Where is their vote?

[30ashopper]

If we get involved people criticize us for meddling in the middle east, if we don't get involved people criticize us for not doing the right thing and supporting the movement.

I'd rather be criticized for staying out of it personally. I'm feeling very isolationist these days. Let Iran deal with its problems and we can deal with ours.

 

[kathydwells]

I lived in Tehran, Iran for three years when I was 10 until 13 years old. I met some of the sweetest people on earth there. Learned how to snow ski in the Alborz Mountains. Visited some of the most beautiful Mosques in the world. Learned some life lessons there. Learned that a young girl from Alabama could accept and appreciate a whole new culture. Made some very, very good friends. It saddens me so much what this country is going through. I hope that soon there will peace and democracy there, for the sake of everyone.

 

[Lynnie]

If we get involved people criticize us for meddling in the middle east, if we don't get involved people criticize us for not doing the right thing and supporting the movement.

I'd rather be criticized for staying out of it personally. I'm feeling very isolationist these days. Let Iran deal with its problems and we can deal with ours.

I think we should stay out of it as well. I believe that the Middle East is seeing without any involvement from us, that there are people who desire freedom and true democracy. Absolutely nothing wrong with this. This is sending a huge message!

I lived in Tehran, Iran for three years when I was 10 until 13 years old. I met some of the sweetest people on earth there. Learned how to snow ski in the Alborz Mountains. Visited some of the most beautiful Mosques in the world. Learned some life lessons there. Learned that a young girl from Alabama could accept and appreciate a whole new culture. Made some very, very good friends. It saddens me so much what this country is going through. I hope that soon there will peace and democracy there, for the sake of everyone.

I've known other people who have been to Iran, said what a lovely country it is and how wonderful the people are. I, too, hope that there will be peace for them! ;-)

 

[Dia]

Obama has released this statement on the unfolding repression of the Iranian opposition:

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said - ?The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.? I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples? belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.

​

 

[30ashopper]

Iran for me represents what happens when religious oppression and coercion run head long into a young and increasingly educated population. Which isn't to say that education and religion can't be simpatico, quite the contrary. Education however tempers extremism. If we really want to eliminate oppressive regimes and religious extremism, prosperity and education are the best possible tools over the long term.

A troubled week in Iran - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Unfortunately from what I've seen I'm not convinced this uprising will last but I think it's set a precedent. Reform takes time. As the younger generations mature and take on a greater role in running the country, things will definitely improve.. the mullah's days are numbered. We may not see democracy in Iran this week, but it is coming. That should be good for entire region. Hopfully Iraq will also play a influential roll in bringing about "change" in the middle east.

 

[steyou]

Iran for me represents what happens when religious oppression and coercion run head long into a young and increasingly educated population. Which isn't to say that education and religion can't be simpatico, quite the contrary. Education however tempers extremism. If we really want to eliminate oppressive regimes and religious extremism, prosperity and education are the best possible tools over the long term.
A troubled week in Iran - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Unfortunately from what I've seen I'm not convinced this uprising will last but I think it's set a precedent. Reform takes time. As the younger generations mature and take on a greater role in running the country, things will definitely improve.. the mullah's days are numbered. We may not see democracy in Iran this week, but it is coming. That should be good for entire region. Hopfully Iraq will also play a influential roll in bringing about "change" in the middle east.

I beleive you are saying that prosperity comes from limited government. HUMM!!!! Are we going backwards?

 

[30ashopper]

I beleive you are saying that prosperity comes from limited government. HUMM!!!! Are we going backwards?

I would say what's going on here is the natural ebb and flow of our political cycle. Most of the big givernment initiatives Obama is signing into law right now can easily be repealed down the road. The only exception is the new healthcare entitlements he's trying to build. That hasn't passed yet so we will have to wait and see. Even there, I can see his reform systems being reformed again from full benefit coverage into catestrophic coverage down the road.

