CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NYT, etc. already searching her past for anything they can use against her and Trump. Can't let the narrative deviate.

Quote:Iran’s only female Olympic medalist has reportedly defected, posting a goodbye letter to Iran on Saturday, calling out the government's "hypocrisy" as she announced she had permanently left the country.

"Should I start with hello, goodbye, or condolences?" Taekwondo athlete, Kimia Alizadeh, 21, posted on her Instagram in Farsi, Agence France-Presse reported.

Alizadeh did not disclose where she was going, but Iran's ISNA news agency reported she had gone to the Netherlands, according to AFP. The Iranian report quoted Alizadeh's coach as saying the athlete was injured and did not show up for trials ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The Olympian's announcement came just a day after Iranian officials admitted to downing a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing 176 people minutes after takeoff from Tehran’s international airport early Wednesday due to “human error,” thinking it was a military aircraft.

She accused the Iranian government of “lying” and “injustice” toward Iranian athletes, adding all she wants is "Taekwondo, security and a happy and healthy life," according to AFP.

Alizadeh won a bronze medal in Taekwondo at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

She said she wore everything the government asked her to wear, referring to the head covering all Iranian female athletes must wear, and wrote she "repeated everything they told me to say...None of us matter to them."

Iranian parliamentarian Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh decried "incompetent officials,” saying the country had allowed “human capital to flee,” AFP reported.

He compared Alizadeh to Alireza Firouzja, an Iranian chess prodigy who now lives in France after becoming a grandmaster at age 14.

In a Twitter message, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus hailed Alizadeh's decision.

#KimiaAlizadeh, Iran's only female Olympic medalist, has rejected the regime's oppression of women," Ortagus wrote. "She has defected for a life of security, happiness, and freedom. #Iran will continue to lose more strong women unless it learns to empower and support them."

ISNA reported Alizadeh plans to try to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but wouldn't represent Iran.

Alizadeh promised the Iranian people she would always remain a “child of Iran.”

Link

Could it be that Iranians want some freedom back?

Guess the Shah wasn't so bad, huh?

I was there in the days of the Shah. It was actually fairly western back then. It is not today, and there are many Iranians who are not happy with it.

We had a great Iranian athlete a few years back playing for Rice - Arsalan Kazemi. He was a 6-8 power forward extraordinaire and a really nice guy when you talked to him (his parents owned a candy company in some small town in rural Iran IIRC). Unfortunately, our idiotic athletic director at the time made a stupid terrorist joke around him and as a result (most probably), he and our 7-2 Egyptian center both ended up transferring to different Pac-12 schools (Kazemi went to Oregon and later was a 2nd round NBA draft pick). Kazemi ended up coming back to Rice to get his degree from their instead of Oregon.

I mention the story because I'm sure Iran like most countries have a vast majority of people who are great individuals just wanting to be normal folks who can make somewhat of an impact on their lives.

(01-12-2020 03:22 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I was there in the days of the Shah. It was actually fairly western back then. It is not today, and there are many Iranians who are not happy with it.

Ive been of the opinion for a long time that the majority of Iranians hate the current regime. They just are not able to voice it due to its brutality. Wouldn't it be crazy if Trumps actions suddenly ignite those people to revolt and toss this regime out? The Democrats already are in trouble in this election. If that happens? Trump will win in a landslide.

(01-12-2020 03:28 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  We had a great Iranian athlete a few years back playing for Rice - Arsalan Kazemi. He was a 6-8 power forward extraordinaire and a really nice guy when you talked to him (his parents owned a candy company in some small town in rural Iran IIRC). Unfortunately, our idiotic athletic director at the time made a stupid terrorist joke around him and as a result (most probably), he and our 7-2 Egyptian center both ended up transferring to different Pac-12 schools (Kazemi went to Oregon and later was a 2nd round NBA draft pick). Kazemi ended up coming back to Rice to get his degree from their instead of Oregon.

I mention the story because I'm sure Iran like most countries have a vast majority of people who are great individuals just wanting to be normal folks who can make somewhat of an impact on their lives.

Yeah, it's not the majority of the Iranian citizens most of us have a problem with.

(01-12-2020 05:06 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  

(01-12-2020 03:22 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I was there in the days of the Shah. It was actually fairly western back then. It is not today, and there are many Iranians who are not happy with it.

Ive been of the opinion for a long time that the majority of Iranians hate the current regime. They just are not able to voice it due to its brutality. Wouldn't it be crazy if Trumps actions suddenly ignite those people to revolt and toss this regime out? The Democrats already are in trouble in this election. If that happens? Trump will win in a landslide.

Gotta be willing to die in droves for the change

The democrats won't like this one bit. How dare she leave their favorite oppressive regime!

Strong, brave woman. I'll be rooting for her to medal this year.