Yet Another Geek Reference

From Iran, via StrategyPage:

Islamic conservatives have apparently decided to take a hard line. The Islamic religious leaders have decided to not allow reform candidates to run for parliament seats, including those who are already in parliament. This means that voters will have very few reform candidates to vote for and a conservative majority will take over parliament. With no official voice, reformers will have only the street, and violence, as an outlet. Islamic conservatives feel that, with control of the police, the military and para-military organizations, they can defeat with force and reformer attempt to take power.

The more the radicals tighten their grip, the more systems — er, people — will slip through their fingers.

Seriously, before this new “reform,” Iran had a system which was more workable than most tyrannies. The people got partly free and somewhat fair elections, and a noisy parliament to call their own. Of course, the parliament could always be trumped by the power of the Ayatollah — but at least people got to vent.

Take that away, as the mullahs have just done, and the pressure can go nowhere but up.