War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength.
Those were the official slogans, along with "Big Brother is Watching You," in George Orwell's chilling account of the totalitarian society described in his classic novel, 1984.
In today's Tehran Times, Big Brother's spirit is alive and well, and is articulated well by Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament.
The implementation of a rationing plan intended to change bad habits will not be easy, but understating its benefits, the Iranian nation will cooperate with the administration in this regard and the administration will also fulfill its duties when a decision is needed to reduce problems, Haddad-Adel stated.
The people will accept the plan once they realize that the administration is going to end exorbitant gasoline consumption, which only causes foreign dependency, (emphasis mine) the outflow of national wealth, and other problems, he added.
Iran has plenty of oil, but not enough gasoline. Because the mullahs haven't maintained their refineries, they have to import gasoline. Only gross incompetence can explain why there is a gas shortage in Iran.
The Iranian citizenry are better informed--they are wired to internet and receive satellite broadcasts from outside Iran--than Orwell's Airstrip One "proles" could have ever dreamed of. But at least among the ruling elite, Big Brother, in the guise of the Ayotallah Khomeini, rules them.
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