TEHRAN — In a display of public grief that appears to contradict years of Western media portrayals, hundreds of thousands of mourners have flooded the streets of Tehran for the third day of a seven-day funeral program for Iran's slain Supreme Leader, Imam Ali Khamenei.

The gathering at the Grand Mosalla Mosque—the largest in Iran—has drawn crowds so vast that journalists on the scene estimate attendance in excess of one million people, including those in the immediate vicinity of the mosque complex. The morning prayer on July 5 concluded with worshippers packing the square and surrounding areas so densely that reporters were unable to navigate through the crowds for approximately 45 minutes.

"This is challenging directly the narrative that the West has been hearing for years—that the supreme leader of this country was widely despised and enjoyed very little support amongst the population," said this reporter, observing from Tehran. "People could see the physical evidence of the absurdity of this at this very moment."
A Nation in Mourning

The slain leader, along with family members who were killed alongside him, lies in state at the Grand Mosalla Mosque. Mourners have traveled from across Iran to pay their respects, including from provinces such as Kerman, Hamadan, and Alborz—some making journeys of five hours or more by car.

Among those interviewed were families, students, and volunteers from the Basij paramilitary organization, which one member described as a social service organization that "helps people build houses, build healthcare centers" rather than a purely military force. Volunteers at the event assisted with crowd control and guided attendees through the massive complex.
Grief and Resolve

Mourners interviewed at the scene expressed profound personal loss, with many referring to Khamenei as a "father figure."

"You see, in fact, he was our father," one attendee explained. "The leader was our father, and if in reality you lost your father, maybe after one week or two weeks you will forget it. But this lasting—the loss of our leader is very difficult for us."

Many expressed belief that the United States and Israel were responsible for the assassination, citing the late leader's opposition to what they termed "arrogant governments."

"The Americans and Israelis have a problem with our belief, with our school of thought," one mourner stated. "So if instead of our leader, another person—they would kill him too. They have a problem with our belief."
Rejection of Negotiations

A recurring theme among those interviewed was opposition to negotiations with the Trump administration, despite the US president's recent comments about the mourning crowds. When asked about Trump's suggestion that the tears might be "fake," mourners were unequivocal.

"This is completely a lie," one attendee responded. "These are feelings that come from our heart. It's not correct. Trump is a big liar and a big actor—he thought all people are the same team. No."

A volunteer with the Basij organization articulated a common sentiment: "We have a saying: 'A wise man never gets bitten twice.' We cannot trust them."

Several mourners expressed conditional openness to negotiations, but only if ordered by the country's new leadership, saying: "We do not like to negotiate with the United States, but based on our leader's order, we just follow him."
The War and Its Toll

The funeral comes amid what mourners described as an ongoing conflict, with one attendee stating: "We lost our commander, we lost our leader... we have some very good achievements against oppressors, but also some very big losses."

Another, a student at an Islamic school, declared: "With the assassination of our leader and the martyrdom of his family, we will be more powerful than before. We are standing here to damage any arrogant power."

When asked what message they would send to the West, one mourner urged "the Western youth to listen to their heart... and support the Iranian nation." Another added: "History will be made by poor people. God says the poor people will make history."
Historical Context

The gathering represents one of the largest public displays of support for Iran's leadership in recent memory, occurring at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Western powers. As the seven-day funeral program continues, observers expect even larger crowds in the coming days.

The event has forced international media to confront a reality that many Western outlets have been reluctant to acknowledge—the apparently deep well of public support for Iran's supreme leadership despite years of sanctions, international isolation, and military conflict.

As one mourner put it: "Any people you see here came with his own discipline. We came to say thanks to our martyr leader and say goodbye to him, and to say we are ready to support the new leader."

And we are astonished why? deja vu does not generate surprise or astonishment.

Fascism is here to stay.

Sadly, anyone who would be a good Guru doesn't have the necessary funds, and anyone with the moolah would make a lousy Guru.  They are mutually exclusive sets, there's no intersection.

RE

Pops is not typical and 99% of people would not have dropped out to grow veggies and raise pigs. You still do not get it.  People do not challenge that which contradicts their world view.  Perhaps I am not being clear so I'll repeat that.  People do not challenge that which contradicts their world view.

