It could also be a rallying cry to the faithful, knowing they're about to be attacked.

I'm hopin

People I respect -- people who are in a position to know, let us say -- still maintain that America will not pre-emptively attack Iran but will instead rely on Security Council sanctions to do the trick. There is a feeling that China and Russia are getting fed up with Iran as well.

I do not share this view of things. Even if sactions are levied by the Security Council (doubtful in itself), it will take time for them to go into effect, and more time before they begin to take effect. It could be years before a sanctions regime would have any effect, and even then it would be so porous that I think it would fail (we have the example of Iraq).

The ides of March are the decision point.

Does anyone know if these kind of speaches are a staple in Iran, but we're just hearing about it this year? I know Ahmadnutjob is new, but how was the last guy?

The great event of which he speaks mostly needs to involve the random scattering of his ashes by the persian winds.

Does anyone know if these kind of speaches are a staple in Iran, but we're just hearing about it this year? I know Ahmadnutjob is new, but how was the last guy?

Adolfo, Iran has been spouting this stuff since the Jimmy Carter administration. They are behind the whole "take over the world" nazi cliche of our time.

I think everyone is missing the point. Obviously what is needed is a Security Council Resolution that prohibits Iran from having nuclear weapons. Iran will obey - I think everynoe agrees.

Why cannot people see this rather simple solution?

/end sarcasm

Does anyone know if these kind of speaches are a staple in Iran, but we're just hearing about it this year?

Well, the "Death to America/Israel" stuff has been around ever since the Revolution. Ditto the "Great Satan" stuff. What's more bothersome to me is Ahmadinejad's recent "wipe Israel off the map" comments, along with his apparently-sincere belief in an apocalyptic Mahdi cult. Worse yet, the other powers-that-be in Iran aren't rushing to tell everyone that this guy's full of shit, which tells me that at least implicitly they are still behind him.

Soon there will be a "great event" but not the one he's hoping for. It's too bad because a lot of innocent people are going to get killed.

The "great event" will be the reappearance of the Hidden Imam. Certain Shiites believe that actions can be done to prepare for his reappearance or to speed up his reappearance (a little bit like Chabad Lubavitch's "do a mitzvah - it brings us closer to the Redemption"). Evidently, activist Shiites in Iran (note: this is compared to quietist Shiites) believed that the establishment of a truly Islamic republic was not only possible (quietist Shiites would say such an endeavor is impossible without the Hidden Imam) but would contribute to the Hidden Imam's reappearance.

What I question was: what were Ahmadi-Nezhad's intentions?

It can be said that certain world powers are moving to potentially take action. Even the EU is beginning to voice its consternation. If Russia gets fed up, Iran is in big trouble. This could be a rallying cry for the faithful. Or, it could just as likely be propaganda not so much to mobilize the people as much to legitimize the regime. Perhaps what he means to say is: "The Islamic Revolution was the pinnacle of Muslim achievments: Iran and its theocratic regime are preparatory to the Hidden Imam's reappearance - which is the only thing we have to wait for until Islam's final global triumph."

We must, nonetheless, monitor Ahmadi-Nezhad's rhetoric: if it becomes desperate or millennialist/messianic (in that he's declaring the imminent reappearance of the Hidden Imam), he's mobilizing the troops, as it were, for confrontation.

I will be extremely worried if he claims to have been selected by the Hidden Imam to be the Imam's hand-picked agent/representative (vakeel) - and I wouldn't rule such a tactic out.

“The Islamic revolution is... reaching the climax of history” - so, would we be calling his philosophy "Ahmadinejism"?

Still a country run by radical extremists leaders still a bunch of zelots where prince charlie and his religion of peace?

I'm convinced that they're about to get a big foot up their ass.

Monty - thank you for pointing out that the administration, through their silence, implies their behind him. It's one thing to put a man in power, but it's quite another to let him stay in power. They could have kicked him out if they wanted to. Or condemned him.

My hope is that they're using him to distract the people from the real problems in Iran, which the regime cannot fix. This would be the most ideal situation.

My other guess is that they put Ahmadi-Nezhad in power in order to reestablish their supremacy, undo recent reforms, and reinstate Islamic values.

