Is Regime Change Coming to Iran? – an interview with Amil Imani

 

Iranians in revolt

Introduction: Since the fraudulent June 12th Presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), an increasingly emboldened opposition, the green movement, has arisen to demand the overthrow of the IRI. The green movement refuses to desist from launching massive street protests in Tehran, Qum, Isfahan and other major Iranian cities. All this is occurring despite violence wreaked upon thousands of valiant regime opponents by the ruling Mullahs and President Ahmadinejad. As of this writing more than 15 have been killed in clashes with Iranian security services including the nephew of reformist Presidential candidate Mir Mouhammed Mousavi, former IRI Prime Minister. Moreover several dissident leaders have been jailed. Something major is brewing in Iran – possibly revolution.
 
As the year was closing, first a crescendo of massive protests occurred at Students Day events. Then tens of thousands used the occasion of the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri to demonstrate their determination to end the rule of the Supreme Ruling Council head, Ayatollah Khamanei, and his puppet President Ahmadinejad. The final bloody weekend of 2009 witnessed the faltering IRI regime undertaking unprecedented security measures to pre-empt public mourning and observances of the Shia Ashura holy day. Police, revolutionary guard and the Basiji para-military forces blanketed Tehran in a vain attempt to stifle public gatherings. They failed. Massive throngs of people from all classes in Tehran and other major cities defied bans in spite of warnings that violators would be dealt with mercilessly.  As a Der Spiegel article reported these protesters were shouting: "We will fight, we will die, we will reconquer our country." There were graphic video images sent via the internet of protesters engaged in street battles with Basiji forces. 
 
Now there are reports that elements of the Iranian Military may have sided with the opposition in support of a secular republic. Jane Jamison in the American Thinker noted in a report, “Iranian Military moves in support the people’s revolution”:

It is difficult to verify, but factions in the Iranian military may be breaking rank to join the people’s cause. A group calling itself the National Iranian Armed Resistance Forces (NIRU) posted a news release on an Iranian protest website at the end of the day’s violence.
 
We, a number of Officers, Soldiers and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hereby declare our readiness for rise to the armed defense of our nation against the forces of the criminal, illegitimate transgressing and occupying current Government of Iran, and hereby inform our brothers and sisters serving with the armed security forces of Iran, invite them to join us, request their support and ask them to provide cover for us in this moral & national act. A special request for support & cooperation goes to our brothers of the Military Police.

The NIRU says it intends to secure Iranian radio and television stations, the Parliament, and the courts, will hold local elections and referendums within 3 months and new presidential elections within 9 months and will dissolve the murderous “Basij” plainclothes police and establish a new national police force.

Protection and firepower from even a few factions of the military could signal a critical momentum change for the Iranian people, who by law cannot own weapons.

All this occurred despite the visible tyranny imposed by Basij para-military, Revolutionary Guards, and regime secret police arresting, beating and torturing opposition student and opposition political leaders. All this amidst vain attempts to prevent the news of this emerging Iranian revolution reaching the world by cell phone and the internet.
 
Some observers have even suggested that the apocalyptic version of Shia Islam espoused by the ruling Mullahs, might ultimately be consigned to the dustbin of history if such a revolution occurred.

Amir Taheri, expatriate Iranian journalist, in a Wall Street Journal column, …

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An Open Letter to the Republican Party

It seems that the Republican Party,  both nationally and locally, have a particular mindset towards the Tea Parties and their supporters. You think that you are the inheritors of their support. With respect, may I disabuse you of that false notion. Throughout the coarse of the last administration, conservatives were routinely thrown under the bus. … Read more

Free speech – Fine for me but not for thee?

One of the questions that inevitably occurs to any politically aware defender of liberty is this: Will the time ever arrive when active resistance is required? Will the political class eventually gain enough control over government that it will step over that invisible line for millions of Americans? It is a thought that comes in … Read more

AFGHANISTAN – THE LEAST WORST OPTION

Last night President Obama finally gave us his long awaited answer to the question of what we should do about Afghanistan. As a candidate for the U.S. Congress, I very reluctantly endorse his decision to add an additional 30,000 troops to that conflict.
 
However, serious questions remain to be answered about the decision making process leading up to this decision, the viability of this escalation, as well as the underlying strategy itself. Oddly, the President took a full three months to give us a slightly scaled down version of General McChrystal’s request. His delay has unfortunately brought into question both his resolve and his strength as a leader. It has also fed into the growing domestic and international view of timidity in this Administration.
 
