The Iranian Elections

[AFPheonix]

I hope they pull the fucking plug on international phone calls and the internet in Iran that way we aren't subjected to so called news reports from any person with a Twitter or Facebook account.

Why is that? Yeah, some of it is not verifiable and there are confirmed people who are trying to muddy things, but this is pretty much pure free speech going on. No filter from governments, nothing. I think it's pretty interesting really. If protesters hadn't been broadcasting themselves over the internet, I don't think US media outlets would have paid much attention. As it is, MSNBC shut down for the weekend, CNN has been an absolute embarrassment to itself. Fox news has actually been one of the better news outlets for this situation, as long as you ignore the talking heads. Mind is blown.

Would you rather be there involved in the shit happening there? Let them protest. I just hope the USA isn't stupid enough to get involved there in ANY capacity. Military, Humanitarian, monetary, etc. No help from America for either party.

Fortunately Obama has been ignoring calls from GOP and been pretty measured in his response. The House passed a resolution condemning the Iranian government and the election, however.
And yeah, it would be kind of cool to be more involved. Yes, it's obviously an impossibility, but I do hope for the best for them all.

[AdminAssistant]

We can't be involved. The best we can do is to support the Iranian people and condemn those who are shutting down news outlets and killing peaceful protesters. News outlets using Twitter, Facebook, etc....yeah, it's unconventional, but it's the best we can do right now. There are a few Western journalists in Tehran, and to be honest, I just hope they can get out of Iran alive at this point. In a time of crisis, look to the unconventional as a way to get around the state filters.

My main hope is that at the end of the day the will of the Iranian people is heeded. Maybe that will mean a complete overthrow of the Grand Ayatollah (or whatever the hell his title is), maybe that will mean a re-vote, I'm not sure.

[Slytovhand]

I agree, AA. Unfortunately, but typically, it's something that's not going to get fixed overnight. It's the sort of thing that will, historically speaking, take decades (or longer) to get sorted, unless something big happens... and that something big will be a civil war. People in power tend to resist giving it up.

Look at China. It's been 20 years since Tiananmen Square and the shootings there (and the famous student stopping the tanks), but they've still got human rights issues, voting issues and the like, even though it's a much better country than before (ie, westerners can easily travel the country).

I hope that the rest of the Arabic community gets involved and leans heavily on the Iranian government.

And I strongly urge the US government to stay completely out of things... if there's even a hint they want to do stuff there, it could cause a massive explosion (literally and figuratively). The US isn't particularly popular at the moment.


(and, to voice my conspiracy theory instinct, I wonder how much involvement the CIA already has over there, in the way things have gone...we might find out in the next few years... it's another invasion just waiting to happen - after all, is it completely coincidental that Iran was heading in a nice peaceful way, then not that long ago, it started heading back into a real nasty way... just as the US gov't started making overtures towards them?)

[Cat]

Watched quite a bit of news yesterday...some of the images were haunting.

I have no idea how/when this will all end.....but I fear it won't be a good outcome....not sure exactly why....just a feeling. I hope I am wrong.

[AFPheonix]

Look at China. It's been 20 years since Tiananmen Square and the shootings there (and the famous student stopping the tanks), but they've still got human rights issues, voting issues and the like, even though it's a much better country than before (ie, westerners can easily travel the country).

The difference between this uprising and Tienanmen square is that no one besides that group of students there in Beijing knew about it. There simply wasn't the information dispersal then that there is now this time around. Heck, there weren't really that many mainland Chinese that paid much attention when the anniversary rolled around this year, simply because they did not understand the significance of it.

In Iran, however, it's not just riots in Tehran. They're occurring all over the country and they involve more than just students. There are older people, some clerics, some of the police, and others involved. It truly is the populace versus the Ayatollah.