However, my fear is that Khamene'i and his gang endorse (if not believe in) what Ahmadi-Nezhad believes and does.

Question for Ace or the Almighty Allah or anyone else who knows a lot about Iran: how reliable is Iran Focus?

Some of the stuff on that site is quite alarming, to say the least. I like that they support the West...I'm wondering how significant, important, and relevant their material is.

Two words: nukes.

(It echoes when the rubble bounces.)

Well if you would like my reason for maybe going to into Iran hop on over. It's that heartfelt stuff I'm known for.

In the back of my mind (and that's not a long journey from front to back) I keep thinking of Nostradamus' prophecy that the final conflict of mankind will start with a madman from the middle east. Now, one could say 'Sure, Nosty, THAT'S kind of obvious!'
Or one could look at Saddam...nah...Qaddafi...uh- uh...Osama...mmm, na...
Or this true nutjob.
He's fuckin' feelin' it, baby.
He's got the Mahdi Madness, and he wants to spread the good news.
Have bomb, will travel.

In the back of my mind (and that's not a long journey from front to back) I keep thinking of Nostradamus' prophecy that the final conflict of mankind will start with a madman from the middle east.

Wasn't there something about that in The Late, Great, Planet Earth?

The PC fears of our "grey men in grey suits" will keep them from doing what should be done, (LEADING).

Once a western city is vaporized, they will still act like the castrated hacks they are.

The left, and the democRATs, will go" insane-er" blaming the west for the attacks.

But it will be too late.

There will be Civil WAR in the west, while the islamist animals sit back laughing at our impotence.

Then the long knives WILL come out, and islam WILL learn the meaning of FEAR.

Millions will die, because of the lack of will ,the lack of the BALLS, to do what should have been done.

I pray I am wrong, I fear I am correct.

Muslihoon -- Iran Focus is pretty reliable. They clearly have an anti-mullah agenda, but their reports on Iranian atrocities -- public hangings of gays, stoning of teenaged girls -- are often published a day or two ahead of the wire services. Keep your eye on them as this thing heats up.

Lefty talking points are already taking shape, incidentally.

Come on Ace. Post something else!

I bored already.

Feed me.

FEED ME!

Ace is out drinking with Karol, Red. Probably won't be back for another couple of hours.

Allah - thank you!

3Ravens - I'd like to think the US and Israel are too assertive to let Iran get away with anything. All it will take is one test explosion - and the US and Israel will be after Iran like a starving hawk after prey.

Israel has proven that it will take any action it views to be in its best interest. Before the Six-Day War, the US was adamantly opposed to an Israeli first strike. The administration (in which the State Department was, surprise!, not so hot about Israel) told Israel that if they struck first, the US would not get involved. IKsrael struck first, and ended with a spectacular victory that stunned the world. I consider it the last nail in Islamic potency's coffin. This was a major wake-up call for Muslims that they were, indeed, quite impotent.

As has been said here so many times - and I love read it - they're going to blame the US for supporting Israel regardless of whether the US supports Israel or not. (The same thing happened during the Six-Day War: the Arab states accused the US of significantly assisting Israel. They knew it was a lie. (It was called, in fact, the Great Lie.) This upset America. When the Arab states appealed to America for assistance to end the conflict, the US refused their appeal.) So, we might as well help Israel. They're the only one in the region with a spine.

I'm sure we can bully Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan into assisting us. The fact Iran is surrounded by states assisting the US does not bode well for Iran. But rationality never stopped madmen.

On the day Netanyahu is sworn in, Tehran becomes a smoking crater.

The story of demographic collapse ala Mark Steyn has been a big story on the 'net for a few years now, I guess that's why I was surprised to see that Iran has a fertility rate of only 1.82 children per woman. I was just under the impression that Muslim countries were reproducing like rabbits. Iran has a young population for now, but at this rate it will keep on ageing and, assuming, get more Islamic conservative. I certainly wouldn't put much faith in the Iran youth-street rising up to take care of our problems there.

good to know u.s. incinerates civilians w/ nukes w/ a moral purpose.

sometimes I forget.

Ace is out drinking with Karol, Red. Probably won't be back for another couple of hours.

Why can't he just drink at home, alone, like me?

good to know u.s. incinerates civilians w/ nukes w/ a moral purpose.