In the end, what the President gave us was a strategy which merely buys another year and a half for Afghanistan to build up its forces and for us to exit somewhat gracefully. The odds are very high that neither will happen as planned. Since he merely stated that “after eighteen months our troops will begin to come home,” he has merely kicked the can down the road and bought us additional time.
 
What the President knows but did not say is that the real key to this equation is not Afghanistan but Pakistan. Pakistan is currently the most dangerous country in the world. It is now a highly unstable nuclear power that is rapidly coming apart at the seams. The nightmare scenario is that Pakistan collapses and nuclear weapons get into the hands of Al Qaeda and/or the Taliban.
 
Chaos is Afghanistan would further destabilize Pakistan. Our presence will help keep Afghanistan together and serves to provide at least a partial buffer against insurgent incursions across Pakistan’s border. It is also prudent for us to be close by in case the situation in Pakistan collapses.
 
Fortunately, the President quickly took off the table a precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan as many Democrats have urged. Such a measure would have lead to a major power vacuum in the country and another protracted civil war. Al Qaeda would have been handed a huge political and psychological victory both in Afghanistan and around the world.
 
Still, the newly announced strategy carries with it numerous inherent problems and contradictions. Some of the open issues include:

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It’s the SPENDING, stupid!

I received this email from a Left leaning person (supposedly a NH resident but I’m not totally sure; any NH person with any worth wouldn’t take such a position!) complaining that because we do not have an income tax here in NH, people are SUFFERING!  Because the State refuses to tax people more, problems will … Read more

Didn’t he say that no country should be above another?

It seems that at every opportunity, Obama consistently tells an "anecdote" of how America has been wrong in the past – I’m betting that the ‘bads’ far outweigh the ‘goods’ from his speeches (but I have no intention of going back and counting).  He has also said that America should not impose it’s will on … Read more

Statement by Doug Lambert

As to the events of the last couple of days, I would again refer to my original statement: CLICK HERE FOR STATEMENT Since the time I issued that, I have spoken to the several media that I was able to receive their calls. I have taken an honest and contrite approach to my actions and … Read more

As goes Colorado, so goes the country?

Voters Want Green… In Their Wallets Guest Post By Howard Rich As the fallout continues to settle from the 2009 elections, among the more overlooked results was a ballot issue in Boulder County, Colorado that would have extended an existing sales tax to fund the acquisition of additional “open space.” Obviously, this regional issue didn’t … Read more

Michelle Bachmann -Like Sarah Palin, she’s the “real deal.”

Guest Post By Ellen Sauerbrey

There is a new star in the GOP firmament and she is principled, savvy, articulate and beautiful. No, I don’t mean Sarah, though the former Alaska Governor has already demonstrated the ability of a conservative woman to connect with the voters.

The rising star is Michele Bachmann, the Congresswoman from Minnesota, an outspoken media-savvy conservative, who is about as feisty as they come. Last week Bachmann asked people to pay a house call on Washington DC, and they came from all over the country by the thousands.

In doing so, the two term Congresswoman was chancing becoming the object of ridicule. If few had responded to her call to action, imagine how the media would have ridiculed her bold effort. However, her gambit was hugely successful as she demonstrated a rare ability to read the mood of the people and to put herself forward as the spark that could light a fire.

“I called and YOU came” she called out to the huge crowd that gathered on the Capitol lawn. Not many politicians have both the courage to issue such a strong battle call and the ability to motivate people to hop on airplanes, trains and cars to pour into Washington on very short notice.

As a member of Congress, Michelle Bachmann has repeatedly demonstrated conviction and leadership. She is a true believer in the basic principles of less government and more personal freedom. She has championed a taxpayer bill of rights, earmark reform, increased domestic energy exploration.

An outspoken critic of Democrat proposals for health care reform, cap and trade, and stimulus spending, she describes the Obama policies as “economic Marxism”. Supporting that label, she cites a study by University of Arizona economist, Professor William Boyes, contending that the federal government now owns or controls 30 percent of private wealth in America and will exceed 50% if Obama care becomes law.

