as for your first paragraph; I didn’t mean that the young people are in the streets for having sex.it’s actually more complicated than that. it’s an accumulated anger, that gets most of its energy from satellites and internet materials coming from abroad, in which sexuality looms high (I am not denying that there is also another important direction which is IR’s mistreatment and faults).

for your second paragraph, you need to read Iran’s modern history in more detail and from different perspectives. it’s not difficult to find an anarchical situation created by the first presumably democrat people.however, that doesn’t justify an authoritarian state. I meant, the sings coming out of this movement shows that history can easily be repeated.

I find this argument that the young people are out there chanting against the government all for the sake of wearing miniskirts and having sexual freedom to be completely disingenuous. You claim you’re from Iran and are there right now. Then you know about all the sex, partying and drugs that take place. And NOT just among middle-class and rich kids. And the fact that this is all forbidden probably makes these activities far more enjoyable. So, there must be other motivations that are leading people to risk their livelihood on the streets, such as unemployment. Claiming these people are just out there for ’sex’ is just another attempt at discrediting a movement which began more than a decade before these elections. And it clearly shows what side you’re on.

Now, you claim this movement can lead to further instability. How exactly? Will the green movement lead to more torturing, rape and murder? More political arrests? More corruption? More assassinations? More repression? More money sent to Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis? Are these the demands of the green movement? Will they form a paramilitary group that walks around stabbing people, breaking into peoples homes, dragging the wounded from the hospitals, destroying property? Will they form a pseudo-military which muscles its way into all areas of business, makes threats against its own people, involves itself into governmental affairs, owns illegal ports and smuggles goods? Will they form a government which doesn’t even follow its own constitution, and has ambiguous laws in regards to how long prisoners can be kept, search and seizure, amongst other things? So, how will the greens lead to more lawlessness?

I still think the term “so sol” is a well said world. anyone familiar with the feelings of Iranian youth would accept that for them (this upper middle class segment of Iranian youth), the greatest motivation is “sexuality”, but not liberal democracy! it sounds a bizarre claim, I know, but that is the fact made by three decades of Islamic Republic’s mistakes. mistakes like mandatory Hejab that is continuing to be the case to these days. the reformists are dead wrong if they think this young people are their followers. the reformists themself suffer from the lack of a clear ideology let alone these innocent young people who are vastly illiterate politically. if your dream is really “seeing an Iran where people aren’t arrested, raped, tortured and murdered based on their political beliefs. Where everyone gets an equal opportunity to succeed…”, unfortunately this is not the promising movement, and their advancement would definitely make the state of lawlessness more probable.

Nothing is worse than someone who has clearly shown his bias, yet claims he is impartial. What realities are you talking about? You call most of the young greens ’so-sols’ and consider this part of your “facts on the ground”?

You claim most Iranians are unhappy, yet you or these disgruntled non-greens offer absolutely no solutions to the poor handing of the economy, repression, lawlessness and massive corruption of the IRGC and boyads. All you can do is call people ’so-sol’ for trying to change the status quo.

My dream is seeing an Iran where people aren’t arrested, raped, tortured and murdered based on their political beliefs. Where everyone gets an equal opportunity to succeed and not preferential treatment because they joined some violent militia. Whether this happens under the banner of an Islamic Republic or Republic is irrelevant.

I have said what I was watching in Iran as the facts on the ground. I did not take any one’s side. if you want to be always in your dream of not seeing IR in power (as it seems you have already made such a psychological situation for yourself), that’s a different story and I have no comment for that.

How different? Did you see the pictures of the protests in Isfahan on the June 15th? What about mashaad? Or ghazvin? How are they any different than Tehran, except for that fact that its easier to be identified due to the smaller population.

“indeed, most of the young people in the green movement are seen here as “so sol”!”

Talk about a gross generalization and mis-characterization of the the movement. Seen by WHO as ’so sol’? What kind of “so sol” openly protests against a government that has tortured, raped and killed political opposition since its conception? What kind of “so sol” chants “Death to Khameini”, and attacks the basij who are firing their guns on them. Aslan in harfa meehzane. It seems like you’re flipping through a few pictures of these guys with stylish hair and clothes, and automatically tag them as “so-sol”. Go look at the protester photos during the revolution. and you’ll see plenty of ’so sols’ wearing stylish western clothes who fought against the Shah.

“one can’t talk to them easily as many of them even don’t listen.in many cases, they just say their words, turn to insult and go; no time for argument.”

You know, you pretty much described the government. Closing down newspapers. Beating and arresting the opposition with impunity. Threatening family members. There’s no time for discussion or dialogue. I’m sure you’ve been following the state media and seeing all the insults and threats thrown at the protesters. Calling them “mohareb” and how the revolutionary guard would kill 75,000 people to keep itself in power. And people like you seem surprised at how these protesters react.