We'll give terrorists the GPS coordinates for your house so you can atone for our sins against them.

Fucking Frankfurt School commie.

Why can't he just drink at home, alone, like me?

Exactly what I said to him earlier.

Fucking Frankfurt School commie

Heh, heh,,,

I'm laughing at that an I don't even know what a Frankfurt School commie is!

heh!

sue

you're dumb

my bad, sue

red rube jode is dumber

just noticing the contradictions. that's all.

Fucking Frankfurt School commie.

Commies engage in procreative activities? I'd have never guessed. I thought they were in love with their tractors.

Oh, sorry. Those are [procreating] Stalin School commies.

I don't know what he's talking about with this upcoming "great event". The Longhorns already beat USC.

Ace is out drinking with Karol, Red. Probably won't be back for another couple of hours.\

More than a few hours. As his former roomate, I can tell you the drinking bout will be followed by hours of agonizing before doing an outcall with a latina shemale prostitute. The ten minutes of sexual activity will be followed by 60 minutes of violent showering in a vain attempt to wipe away the shame. So you are looking at 5+ hours before receiving a response, and when it comes, it will be curiosly subdued.

"This was a major wake-up call for Muslims that they were, indeed, quite impotent."

I think this gets at the heart of it. Osama is always talking about restoring respect. His major beef was with the humiliation of the US soldiers (including women!) being in the muslim holy land to protect Saudi Arabia. And then of course, little Israel keeps whipping them. And the US takes the most agressive Arab - Saddam - and gives him a public lice check. Even for those who hated Saddam, this had to be very humiliating. Many muslim counties have all this oil but no power, and are miserably under developed.

Humiliated people may not give up - they may strike back even if it is not in their best interest. This statement by Ahmadi-Nezhad is worrisome. Makes you wonder if he is trying to sneak a device into this country. Shouldn't be too hard - bales of marijuana get shipped in daily.

3ravens - what's with this civil war stuff - what are you talking about?

Muslihoon,

What do you think the odds are that the recent shift in Iranian rhetoric has been tied to Israeli domestic politics?

Yours/

BRD

Screw you guys. I'm drunk and want to have fun ragging on Ace, and all you guys want to talk about is global thermonuclear war.

"How about a nice game of chess?"

Not to sound alarmist or anything, but the event he is referring to could be an attack on the US, possibly by using a nuke in an EMP attack to try to knock out our power grid. Iran's military is reportedly a big fan of such attacks on the theory it would paralyze and possibly cause the collapse of the US as a society - and they may be right.

IF we really want to prevent Iran from developing and using nuclear weapons, we should hit them first with a pre-emptive nuclear strike - assuming our own nuclear weapons still work, of course.

I would tell ergasthilarious to go fuck himself, but I'm sure that he's quite adept at that already.
Really, you must be a lonely little fuck, quite like all of your homely friends who stand on corners chanting 'no blood for oil' and other such rusted phrases.
You lie in a pool of your own shit and jism, insisting you're superior to all.
Ha.
Sad fuck, you.
Luckily for us, you won't procreate.
(Or rather, no one would choose to procreate with you.)
Enjoy you cold Chinese leftovers and PBS.

BattleofthePyramids - would they try to do so even if they have not experimented their weapons delivery system? I ask because I believe - for what its worth - that Iran will not be able to perform a second test. One test and the US and/or Israel will be at their door. Or in it.

They can try what you have said, but I'm sure the US will be able to direct its military through other means. And if the US military still survives, well, Iran would be better of surrendering already.

BravoRomeoDelta - I honestly think Israel's domestic issues have not yet translated into any action by Iran. The rhetoric continues, although one can argue it has been consistently escalating since its beginning. Having said this, I do believe Iran's rhetoric will escalate at a greater speed than what they may have perhaps earlier planned, in order to exploit Israel's domestic issues. However, Iran's rhetoric will not benefit Iran. Israelis who fear for their existence will vote in a hardline Prime Minister. (I personally don't trust Bibi, but he might be actually hawkish enough.)

