“Guests of the Ayatollah” – Happy Anniversary!

“Death to Carter, death to Shah!” was the chant of the revolutionaries that toppled the Iranian monarchy as they attacked the American embassy on November 4, 1979, taking 53 Americans hostage. They held the Americans for 444 days, toppling more than the Iranian establishment – President Jimmy Carter’s seeming helpless in finding either a military or diplomatic solution to release those Americans probably created the tipping point that pushed Ronald Reagan into the White House at the expense of the incumbent Carter.

Here we are thirty years later, and the revolutionary spirit that gave birth to the Islamic Republic is no longer viewed as ennobling and honorable to the Iranian leadership – simply, that firebrand notion is destabilizing to the “old world” powers in charge in Tehran today. These original instigators are now the enemy of the Iranian incumbency; they are a part of the dreaded “reform movement” – personified by the Islamic Iran Participation Front (the party that battled Ahmadinejad unsuccessfully in the last election – the IIPF – even though he was one of those revolutionaries) – people who have, perish the thought, taken to the streets to protest the government. These legendary hostage-takers, heroes to the Ayatollah Khomeini and the revolution so many years ago, have, for the most part, become anti-incumbent reformists.

They’re not pro-American by any means (but more than the Ayatollah Khamenei would like), but they are appalled at the elitist leadership that appears to be running the country today: “‘The fact that so many of the students of ’79 eventually came to a reformist position in Iranian politics is not such a mystery when you remember that the reformist position in Iranian politics is not necessarily a pro-Western position,’ said Michael Axworthy, a former diplomat and Iran expert who lectures at the University of Exeter. ‘What they’re after is what they thought the revolution was about, which is representative politics in the Islamic context.’” November 3^rd NY times.

Some of the greatest heroes of the 1979 revolution have found the warmth their country provides for them today: prison. Mohsen Mirdamadi was one of their leaders in 1979, and he became the General Secretary to the IIPF – today, he is an enemy of the state. These reformists favor dialog with the rest of the world, and they still cherish their attack against the former Shah: “While they are not pro-Western, they support engagement. They often talk about the original ideals of the revolution, including justice and freedom, which they say the state has abandoned — especially in its violent crackdown on the election protests, which echoed the harsh actions of the Savak, the Shah’s hated and feared secret police, in the years leading up to the revolution…”

“The political turmoil following Iran’s [recent] election has highlighted how power politics have evolved since the popular uprising that ousted the Shah three decades ago. In the early years, Ayatollah Khomeini managed to consolidate power in the hands of the Islamists, sidelining more secular and nationalist forces. Since then, power has shifted from the old revolutionaries to a new generation associated with the Iran-Iraq war and the Revolutionary Guards, a military force mandated to take whatever steps necessary to protect the revolution.” The Nov. 3^rd Times.

The scene in Tehran on November 4, 2009 – three decades later? “Large stretches of the Iranian capital erupted in chaos and violence today as antigovernment protesters and security forces clashed on the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy by radical students… As Ahmadinejad's allies blasted U.S. foreign policy during an official rally attended by tens of thousands of schoolchildren bused in the for the event and government supporters, a leading reformist cleric and architect of the Islamic Revolution issued a provocative statement describing the storming of the U.S. mission in Tehran as a mistake… And as thousands of government supporters and schoolchildren draped in Iranian flags chanted, ‘Death to America,’ opposition protesters warned the Obama administration -- which is seeking to engage Iran to defuse a confrontation over Tehran's nuclear program -- that now's not the time for a deal. [Emphasis added]

“‘Obama, Obama!’ the protesters chanted, according to footage posted on the Internet. ‘Either you're with them, or with us.’… Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets and attempted to surround demonstrators to prevent them from forming large gatherings. Protesters chanted, ‘Death to the dictator’ and ‘Russia is the den of espionage,’ playing on the official description of the former U.S. Embassy compound as a ‘den of espionage.’… Moscow is an ally of the Islamic Republic.” November 4^th NY Times. Happy Anniversary Islamic Republic! Goodwill hunting, Russia!

It only took Iran 30 years for their version of “special interests” to subvert the stated goals of those who fomented the revolution in the first place. With the country solidly in the hands of a group of privileged insiders, “reform” and “reviving the revolutionary spirit” are the last things on the minds of Iran’s leaders. Funny how the lessons of history are lost so quickly on those who are in power? The clock is ticking. Still think we should bomb Iran to kill their nuclear program… and kill all those who are beginning to lean solidly in our direction? Interesting, no?

I’m Peter Dekom, and I approve this message.