Saturday, June 20, 2009
News Meanwhile in Iran
Posted by Dan Savage on Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Not for the faint of heart:
Via Andrew Sullivan—whose blogging on the uprising in Iran remains required reading.
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1
Video removed due to terms of violation. Mirror?
Let's start a movement of solidarity with our friends in Iran. We should all wear green bands or something to show that we understand and support them, as well as we can....I'm sure you could say it slightly more eloquently than my coffee rattled fingers.
Let's start a movement of solidarity with our friends in Iran. We should all wear green bands or something to show that we understand and support them, as well as we can....I'm sure you could say it slightly more eloquently than my coffee rattled fingers.
2
It's true. The Sullivan blog has been the best damn thing on the Internet regarding this uprising.
3
I third the praise for Sullivan. This video's been removed, but follow the ""Andrew Sullivan "link and there's another, shorter video of this.
4
http://www.youtube.com/
user/mightierthan
has the video plus some others too.
I was discouraged about the internet back in 2004 when Bush won, but maybe it's time to make sure it's used to inform many more people now.
user/mightierthan
has the video plus some others too.
I was discouraged about the internet back in 2004 when Bush won, but maybe it's time to make sure it's used to inform many more people now.
5
"It's true. The Sullivan blog has been the best damn thing on the Internet regarding this uprising."
How does he reconcile any of this with his strong neocon roots? He seems ok some days, then backslides into douchiness without any hint of awareness.
How does he reconcile any of this with his strong neocon roots? He seems ok some days, then backslides into douchiness without any hint of awareness.
6
I don't know if anyone else has already linked to this, but it so happens the NY Times op-ed pages now feature a columnist who's a real Iran expert, Roger Cohen. Cohen's already written a number of columns trying to get Americans past the evil caricature we're presented of Iran, while still not dismissing how nasty that regime is.
Well, Cohen has a great column today that has really convinced me that Pres. Obama has to say something about the govt.-backed violence.
Also, I really appreciate that Sullivan has recognized that Iran is the most important place in the world right now.
Well, Cohen has a great column today that has really convinced me that Pres. Obama has to say something about the govt.-backed violence.
TEHRAN — This has become the city of whispers. Many of the people I spoke to when I arrived last week are in prison. Stabbings and shootings punctuate the night. Fear rushes down alleys and dead ends. Still the whispering continues.
“Tomorrow, Vanak Square.” Or “Four o’clock, Imam Khomeini Square.” Or “Everyone wear black.”
An election result was announced a week ago that, in the words of the most senior opposition ayatollah, Hossein Ali Montazeri, “no wise person in their right mind can believe.”
Also, I really appreciate that Sullivan has recognized that Iran is the most important place in the world right now.
7
Cressona: whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa????????!
"get Americans past the evil caricature we're presented of Iran, while still not dismissing how nasty that regime is"
"Sullivan has recognized that Iran is the most important place in the world right now. "
the most important place in the world is our gay rights movement, HELLO.
"get Americans past the evil caricature we're presented of Iran, while still not dismissing how nasty that regime is"
"Sullivan has recognized that Iran is the most important place in the world right now. "
the most important place in the world is our gay rights movement, HELLO.
8
The regime still has the weapons and the army. It is a theocracy. It will not be an easy thing to move to a secular state. It will take the blood of many people.
11
I am heartbroken and incensed at the same time. How is freedom to win against the jackboot and the truncheon? How?
13
Greg @11, it's the classic Riddle of Steel. The jackboot and truncheon are also wielded by hands of flesh, and they can kill only so much of their own before coming to question their own motives.
The old garde has demonstrated they care naught for lives, so long as they stay in power. The revolutionaries have demonstrated they're willing to die before living with the continued oppression. In the short game, either the police or the international community will have to turn around.
It's already, at very best for the regime, a Pyrrhic victory. A beaten down revolution will only devolve into partisan activity, and Iran will have no friends abroad.
In the meantime, the up-close-and-personal movies and images being broadcast and archived are changing the face of the revolution that defines Iran.
The old garde has demonstrated they care naught for lives, so long as they stay in power. The revolutionaries have demonstrated they're willing to die before living with the continued oppression. In the short game, either the police or the international community will have to turn around.
It's already, at very best for the regime, a Pyrrhic victory. A beaten down revolution will only devolve into partisan activity, and Iran will have no friends abroad.
In the meantime, the up-close-and-personal movies and images being broadcast and archived are changing the face of the revolution that defines Iran.
14
Thanks for posting this. I'd seen an incident like this in LA with gang shootings working at LA County, it's just heartbreaking.
15
jesus fucking christ, people.
That is a video of a woman dying.
I can tell you as a nurse that the very end of it is her coughing blood up with her last breaths while people try to put pressure on the gunshot wound she has in her chest.
could we tone down the bullshit here and have a little respect?
That is a video of a woman dying.
I can tell you as a nurse that the very end of it is her coughing blood up with her last breaths while people try to put pressure on the gunshot wound she has in her chest.
could we tone down the bullshit here and have a little respect?
16
It actually looks like the beginning of a hot fantasy rape video....the guy sitting on top of her grabbing her tits
I mean, this IS Dan Savage's sex blog after all. Anything goes, right?
I mean, this IS Dan Savage's sex blog after all. Anything goes, right?
17
@16
Wow, it's rare that *I* find something to be in profoundly bad taste. Do you have anything resembling a soul? Fuck.
Wow, it's rare that *I* find something to be in profoundly bad taste. Do you have anything resembling a soul? Fuck.
18
No, he never posts anything of worth. The Slog seems to have a high tolerance for useless bigot-trolls.
