Mike Pouraryan
Iran has entered the space age!!!
:
soooooooooooo what?
Iran Enters The Space Age......
As Iran's revolution approaches its' 30th anniversary, another milestone has been achieved. Iran has launched a satellite to space. I think it is quite a milestone. But this milestone is tempered by the continued economic difficulties the country is facing. The Government has its priorities backward. For instance, the Education Minister annouced that the Government will try to insure Free Public Education if possible under the provisions of the Constitution. The priorities of any Government must be to insure the health and welfare of its' citizens.
Although Iran has undergone profound change, a lot has remained the same. The revolution basically replaced one "elite" with another "elite". Right now, the Khomeini family is pretty much the "royalty" in Iran, along with the Rafsanjani and other so-called elites. Rafsanjani and his family control key economic interests. I was particuarly taken aback when I saw that one of Rafsanjani's sons served on the board of regends for Azad University. Azad University is a nationwide University system that charges tuition and provides a way for people to go on to universities. One of the other "elites" is the Khatami family. The brother of the former President, Reza, is married to Khomeini's grand daughter. Khomeini's grand daughter is a leading reformist member in Iran today. In addition, Khomeini's Grand Son, Hasan (son of Ahmad), is increasingly becoming vocal in Iran. He is known as "Yadegar Imam"--which in farsi means the Imam's Reflection & Rememberance. He oversees the foundation that takes care of Khomeini's Shrine. He has also been vocal in criticizing the current clique in charge--including idiotnejad. Although a vibrant debate is continuing within the rulng circles, freedom of expression continues to be hampered.
Why is all this signifcant? Because as Iran celebrates 30 years of revolution, it is approaching a milestone. I view it in many ways as the pivotal election of 2008 in the United States. Whomever emerges as the winner of the Presidency will still have to deal with the Supreme Leader (Rahbar Engelab) in whose hand the power ultimately lies. Mohsen Rezai, the Secretary of the Expediency Council (that Rafsanjani heads), said in a recent speech that Iran is regarded as a leading power in the region. He is right in some respects. The question is whether that power (or perception of power) will be used wisely or not.