 

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NH Democrats: Try as they may, there really is NO defending their position on health care reform

At the end of Monday’s press conference featuring State Senator Jeb Bradley and former NH HHS Commissioner John Stephen strongly condemning the effects of the House-passed "Pelosicare" Democrat health care "reform" bill, a spokesman for the NH Democratic Party faced the media. And GraniteGrok… He was NOT very receptive to our questions. Then again, he … Read more

Impending Train Wreck: Pelosicare to Cost NH 1.2 Billion Dollars in 10 Years

Jeb Bradley; Frank guinta; john stephen 

State Senator Jeb Bradley, Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta, former HHS Commissioner John Stephen talk health care and the impact Democratic proposals will have on NH. 

Earlier today, a key group of New Hampshire’s Republican leaders, led by State Senator Jeb Bradley and former Health & Human Services Commissioner John Stephen, gathered in Concord to react to the passage of so-called health care "reform" by the Democrat majority of Congress this past weekend. Attendees at the morning press conference learned that estimates of the costs of what is being dubbed "Pelosicare" to New Hampshire citizens over a 10-year period is some 1.2 billion dollars which, we were warned, would almost certainly lead us to a broad-based tax.

We will put up another post with video of the event a little later. The following piece, written by Bradley, pretty well sums up the message as delievered today in response to the latest action by Congress.

Guest post by State Senator Jeb Bradley:

Washington Promises — New Hampshire Realities

"If government were a product, selling it would be illegal"  –PJ O’Rourke
 

The latest version of health care reform legislation introduced by Speaker Pelosi and passed by a 220 to 215 cliff hanger vote represents a 1990 page mammoth attempt to ‘change’ America. While clearly there is bipartisan recognition of the need for reform, in particular, covering pre-existing health conditions and lower health care costs, Pelosi’s legislation overdoses on busted budgets, punishing taxes, and an omnipresent government power grab.

Budget Busting: Despite the President’s repeated promise that health care reform will not add a single dime to the deficit, the price tag of PelosiCare determined by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is $1.05 trillion over 10 years. That’s just for starters as a $250 billion “fix” for Medicare and Medicaid’s chronic underpayment of physicians has been moved to another piece of legislation so supporters can hide this healthcare bill’s true costs. With budget chicanery alive and well in Washington, some inconvenient history is in order. When Medicare was implemented in the 1960s it was estimated it would cost $12 billion by 1990. In fact, actual costs were $90 billion — and today’s unfunded future liabilities are $37 TRILLION. Is Pelosi worried? No!! Here’s why:

 

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Intelligence, reason, AND patriotism on the US Capitol steps…

Skip posted the transcript here. Now watch the actual speech as delivered by "the great one" Mark Levin- author of Liberty and Tyranny, a Conservative Manifesto: United States of America: Born, July 4th, 1776. Died, November 7, 2010. R.I.P.

Carol’s Confession

Now that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more popularly known as the “Stimulus Bill,” is six months old, we can begin to assess what results have been achieved by playing another $787 billion on the United States’ credit card. The answer appears to be little to nothing. Unemployment is officially up to 10.2% … Read more

MTNP Radio. Determined.

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!  As usual, this week’s broadcast version of GraniteGrok and Now!Hampshire.com brings an array of items and guests for your consideration– ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for … Read more

Kimball: Lynch must end “business as usual” here in NH

  Jack Kimball (GG file photo) From the Kimball Gubernatotorial Exploratory Committee: CONCORD, N.H.—The AP reported a $12 million shortfall for New Hampshire revenues in October. This is further proof that, while national leaders and economists would have us believe the worst is behind us, the reality for New Hampshire’s citizens is that the worst … Read more

Mike Pence (R-IN) on the House healthcare bill

Here is Mike Pence on the newly-released Pelosi healthcare "reform" plan seeking a government-takeover of the industry, courtesy of the Washington News Observer: "The Pelosi Health Care Bill has emerged, and it’s just another version of their government run health insurance plan that’s a freight train of bureaucracy and mandates and taxes. And it’s just … Read more

Manchester: A shining beacon for the rest of the country

  Guest post by Bill Wilson Call it a conservative conundrum. Taxpayers who went to the polls last night are clearly outraged by a year filled with massive financial bailouts; the nationalization of the banking, mortgage, and auto industries; and proposed takeover of the energy and health care industries. On their way out of polling … Read more

Two Paths: Republicans who sound like Democrats, or ones that actually stand for the Party’s core principles…

   Guest Post by Jennifer Horn  In the special congressional election in New York’s 23rd District, the liberal Republican dropped out last week, leaving the Democrat to face a Conservative Party challenger backed by Sarah Palin and other notable conservatives. It sends a powerful message: Those who believe that 2010 will be a typical mid-term … Read more

Derailment

 

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