5 Americans Say Iran's New Chief Was '79 Captor

[Darius11 12]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/international/middleeast/30iran.html?

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SAVANNAH, Ga., June 29 (AP) - A quarter-century after they were taken captive in Iran, five former American hostages say they got an unexpected reminder of their 444-day ordeal in the bearded face of Iran's president-elect.
Watching coverage of Iran's presidential election on television dredged up 25-year-old memories that prompted four of the former hostages to exchange e-mail messages. And those four realized they shared the same conclusion - the firm belief that President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been one of their captors.
"This is the guy," said a former hostage, Chuck Scott, a retired Army colonel who lives in Jonesboro, Ga. "There's no question about it. You could make him a blond and shave his whiskers, put him in a zoot suit and I'd still spot him."
Mr. Scott and three other former hostages, David Roeder, William J. Daugherty and Don A. Sharer, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that they had no doubt Mr. Ahmadinejad, 49, was one of the hostage-takers. A fifth former hostage, Kevin Hermening, said he had reached the same conclusion after looking at photos.
Another former hostage, a retired Air Force colonel, Thomas E. Schaefer, said he did not recognize Mr. Ahmadinejad, by face or by name, as one of his captors.
Several former students among the hostage-takers also said Mr. Ahmadinejad did not participate. And a close aide to Mr. Ahmadinejad denied the president-elect took part in the seizure of the embassy or in holding Americans hostage.
Militant students seized the American Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days to protest Washington's refusal to hand over Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for trial. The shah fled Iran earlier that year after he was overthrown.
The aide, Meisan Rowhani, told The A.P. that Mr. Ahmadinejad was asked during recent private meetings if he had a role in the hostage taking. Mr. Rowhani said he replied: "No. I believed that if we do that the world will swallow us."
One hostage-taker, Bijan Abidi, said Mr. Ahmadinejad "was not involved."
"There was no one by that name among the students who took part in the U.S. Embassy seizure."

What is surprising me with this article is this.
It is a well-known fact that he was indeed one of the hostage takers. He was also one of the guys who set fire to the American flag.

The Iranian media is so controlled that simple facts that the average Iranian knows is blocked from the world.

This guy is bad news.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[Alias 0]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/91109A0C-83F4-438F-9CC1-52DF6936CC6B.htm

Even aljazeera aknowledges that he was involved.

The man who said: "We did not have a revolution in order to have democracy,"

He is a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander, unabashedly conservative and loyal to Iran's Supreme leader Ayat Allah Ali Khamenei

Agreed - bad bad bad

I can almost see whats coming

Carpe Diem

[Darius11 12]

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard are hated by everyone but there own members.
I have been arrested so many times by them back home for such crimes as having long hair, Playing Basketball, driving in an area where there were girls.
Not to mention I was shot at once and was threatened to be shot on more then one occasion.

I am usually a very non-violent person, but if every member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard were killed today the only thing that would sadden me would be the bullets wasted.

They pretend to be religious but are hypocrites that do as they please.
Yes I have personal issues with them. Their scum.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[JohnRich 4]

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I am usually a very non-violent person, but if every member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard were killed today the only thing that would sadden me would be the bullets wasted.

Crazy question for you:

If America were to invade Iran to overthrow that government and install a democracy, just like we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, would you be for or against that action?

Note: this is hypothetical only. I don't expect America to do that. And it would be nice if the change came from within.

[Darius11 12]

You know me and my dad argue about that often.

My dad loves Bush and thinks he will someday win the noble prize for what he has done.
Him and a lot of his friends are actually hopping he will change the current Iranian government either by direct force or by influence.

Me on the other hand feel it is not my place to want some thing that could mean the death of some Innocent Iranians. For the simple reason that I am sitting on my ass in the nice safe USA skydiving, eating lot’s of red meat and drinking wine so who am I to make that decision.

If the US somehow helps take out the current government with out an invasion I think all of Iran would be happy. But I think an invasion would quickly turn friends in to enemies as it has in Iraq.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[JohnRich 4]

This is a scary sum-beech. News:

Iran's new president declares worldwide 'Islamic revolution'

Iran's president-elect has proclaimed an Islamic revolution of global proportions.

