The Spark of Freedom

The desire is unstoppable

Editor's Note: Thomas's commentary is in blue and Marcie's is in purple.

On 12 June, Iran held nationwide elections to determine who their next president would be. Would it continue to be Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or would Mir-Hossein Mousavi beat the disco dinnerjacket? Either way it went the world yawned; the results are guaranteed, nothing will change. But something did change in the wake of the election. Conflicting and very early (far earlier than should have been possible) reports of who won spread across the country. Rumblings from the populace turned to shouts of fraud. On 13 June, hundreds of thousands turned out to protest the election with many calling for a new election; a truly free election. (This showed the world that Mr. Ahmadinejad wasn't as popular as the Iranian media kept claiming, and it further showed how much of a sham Iranian "democracy" really was; some pundits here are even qupping if President Obama might have outsourced ACORN for their elections.) The post-election protests have been going on for almost three weeks. The blood that has been spilled in Iran is clearly on "supreme leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's, the ruling mullahs, and Mr. Ahmadinejad's hands.

On July 13th, as protesters massed in the streets of Tehran, Ahwaz, Isfahan, Tabriz, and elsewhere all across the country, they were met by security forces, and the Basiji. Those security forces violently attacked the protesters. And to keep the world from seeing what was happening the Iranian regime ordered all journalists to stay in their offices. They were not allowed to cover any of the protests. Basiji -- extremist zealots firmly and fiercely loyal to Mr. Ahmadinejad -- opened fire on crowds of unarmed protesters. Several Iranians were wounded in those exchanges, and at least seven were killed. As the world sat and watched, horrified by what they saw and what they were hearing, Iran practically dared the world to respond. The crackdown grew in scope and by the end of the day the battle lines between the protesters and the regime were drawn. With the swiftness and lethality of the security forces in response to the protests people around the globe likened the protests in Iran to the protests in Tiananmen Square in China back in 1989. The death toll did not match those protests, but the bootheel of the Iranian regime dropped as heavily as the one fell on the Chinese protesters.

The climax came on 19 June when Ayatollah Khamenei took to the television, denouncing the protests and demanding the protests end. He warned that the Iranian regime wouldn't tolerate this sort of behavior any longer. Word had gotten out via Twitter, Facebook, and Iranian bloggers as to what had happened in the clashes the prior weekend. Additionally, the steady stream of information painted a distinctly bleak picture of the protests, the opposition they were facing, and the brutality of the regime in it's response. In response to the use of new media technology the Iranian regime began to utilize the same technology to spread disinformation. World leaders had been condemning the actions of the regime for a week, starting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel questioning the results and French President Nicolas Sarkozy calling the election "a fraud." What was the White House's response? A flimsy statement from President Obama: he didn't want to appear as "meddling." Liberal pundits hailed the reaction as "exactly the right response" to the violence in Iran. Some even tried to compare him to President Reagan. This despite the fact that President Reagan, Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II constantly "meddled" in the Soviet's affairs at the end of the Cold War. They knew the end was close, and they never offered a mealy-mouthed, half-hearted response to any Soviet viciousness. That's what our president did. Then he decided on Saturday, 20 June, that amidst increased violence in Tehran he would go have some ice cream with his daughters. My Pet Goat much, liberals?

After the June 20th weekend, the protests seem to die down a bit. Not nearly as many protesters poured into the streets. Many pundits in the West claimed that this was a sign that the "revolution" was over. It was clear, they said, that the protesters were fearful of further violence; shaken by the immediate response from the Iranian regime. But those pundits were incorrect. Something happened on the 20th that galvanized the protesters. A young woman named Neda Agha-Soltan was shot by a Basiji sniper. She died in the hands of her friends that had joined her to participate in the protests, and the video of her death went viral. The protesters now had a martyr and the Iranian regime realized they had a serious problem on their hands. Mr. Mousavi urged the protesters to continue, but warned them not to put their lives in danger. On the 22nd two important things occurred. First the regular army, also known as the Shah's army, made it clear they refused to engage in violence against the protesters. Second General Ali Fazli, the newly-appointed commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was arrested for refusing to carry out the ayatollah's orders to engage the protesters.

While the protests have diminished in size, they are still out there. Almost every day there are reports of protesters in the streets. Riot police have begun using tear gas to disperse the crowds, but a few videos have slipped out via the Internet showing the protesters retaliating. In a couple of those videos taken with cellphones, the police break into a full, hasty retreat as protesters begin hurling rocks in their direction. It's clear at this point, despite the Guardian Council's assurances the election was fair and that Mr. Ahmadinejad won that the protesters don't believe it. They have no intention of stopping these protests. These protests aren't like the student protests in 1999. Those protests lasted six days, and there was never the level of violence that we have witnessed with these protests. These protests represent the most violence that has erupted in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. And while President Obama tries to take credit for this by citing his Cairo speech, the truth is harder for him to swallow, in our opinion. If there is a catalyst for these protests -- the desire for true freedom and democracy -- then we should thank President George W. Bush. Had it not been for the invasion of Iraq, the toppling of Saddam Hussein, and the implementation of a democracy in place of a dictatorship, these students might just have swallowed this election without taking to the streets. But they didn't. They have seen what freedom looks like, and they want what the Iraqis have.

On the 24th of June a "massacre" in Baharestan Square occurred as 500 police and Basiji literally attacked the peaceful protesters who were calling for an end to the theocratic regime. There were chants calling for freedom, and security forces attacked protesters with clubs, cables, and firearms. At least three people were killed, and security forces refused to let people help those injured. Can they succeed in toppling the Iranian regime? To be honest, we do not know. Only time will tell. But there are signs of cracks in the Islamic Republic's foundation. Ayatollah Rafsanjani has met with the Council of Experts (a clerical body capable of removing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and they are discussing eliminating the "supreme leader" position, and instead have a council that oversees the day to day politics. If enacted it would also demand the resignation of Mr. Ahmadinejad. Who else is behind this movement? Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leading Shi'ite cleric in Iraq. So the Shi'ite clerics have now picked a side. The IRGC does not want to engage the protesters, nor does the Shah's army. Only the hardliners are willing to carry out the orders of the "supreme leader" Khamenei. If these protests continue and they grow to the numbers initially witnessed by the world, they could push the Iranian regime to a breaking point. Mr. Mousavi has issued repeated calls for a general strike in Iran. Western nations are considering extremely tough sanctions, including trade sanctions that would cut off fuel to Iran. President Obama has finally issued a sterner statement on Iran. The world is watching, and the ball is in the court of the Iranian regime.

He is a scholar of history, especially American history, and the United States Constitution. She has finished her undergrad studies, graduating with a BA in English and history and will move onto law school this fall where she will specialize in Constitutional Law. Together, Thomas and Marcie form the vanguard of conservative opinion at Hamilton, Madison, and Jay -- a blogging site devoted to advancing the conservative cause by challenging the liberal lies and deceit spread by the media, and espoused by the Left in general. Both are expert debaters, and have beaten many liberals into submission with their collective wit, and unmatched knowledge. The pair is married, and resides in Arizona

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