If one were to speak openly and candidly with Ayatollah Khameni....

[Politics_Guy25]

Say that the Ayatollah had a good friend from school or something and say that they trusted each other impecabbly for some reason because of their school days. Now, say that they were in his private quarters together, having a drink. How would the Ayataollah justify his actions? I can't understand. If he was speaking honestly would he say something like
"I'm glad that those thugs are getting their just desert on the street. The more young kids that get an axe to the heart and die the better. All I care about is power. You see my lovely living quarters here. Do you think I'd give up my life of luxury for a bunch of punk kids. Let them eat cake."

Or do you think he'd say:
"These demonstrators on the streets are a threat to the Iranian nation! They want to destroy Islam and turn us into a western brothel! They are aided by foreign provacteurs. This is all a foreign plot to destroy Islam and turn us into western dogs. My dear friend Mahmoud won the election fair and square and now they are trying to steal it. How dare they!"

Again, this is him speaking openly to his best friend from his school days or osmething in my scenario. It's not a political scene.

I just saw an interview on CNN with a young woman, clearly terrified, talking about how old men were thrown off bridges, how women were getting beaten, how blood was pouring from their bodies, how young men were killed with axes driven through their heart. CNN has been re-airing it several times. What I'm tyring to understand is how do you think Khameni justifies this in his own head? Is he just a mass murderer tyrant with no heart? Judging by the report from CNN that I just saw, he is. He is Hitler, Stallin, Hussein on a smaller scale.

I just wish I could understand this guy.

[Oregone]

1. It may be something in the middle

(unless a class distinction dehumanized the revolters)

Maybe about how the pain and death is justified to keep the power structure in place, which endows goodness on the lives of all people in the country. While the state may be oppressive, the end result of oppressive is peace and stability rather than constant death and chaos like perhaps Iraq (which would be a viable illustration of this concept)

[Politics_Guy25]

4. That's very helpful indeed-thanks

That is very insightful and helps put things in perspective to me.

[HopeHoops]

2. I think I would say something casual and informal like...

"FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!"

But that's how I felt about our 2000 and 2004 elections as well. The only difference is that the people in Iran are DOING something about election theft and people who sat on their fat asses during OUR election thefts are putting on green masks and demonstrating for ANOTHER COUNTRY that doesn't give a shit if they demonstrate.

[MADem]

3. He's a fucking thug who is corrupted by power. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Don't let the religious garb throw you off. A guy in a dress who is a despot is just as despotic as the bastard in the three piece suit.

Khameini needs to get gone, and take his little dog Ahmadinejad with him. I hope he meets a slow and painful death. He deserves it.

[Politics_Guy25]

5. Oh I totally agree-I'm just trying to understand the guy-n/t

[MADem]

8. I know. I just think that "selfish, mendacious thug" is a pretty good description.

Also, "Big Cheese with a shot at crushing a few old enemies and becoming an even BIGGER cheese" fits the bastard, too.

I wish a pile of fire ants would make a meal of the shithead. I despise him.

[HarvardMed]

6. Based on the speeches he gave

I would assume in private he would say something like:

"You see my dear friend, when we overthrew the Shah 30 years ago, members of the previous regime and most of his supporters have left the country with all of the country's wealth while we remained here and fought a bloody eight year long war. Till this day, they have even more money to spend than what our own government has. They use that stolen money to brainwash our people and make it seem like the Shah days were marvelous and try to make our own government look like crap. Those with no faith will fall in for their dirty tricks, but those who believe in our government can obviouslly tell who is better. I pray to God to please have mercy on our nation and let this work of evil end as soon as possible. I fear for our people that they are being mislead and lied to by western governments and their extremely biased media. What do criminals, hooligans, and thugs expect us to do? Shower them with flowers when they damage properties and burn stuff on the streets? Obviouslly we have to keep order in the country, and our only choice is to arrest those perpetrators, and unfortunately sometimes in order to do so we have to use some force."

[sandnsea]

7. Read Three Cups of Tea

http://www.gregmortenson.com/welcome.php

Some of these mullahs are no different than our mafia. Some of it is similar to conflating Catholics and the mob. Some of can be better understood by remembering the power priests used to have back in the 15-1600s. I think that carries over into the violence, if you can imagine some Mafia hitman being in charge of the police or something.