Just in case you feel bad about the Iranian president's death.....

[RandySF]

Link to tweet

Yashar Ali 🐘
@yashar - 2m

In 1988, Ebrahim Raisi helped to oversee the mass execution of political prisoners in Iran.

Many thousands of prisoners, who were already serving their sentences, were murdered.

My mom’s cousin, the Iranian freedom fighter Monireh Bardaran, was a political prisoner at the time and provided her detailed testimony on what she witnessed at the time.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Is he dead? Good, wish more parts of the Iranian government had followed his lead.

[Cha]

2. "His nickname "The Butcher of Tehran" wasn't for nothin! Good riddance."

Link to tweet

[Cha]

3. Raisi and Hamas have a lot in common. Brutal Dictaor

taken down from the Sky at 63. That wiped the smug off his face.

[Frasier Balzov]

4. Be nice if a general revolt could take advantage of this.

Something scary enough that the men in charge take their turbans off to avoid being targeted and beaten.

[Qutzupalotl]

5. Live by the sword, die by the helicopter.

[Cheezoholic]

6. And we think we have problems with our little bible thumping fascists

All these dimwitted shits over here would do is crack the door open for real evil then there's would be the first hanging corpses staining the spring cherry blossoms in DC.

Btw, where's Baron? Anybody seen Baron? Shit...

[BigmanPigman]

7. Hey Iran, he was a MURDERER,

NOT a martyr. Good riddance. Should've happened long ago.

I bet Jason Rezaian isn't sorry to see him meet his maker.

"On July 22, 2014, Iranian authorities arrested Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and took the couple into custody, accusing them of espionage. While Salehi – also a journalist – was released on October 6, Rezaian remained in custody at Evin Prison, a detention center in Tehran known for housing political prisoners and intellectuals. After nine months, it was made public on April 20, 2015, that Iranian authorities had indicted him on four charges, including espionage and "propaganda against the establishment". His trial began on May 26, 2015. His conviction was announced on October 11, 2015. On November 22, 2015, Iranian officials said he had been sentenced to a prison term, the length of which was not disclosed. On January 16, 2016, it was announced that he had been released."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Rezaian#:~:text=Rezaian%20was%20the%202016%20recipient,%2C%20544%20days%2C%20in%202021.

[Bucky]

14. a.k.a., "a conservative politician"

[niyad]

8. I don't. There are the usual posts in another thread, nil nisi bonum, etc.

[usonian]

9. Those who hate and kill in the name of religion will meet their maker

Last edited Mon May 20, 2024, 02:12 AM - Edit history (1)

As my brother says: Satin. (sic)

He always was a bad speller.

Autocorrect just doubles down on it.

It’s the work of the …

Oops.

Well, however you spell his name, he has two more pals today.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. Iran is everything that's wrong about the ME right now.

Last edited Mon May 20, 2024, 02:54 AM - Edit history (1)

Ask the foreign policy and national security experts. They are just now starting to speak cogently about Iran's role in the extensive pot stirring they are engaging in and how every single agitator entity and each corresponding area of conflict in the ME is being supported by the MIC of Iran. Every single one.

Iran's Ebrahim Raisi: The hardline cleric who became president
7 hours ago
By David Gritten,
BBC News
Snip...

In March 2023, his government agreed to a surprise rapprochement with Iran's bitter rival...snip
But regional tensions soared that October ...snip

At the same time, Iran's network of allied armed groups and proxies operating across the Middle East - including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias in Iraq and Syria - significantly stepped up their attacks against Israel in what they said was a demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Fears that the escalation would spark a regional war were heightened in April...snip..
Mr Raisi supported the decision to launch more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel ...
Snip...played down the significance of that attack and said Iran's missile and drone strike "showed the steely determination of our nation".

On Sunday, hours before his helicopter crashed in north-western Iran, Mr Raisi emphasised Iran's support for the Palestinians, declaring that "Palestine is the first issue of the Muslim world".
Snip...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57421235

ETA Video
Fast forward to 11:20

Hat Tip to Texas Towlie.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/132119929

[tornado34jh]

11. Okay, so the president is dead, so what does it change? He is just a puppet to the Ayatollah

The structure is still the same. The president has little, if any power. While yes, that is one less theocrat down, but at the end of the day, unless you take down the Ayatollah and the IRGC, it doesn't matter who the president is. His replacement is probably not going to be much, if any, better. Now if this leads to a massive revolt and the ayatollah and the current Iranian government is overthrown, then yes, it may lead to something. But that assumes that the whole structure would have to collapse, and remember, Iran isn't without allies. To be quite frank, I barely even know who is the president of Iran most of the time, and that's because he is not the center of power. The only one I knew of well was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. After that, I don't really remember anyone else.

[carpetbagger]

13. He was probably the heir apparent to Khamenei.

Now that he's gone, there's a power play that's going to happen. Khamenei is 85. So now whomever the council selects will not have Reisi's depth of experience and connections, and only a few years to solidify his position. I don't see a great degree of palace intrigue, but a weak head would make the generals and the key functionaries less likely to cling to the regime in a pinch.

[tornado34jh]

15. Well, that is assuming that the generals of the Revolutionary Guards will still retain loyality

The IRGC are still a powerful force, and assuming Khamenei dies, they still will want someone that still fits their ideology.

[LeftInTX]

18. I wish they would abolish the "Supreme Leader" position.

The world would be a much better place without a religious tyrant with his finger on the bomb.

[JI7]

16. He wasn't just a puppet. He had a huge part in the persecution and executions

of people.

[AllyCat]

12. Oh, he died?

Anyone got plans for the weekend?

[Xavier Breath]

25. Adding yet another name to my piss-on-the-grave bucket list, it appears.

[William769]

17. Another evil person sent to Hell.

[Raine]

19. No sympathy at all, I don't feel bad one bit. nt

[ColinC]

20. I suspect an inside job

He was the supreme leaders’ son’s main obstacle to replacing the supreme leader.

Now he’s not!

[no_hypocrisy]

21. I wouldn't rule out Mossad.

[LeftInTX]

22. Oh please! It was an accident with a 45 yo poorly serviced helicopter going up a mountain in heavy fog.

Even the airports in Azerbaijan and Armenia were showing issues. Think of what happened with Stevie Ray Vaughan!
I don't even know if this helicopter could fly in anything but VFR conditions.
The helicopter was sold to Iran from the US in 1976 and due to sanctions starting in 1979, they have not been able to obtain the correct parts.

[RandySF]

24. I don't really care if it was.

[NoRethugFriends]

27. With zero evidence oand zero reason to suspect that.

[ColinC]

28. Literally one of the most corrupt regimes in the history of the world in a situation that has benefitted the supreme

Leaders’ family tremendously. Starting with the new appointees of the acting President being Khomeinei relatives and the fact that Khomenei’s son is now a shoe-in to succeed his father. As far as your reply goes: The former is correct, the latter is absurd.

[drmeow]

23. Right before I saw this post

I was thinking "don't feel bad about this one at all" - no effing loss unless he's replaced with someone worse

[Blue Owl]

26. Burn in hell motherfucker