I don't get why states want to mess with Israel. I mean, they sent their forces to kill the assassins of their Olympic team, one man at a time. These aren't people to mess with. Unlike Arabs, motivated by colonialsm/imperialism (another way of portraying the initial spread of the caliphate is Arab imperialism: as such I don't think Arabs ought to be slamming imperialism or colonialism), Israelis are motivated by something that runs deeper: the desire to survive.

Desmond22 - first, great name. :-) Second, thanks for the comments. It is a major motivating factor, I believe, amongst militant Muslims. Unfortunately, Muslim entities will never be able to become the world power they want to become. One obstacle is their inability to institute proper programs. A good way would have been to secretly infiltrate a Muslim state, turn in into a police state, and begin massive military research and development. All entities depend on Western technology - we know, mostly, what they know. In order to prevail over us, they have to devise something more advanced. The other reason they can't succeed is because of their lack of unity. They're even more disunited than a room full of Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and haredi Jews. Their weaknesses are our advantages, and since these are based on their character, it means we will prevail. The sooner they realize this, the sooner that can become integrated into Pax Americana, the sooner they can begin to grow and develop the proper way.

At first I told myself that NO ONE can be that fuckin crazy, it's jsut bluster.

But then I started to see a bigger picture.

All these crazy mofos want Islam (spit) to be the ruling class/sect on the planet. Well how do you do this?

First knock the U.S. out. This will cause a global economic catastrophe.

Turn off the oil spigot, and drive the price of energy so high that it bankrupts the rest of the world.

Convert/kill the rest.

I honestly believe that Ahmadinejad is willing to "take one" for the team here. He knows that someone is going to take him out, I believe that he wants to be remembered as some great religious figure that started the New Caliphate.

Scary.....

Otho Laurence ,

Nice link. How many of us has looked at the CIA's site for info?

As for the rest, I'm pretty sure the Hidden Imam is actually Joe Paterno.

Fight on State, bitches.

BattleofthePyramids,

A power-grid destroying EMP Pulse created by a nuclear detonation in the ionosphere is a theory.

Please don't tell us to protect ourselves with adamantium armor and Green Lantern power rings.

The only silver lining I can see is that Republicans can make gains in 2006. Americans prefer Republicans in times of peril.

(Maybe it has to do with the fact that Republicans believe in action while Democrats would prefer to use words, conferences, meetings, negotiations, and the UN to protect our national security.)

I do not believe we can make gains in the House if our next Speaker is not an Ass-kicking reformist. And when should we all start talking about Lynn Swann?

Oh, and fuck Iran (just to maintain thread thread affinity).

They do have short range missles. Actually, dropping a dirty bomb on the main Saudi Oil field - Gawar - would probably be enough to plunge the world into an economic depression - plus making their own oil very valuable.

Mushiloon - they HAVE experimented with their delivery system - the Shahab 3 missiles. They are confident they can do it, just look at what they are saying on MEMRI.org. IF they do, will we really be able to retaliate with over half our country in chaos, food, power, transportation and communication out of action? We would need every soldier we have just to try to keep things from collapsing completely. Sure we have Sub-launched nukes - which have not been test-fired in over 10 years. Do they still work? And, even if they do, will they US have the will to kill half the population of Iran to get the Mullahs? I doubt it.

Biff Boff - EMP weapons are more than theory, we are starting to test them ourselves. There is no reason to think they will not work. Imagine Iran being able to knock out every piece of electrical equipment from NY to Chicago with a single weapon!

And, FWIW, I don't think the Iranian Mullahs are afraid that the US will use nukes in retaliation. Why should they? Look how we are behaving in Iraq - we are fighting with kid gloves, arresting more terrorists than we are killing, etc. And, even this limited half war is opposed by half the country! No, the Iranians are quite confident we are a paper tiger.

The above was me. Sorry.

I will be extremely worried if he claims to have been selected by the Hidden Imam to be the Imam's hand-picked agent/representative (vakeel) - and I wouldn't rule such a tactic out.

He wouldn't be the first. Think Osama. Heck, think Osama's late older brother.

Thank you for that info, BotP.

I wish a sociologist would come out of the woodwork and explain:
1. How and why the Iranis are going along with such an obviously insane leader?
2. How we can stop them for becoming lemmings behind a suicidal leader?
3. How we can convince them to overthrow their leaders?