Some people are prone to conspiracies and seek them out.  That actually makes more my point than yours.  I am not talking about a simple propensity to believe bullshit which I agree with you is as common as green grass.  I am talking about people being convinced that the world works a certain way, and society reinforces the message.  It becomes a core belief.  Core beliefs become part of a persons identity and are not given up easily.  Consider this 'America follows the path of justice.' 

Joe and Suzie Creamcheese may be the sons and daughters of lawyers from the other side of town.  They have never seen poverty up close.  They think the world is totally fair.  Poor people are only lazy.  'America follows the path of justice.' To them that statement is true and if they are presented with evidence that what they believe is not true, they will deny it with a passion they do not know they have.  They will be like Nietzsche watching the horse be beat retreating into the safety of madness rather than see the truth.  Fanciful justifications and elaborate stories will be created to smooth over contradictions to which they might be exposed.

They may have a Damascus moment, it is possible.  But that is unlikely.





It is a reciprocal arrangement, and I know that as FACT.  And my point is that 99% percent of people will forget about the reality of this news article and the certainty of any reciprocal arrangement as soon as they scroll away.  This being an example of one truth that Americans can't handle.

When a reader encounters a piece of evidence as concrete as this 1996 Independent article, they have a glimpse of the truth. However, a truth that is inherently "un-liveable" for most people. To acknowledge deep intrusion as a permanent, foundational fact of daily life requires them to fundamentally change how they engage with the state, technology, and their own feelings of safety.  And the fact is, they are not fucking going to do that.

Access to the truth is not the bottleneck, the bottleneck is the capacity to endure truth.

QuoteI doubt Elon would last long leading his survival clan of supermodels, tech bros and mercs for instance.

Exactly, none of our billionaire class has it in them to be a charismatic or competent leader.  They should pick me as guru while there is still time.

As long as they can feed and house their serfs and provide them a greater degree of safety and security than they would have not living under them in the compound, they can maintain it for a while.  Eventually of course if they don't run their city-state well, they'll be overthrown as leader.   I doubt Elon would last long leading his survival clan of supermodels, tech bros and mercs for instance.  lol.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog on Jul 05, 2026, 02:24 PMYou totally miss the point.  People will only believe in conspiracies that really do not scare them.

I disagree. People are scared by UFOs and aliens. People were scared by peak oil as pitched by the conspiratorical folks. Ruppert for example. GovCo knocked down the towers to hide peak oil! Pops at peakoil.com. gave up a decent career to grow food and tend pigs in Missouri. People invented conspiracies about Covid shots because they were scared. The exact favorite of one of the moderators at LATOC. They are TERRIFIED of the conspiracy, and BELIEVE it.

Quote from: K-DogJoe will sail De-Nile between the shores.

Pops is EMBARASSED by not his denial of the conspiracy, but of falling for it and losing a decade of his life. He moved back to California, remodeled houses for folks, enjoys his monster truck and all the fuel that is available. His name was Pops, and he was a moderator on peakoil.com

Quote from: K-DogDefend his turf like a rabid guard dog.  Reason flies away from him not because Joe finds an attractive deception to play with as you describe, but rather because Joe can't handle the truth.

Pops handled the truth he was spoon fed by PhDs who scared him into doing something. He handled the CROCK he was spoon fed....he had a perfectly normal amount of IQ points....and bought sales pitch because he really liked the idea. He handled the LIE perfectly okay.   

Quote from: K-DogThe truth is that most people are weak, and I have a Pulp Fiction clip about that.  Weak at heart.  Having the heart of a lion will wear your ass out.

I agree. Most people are weak. And even more lack the ability to follow a path through the cloud of nonsense, stories, sales pitches and conspiractorial claims which the internet only increased exponentially with its growth. Heart is great. You can have a strong heart...and without a functioning central processor make a good sucker for every story that comes down the pike. I liked the days of Planet X and the Mayan calendar myself, it was popular on one of RE's old websites.