Your claim that many Iranians are not happy of the situation yet they don’t support the Greens doesn’t make sense. What do you think these people want to achieve? A green dictatorship? They want a better life, a secure job, some freedom to voice their concerns just like most Iranians. This government will not give it to them. Chanting death to America and Israel will not put food on the table. Iranians are getting tired of this government. I have family whom are poor and middle-class. Not one supports this government. However, fear puts them in check. But what the Green movement has shown Iranians is that you can overcome that fear.

It appears that people such as yourself and the Leveretts’ claim to legitimacy and expertise in these events is your proclaimed talent in “factual analysis” and independent observations void of any emotion. But the truth is, its all a convenient ruse to hide your ideology. If someone wanted to be unbiased and independent, why would they publish a paper with a government propagandist pulling the government line? Why would they accuse Hashemi and Rafsanjani of corruption, when many government proponents among the IRGC and Ahmadinejads circle are corrupt as well.

You don’t seem to have any problems with Motjaba Khameini and the question of the frozen billionaire dollars. What about the billionaire Sadegh Mahsouli and several former IRGC commanders that were given important government positions. How did they build up such a bankroll. How did one person move billions of dollars worth of gold to Turkey illegaly? What about the billions lost under Ahmadinejad?

Unfortunately, your independent and unbiased mind is only concerned about which candidate Rafsanjani bankrolled. And we are to believe you and the Leverettes only seek truth.

Past panja sal to iran darse khoonde? Vay pehremard, chand salite? Agar egat shoma to Iran research kardeen, past shoma bayad chanta ketab ham kagas meenveeshadeen.

Ah yes, the TFT poll. When were they conducted again? Oh ok…May 11 to May 20. Before the campaign began. Namard. You claim that you understand the Iranian people and culture. How many Iranians do you know will reveal their political positions to a stranger on the phone, while living under a totalitarian regime.

what Dan claims in his first comment, based on my observation, is right as I see it in Iran right now, however the issue is no longer the election and presidency. It’s true that the oppositions have greater number in northern Tehran (above Azadi ave.) and Universities, but if you go to the south of Tehran, the situation is totally different (clearly, many of the Mousavi supporters and those who don’t accept the election results, to whom many of my friends are part of this category, are disillusioned people, specially regarding the election and its results, not necessarily regarding the election aftermath.as I talked to those friends, it seems, their demand regarding the election aftermath is reasonable, but they have almost no firm clue for the fraud in the election. at the end, they say, ok we accept the election results, but protesting is a right given by the constitution). In other cities, obviously the situation is in the opposite direction as Tehran. it’s important to note that many Iranians are not happy of the situation, but that doesn’t mean they have an stomach for the green movement, nor do they have a desire to topple the regime in the way media portrays in the west. indeed, most of the young people in the green movement are seen here as “so sol”! and to a degree insulated. one can’t talk to them easily as many of them even don’t listen.in many cases, they just say their words, turn to insult and go; no time for argument. this is an interesting phenomenon to explore!

Ideological and emotional agendas result in you distancing yourselves from factual and analytical information, preferring instead, information that fits with your material interests and emotional disposition.

The primacy of emotion over fact bids ill for you, and

“The fact” is that the overwhelming majority of Iranian people still support the regime and the opposition supporters are clearly the minority.

I have studied Iran for the past 50 years, and know the Iranian culture and the history very well.

As part of my research I Have travelled to Iran so many times, and speak Farsi fluently.

I am an independent observer, I do not support Ahmadinejad or Mosavi,

But the fact that Mousavi’s campaign was bankrolled by corrupt Hashemi-Rafsanjani should tell the readers something.

An independent poll, conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow: The Center for Public Opinion, a nonprofit institute that researches attitudes toward extremism, found that Ahmadinejad was leading by a margin of 2 to 1. 34% said they would vote for Ahmadinejad, 14% favored Mousavi, 2% favored Karroubi, 1% favored Rezaee and 27% were undecided.

The poll was taken from May 11 to May 20. The poll was carried out by a company whose work for ABC News and the BBC in the Middle East has received an Emmy award.

Polling itself was funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Writing in the Washington Post, pollsters Ken Ballen and Patrick Doherty have used this to suggest that Ahmadinejad’s apparent victory might reflect the will of the Iranian people.

A post-election national poll was conducted in late August and early September 2009 by the American polling agency, World Public Opinion, which is affiliated to the University of Maryland.

The scientific poll found that, although 27% of respondents did not state their chosen candidate, 55% said that they had voted for Ahmadinejad. Both Mr Karroubi and Mr Rezai received minimal support.

87% of respondents replied that they had voted compared to 85% according to the official figures, which is within the margin of error provided. In addition, the survey found that 62% of Iranians had “strong confidence” in the election result whilst 64% expressed a similar feeling towards the incumbent president.

This finding almost exactly matches up with the proportion of the vote that Ahmadinejad received.

Along with the TFT poll, the WPO-PIPA survey would appear to be the strongest evidence that the election result was genuine and that allegations of fraud are unfounded.