The IRGC fucked up hard, and even its supporters are pissed.

He doesn't deserve any credit for anything, but he will certainly take credit for everything.

He always, at least, tries...

Trump assassinates a foreign leader
Iran retaliates and warns Iraq they are going to do it.
Almost at the same time they eff up and shoot down a civilian airliner.

That malignant f**k started this mess and by circumstance and luck, Iranians have managed to make him look better than he deserves.

What the hell does that mean?

OF all types.

We have ways to get them both, weapons, and devices to communicate. They deserve a chance to be free of the mullahs, but have no realistic way to do this by vote, they are completely at the mercy of a regime that has all the weapons.

stumbled ass backward into unleashing democracy in Iran? It would be a great accomplishment for any president, and Donny Dotard may accidentally fall on top of it. I'll take it for the people of Iran. Wishing safety and security to the iranian people. Godspeed.

absolutely despise thier leader and states if not for being killed like dogs, the under 40 demographic would overthrow the current govt. I hear stories of people being pulled from thier homes and executed in street for opposition. I have a large group of Iranian friends that have migrated here over ladt 40 years and they want this dudes head but not via military action that might make it worse

Praying for them.

And to a person they all despised the Soviet state and Putin.

They looked down on Eltsin as simply incompetent, that's different from despising for cause.

They were all emigres.

Then I found myself in some situations with Russians that were not emigres. Some were studying abroad, at a time when there were no favors for loyal Communists. Some were sent abroad as instructions or they came to the US for a while to conduct business or as part of a sister-city project.

And to a person they all loved the Soviet state and, later, Putin.

Made me stop and realize that all the Russians that left the USSR/Russia had a reason for it, and in a country where the economy is the government, education is the government, employment is the government, etc., etc., every dissatisfaction that could lead to emigration--from ethnic discrimination to unemployment to political repression--necessarily was aimed at the government. So my sample was skewed.

Can't buy online (if they have online) no Twitter etc.
It's basically the same thing that brought down the Soviet Union - blue jeans and rock n roll.

I've always thought the nuke deal was the Iranian Governments effort to placate the younger folks. Get some banking access into the rest of the world and steps towards relieving sanctions.

Link to tweet

Funny. I don't remember massive protests here in the States in 1983 after we 'accidentally' shot down Iran Air Flt 655. 290 died.

are especially upset. Americans tend not to get that upset if innocent people from countries they consider hostile end up getting killed. If the plane the U.S. shot down had been filled with innocent Americans, then there would have been protests here, too.

Maybe then, we would not have awarded the commander of the Vincennes with a Medal of Honor.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Wasn't a big deal in the news because we had important things to read about.

It was one of the complaints from some activists about the Soleimani killing. Suddenly all the anti-government protests had something that bound them to the government they had protested, and it was viewed by some as Trump's betrayal of the protestors.

It wouldn't have been nearly so bad if the government hadn't said, immediately, "No, it most definitely wasn't us." From the news reader to the top-dog ayatollah. Followed by denials of the obviously false accusations of the West that it was Iran who was responsible--basically, "they're just saying that because they hate us and always accuse us of lying."

Oops.

That could apply to the US under Trump, as well

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

They had the sympathy of the world, it united the citizens against the US, and then, shockingly, they didn't do what common sense would dictate, shut down IKA to commercial air traffic while on high alert and exert more control over their AA defenses.

I wouldn't want to be that missile battery's commander or personnel right now.

This has the potential to really blow up in the Iranian leadership's faces.

Link to tweet

demos in the past have been met with gunfire in the street or attacks by Basij thugs

let’s hope that the outcome here is different

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Macaire_(diplomat)



Robert (Rob) Nigel Paul Macaire CMG (19 February 1966) is a British diplomat. He was previously the Director of Political Risk in BG Group plc before going on to become the UK Ambassador to Iran.

Link to tweet

0 Americans died in retaliation for Soleimani. Their leadership killed more Iranian civilians on that plane than they did Americans. Not the retaliation they were sold on.

See: Iran.

The activists have retreated to campuses. Hopefully re-grouping for another go. The Iranian people deserve better than Ayatollahs and Shahs.