If Khamenei is confirmed dead, I think you will see the massive protest against the regime take full hold. But I could also see it not start until several police stations are taken out.
(02-28-2026 12:00 PM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote: I took part in a local protest against the war in Vietnam when I was a kid.
I know it’s not my business, but if you remember and are willing to say, I’d be curious to know what city/town it happened and what year (mainly whether it was during LBJ or Nixon). I was born 1970 and that is just an era of history I am very interested in.
It was in Memphis TN in or around 1972; late in high school, I was probably a junior. There's a park in Memphis—Overton Park—named after one of the city fathers, John Overton, that still has a large green space called the Greensward that was the site of numerous war protests in the late 60s and throughout the early to middle 70s. It was also a gathering spot for rebellious teens to gather and smoke weed. That was 99% of the reason I was there anyway.
There was, and still is, an amphitheater called the Overton Park Shell that hosted a very diverse set of acts, from the likes of Slim Whitman to local blues legend Furry Lewis. I was there when Trapeze, a great rock band of that time, played. They used a crowd photo on one of their albums. I saw the likes of McKendree Spring, The Allman Brothers Band, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, Traffic, Mountain, Johnny Winter, Leon Russell, Deep Purple, Bonnie Raitt, Boz Scaggs, and Harry Chapin there. Most often under the influence of really good LSD. It was a wonderful time to grow up.
That park is about 350 acres and is the home of the Memphis Zoo, one of the world class zoos around the country and has some of the last and largest old growth forest in the state: "The Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park (172 acres) is a forest tract and natural arboretum located in Overton Park, Memphis, Tennessee. It is open to the public daily without charge. The forest was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as part of the Overton Park Historic District."
It's a gorgeous spot still.
Interesting side note: when entering Memphis on I-40 in order to exit Memphis via I-40, one must go around on I-240, the reason being that when I-40 was built, large swathes of land and homes were purchased to accommodate connecting it out east and closer to the river on the west, but to complete it Overton Park would have been effectively destroyed or, at best, split in two. The city fought back and won, and I-240 was created. All that land sat idle for decades until early in this century, when new "old" homes started popping up along that route. Most of them were purchased by rich folks.
Speaking Of Trapeze, they performed at the Shell in 1971 and used a picture of the crowd on the album cover of their album: You are the Music We're Just the Band.
Not great audio for some reason, but I'm one of the faces in that crowd on the album cover.
Damn, thanks for making me remember all that, again, what a great time to grow up.
Thanks from me, too. I graduated HS in Memphis in 1965. Great memories.
In other news about this, Trump told Axios he could "go long and take this whole thing over," or get out in a few days, and maybe "Iranian people would be asking for help again in another 10 years."
(02-28-2026 02:43 PM)TripleA Wrote: In other news about this, Trump told Axios he could "go long and take this whole thing over," or get out in a few days, and maybe "Iranian people would be asking for help again in another 10 years."
Not sure what his purpose was for saying that.
I think he's saying he'd rather take out the regime now and hopefully sow the seeds of long-lasting democracy instead of creating a political vacuum. (Just how I took it; I could be wrong.)
(02-28-2026 02:43 PM)TripleA Wrote: In other news about this, Trump told Axios he could "go long and take this whole thing over," or get out in a few days, and maybe "Iranian people would be asking for help again in another 10 years."
Not sure what his purpose was for saying that.
I think he's saying he'd rather take out the regime now and hopefully sow the seeds of long-lasting democracy instead of creating a political vacuum. (Just how I took it; I could be wrong.)
I think he's saying he could take it over and make everything work, or he could stop, nothing would change, and the US would have to bail them out again in 10 years.
Seems like he's doing his usual "I can do it better," but he has been saying we don't want to do nation building, so that's why I'm a bit confused at his meaning.
(02-28-2026 05:15 AM)TripleA Wrote: Fox is reporting that Israel is going after members of the Iranian regime, while the US is attacking hard missile and nuclear sites.
Also, no US or Israeli casualties reported to date. Iran did drop a missile on a building on a US base in Bahrain, but it was an empty warehouse.
EDIT: Being reported now that the major objective of this military attack is regime change. I guess Trump ran out of patience with the "negotiations," lol.
Also, Israeli military has said they personally targeted both the Ayatollah and the Iranian president. They are still awaiting specific battle damage reports on those two.
UPDATE: The Ayatollah has been reported safe, and was transported several hours ago to an unknown location to avoid further attacks.
It would be standard procedure for a dictatorship to deny the death of its "spiritual" leader or its president until a new head was established. It would be a move in an attempt to hold the regime together to keep the appearances of their dominance over the people intact in an effort to stave off the civilian uprising. Reports therefore that any of the targets escaped the assault and will re-emerge are to be expected. They know that the sooner their own populace joins the fight the quicker their demise will be assured. The report means nothing.
Well, that didn't take long! The Iranians never had a chance to deny it.
Israeli officials made the initial report that the Ayatollah may have safely escaped, and later made the report that he is confirmed dead.
