Iran: Saturday Rally

Mousavi has not died, has not been injured, has not been arrested, and has not canceled the rally.

From a reliable, credible source in Iran:

confirmed - Mousavi - SATURDAY 4pm Enghelab Sq - HISTORY will be watching us

Update: News reports, inside and outside of Iran, confirm that the government cracked down with tear gas, batons, and chains. Other sources claim that guns and unknown chemical agents were used (the latter apparently dropped on crowd via helicopter). Many killed, many others wounded. Still the protesters continue into the night. Some sold sources for up-to-the minute reports from Iran not issued by Iran's State media:

• NiacINsight
• Andrew Sullivan
• NYT's The Lede
• Nico Pitney at The Huffington Post

Ohio Man Attacked. . .By Iran?

Here's a potentially frightening scenario--Iranians in the USA assaulting Americans sympathetic to the opposition.

Someone who has been truly helpful at helping Iranians with proxies announced on Twitter that he'd been on his way to university in Ohio was attacked by "Iranian or Lebanese" men. This appeared on one Twitter feed:

Leaving for college now. Not sure if I'll be permitted to tweet from class. If not, will write full summary of events between classes.

Am safe, hidden away. Will continue to post reports from Iran, no more info about me.

Details: was attacked by single vehicle throwing rocks while walking. Am safe now, though not in contact with anyone in Iran.

@[redacted] No, I live in America.

I'm fine, filed police report (though they seemed uninterested) Huffington Post will be posting more details at some point.

In an interview with a DailyKos diarist, the man elaborated, saying that his attackers were "a group of men that seemed to be either Iranian or Lebanese [. . . .] They drove up besides him and threw rocks at him while shouting, "Mousavi Fraud." Also, the man told the interviewer "that his personal information was leaked, and is currently being spread both online and inside of Iran amongst the government." The interviewer took this as "a strong indicator of how international in scope these events are. A [sic] American on American soil has already been attacked due to these protests in Iran."

As the man alerted folks on Twitter, The Huffington Post did post more details.

10:35 AM ET -- A word of caution. This DailyKos diary, now featured in the "recommended" section, reports that a man in Ohio who has been helping Iranians on Twitter had his personal information leaked, and then was harassed by three men shouting anti-Mousavi slogans as he walked to his university.

We heard the same rumors yesterday, and my colleague Sam Stein tried to figure out what happened. The Ohio college that the man told us he attended said they had no record of him as a student. And after saying he had called 911 to report the incident, the man gave a reason for why he thought that the police wouldn't end up having a record of the 911 call.

It's certainly possible that this attack occurred, which would obviously be unfortunate and disturbing. But more confirmation is definitely needed.

Indeed. It's horrific that this might happen; there's every chance that it did occur. However, it's troubling that nobody, besides Nico Pitney and Sam Stein, seems to have checked up on this story (e.g., checking with sources other than the alleged victim). People seem to prefer stoking paranoia.

Confirm. Verify.

Update: The story has now appeared at Democratic Underground and the commentators are, well, skeptical. It's also appeared at Slashdot, where the commentators are a bit more accepting. It's also being posted at Rush Limbaugh's site, as well as a few other places.

Fresh Air on Conspiracy Theories, Extremism, Racism, Violence

On the Fresh Air broadcast for 18 June, Terry Gross interviews Chip Berlet, a senior analyst at Political Research Associates who "has studied extremism, conspiracy theories and hate groups for more than 25 years." (NPR). The broadcast focuses on the links between conspiracy theories, extremism, and violence.

According to Berlet, there have been nine murders linked to white supremacist groups and/or prompted by conspiracy theories since Obama's election [correction: since the inauguration].

You can listen to the show here.

Aside: Berlet addresses both right wing and left wing conspiracy theories, extremism, and scapegoating.

And on a related note: The OC Weekly has published a profile of Dr. Orly Taitz, an anti-Obama activist and birth certificate conspiracy theorist, as well as an overview (and debunking) of her various claims. Read it here.