Mahmood Ahmadinejad said his election coincided with what he termed a new Islamic revolution. "The wave of the Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world," Ahmadinejad said. "In one night, the martyrs strode down a path of 100 years."

The Teheran mayor has served as a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for the nation's missile and nuclear weapons programs, and has been identified as a suspect in the killing of Kurdish dissidents in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The 49-year-old Ahmadinejad, was regarded as the most anti-Western of the presidential candidates. On June 24, he defeated Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who headed the Expediency Council, the regime's watchdog over what had been a reformist-dominated parliament.

"Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 [the current Iranian year] will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world," Ahmadinejad was quoted by the official Iranian news agency as saying. "The era of oppression, hegemonic regimes, tyranny and injustice has reached its end."

Allies of Ahmadinejad said he would also seek to impose Islamic behavior in public, including strict enforcement of a dress code.
"Islamic and revolutionary culture have been neglected in the past years," Iranian parliamentarian Mohammad Taqi Rahbar said.

Iran has been cited as the leading financier of groups that appear on the U.S. State Department list of terrorist organizations. Iran's leading clients have been the Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both sponsored by Teheran, as well as Hamas and the Syrian-aligned Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

Source

So he wants to start an Islamic revolution and he is responsible for the nation's missile and nuclear weapons programs. That's just freakin' great...

I wonder if he'll send hordes of tanks and soldiers across his common western border with Iraq to start open warfare with U.S. troops?

I'm not sure who is most likely to start WWIII first: this idiot, or that little shit in North Korea.

[Darius11 12]

The guy is nuts.

The only good thing about him is he is so bad that it might force a revaluation.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[bodypilot90 0]

ok lets stir the pot a bit more. Would you rather live in Iran before '79 or as it is today?

[dorbie 0]

Ahem...

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/098882.php

The cat seems well out of the proverbial...

[wmw999 2,588]

I'm going to submit that Darius has every reason to care. I'm going to further submit that until he does something against the US we don't.

What is many Americans' reaction to others' criticism of George Bush? They figure other countries have no damn right to criticize our choice of leader.

Well, you know what -- we don't either. He doesn't sound like a nice guy. But as soon as we begin convincing ourselves that he's bad enough, you'll see troops heading that way. After all, there's more payback there.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[JohnRich 4]

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Me on the other hand feel it is not my place to want some thing that could mean the death of some Innocent Iranians. For the simple reason that I am sitting on my ass in the nice safe USA skydiving, eating lot’s of red meat and drinking wine so who am I to make that decision. If the US somehow helps take out the current government with out an invasion I think all of Iran would be happy. But I think an invasion would quickly turn friends in to enemies as it has in Iraq.

I understand that position, but it seems a bit contradictory to me.

On the one hand, yeah, the Iranian people themselves should be the ones to instigate revolution to bring about change. And revolution is bloody, but can bring about great peace and prosperity for future generations. On the other hand, if they are so oppressed that they are being massacred for even thinking about a different political environment, then they need help. And if you acknowledge that everyone would be happy to see this regime overthrown, then I would think that you would be in favor of someone stepping in to help that happen.

Note: I certainly do not advocate that the U.S. invade Iran. I just don't want to hear anyone (not talking about you) bitching about how bad things are there, and asking for U.S. help. Since every time we go help someone, those same people turn around and bitch about how evil the U.S. is for "intervening'.

[JohnRich 4]

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I'm going to submit that Darius has every reason to care. I'm going to further submit that until he does something against the US we don't.

What is many Americans' reaction to others' criticism of George Bush? They figure other countries have no damn right to criticize our choice of leader. Well, you know what -- we don't either.

Well, he's calling for worldwide Islamic jihad, and he's in charge of the nuclear and missile program. Would you wait until nuclear missiles are exploding over American cities before deciding that we have a "reason to care"?

As long as they mind their own business, I don't care if they oppress their people. That's a darned shame, but it's their problem. If they want to change things, they can grab their AK's, organize, and do something about it. Not our problem.

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He doesn't sound like a nice guy. But as soon as we begin convincing ourselves that he's bad enough, you'll see troops heading that way.

I think that was the logic that Neville Chamberlain used to keep England from getting involved in a certain little dispute in Europe.

What would this leader have to do to make you want to commit U.S. troops to help stop the problem? Genocide? Invasion of neighboring countries?