Anyway

Hey, I just can't think straight when I see the pictures!

Ahmadinejad is hot, I just can't help myself

Here are some information on

Here are some information on the candidates and Rafsanjani.

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir-Hossein_Mousavi
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar_Hashemi_Rafsanj...
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehdi_Karroubi
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohsen_Reza

Rafsanjani, a poor pistachio farmer prior to the revolution, a billionaire after the revolution. It is money laundering under pistachio farming.

My point from all these is that we need a president who is willing to stand for justice for all.

سخنرانی میر حسین موسوی در صدا و سیما 1 خرداد 88

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Niloufar

You know, I used to believe that myself. Not anymore.
For Mousavi, I'd look at his track record actually, and I don't see anything that could make me think anything other than this being yet just another setup.
My 2 Cents.

Mr. genius

Ananymous 7

When did the circus come to town? dammit. Why didn't you tell me ahead of time so i canmake time to enjoy your performances ba khiale rahat?

Parham

OK that's a whole different ball game. Rafsanjani's people earn around $400 million a year from pistachio exports from rafsanjan alone. that's their own figures btw. they were super rich before the revolution.

but i would not lump all those involved in the regime together. there are those who follow a more righteous path among them. 

Niloufar

Sorry, everyone (or I guess almost everyone!) knows the economy was managed by Rafsanjani in those years, as was the war, in many ways. What they say about the economy in their election publicity these days is bogus actually.

And by the way, Rafsanjani, DIDN'T have "meager" resources.

So what do you want me to prove? I think the fact that he has been an aid to a bunch of dozd, ghatel va adamkosh should be enough, shouldn't it?

Parham

he was the prime minister during the war years when Iran was under all kinds of external pressure, yet he managed the economy quite successfully with meagre resources and was popular for it. I think the onus is on you to prove how he failed.

Niloufar

"mousavi, who has greater determination and executive abilities, as was shown in his tenure as the prime minister."

So where are inventing that from?? It was the opposite, wasn't it? In his tenure as prime minister, he didn't show anything. If you want to say the opposite, please provide facts, please.
In fact, most people didn't even know who he is and whether he was prime minister or not before these selections!

Agree

very well said!!!Magar Khatami Ceheh kard keh in yaky betoneh???

there are good reasons for doubt

there is no denying that. on the other hand, if we stay out of the elections, we are faced with another 4 years of isolation, war rhetoric and economic hardship for Iran. No sitting president has been defeated in the elections yet. this is a good chance to send a clear message to the 'system'.

KouroshS: sorry for calling you Sheeshaki! i reserve the right to show uncertainty. who was it who said 'the more we know, the more we know that we don't know'? i also doubt that we have any certain alternatives at this juncture. pls tell me if you know of one. i mean one that actually makes a difference.

hamsade ghadimi: the same reports should also show how the number of journals and newspapers flourished under khatami. you know that it was the judiciary that attacked the press and continues to do so. so far it's only the executive and legislative branches that are within the influence of reformers through such periodic elections.  the other body that may also fall under reformist influence is majlese khobregan through their elections every 10 years. people should not ignore any of these elections. 

Parham: if i were to hazard a guess, i would say that khatami is aware of his own weaknesses in the areas that you have mentioned, and this is why he is deferring to mousavi, who has greater determination and executive abilities, as was shown in his tenure as the prime minister. khatami is more suited to the supreme leader's position. and before you say it, let me: we shuld not have supreme leaders at all!

my 'fan': mokhleseem! you made my day :)

Anonym7: khatami's score card on the economy was not so bad actually. by the time he left office, GDP growth rate was more than doubled. Unemployment reduced, inflation was lower, external debt was cut, investment was up, and international ratings of 'the risk factor for doing business in Iran' was lowered, and he significantly lowered the rate of the fall of the currency. sure, he could have done better, but it was not a disaster by any stretch, and far better than ahmadinejad.

Peace

REAL REFORM is what we need.