I'm still not convinced this whole public plan will go through. I was chatting with someone on medicare the other day. They were rather confused as to why Obama was planning on cutting medicare benefits for seniors who have paid into a system for 40 years in an effort to provide benefits for those who haven't paid for or earned government funded healthcare at all. People still don't understand what the dems or proposing but over time the details will become clearer. Slashing benefits and raising taxes on existing employer based plans to pay for the poor's healthcare are likely not going to fly with the american public once they understand what these characters in washington are cooking up.

 

[BeachSteelers]

Dear Mr. President, by still wanting to engage with Iranian diplomats, I believe you've condemned thousands to inprisionment or death. Your willingness to express a need for dialogue with a regime unsupported by its people is IMO STUPID. Inviting Iranian diplomates to 4th of July parties is saying to the World that they are Legit and Worthy of talking too. What's next? Inviting Kim Jong over for cookies and tea after they launch missles toward Hawaii?
Engaging in talks with Ahmendinajad's diplomats is not going a hi light of your hopefully only term in office.

 

[Lynnie]

4th of July is a significant day/date in US History, freedom and democracy.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

I believe the President's response to the situation has been most appropriate considering our past history with Iran.

I've been following the Facebook sites on Iran. This was just released. Very powerful speech.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf statement

Today at 6:22pm



Mohsen Makhmalbaf's statements on the situation in Iran has been released. He is very well-connected in Iran.

I have translated his words for the non-Farsi speakers.

Please take a moment out of your time to share this video and the translation. The translation is pretty accurate. I may have missed a metaphor or two...but I tried my best with the amount of Farsi knowledge I have:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1y9WmlPqoY"]YouTube - Makhmalbaf rome 23 06 09[/ame]

Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Translated Statement:

Iranians living in Italy and other parts of the world, I urge you to not give up, because the people in the line of fire are are not scared.

They are all chanting, "natarsim natarsim, ma hame ba ham hastim (Let's not be afraid, let's not be afraid. We are all in this together).

We haven't seen this type of togetherness in a long time. This really has been our issue.

We are aware people, but we were afraid because the oceans of Iran had become mere water droplets.
In the past days, the water has been found again in the oceans. We have found our unity.

We need to continue protesting in front of the embassies and lobby the issues pertaining to the people of Iran- with help from world governments, journalists and citizens.

We need the world to recognize Ahmadinejad as the leader of a coup d'etat and not as the leader of Iran. If this happens, we will be successful.

We have already been successful. Iran's history the past 30 years has been dissapointing. Now, our dissapointment has been expressed. We have found each other again.

Even with all the violence happening in Iran, the Iranian people are more kind to each other now. For example, some put their motorcylces on fire, destroy their vehicles, so the fuels of their vehicles suppress the effects of the tear gas.

They are defending each other.

Around the world, we see that people have put their differences aside.

Eveyrone is uniting their voices, chanting:

"What happened to our vote?"
"We want to vote again!"

We want to have the rights to our future.

I think that every Iranain in Iran is a commander, a force. Every Iranian outside of iran is a representative of the people in Iran, a reporter.

Every Iranian who gets killed in the streets is a martyr. They are also all media, filming with their cell phones and uploading the content onto Youtube.

We need to take these videos from Youtube and send out the links- send them to the reporters.
You can help the reporters who may not be able to find all the videos amongst the many being uploaded.

We need to work collectively to spread the information coming out from Iran.

We need to continue.

Friday night, at sunset, light a candle. Think about and respect the deaths of the brave. The Iranian people are planning to do the same outisde their houses, on their roofs, chanting: "Allah o Akbar.

They will be chanting "Allah o Akbar" to not prove their religion, but to voice the intolerable pressures put on them by the government.

Wearing the colour green is not to represent Mousavi, it is to represent a movement (democratic movement).

We are all supporters. Right now, none of us belong to any specific groups- we need to unite.

This is to speak out against Ahmadinejad, Khamenei, and 30 years of dictatorship in Iran. We want to take that closer step toward democracy.

We should follow the footsteps of Ghandi and Mandella.

We want the people of the West and the media to listen to the words of the Iranian people in Iran.

I am with you, we are all together.

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