Iran: Fights in Parliament Over Attacks on Protesters

Etemaad.ir, a Farsi news site, recently posted an item describing an altercation that broke out in Iran's Parliament this week. The MP's had been discussing Basiji attacks on students. Nico Pitney has posted a translation of the story at The Huffington Post (see his update at 2:33 PM ET [6/19]). Excerpt:

After Ansari [MP], Abutorabi [Parliament Secretary] took the floor again and continued questioning the plainclothes security forces once again. At this point Hosseinian, Koochakzadeh, and resaee, the three biggest supporters of Ahmadinejad in the parliament, started a verbal argument which ended with a number of physical fights. As a result a number of pro and ant Ahmadinejad members of the parliament join the fight and start slapping and pushing each other.

Head to HuffPo for the rest.

Additionally, and significantly, MPs claim to know the identities of members of the Basij, and assert that "they will expose the identities of those behind the plainclothes security forces" (qtd. in Pitney). Whether because of these threats or because photographs of Basiji have been posted on the Internet, the forces have started covering their faces (see the 12:12 PM update here). Concerns over being identified suggests concerns about retaliation--either by protesters or, should there be a President, by imprisonment.

Iran: Monday Updates

The Iranian people have taken to their rooftops again to shout "Allah Akbar" and "death to the dictator."

The militia are targeting the students again: Madyer Tweets that two dormitories are under siege: Tarasht and Shiraz.

StopAhmadi Tweets that sources in Rasht claim that authories are wiretapping phone calls, while others report that citizens are leaving their gates and doors unlocked so that people begin chased by vigilantes may escape.

PersianKiwi Tweets that while moving locations, "were attacked in streets by mob on motorbikes with batons - firing guns into air - streetfires all over town - roads closed; #Iranelection" These must be the same people whom CNN's Rick Sanchez identified on air as questionable members of the opposition. According to eyewitnesses, Basiji are in plainclothes and are attacking civilians.

Persian Kiwi also asks that pedestrians in Tehran be aware, and try to avoid, the area of the military barracks off Pasdaran Street. Tweeted: "large number of plain clothes with bikes hiding in military barraks off Pasdaran - dont know what they are planning."

StopAhmadi confirms that protesters have burned the Basiji headquarters in Tehran. Molotov cocktails.

Mousavi's Message & Monday's Protest Rallies

Per Andrew Sullivan:
Mir Hossein Mousavi delivered the following phone message to the BBC:

I AM UNDER EXTREME PRESSURE TO ACCEPT THE RESULTS OF THE SHAM ELECTION. THEY HAVE CUT ME OFF FROM ANY COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE AND AM UNDER SURVEILLANCE. I ASK THE PEOPLE TO STAY IN THE STREETS BUT AVOID VIOLENCE

The exhortation to "stay in the streets" suggests that Monday's protests, scheduled to begin at four o'clock, will occur as planned. Indeed, an Iranian Twitterer, "IranElection09," also assures readers that, according to "sources close to Mousavi""today's [Monday's] rally will go on as scheduled regardless of government's permission."

Unfortunately, because Iran has been chucking the media out of the country, fair and accurate MSM reportage of the protests could well be nonexistent (or close to it).

Added: just Twittered by Justice4Iran:

ALERT: MOUSAVI, IRAN, ELECTION, TEHRAN, BEGIN A ROSE CAMPAIGN IN SIGN OF PEACE AT ALL MARCH ACROSS IRAN EVERY PROTESTOR CARRIES A ROSE

The protesters' roses will reinforce the idea that the rallies are acts of civil disobedience (the government has banned the planned rallies, so these brave souls will be breaking the law).

Added: Tehran Bureau's Twitter page includes this:

confirmed the Tehran protest from Enghelab to Azadi, tomorrow (Monday) and a national strike on Tuesday.

It looks like Tehran Bureau's website will be down until tomorrow.

Iran: The Whole World is Watching

They're attacking students in their dorms.

Last night, vigilantes burst into a dorm at Isfahan Technical University. Tonight, a similar group has blocked any and all access to dorms at Tehran University. Students can't get out, and help can't get in. "Change_for_Iran", a Twitterer who claims to be in dorm at Tehran University writes that the forces aren't military or police--they'e Ansar-Hezbolah, a hardline Iranian paramilitary group. "Change for Iran's" Tweets are frightening and heartbreaking.

