Those Vicious Iranian Drug Cops

Radley Balko | May 21, 2007

In an apparent attempt to drum up support for war with Iran, neocon bulwark Michael Ledeen points readers to pictures of an Iranian drug bust, and comments:

Terrifying pictures, to be sure. For me, the most revealing thing about them is that the police feel obliged to wear masks while conducting a drug bust in the capital. tells you something about the relationship between the people and the state.

Oh, where to begin. Perhaps here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here.

Comments

SPD|5.21.07 @ 12:21PM|#

Radley,

Will you have an opportunity to confront Mr. Ledeen with this information? If so, please tell us what he sputters in defense, or when he plans to advocate the American invasion of America.

|5.21.07 @ 12:26PM|#

Next thing you know, Leeden will be accusing the Iranians of arming and training members of Shiite militias in Iraq.

thoreau|5.21.07 @ 12:30PM|#

Everybody knows that the most fundamental freedom is economic freedom. And yet I've heard that the Iranians actually have tariffs! Tariffs! Can you believe it?

|5.21.07 @ 12:35PM|#

AOBP Keep em coming Mr. Universe

Christopher Monnier|5.21.07 @ 12:36PM|#

> the American invasion of America

That's a rather brilliant phrase...

I'm sure you could garner a lot of support for an American invasion of Country X if you detailed all of the anti-freedom stuff that goes on in Country X...How would that support change when it was revealed that Country X was America?

steveintheknow|5.21.07 @ 12:38PM|#

Did you guys know that the Iranian National Soccer team really, REALLY, sucked at the last World Cup? Who can support such tyranny.

Its obvious they hate us because we have Landon Donovan, and are just begging to get blowed up.

thoreau|5.21.07 @ 12:40PM|#

What are the gun control laws like in Iran?

|5.21.07 @ 12:49PM|#

the American invasion of America

Already under way.

|5.21.07 @ 12:51PM|#

thoreau,

No guns, but the president has promised each citizen the right to bear nuclear weapons.

VM|5.21.07 @ 12:51PM|#

But do they have HFCS in Iran?

Marc|5.21.07 @ 12:52PM|#

steveintheknow,

I hate us because we have Landon Donovan.

|5.21.07 @ 12:54PM|#

Those iranian cops don't even LOOK as fearsome as the american cops. Their uniforms remind me of footsie pajamas.

|5.21.07 @ 12:57PM|#

Iranian gun laws:

The constitution intentionally omits the right of civilians to bear arms even for a private militia, hunting, self-defense, et cetera. Immediately after the ratification of the constitution, firearms and other weapons became illegal.


However, I remember a story awhile back where The Iranians were attempting to get some aks back from some herders by offering a 1 to 1 trade of scoped bolt actions. I would want to hear from someone with on the ground experience how sersiously the gun law is taken.

|5.21.07 @ 1:04PM|#

I believe that the Iranian government has placed geographic limits on the right to bear arms. Those limits roughly correspond to a country called Iraq.

|5.21.07 @ 1:12PM|#

OK, that was good, PL. :)

|5.21.07 @ 1:13PM|#

However, as to the original linked post, the apparent lack of irony makes me want to go lie down. He seems genuinely serious...

|5.21.07 @ 1:14PM|#

Any one find it ironic that those cops look just like the terrorists in Counter Strike?

|5.21.07 @ 1:40PM|#

What are the gun control laws like in Iran?

The people who are in control have the guns.

...or is that the other way around?

|5.21.07 @ 2:24PM|#

Not only did they wear masks, but in pictures 1 and 2 they made the naughty drug people sit in the corner and think about what they did.

|5.21.07 @ 2:42PM|#

Where's my scoped bolt action?

Rhywun|5.21.07 @ 2:48PM|#

His blog is called "Faster, please"?!? What a scary fuck. Have those NR types gone totally berserk?

|5.21.07 @ 3:08PM|#

"How would that support change when it was revealed that Country X was America?"

You'd be labeled a pinkocommiefascistdemocrap.

|5.21.07 @ 4:04PM|#

Will you have an opportunity to confront Mr. Ledeen with this information? If so, please tell us what he sputters in defense, or when he plans to advocate the American invasion of America.

Well, comments are enabled at his site, and several people have noted the similarities between this stuff and drug enforcement in the US. Predictably, while Ledeen (under the initials "ML") wrote responses to several of the other comments in the thread, he did not respond to any of these.

|5.21.07 @ 5:23PM|#

C'mon now! Haven't we seen enough of the Abu Ghraib pictures?!

JOR|5.21.07 @ 7:20PM|#

Pic 4 looks like a bunch of confiscated ninja gear.

cuthbert1776|5.21.07 @ 10:36PM|#

Mr. Monnier has an excellent idea on getting Americans ("conservatives", maybe) to advocate for an invasion of country X (America).

Penn & Teller might be up to the job; they did a great job getting people to sign a petition for banning dihydrogen monoxide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi3erdgVVTw).