QuoteThe question in this iteration is how successful the .01% will be with their ongoing plans and preparations to maintain a technologically advanced subculture in private compounds and bunkers in remote locations, powered by micro-nukes, windfarms, hydro and solar arrays.  Walled Cities surrounded by organic farms populated with serfs and robots, protected by private armies of Mercs operating Drones to mow down surviving hordes of hungry Zombies.  This is a possible outcome prior generations of Elites didn't have the ability to set up.

Even in the short term their math does not work.  The .01% should familiarize themselves with the history of Haiti.  The people around them are only as loyal as their paycheck, and when there is nothing left to buy, a paycheck won't go far.  And there is only so much in the larder.

Quote from: K-Dog on Jul 05, 2026, 01:36 PMBut that's not how things are. The process of modernization was a temporary phase, and now it's stopping and reversing. So, if we want to accurately envision our future, we need to scrap the old linear trajectory that puts "developed" countries ahead. Instead, we should think of it as a rubber band that's been pulled out and is now snapping back to a more primitive state. In this cyclical view, the humans who are closer to the starting line are actually closer to the finish line—they are the ones who are "ahead" on the trajectory toward the future.

Basically the trajectory of all Civilization Collapses, where the surviving population reverts to more primitive means of ekeing out a living.  Which is the almost certain outcome for 99.99% of the population.

The question in this iteration is how successful the .01% will be with their ongoing plans and preparations to maintain a technologically advanced subculture in private compounds and bunkers in remote locations, powered by micro-nukes, windfarms, hydro and solar arrays.  Walled Cities surrounded by organic farms populated with serfs and robots, protected by private armies of Mercs operating Drones to mow down surviving hordes of hungry Zombies.  This is a possible outcome prior generations of Elites didn't have the ability to set up.

It won't last forever, but it doesn't have to.  Most of the global population will die off fairly quickly when the supply chains fail, water stops being pumped through city pipes and sewage plants fail.  All they need to do is be able to last maybe a decade in well protected enclaves, and the Zombies will all be fertilizing the earth.

Will they be able to control the situation as it spins down?  Because they conflict with each other and war is a major part of collapse dynamics, probably not.  But that is definitely the end game they are prepping for.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog

QuoteThe sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

Which is exactly what will happen if the actual reality and details of American Freedom are laid out before the average Joe Six Pack.

QuoteI don't believe that for a second. Joe Sixpack falls hook line and sinker for whatever they have a propensity for. Peak oil, alien lizard overlords, all government conspiracies (real or imagined), Charlie Kirk being killed by an exploding microphone (just learned this at LATOC), Guy McPherson and the BOE event....a decade ago....oops.

Please. Joe Sixpack. PhD's fall for nonsense with as much enthusiasm as amateur hour folks. I know a genius geologist who can sell BigFoot better than Ugo ever did peak oil. Joe Sixpack mostly see's what they WANT to believe first, what they are predisposed to fall for naturally. And it applies all the way up the ladder to PhD's as well. Or really smart folks who thought Tesla would do backrupt a decade ago. Brains/intelligence  aren't the determining factor. Can't say I know exactly what combination of talents are required, but you can usually figure it out after talking to someone on an interesting topic within 30 minutes. Ever XOM geologic researcher I've ever met hits on all cylinders. On the internet finding someone like that is 1:10000 at best. 21 years online and I've only found 1 in all my peak oil years, an engineer invovled in setting up LIGO. I know at least 2 dozen IRL, but my professional associations don't run to what populates the internet forums.

You totally miss the point.  People will only believe in conspiracies that really do not scare them.  Detached realities that are half make-believe, and somewhere else far far away.  Safe horror movies.  The shadows of their conspiracies never enter their personal lives.  But if you mess with the actual foundations of their 'true' realities, and the conspiracy becomes personal.  The situation becomes quite different.


Joe will sail De-Nile between the shores.  Defend his turf like a rabid guard dog.  Reason flies away from him not because Joe finds an attractive deception to play with as you describe, but rather because Joe can't handle the truth.  The truth is that most people are weak, and I have a Pulp Fiction clip about that.  Weak at heart.  Having the heart of a lion will wear your ass out.