Update: "Change for Iran" Tweets the following:

if what gooyanews reported is true, the situation in other buildings are far worst than us #iranelection

according to gooyanews : in whole complex: 15 badly wounded, more than 100 arrested or missing. #iranelection

And "Iluvfreedom," aka human rights specialist Mariam Memarsadeghi, Tweets:

7students thrown from Kooye/Univ of Tehran dormitory; dozens injured; fully armed Ansar in dorm bldg # 23,18,17,16,14,7,5 #iranelection

Seriously? Sending paramilitary vigilantes after the kids?

I celebrate the courage of these protesters in their struggle to assert their voices. No matter how the government strives to silence those voices by taking web pages offline (Tehran Bureau is one example), by cutting cell phone access, by evicting the MSM, and by threatening violence, these Iranians, old and young, continue to tell their side of the story--by Twittering, emailing, uploading videos of horrific abuse--ensure that the whole world hears.

Aside: Tehran Bureau has been online only sporadically throughout the day. Earlier, someone posted the following on its Twitter page:

webmaster says the Iranian govt is overloading us with requests to disable our site: "denial of service attack"

The site is currently down.

Iran: "It Was a Coup"

Mir Hossein Mousavi's spokesman, Mohsen Makhbalbaf, calls the election a political coup. He provides details of the drama immeidately following the election here.

Also, for The Times's account on the brutality shown to protesters, please see here.

Iran: News Sources

Reports from Iran are slipping though.
Andrew Sullivan has regular updates from Iranian readers and links to commentary. The Tehran Bureau is a solid source, as is The New York Times' Lede Blog, which offers regular updates. The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting has updates (albeit irregularly), and The Huffington Post is "liveblogging the uprising."

Perhaps most importantly, there is Twitter. Granted, it's hard to differentiate between rumor and fact, but recent Tweets claim that the Iranian army has declared itself neutral, that a young woman has been killed, and that tanks have entered Tehran.

Also find:
The Guardian has started a live blog here.
Here, the BBC's links to sites sharing information on events in Iran.
Here, a list of English language Twitterers in Iran.
"Revolutionary Road," an Iranian English-language blog, is here. Caveat: the blog includes many photos and videos of abuses.

Wrath and Weeping

"FEMA camps," "a usurper president," "gun bans," "fascism," "socialism," "a one-world currency," "the end of our way of life."

There's been an explosion of fear and paranoia that seems to emerge from the 'blogosphere and makes its way to talk radio, to televised talking heads, to state legislators and, finally, to the U S Congress--wild rumors thereby gain a sheen of legitimacy each step along the way and gradually become "conventional wisdom" and intensify the paranoia. Sadly, this free-floating fear is driving an increasingly ugly rhetoric of revolution, of insurrection. Even more sadly, there are people who appear to thrive off of the panic and prove only too eager to encourage it. Certainly, there might be a short-term payoff for such folks (money, celebrity, etc.), but I wonder--what happens when it turns on them? And it will. It always does.

Later: So we discover that the Pittsburgh shooter was a conspiracy theorist and a Stormfront regular. Yes, he was insane for opening fire on innocents, but what kind of "encouragement" had he been receiving? For an answer, you might want to visit The Washington Independent. Journalist David Weigel spent Saturday at a Kentucky gun show, along with white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and Orly Taitz of Birther fame (I'm sure some normal folks were there as well). His photos of the event are pretty suggestive. Take a look.

And the ADL has a piece on Poplawski and his history of right-wing and white supremacist rhetoric here. It's disturbing.

Chaos

After yesterday's tragedy in Binghamton, New York, we have today's tragedy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Words escape me.

Clearly, one must be insane to open fire on innocents, and economic uncertainty might help push someone "over the edge" (both Wong [NY] and Poplawski [PA] recently lost jobs)], but really--what the hell is going on?