1- we have enough clergy men in government. we don't need to have one as president as well, who will probably pick more clergy men for his cabinet. We need to, sort of reduce the religion's influence in government to make room for civil liberty.
2- I heard Mohsen Rezae's son has gotten political asylum from U.S. If true, wouldn't that be shameful for a president?
Then in 8 years war, Rafsanjani's kids were studying in Canada and didn't serve a single day fighting for the country, once war ended they came back and now they are robbing the country. Is that not a shame for any Iranian let alone a president?
3- I don't know much about Mr. Mousavi and that is enough to know that he has not been very active. I wished he would speak about what he has done, so we could decide based on his positive actions rather than promises.
4- About Ahmadinejad, If he had taken charge and defended human rights and freedom domestically as he does internationally, he would have been alright. Maybe he has tried, but there are too many obstacles. I am sure it is not an easy thing to do, but it must be done.

So people should be educated that they themselves can and should nominate others with proven record of standing for justice. Otherwise, there will not be much of a change. Yes, sanctions are playing a major roll in our bad economy, but many individuals in public and government are also causing a lot of damage by filling their pockets.
Yes, we need a reform, but a real reform. we can do better. we have many who are more fit for the job.

Opposition alternatives (to Majid)

That explains why in the opposition side we have alternatives such as Kashani, Kazemzadeh, ..., and of course sheeshaki!

دماغتون رو بگیرین!

یه آقای دکتر مهندسی گفته.....

_ ظرف چهار سال گذشته به نفت تون که رسیدین! حالا من قول میدم که ایندفه گاز رو بیارم سر سفرهء مردم !

dear Niloufar

I have been following some of your comments and needed to jump in here. The politest way that I can put this is, like you try to exlain university level course to 2nd or 3rd graders. Please don't waste your amazing knowlwdge on, well some of these crowds. No way they could see at your level.
Niloufar, I admire your insight very much. Thanks for your contrubutions to this site

wish IRI defeat the sanction mongers! (to Nilou)

Unfortunately I don't know that likes of Khatami will be capable of resolving economic issues .... when they had the power, Iran was not nearly under so much pressure as it has been past several years ... I also primarily blame U.S/Israel for the hostilities and economical sabotage of Iran .... Iran was supposed to be the next, had U.S succeeded in Iraq and Afghanistan,..., regardless of who was running Iran at the time.
Having said all that, my criticism of IRI is not a destructive one I wish IRI can get its hand around the issues and keep the warmongers away, and defeats the sanction mongers!

Niloufar

Of course I'm talking about real reforms. Something we could call "the press freedom reforms" to take your example, where actual laws would be passed towards press freedom and measures would be taken to ensure the laws are abided by.
Not just talking about press freedom, whereby encouraging a bunch of people who would go ahead and think they're now free, only to find themselves in jail and harassed constantly thereafter.
Not encouraging a load of students into getting out of the closet, whereby they would find themselves thrown out of university, in jail, harassed, you name it.
Basically, NOT letting people down with empty talk...
A lot of people also seem to forget that it wasn't Khatami who gave, it was the people who went ahead and took. Khatami just tried to create a bridge between the people and the ruling class to ensure the lifeline of the same ruling class. Just like they're trying to do so now, in my opinion.

If Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin

If Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Emperor Hirohito were running for president who would you vote for? Or would you vote at all?
Well, while these 4 people, if you could call them that, might be very different from one another, they still represent something very different from what I believe in. They all represent something I consider evil.
While as a tactic, you may want to vote for one against the other, and while that might be a right decision politically, it is definitely immoral.
To those who are trying to persuade us to vote, I would say this: The Islamic republic is a brutal and evil criminal whose hands are stained with the blood of thousands of innocent people and no one can deny that, even they themselves have never denied that. This regime has committed the worst crimes in the history of our country, one example of which is the execution of the political prisoners in the summer of 1988 (1367), when they executed at least 4000 people in matter of a few weeks, some of whom had done their time and were waiting to be released.
How could any logical man tell us to forget all about those lost lives and just vote, because if you don’t, then Ahmadinejad would win over the others? Who cares? Which one these four has said anything about the crimes of the Islamic republic? Which one of them has ever acknowledged the wrong that has been done to us? Who are we kidding?
Would you make peace with someone who comes to your house, takes your family hostage, rapes your daughter or sister, kills your brother or father, takes over all your livelihood and keeps a gun to your head at all times, day in and day out?
With all due respect, perhaps you would, but I won’t and please do me a favor and don’t make it my national duty to go out and vote. Because I would rather die before I vote for Hitler, Mussolini, comrade Stalin or Emperor Hirohito.

