The beat goes on in Iran:

TEHRAN, Iran - Reformist lawmakers staging a sit-in protest in parliament vowed yesterday to begin a fast in an attempt to force the reversal of the disqualification of more than 3,000 candidates from next month's elections.

Mohammad Reza Khatami, a vice speaker of parliament who is among 80 pro-reform lawmakers barred by hard-liners from running for reelection, said the fast would start today.

"We are determined even more than before to resist illegal hard-line efforts to hold a sham election through mass disqualification of hopefuls," said Khatami, leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest reformist party, and a younger brother of President Mohammad Khatami.

"We are prepared to pay all costs of defending free elections," he said. "Without free elections, democracy is meaningless."

The hard line element may have their hands full if the students go to the Khatami side in any numbers. The steady downfall of the Ayatollahs is continuing. Good.