Added: before the day is out, we learn that five children in Washington State have been murdered; their father is dead as well: he killed himself. Authorities think he might be responsible for the children's deaths.
It's been a bloody 24 hours.


Prayers, sympathies, condolences.

One Election Night Thug Pleads Guilty

Brian Carranza decided to hurt some random people on 04 November--right after Barack Obama was elected president. Carranza pleaded guilty today. From The New York Times:

Mr. Carranza, who is white, and two friends — another white man and a Hispanic man — had been accused of beating a Liberian immigrant teenager, pushing a black man to the ground and driving their car over a white man they thought was black.

The last victim was in a coma for several days but survived.

The two other suspects, Ralph Nicoletti and Michael Contreras, both 18, remained free on bail after pleading not guilty.

There you go.

Election Night Thugs Under Further Scrutiny

On Election Night, a young man named Ali Kamara was walking about a Staten Island neighborhood when he was set upon by thugs who, shouting "Obama!," set about beating the living heck out of him. Just over a week later, police arrested two 18 year-old men, Ralph Nicoletti and Bryan Garaventa, for the assault. Turns out they'd been cruising about looking for Black and Hispanic victims. But that's not all. . . .

Rumproast, which has kept a steady eye on the Kamara case, reports that Nicoletti and Garaventa might well have beaten another man--and put him into a coma--on the same evening that they ran into Kamara. Nicoletti and Garaventa might well be looking at federal charges. Head over to Rumproast for the full story.

Kudos to Rumproast for keeping this story in the public eye.

"Black Friday" Indeed.

Upon a Wal-Mart’s 5:00 am opening, desperate shoppers, in competition for a limited supply of cheap goods, tore doors from their hinges. Their rush into the store killed one man, a Wal-Mart worker, and injured several others.

Further, “eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the worker's life” (AP).

This bloody stampede is metaphoric in so many sad ways.

Added: Apparently, the "experts" have declared "fear and greed may fuel retail stampedes." Gee--you think?

Dr. Phil Undermines Integrity (Again)

Dr. Phil's gone and got himself a slice of that Florida action. Apparently, via a producer, he's provided bond for Mercades Nichols, the brat-in-chief of the gang who filmed themselves beating up a 16 year old in Florida. Further, according to this news report, as Dr. Phil’s producer helped the brat and her mother depart the Big House, he “told other reporters to leave because the Dr. Phil show had exclusive right to Nichols’ story.” That Dr. Phil, he's a lovely man, isn’t he? So ethical, so generous of heart and spirit.

And pity poor Miss Nichols; to think this started because she and her pack of idiots wanted to get even with someone who posted smack about them to Facebook. Good to know that strategy has worked out so well for the lot of them.

An update one hour later: Dr. Phil’s people have contacted TMZ to say they've nixed plans for a show on those Florida teens; you see, posting the girl's bond “compromised” “the show’s guidelines.” Moreover, the producer who posted Nichols’ bond did so without the show’s permission. A sound decision. Naturally, they don't want to challenge the integrity of The Dr. Phil Show.

Brats Go Wild in Baltimore and Florida

A seriously "WTF" moment.

In Baltimore, a student attacked her art teacher and beat her severely while classmates cheered the girl on. One student recorded the incident on her 'phone and posted the video on MySpace.

When told of the event, the school's principal told the teacher, Ms. Jolita Berry, that she'd provoked the student--and did nothing. Oh, the girl was suspended, but is that "something"? Shouldn't the girl have been arrested? Apparently, no-one even contacted the police.

In other brats-gone-wild news, eight Florida teenagers (aged between 14 and17) involved in an attack on a 16 year old girl got some news today: they'll be tried as adults. Good.

These kids knocked the young woman unconscious, waited for her to wake up, and then proceeded to beat the hell out of her. The reason? Some kind of Facebook-induced hostility. The eight teens filmed the attack and threatened to post the video on MySpace and YouTube (I don't know if they carried out this threat).

For once, I'm pretty much speechless. A good thing, I guess, because otherwise I'd be posting all kinds of crazy, generalized nonsense about "kids today." I'll write more once I chill out (and get some work done).