Their resolve is no less than these thugs. They use their phones, their childhood friends, their intimate knowledge of their districts and neighbours to plan their attacks -- they're organised and they're supported by their community so they have little fear. They create the havoc they're after, ambush the thugs, use their Cocktail Molotovs, disperse and re-assemble elsewhere and then start again - and the door of every house is open to them as safe harbour -- they're community-connected.
The Basiji's are not.
These are not the students in the dorms, they're the street young -- they know the ways better than most thugs - and these young, a surprising number of them girls, are becoming more agile in their ways as each night passes on.
In the meantime, the crowds are in the streets chanting, "Death to the Dictator! Death to Khamenei! Allah O Akbar!" It seems that the target of the protests have moved beyond President Ahmadinejad stealing an election, to the legitimacy of the regime itself, to the Supreme Leader. Even if the police and religious thugs disperse the crowds today and the next day and the next, it's hard to imagine how this genie is going to be put entirely back in the bottle. Our thoughts and prayers are with the brave people in the streets of Iran tonight.
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Do you remember the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Well, these times are interesting for sure ! Just read an interview with Fareed Zakaria (from Newsweek) in which he said he thinks we may be seeing the end of Islamic theocracy. He said that when the Supreme Dude ( whatever his name is ) says the reelection of the incumbent is a divine assessment, nobody really believes it anymore. But Fareed also says it may take time for the regime to fall. You have to admire the determination and courage of the demonstrators !
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