge for American diplomacy. Twenty years ago, Ronald Reagan sought nuclear arms deals with Moscow even as he denounced the Soviet Union as “an evil empire.” Reagan aimed to undermine Soviet communism, but he also negotiated with its leaders " ----- and he
3
POPSIranian police clash with up to 3,000 protesters Can't be officially verified because of the crack down on the media there. But from another article posted today by the AP: "Obama officials say talks with Iran still possible". From within that article: "Both Rice and David Axelrod, Obama's top adviser, said Ahmadinejad doesn't appear to have the final say over Iran's foreign policy. Axelrod, dismissing Ahmadinejad's harsh language against the U.S. and Obama as "bloviations," said being open to talks with Iran is not an effort to reward the country. "We are looking to ... sit down and talk to the Iranians and offer them two paths. And one brings them back into the community of nations, and the other has some very stark consequences," . The Iranians they would have to be speaking to are the clerics and they are more fanatical than even Ahmadinejad. (what babes)
3
POPSReport: Hospitalized Iranians Seized "The point is, when they are being taken to the hospital they don't actually get there," her friend who accompanied her told CNN last week. "Just like the reporters are being told not to report what they really see. Human Rights Watch, citing interviews with people in Iran, said Friday the Basij is carrying out brutal nighttime raids, destroying property in private homes and beating civilians in an attempt to stop nightly rooftop chants of "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). The nighttime chanting is emblematic of the protests 30 years ago during the Iranian revolution, which toppled the monarchy of the shah. "While most of the world's attention is focused on the beatings in the streets of Iran during the day, the Basiji are carrying out brutal raids on people's apartments during the night," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. Residents from northern Tehran neighborhoods told Human Rights Watch that the Basij fired live rounds into the air . . .
8
POPSIranian Suffering Dwarfed By Jackson Death Is the West morally bankrupt? If the media is correct, and more people are interested in Michael Jackson's death that what's being done to protesters in Iran, then the answer would seem to be yes.
1
POPS Iran Uprising Live-Blogging 27 June, 2009 Jose Aznar, who was voted out of office in 2004, writes in today's Wall Street Journal: President Obama has said he refuses to "meddle" in Iran's internal affairs, but this is a poor excuse for passivity. If the international community is not able to stop, or at least set limits on, the repressive violence of the Islamic regime, the protesters will end up as so many have in the past -- in exile, in prison, or in the cemetery. And with them, all hope for change will be gone. Delayed public displays of indignation may be good for internal political consumption. But the consequences of Western inaction have already materialized. Watching videos of innocent Iranians being brutalized, it's hard to defend silence. More recently, it based a collection office in Los Angeles to take advantage of the Iranian expatriate community there. None of it, however, is a substitute for having CIA staff actually on the ground, says former CIA official Bob Baer.
1
POPSGreen Brief #11 iran.whyweprotest.net/news-current-events/ Hundreds of people missing. Amnesty International asked the Iranian authorities to immediately release dozens of journalists who are at risk of torture in detention. The UN also asked the government to prevent further violence and bloodshed. More people were arrested today including journalists and bloggers as well as other people of some clout in the Iranian society. 10. Today a group of people including women's rights activists assembled in Laleh Park to light candles in memory of Neda and other martyrs. The protesters were dispersed by the police and plainclothesmen using violent tactics. There were also many policewomen. Many people were arrested and hauled away. Reporters of Keyhan and Fars newspapers were taking people pictures with cameras. 11. Reports have suggested that there is a bitter divide developing between military leaders on what the military’s role should be in the in the current unrest . . . .
5
POPSCriticism of Regime May Spark New Terror Wave "Hezbollah is capable of striking in Germany or, more likely, planning an incident like the Al Qaida cell in Hamburg that planned the attack on New York," said Alexander Ritzmann, a fellow at the European Centre for Democracy. "Hezbollah operatives can be activated from Beirut or Tehran." Ahmadinejad: U.S. Has 'Made a Mistake' http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529246,00.html
2
POPSAhmadinejad and Reality Don't Mix Cultural differences aside, this joker seems to be the epitomeof the political tin ear. Of course I realize that his remarkes are directed to his countrymen but as far as political naivety he certainly wins the prize.
14
POPSWhat Ahmadinejad really meant to say... I went to the bullshit translator and found that what Ahmadinejad really means is: "In parts of our society, people want justice, so much so that they are willing to put up with brutality and oppression. They are the source of inspiration and hope for most of the country. I am personally committed to ensuring that they are defeated, even if it means killing them...but they are relentless in their pursuit of a free and just Iran. They must be stopped."
10
POPSBBC Caught In Mass Public Deception With Iran Propaganda Whatever your views on the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad and the accuracy of the Iranian election results, the fact that the Anglo-American establishment and its media organs are exploiting and fanning the flames of chaos in Iran to provoke further instability is unquestionable.
1
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update