One would think decades of research on NSDAP Germany, Fascist Italy, and expansionist Japan would have yielded some practical results we could use.

Iran - the new Third Reich.

Iran - the new Third Reich.

I guess that makes egalacticaticus and his friends the Vichy French.

Oh, and it's better to be dumb than a Commie.

The Longhorns already beat USC

Allahu Akbar!

....but the event he is referring to could be an attack on the US, possibly by using a nuke in an EMP attack to try to knock out our power grid."

Oooooh! Then we'd have to reboot everything!

Ahmadnejean Says "Great Event" Is Coming

Yeah he's gonna get laid

Time for another Omdurman, I see.

Wow. Almost 13 hours since a post from Ace.

Maybe this Latino Transvestite Prostitute is the one, eh steve_in_hb???

Someone has got to tell the Iranians that the Halo structure is not a religious artifact, but a weapon! Starting the "Great Journey" will destroy everything in a 10,000 lightyear radius.

343 Guilty Spark want Iran to detonate Halo. We need to stop them. The first step is to plant homing beacons in each of Iran's 400 centrifuge facilities. Then we just wait for the air-strikes. Along the way, we should try to eliminate as many islamic-zombies as possible.

Lets go!

The first step is to plant homing beacons in each of Iran's 400 centrifuge facilities. Then we just wait for the air-strikes. Along the way, we should try to eliminate as many islamic-zombies as possible.

Lets go!

But the new season of 24 starts this weekend.

Can we do it in June?

Dammit, man! Don't you have Tivo for that! Any second now, the Ayatollah's shield will regenerate.

Red, let the war start now. The only way to watch 24 is on DVD, straight through!

The more I look at it, the more likely that if there is any military action, the US will be heavily involved.

Red, let the war start now. The only way to watch 24 is on DVD, straight through!

No, the only way to watch is to on DVD, straight through, while doing George Dickel and Xanax shooters.

Which coincidentally is also the very best way to go on the attack against the Mad Mullahs of Tehran!!!!!

So, were good to go!

Musilhoon,

Perhaps this might provide the basis for your answer to question 1:

My dad just got back from overseas about a month ago, visiting relatives, some of whom are from Iran (my family's home country is nowhere near the middle east). The head of the Iranian household was asking why the US was paying so much attention to the Iranian president. Everyone there knows the guy is nuts but powerless, so it does no good to encourage the guy by giving him attention.

I wish I had gone there to ask the guy: (1) If the guy is nuts but powerless, why is he the president? (2) If those who are really in power let a guy like this represent them, why would that make the US feel better about Iran getting nukes? (3) What does this say about the Iranian people who allow crazy and irresponsible people to run their affairs?

From their perspective, the problem is George Bush provoking their leaders into confrontational policies. But they don't see how they are at fault for letting their leadership run amok. It is as if the US is responsible for what the US does, and it is the US which is responsible for what Iran does. What does this say about the Iranian people's view of themselves?

On another topic (As Ace has apparently been strangled by his Latina Shemale Whore or drowned during his post-coital shower and will no longer post), I'd like to suggest a new verb for addition to the English Lexcion:

Teddify

v. tedd i fied, Tedd•i•fy•ing, Ted i•fies
v.tr.
1. To convert (through a process of corrupt and moral decay) into an entity characterized by a calcified intellect, prurient appetites and an adherence to discredited philosophies and lost causes
2. To cause to become callow, .shallow, corrupt, bloated and hypocritical
3. To age, decay and corrupt in one's physical appearance and moral bearing, while remaining unchanged in the pages of the New York Times, the Boston Globe or the L.A. Times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Modern English, der fr. Theodore (Teddy) Kennedy, a late 20th century U.S. politician whose person and life embodied these characteristics]

To paraphrase Belloc:

"Whatever happens
We have got
18 Ohio class ballistic missile submarines with 24 Trident missiles, each with 8 MIRV warheads
And they have not."

We'll see you. And raise you - to somewhere beyond low-earth orbit, Spanky.

Ace is out drinking with Karol, Red. Probably won't be back for another couple of hours.

Ace and Karol sitting in a tree,
K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Heh. Karol was probably the designated
"Hold Ace's head out of the toliet by his hair" girl.