And the spin!

This charming performer in Kurdistan, when not in jail, gets the attention of his city dwellers every day. Oddly enough, without insults, prevarications or being condescending.




This might be too soon to react in a cogent way to what has been dubbed the Ahmadi Nejad tsunami. But hey, one has to start again somewhere.

Besides, one of the advantages of being the Brooding Persian, you see, is that the normal vagaries of our universe affect the mood very little. For your friendly blogger has taken the advice of our blind Lt .Colonel Frank Slade to heart.

Life has become a dance for us. And as we get "tangled up," we sort of lightly "tango on" in our normal melancholy way. Can't win them all! And when we lose, we take a break to do some more reading. And try to expand our horizon by studying a new language and making some new contacts. Then we get back for another round.

But really, there is no spinning this one. And although I am not surprised, I do fear for the consequences so.

Our Iranian Blogistan is utterly depressed/depressing. Most posts oscillate between angry insults hurled at those of us who boycotted or the 17 some odd millions who've voted for the new President and/or feeling sorry for having voted for that murderer-millionaire Rafsanjani.

That's despondency for you. And those reactions I understand. We Iranians don't deal well with defeat. But again who does?

Some reactions, however, utterly puzzle and annoy me. Take the following gloating as an example:

"We are really excited, this is a very good thing for the opposition to the Islamic republic," said Roozbeh Farhanipour, an activist of the secular Marzepour Gohar political group and a former Iranian student leader who fled to the United States in 2000.

To understand our surreal universe and how you (my dear American readers) are being sucked in, we need some more background here.

The gentleman who is quoted is an activist with what is known as the "Glorious Frontier Party." And they have been active in Washington

These good folk saw the same elections we saw in the first round and seem to have concluded that 90% of all Iranians are against the Islamic Republic. Well, how's that for observant?

They are so on top of the happenings in Iran, aren't they? They also continue to insist every chance they get that "our country is already being occupied by a non Iranian power."

It all does give a new meaning to that noun "xenophobia," doesn't it?

This is the blame all our misfortunes on those nasty Arabs contingent. Or is it those vast British Conspiracies? Like I've repeatedly said, it is all becoming terribly confused, confusing--our hold on reality.

And if you want to know how you're being sucked into this (dis) enchanting world of ours, note some of the names that keep on popping up, here with Eli Lake, and here and with the Voice of America, and here.

All I can say is: do please protect your future from converging any further with our present!


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Post Script: In the comment section, Mr. Eli Lake-- in his uniquely charming style--has made his wish clear that I should add the following to this post:

" The boroumands have no connection to the monarchists or any other party"


I'd like to make one point very explicit here. As you have probably gathered by now, our society is not the caricature many think it. Iran is a highly fragmented country with a multiplicity of competing political views.

We have all exchanged sharp words about different subjects and will probably continue our many bitter polemics for years to come.

But in reading this blog, don't ever make the mistake of underestimating the great affection and respect I have for many of the individuals I criticize here. I am highly attentive to the adversities they have overcome and their personal stories.

Dr. Boroumand was assassinated years ago by some agents of the Islamic regime.

Read the following Testimony Before the US Congress Human Rights Caucus, by Dr. Boroumand's Daughter, Ladan