A government can crush a people but they cannot crush the human spirit and desire to be free.
A picture is worth a thousand words, the above taken yesterday in Tehran, Iran.
This video taken yesterday in Tehran in protest of the recent ”election”, many in the public are questioning the validity of the poll results. Taking to the streets in a swell of uprising not seen in the country for decades.
From the Wall Street Journal here – “As night descended on Tehran Saturday, supporters of main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi clashed with anti-riot police and plain-clothed militia. The city resembled a military zone as thousands of Special Forces units and anti-riot police stormed streets waving their electric batons and hitting rioters and onlookers.”
If this doesn’t sound eerily reminiscent of the Tienanmen Square massacre, I don’t know what does. From what I am reading at the Journal (again here), there seems to be a huge youth-component to the dissatisfaction with the dictatorship and the ensuing protests of the election results. There are allegations amongst the public of massive fraud and rigging of the results in favor of Ahmadinejad. I have to assume that such allegations are surely true in the nature of the inner workings of any dictatorship – will Jimmy Carter rush and put an American face on the ‘legitimacy‘ of Ahmadinejad’s win?
On the results of the election and the protests, the Middle Eastern Hitler – “The election will improve the nation’s power and its future…. some believed they would win, and then they got angry. It has no legal credibility. It is like the passions after a football match. It is not important from my point of view….the margin between my votes and the others is too much, and no one can question it.”
And yet the youth take to the streets, even under the threat of physical recourse from the government. Americans could learn a lot from this kind of courage. Some things are worth fighting, even dying for. Freedom is not worth giving up, even when security is offered up on a silver platter by silver tongues. For you will get nor deserve either.
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.
– Benjamin Franklin
– Benjamin Franklin
Update I : Leaked election reults show that the Iranian Hitler came in third place in Friday’s election. Also, reformist Mousavi’s campaign website postponed demonstrations for today. The reason? Reports that the dictatorial regime’s police force had been authorized to fire on demonstrators. Story from the UK Telegraph here.
Update II : From the BBC today, thousands gather in defiance of the election results and government ban on the demostrations here.
Update III : WSJ has an article up showing that authorities have elicited gunfire on peaceful protesters. Here.
19 comments:
What a picture! Truly reminiscent of Tiananmen Square. I pray that people in this country can learn a lesson from those who would die for freedom.
We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.
–Ayn Rand
She said it best.
At first I thought the woman(?) holding up her fist was doing it to the backs of soldiers. But when I enlarged it, I could see that this person stood alone, facing soldiers marching toward her. That is powerful. We should all be so brave.
blackandgoldfan– I love that quote. Thanks. I've just begun Atlas Shrugged. I plan to follow it with The Fountainhead.
We face no real obstacles in this country…we're giving up freedom for nothing. The Iranians are inspiring. We here in America need to start fighting while it's still easy.
Excellent post!!!!
Blackandgold – great quote, I will use that in the future
Ananda – Yes she is a woman, an amazing picture of what the human will is capable of, I agree!
RK – The nation is giving up freedoms left and right thanks to a willing and able media as well, I will fight here to my last breath to stop this…
LA- thanks for reading!
Ananda: I hope to one day be able to have time to read Ayn's works. Kinda hard now with the kids, so I gotta settle for Spark Notes.
LCR: If you ever want Ayn's quotes, I try to pick my favorites and put one up everyday. Just go to my blog and click on the "Ayn Rand" label. Copy and paste (Please don't eat the paste! :-D).
How would all of you like to make a picture like that in DC?
We are all invited to a Tea Party in Washington DC on 9/12. I have spoken to the person throwing it. I showed her KOOK's manifesto and she wants us there. Check my blog for the whole story but bottom line is everyone is invited there will be all sorts of transportation available. I already have a hotel room reserved and it would be lame if all my fellow bloggers weren't there. This will be a big event. Really big.
Andrew – I'll check that out later today!
Brave people. They still protest, despite knowing that there is nothing their government cannot do to them in response.
Hmm, that should say "Track-A-'Crat", not "John"…
Ahah, better!
Now for some lighter fare:
http://trackacrat.com/category/whoopi-goldberg/
John AKA Track-A-Crat – I agree, can you believe that anyone that voted for the Obamanation now is protesting their taxes going up? Insane…..
Gee, all those nice Iranian Security people rushing to help that poor person with the loose shoelace.
Not really, but I can imagine the American elitist leftist spinning that way (the right shoelace is untied, you know.)
Bob – Correct sir, the pathetic thing is that I thought that was a quote from our president at first….. : )
WE need a scene like that in D.C on 9/12.
It is so great that the Messiah, Barack Hussein Obama, aka Abu Hussein has spoken out so strongly in solidarity with the Iranian people, right?
Honestly has anyone wondered why Obama is so silent on that?
Check out "in the Closet" on KOOKs manifesto for my theory on Obama's silence.
Andrew – Indeed, silence speaks a million words….
For all our sakes, i hope they manage to stop that mad man.
Mks – Me too….
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