Update: This is Ahmed Khatami who made these comments, NOT the former President Khatami. As such, his alarming comments are seriously countermanded by those made during the week by Montezari, who made a point out of the use plainclothes as enforcers, reflecting badly on the government and its credibility.
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WHEN GOVERNMENT BY PRONOUNCEMENT IS NOT ENOUGH
When I read the AP story, I thought they had interchanged "Khatami" and "Khamenei"; but it appears that Iran's former President Khatami, a "moderate/reformer", is at the limit of what we can consider to be a cleric's natural leadership abilities. Basically, under pressure, he's freaking out (once again).
...few of the military-political clerics there appear to know how to be persuasive - too many just issue death threats and juridical blame threats
Maybe it is because his idea of 'going shopping' at the bazaar as a way to shut it down and peacefully protest wasn't followed, as people showed up in front of the Parliament instead. *Who knows? But, few of the military-political clerics there appear to know how to be persuasive - too many just issue death threats and juridical blame threats, to some degree, rushing to set-up these show-court trials for the protesters.Anyway, it's reported that he's sermonized "cruelty", "no mercy", and some despotic, extra-legal concept called 'making an example' out of people. (Crime and punishment are meant to be equal under the law, not influenced by such passions ...).
INSULTING THE MOST EDUCATED OF PEOPLES WITH SATAN BABY-TALK
He's gone along with reviving 'fear of the other' (Israel, America - 'Great Satan', and now adding Britain to their hate parade). Such fear and demonization has been the long-time prop for a regime obviously unable to stand on its own, without a foil. It's a prop with a considerable cost, a waste of the country's considerable resources, and a stalwart of the Guard's ability to self-enrich.
Face it, the system just doesn't "know" how to handle conflict, real conflict, a real contest of ideas, and a truly meaningful, peaceful exchange of power.
It's a very formalized system, at the top, that's fragile because of it, dangerously fragile. It's far too binary: either you live in a narrow row or DEATH.
Consider that Western pluralism, for all its faults, inequities, lethargy, corporate capture, and injustice, is not nearly so punishing as all that.
*Khatami may have been played. One of my suspicions is shared on Lede blog: "Last night Ms. Setrakian said that she had interviewed an analyst “who thinks Iran’s authorities are calling the new protests, bringing out front line of protesters so they pick them off.”
