Riots in Iran
At this very moment, things are spiraling out of control in Iran. Frightened by a suddenly politically active youth bloc, the government did the only thing you can do if you're a repressive, theocratic, and generally vile government: it tampered with the election results. It didn't just tamper- "tampering" implies that they wanted to conceal their actions. They fabricated election results. They released election results that have as much grounding in reality as Lord of the Rings.
The message was clear: "Go away. We do not want you involved in the political process. Return to your cynicism and go away. Fuck. You."
Fuck you indeed. Since the announcement of the fabricated results, the Persians have taken to the streets, and they're still out there. Marching, rioting. They are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. As of this morning, protests are still moving through the cities.
It's too early to tell where this is going to go. The government is scrambling, raiding dorms, arresting anyone that could rally the people, cutting power, Internet, telephones, and now hunting satellite phones. But word is still getting out, people are still getting organized.
This may be the beginning of the end for the current regime, and good riddance to bad rubbish. For Persians and for the rest of the world, this violent upset could be the best thing to happen to the region, and it's been a long time coming. This could be the death of Iran's theocracy.
Which raises the question, where's the US news media? It's not that they're not covering the story- it's getting headlines, here and there. But they're focusing on other things. Last night, as people were taking to the rooftops in Iran. CNN's top story was the Six Flags Bankruptcy.
Not only was the Internet the best place to get up to the minute reports, it was the only place. Considering Iran's role in the US's foreign policy, this is patently ridiculous.
All this said, there's painfully little we can do. But some people in Iran are still online. Discuss the subject, and let the people of Iran know that the world supports them.
The message was clear: "Go away. We do not want you involved in the political process. Return to your cynicism and go away. Fuck. You."
Fuck you indeed. Since the announcement of the fabricated results, the Persians have taken to the streets, and they're still out there. Marching, rioting. They are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. As of this morning, protests are still moving through the cities.
It's too early to tell where this is going to go. The government is scrambling, raiding dorms, arresting anyone that could rally the people, cutting power, Internet, telephones, and now hunting satellite phones. But word is still getting out, people are still getting organized.
This may be the beginning of the end for the current regime, and good riddance to bad rubbish. For Persians and for the rest of the world, this violent upset could be the best thing to happen to the region, and it's been a long time coming. This could be the death of Iran's theocracy.
Which raises the question, where's the US news media? It's not that they're not covering the story- it's getting headlines, here and there. But they're focusing on other things. Last night, as people were taking to the rooftops in Iran. CNN's top story was the Six Flags Bankruptcy.
Not only was the Internet the best place to get up to the minute reports, it was the only place. Considering Iran's role in the US's foreign policy, this is patently ridiculous.
All this said, there's painfully little we can do. But some people in Iran are still online. Discuss the subject, and let the people of Iran know that the world supports them.