parsi: need to do some fact finding and soul searching

where do you get your information from?  "Khatami helped the press flourish in iran ..."  is it a fact because you just put those words together or you actually have a source to support this statement?

prior to ahmadinejad's selection, "reporters without borders" had this to say about the iranian press under khatami's presidency:

"during president mohammad khatami's eight years in office, four journalists have been killed, one has disappeared, more than 150 newspapers (not counting student newspapers) have been closed by the authorities, more than 200 journalists have been summoned, detained and questioned, and 52 of them have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to 14 years."

if that's flourishing to you, i like to hear your definistion of floundering.

Niloufar parsi

There you go again! at the end your serious and massive doubt and uncertainty shows through, shinier that sun. and it is not because you have no way of telling the future (no one can), it is because deep down you dont trust them either.

We are having a normal discussion. It is just that you tend to justify everything to the point that it becomes meanigless and so cliche. I am sorry but the way you are trying to explain the deal that was made between these gentlemen, is nothing but a story. There were reports that were cited that mr. khatami was warned to back down and his convoy was attacked. That shows that there defenitely was some internal strife as to who should and is authorized to step up and become a candidate.

  Can you tell me why is it that there are only "selected" number of good people who are doing the hard work and the rest get thrown in jail? is there a reason for that? what is your philosophy on it?

You can not keep deceiving yourself based on such stoytelling and shallow justifications.

sheeshaki

why can't we have normal discussions about actual affairs in iran? what is this 'agenda' business?

the system is not rotten to the core. there are many good people trying hard to make things better despite the odds. khatami was a shining example. 

Khatami wanted Mousavi to stand before he announced his own candidacy but  Mousavi didn't. when finally Mousavi did, khatami withdrew. that looks logical to me. khatami clearly looks up to mousavi.

i used the term 'probably' because i was talking about the future. i have to show some doubt as i have not seen the future. and yes i may turn out to be wrong. right now, i don't think so.

Anonym7

fair enough, but you know that the end of hostilities with the west would bring massive foreign investment into iran. oil, gas, steel, infrastructure among the top, but also all kinds of new tourism and export possibilities. i see a chance for fixing the economy. 

correction (to Nilou)

Sorry for my bad spelling, it should have been vicious poverty ..... not 'viscous' poverty.

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Mahmood, Mir-Hosein, Mehdi and Mohsen all 4 belong to a IRI Museum & who have become alive once again for the IRI every 4 year election show with a lot of m&m sweet talk to fool the majority young naiveté.

... if the revolution comes! (to Nilou)

Nilou, unfortunately neither of these factions did anything serious about economical issues, more specifically all those factions have been responsible for the worsening poverty in Iran. A friend of mine who lives in Iran, recently said "this time if the revolution comes, it will not be because of quest for freedom, ...,(unlike 1979) but because of poverty .... the viscous poverty"

niloofar parsi

Then why is it that such demands are falling on deaf ears? Why is it he was scared into declaring his change of mind in being a nominee for this round of elections? why was he not allowed to continue with a trail he blazed 4 years ago? why was he cut short. You use such beatiful and elegant words to describe what he helped accomplish as if they amount to anything worthy at all. All you do is Talk and talk and then some more talk and praise. He is "probably a positive influence"?? you mean you are not even sure of what you are talking about? that is being so diplomatic. LOL

 Everything he stood for was abolished and done away with the moment we got the new prez and it is sure to continue with election of anyone of these 4 candidates.

Don't you guys ever get tired of pushing their agenda and having false beliefs in something that is rotten to the core?

Answer is:

sag zard barader shoghal.

Parham

Khatami helped the press flourish in iran and brought a measure of dignity, diplomacy and good manners to the job. he raised the bar on expectations. he contributed to people becoming more demanding of their politicians. in the long term trend he is probably a positive influence.

One thing I will be very glad to have explained to me

What is it that they're banking on Khatami constantly? Can anyone name only even ONE REFORM accomplished during the EIGHT years that Khatami was president? I'd be glad to hear that...

Baba, Khatami emtehanesho pas dad, MARDOOD shod!
Yadetoon nemiad?