Decadence and Downfall in Iran: The Greatest Party in History

Decadence and Downfall in Iran: The Greatest Party in History

Barely 24 hours ago, the United States bombed nuclear sites in Iran: a military escalation of its type unseen in decades.

I am no fan of Iran’s Islamist regime: medievalist, antisemitic, misogynist, homophobic and fascistic. I remember, well, the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, the fall of the Shah and the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: one authoritarian regime replaced by another.  Under both, the noble Iranian people suffered and suffer still. Relegating to the scrap heap of history the present Ayatollah would be a cause for universal rejoicing — especially on the streets of Tehran.

I do not have enough information or expertise to offer an opinion as to whether the mutual belligerencies of recent days vis-a-vis Israel / Iran / USA will further the hoped for cause of a peaceful and democratic Iran, of a more peaceful world. However, the current government of what was once known as Persia is anathema to everything humanist and just. The current government of Iran has the blood of thousands on its hands. It should have no defenders.

Sundays are my “read and watch documentaries day.” Today, Alfredo found this one. I urge you to take an hour and watch it. Marie Antoinette would blush at the excesses of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It’s a gilded tale that sets the stage of the last 45 years, and of last night. In truth, no United States administration is blameless in any of this, from at least 1948 on.