FG

Apparently security forces had orders to allow the Basilj time to rampage in the British embassy attack. However some troopers soon took delight in giving the Basilj the kind of treatment the latter love to inflict on unarmed demonstrators. Iranians who check the link below will be amused by complaints that it was so unsporting.

His account unwittingly collaborates widespread suspicions that--as in Syria--the regime may not be able to count on rank-and-file troops to consistently execute orders when it comes to suppressing large, prolonged and widespread protests of the sort seen in Syria. Such suspicions explain why the Basilj have been talking recently about expanding their numbers. Without help, they'll need more thugs but where can they be found?

IS "ASSAD-IFICATION SETTING IN?

The security force officer who asked the Basilj, "How much did you get paid to come here?," expressed a common view among post-coup demonstrators. How many of his mates share that view?. Have they figured out who are the "real" Bad Guys are? No amount of training, reform or olive branches can win back aliented soldiers and citizens now. The mullahs have repelled everyone with too many crimes.

Let conditions ripen. Until Election Day, the mullahs can count on Ahmadinejad's faction to support it against any human rights/ democreacy protests. That's exactly why Khamenei has been forced to tolerate Mahmoud's brazenness. Having driven reformers underground, Khamenei now faces a two-way election he can't possible win....legally at least. (Who in their right minds would vote for the mullahs?) One way or another, the fur may begin to fly.

//www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/12/2/iran...

***

PROPOSED "MULLAH SALUTE" AND AN IDEAL OPPOSITION SHIRT

Peace demonstrators in the Vietnam Era had their own peace salute and their own T-shirts. I witnessed a very obvious and effective form of resistence when I visited Krakow, Poland, a few months before the crackdown on Solidarity. The Poles used mocking humor everywhere against the regime and known patsies. On the one hand, the oppressed had found a nifty way to lighten their days. On the opposite side, regime patsies found such tactics deeply and PERSONALLY demoralizing. I actually listened to the complaints to one well-dressed party member in a local restaurant as i watched nearby Poles snicker at him ). The closest equivalent in the USA (on a much smaller scale) were the Yuppies.

Like the Poles, Iranians need such tactics. Where the regime controls the media, you cannot expect the nightly news to assist in spreading the "mullah salute" though You Tube videos can. It would also be a mistake to depend on a few scattered folks to introduce it here and there on a random day. Besides there is some safety in numbers and surprise. Preferably students arrange a "mass introduction" on a chosen day preceded by pratice). (Imagine the fun in playing "Who wants to be the mullah?" at a party) It's a great way to build up enthusiasm. Participants will begin to salivate for the real thing. When that happens, people watching it will catch on quickly. Some may join in and others will just laugh. Either reaction helps.

If you think the idea is silly, just ask yourself a few questions: How would you feel if you were a mullah faced with hundreds of salutes dail? If the people laughed everywhere as they saw your reaction, would begin to dread leaving home? Would you still find it possible to believe that the people love the mullahs and mullah rule? Finally, consider the impact of adding one new thing--this one deeply personal--to the ton of troubles converging on the ruling thugs from every direction.

HOW TO PRACTICE THE "MULLAH SALUTE" WITH FRIENDS

1. A friend plays a mullah who has entering a restaurant or cafe or who is simplywalking down the street.

2. Immediately use one hand (your choice) and pinch your nose shut, grimacing and moaning in displeasure.

3. Take your other hand and wave it, as if pushing away "bad air" and make gasping sounds (Note: It's ok to laugh and others may join in).

4. If you are outside on a pavement, you move as far as you can from the mullah draws close and begin to increase fanning motions to panic proportions.

5. If in a restaurant, have the friend (mullah) come in and sit down. When he does, begin the salute while moving to a distant table to leaving the building entirely.

If you are really gutsy and have identified a known Basilj, you and your friends can offer him the salute if he is not accompanied by the usual crowd of fellow thugs. This tactic is especially effective when directed at Basilj types by young, attractive women. US troops who came home from Vietnam felt this sort of social shunning and it was very effective. The regime can hardly pass a law making it illegal to hold one's nose in the vicinity of a mullah. Of course, laws are't needed by this regime to justify any action. Yet it can't keep security troops on every streetcorner 365 days a year or provide escorts for every mullah.

RECOMMENDED T-SHIRT SLOGANS FOR FUTURE DEMONSTRATIONS

Are T-shirts are considered "improper" dress in Iran? They lend themselves so easily to propaganda use. Forbidden or not, Iranians can make their own and stockpile the shirts in preferred colors for mass demonstrations. They'd be ideal for Election Day boycotters to wear as they simply go about their business or hang out, avoiding any mass demonstrations. That highly visible tactic will undermine any regime attempt to inflate the turnout.

What slogans would I suggest? Shirts that AVOID anti-regime slogans.

How about "Democracy, Free Speech, Human Rights" in Persian? The regime can't complain aloud about that without looking foolish. It would appeal any security troops who share anti-regime sentiments. Thirdly, it undermines troop "conditioning" in which they've been told the demonstrators are "terrorists."

I also like: "Isn't mullah rule wonderful?" which can be taken two ways. That might be useful if hauled in by authorities.