Iran clamps down on opposition

Not only that, a month ago they decided to outlaw Valentines' day.

Continuing its quest to become a cartoonish stereotype of an evil empire, the Iranian government has decided to outlaw Valentine’s Day.

“Symbols of hearts, half-hearts, red roses, and any activities promoting this day are banned,” announced state media last month, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Melik Kaylan. “Authorities will take legal action against those who ignore the ban.”

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I don't say that lightly, although it sounds silly. When you align yourself against the forces of nature, of love and laughter, you've pretty much picked a losing strategy for the long run. People who would never die for flag or cross will march bravely into oblivion for someone they love.

Ahmadinejad claims to support the protestors in Egypt. The ones in his own country, not so much.

Nice.

The current Iranian regime is not going to last long. It would be a bit shorter if the army was conscripted ala Egypt, where it's unlikely a soldier is going to fire on his sister or brother. The Iranian military, however, has much power and a lot to lose if the status quo is not maintained. Nevertheless, there's no point in a military if there's no people left to exploit, so sooner or later, the ruling elite will be ousted. . . .

I don't know about that. The Supreme Leader and his kind aren't exactly beholden to foreign aid. And the Persians are not at all like the Arabs -- if push comes to shove, the oh-so-skilled Revolutionary Guard and their sissy allies, the Pasdaran, will go to guns on anyone they're told to shoot at.

I agree with Noah Body. Any protests in Iran will end with blood. Possible lots of it. At this point, I think it'd take a civil war to oust the current rulers.

The Persians have been ripe for a "civil war" for about 20 years now, but the mullahs are pretty cagey, unlike their Arab counterparts. They preside over a fairly intellectual populace, and they trot out an odd social reform every now and then that keeps the people on the borderline of satisfied. Of course, none of the reforms really amount to much, but anything that can be cited as progress helps them more than the nation itself.

Don said:

Not only that, a month ago they decided to outlaw Valentines' day.

I don't say that lightly, although it sounds silly. When you align yourself against the forces of nature, of love and laughter, you've pretty much picked a losing strategy for the long run. People who would never die for flag or cross will march bravely into oblivion for someone they love.

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Outlawing symbols of love on any day strikes me as the action of an unskillful regime I would not want to be under the governance of. As someone who has his own issues with Valentine's Day, it took me a little bit to realize why this bothered me so much. But I think it is because of the wording. Their state media is saying they outlawed the part of Valentine's Day I don't have a problem with at all, the stuff they've banned being more akin to the actual symbols of love.

Jewelry and chocolates considered among them gives me pause about the endless accumulation of more and more things, which seems to be encouraged in many parts of the world. Outlaw jewelry and chocolates on Feb. 14 if you wish, but leave the love notes, paper hearts and red roses alone.

Those folks are amazingly brave. The government was completely ready for them this time, and still folks came out? Wow.

I don't think the people are satisfied there. They just have no way of fighting an armed government. The folks with guns are not on the people's side in this case.

They're courageous, and I wish them the best of luck. It seems like they're going to need it.

Our “ally” Saudi Arabia also bans Valentine's Day.

Don said:

Not only that, a month ago they decided to outlaw Valentines' day.

I don't say that lightly, although it sounds silly. When you align yourself against the forces of nature, of love and laughter, you've pretty much picked a losing strategy for the long run. People who would never die for flag or cross will march bravely into oblivion for someone they love.

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Saudi Arabia's religious enforcers, backed by the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, have started their annual purge of anything Valentine-related, including flowers, gifts, candy and the color red. -Babylon & Beyond, LA Times