February 11 is the 31st anniversary of the Iranian revolution. By now, Iranians know that as bad as the Shah was, the Islamic Republic is far worse. So, they are ready to rid themselves of the ruthless Mullahs. The Mullahs are getting ready to do whatever is needed to stop them.

Since June 12th, the regime has arrested slightly more than 11,000 people, more than 3,000 of whom are still in those nightmare cells. Executions continue at a regular tempo, as does torture. Today, authorities began by arresting activists focusing on journalists and women:

While a number of well-known reformists were detained shortly after the contested presidential election last June, the ranks of those imprisoned now include artists, photographers, children’s rights advocates, women’s rights activists, students and scores of journalists. Iran now has more journalists in prison than any other country in the world, with at least 65 in custody, according to Reporters Without Borders. (watch)

Reports have filtered out from Iran of people being roused from their beds during midnight raids and disappearing into the penal system without an official word to family and friends, and of overcrowded jails and long stays in solitary confinement, according to human rights groups.

In what appeared to be a first, the Revolutionary Court summoned Tuesday the wife and children of an imprisoned journalist, Mohammad Nourizad, to appear as “political prisoners,” the official Web site of the opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi, reported. This appeared to be connected to an open letter that Mr. Nourizad’s wife, Fatemeh Maleki, wrote recently to the people of Iran, said the site, called Kaleme.

Though the government does not report the numbers of those arrested, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, a group based in New York, calculated that in the past two months at least 1,000 people have been imprisoned, many arrested under a blanket detention order issued in June that empowers the police to take anyone into custody for any reason.

“We don’t believe their detention has to do with any specific acts they have committed but for the ideas and ways of thinking they represent,” said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the human rights group. “By detaining them en masse, the government is spreading fear and intimidation, implementing a sort of a reign of terror, to dissuade potential protesters from coming out to the streets on Feb. 11.”

They are also trying to drown out their chanting with the aid of large microphones, are slowing down the internet speed and closing such gathering places as Shahyad (Azadi) square .

The opposition, knowing better than to count on anyone but themselves (certainly, not Obama), is also organizing. IRAN: As many as 3 million protesters anticipated at Thursday rally. They are young, fearless and on a mission, may G-d bless them.