Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Whose side is Santorum's Satan on anyway ..

Excerpt: Examining Khamenei’s personal feuds and social links, we can draw some insights into Iranian politics. In the upper right portion of the diagram are two of Khamenei’s staunchest supporters (Alamolhoda .. insert ..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahmad Alamolhoda

Ahmad Alamolhoda (also Alam Olhoda or Alam al-Hoda) is an Iranian Shia Islamic cleric who has been described as "senior" and "conservative" and "hardline." His rank has been given both as Hojjatoleslam and Ayatollah. He is the Friday Prayer leader in Mashhad Iran and is also that city's representative in the Iranian Assembly of Experts.

Alamolhoda name appeared in the international media as a speaker at a December 30, 2009 rally held in favor of the Islamic regime, where he was quoted as calling opponents of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei "cows and goats", and "supporters of Satan." In comments broadcast on Iranian state TV, Alamolhoda told demonstrators,

"Enemies of the leader, according to the Quran, belong to the party of Satan ...
Our war in the world is war against the opponents of the rule of the supreme leader."

Alamolhoda is also a strong critic of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Assembly of Experts, whom Alamolhoda attacked for “his silence in the face of unprecedented insults against the leader of the revolution” (Ali Khamenei), and warned to “reform his behavior before it was too late.” .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Alamolhoda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and Jannati). [ insert link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Jannati ] Jannati at one point even called for opposition executions to be sped up after the 2009 protests. In the bottom portion of the diagram are two of Khamenei’s critics, Rafsanjani and Montazeri. Rafsanjani particularly troubles the ultra-conservative regime as he contested Ahmadinejad in an election and is a former moderate president. If Ahmadinejad’s government were to crumble in the face of oppositional protest, Rafsanjani would likely play a critical role in a transitional government.

Economic and Political Outlook

The Iranian regime is in considerable political and economic trouble. For years it has supported
terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hizballah to fight proxy wars against Israel.

However, in January 2010 it was reported that the regime had slashed Hizballah’s budget by up to 40%. .. http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=199611 .. This indicates that Iran’s ability to financially support terrorist organizations may be dwindling.

Over the past few years the Iranian state has experienced significant economic difficulties. It has relied extensively on subsidies to maintain prices and secure political support. According to NPR, .. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125585376 .. Iran’s currency is weak and its banking system is shaky. This does not bode well for the Iranian regime.

Most troubling of all for Ahmadinejad’s government is that Iran ranks #32 on Foreign Policy’s Failed State Index, .. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/21/2010_failed_states_index_interactive_map_and_rankings .. a measure of the overall sustainability of a state. Iran’s ranking has increased in recent years, jumping 25 positions and moving from “Borderline” to “In Danger” during the period 2007-2010. A change of this magnitude is considerable.

Hizballah’s Budget Quote .. [inside]

The ultra-conservatives are also facing considerable political opposition, both from outside and occasionally within the regime itself. In a rare outburst, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association reported that Khamenei’s representative, Hassan Rowhani, criticized Ahmadinejad for “maladministration and squandering Iran’s wealth”. .. http://nightwatch.afcea.org/NightWatch_20090505.htm .. Although Khamenei supports the hard-line Ahmadinejad, that does not mean that he could not change his support sometime in the future.

Travel Patterns of Ayatollah Khamenei

Travel Analysis Ayatollah Khamenei Click for a real-time interactive view .. [inside] ..

Khamenei seems to travel very little. There is evidence of him traveling to different cities within Iran, including Qom, but rarely outside of Iran. This may indicate that he is either afraid of assassination or of losing control during his absence like the Shah did in 1979. Khamenei is acutely aware of his country’s failing economy and mounting political unrest. He wants to stay in Iran and consolidate his power over the regime. This lack of travel also indicates that he is probably afraid of losing power.

more with diagrams .. http://analysisintelligence.com/tag/khamenei/