19
Two things from huffpo:
About the girl in the video and the doctor who tried to save her:
and from the White House
More...
About the girl in the video and the doctor who tried to save her:
Basij shots to death a young woman in Tehran's Saturday June 20th protests At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim's chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gass used among them, towards Salehi St. The film is shot by my friend who was standing beside me. Please let the world know.
and from the White House
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.
21
Whoever that oppositereaction tard is on the youtube comments, he needs to be Basij target practice himself.
25
Think what you want of Andrew Sullivan and his beliefs, good and bad, but he is doing an unfu**ingbelievable job of covering Iran. Truly remarkable.
And watching that video was soulcrushing.
Thank you, Dan, for highlighting Andrew's coverage.
And watching that video was soulcrushing.
Thank you, Dan, for highlighting Andrew's coverage.
26
Thank you for not posting anything new since this morning (apart from finding mirrors). This deserves be the first thing people see on Slog for a very long time, and anything else that might push it down the list will seem trivial in comparison.
28
Apparently the translation from Farsi: "Don't be scared. Nedah, dear, don't be scared. Nedah, don't be scared ... Nedah, stay. Nedah, stay! stay!"
bemoon = stay
bemoon = stay
30
It's so hard to watch someone die like that. So fucking hard. I'm heartbroken and I hope the people of Iran persevere.
34
That will stay with me for a long time.
I can only hope that the images of her death, which are rocketing around the world right now, will help bring down this regime.
RIP, young Neda.
I can only hope that the images of her death, which are rocketing around the world right now, will help bring down this regime.
RIP, young Neda.
35
This is the saddest thing I have ever seen. And the translation at #28 brings it home. I am so sorry for that girl and her father.
37
"A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot"... :( This makes me so sad.
So information is getting out of Iran - is anything getting in? I hope the Iranians know that the rest of the world is pulling for them.
So information is getting out of Iran - is anything getting in? I hope the Iranians know that the rest of the world is pulling for them.
38
Horrific, What are these mullahs thinking about really, killing the young, when they're done murdering them out who do they think will be left in Iran?
Down with mullahs and ayatollahs, long live the brave young women and men of Iran, may her death not be in vain!
Down with mullahs and ayatollahs, long live the brave young women and men of Iran, may her death not be in vain!
39
Dear Republicans,
Your situation compares to this. No really, it does. Keep telling yourselves that.
Your situation compares to this. No really, it does. Keep telling yourselves that.
41
Hey fellas. I just caught a fly!
Any barbecues you guys want me to cook for ya?
Hey, hey, I'll write a note to your teacher...!
Hey fellas. I just caught a fly!
Any barbecues you guys want me to cook for ya?
Hey, hey, I'll write a note to your teacher...!
42
Just watched the re-instated longer video, instead of the shortened one... the first video was difficult, but this one was near impossible to watch. Especially with that translation @28...
That commenter on the youtube site, oppositereaction, that @21 pointed out, has been posting for hours trying to convince people that the video is a fake ("don't believe everything you read/see", etc.). He's a moron and a troll, obviously, but... I clicked on his profile, and his only youtube subscription is to RonPaul2008. People are such idiots.
That commenter on the youtube site, oppositereaction, that @21 pointed out, has been posting for hours trying to convince people that the video is a fake ("don't believe everything you read/see", etc.). He's a moron and a troll, obviously, but... I clicked on his profile, and his only youtube subscription is to RonPaul2008. People are such idiots.
44
@37 Are we really pulling for them? Or are we above the fray. These videos did not get out of Iraq. The bigot in the White House believes they deserve nukes.
45
"The bigot in the white house believes they deserve nukes"? WTF is that supposed to mean? If Nukes have anything to do with Americans fealings about this it is that we have zero faith or trust in the current regime with them. Best case scenario is we hope the opposition would not be persuing them. I don't know why the rest of our nation feels the way they do, but I cans say that this kind of uprising against an oppressive regime of religious wingnuts always gives me hope. Where the fuck was even 1% of this kind of activity when Bush stole that first election. Oh, we had jobs and oppressive mortgages back then I guess.
47
Fucking theocracies. And just think, this is what the right wing is trying to turn the U.S. into.
48
No really, sit and think about it for a while. Let it sink in: people like Falwell and Beck look at governments like this and think they are the ideal.
50
47- I meant that Days before this Obama was in Egypt reaching out to the oppressive regime, without a mention to a reformation. He stressed his Muslim roots and the regimes' right to pursue nuclear energy, and not his progressive ideals- like gay rights for which he is a bigot- like Bush. I hope he speaks up Now, after the chaos and death.
51
47/48/49
Our domestic Christian Extremists scare me far more than the Muslim Extremists on other continents.
Our domestic Christian Extremists scare me far more than the Muslim Extremists on other continents.
52
@50 You are such an idiot. That is not what Obama said in his Cairo speech at all. Don't let your petulant, short-sighted, one-mided voter mentality confuse your lack of reading comprehension.
55
Overheard on #neda on twitter:
Her name was Neda. "Neda" means voice or call in Farsi. She is the voice of the people, a call to freedom.
RIP, Neda. I'm sorry I only knew you in death.
Her name was Neda. "Neda" means voice or call in Farsi. She is the voice of the people, a call to freedom.
RIP, Neda. I'm sorry I only knew you in death.
56
@53 Try to remember that people who are not coders have no fucking clue that != means does not equal. It needs to be spelled out for them.
59
jesus fucking christ, people.
That is a video of a woman dying.
I can tell you as a nurse that the very end of it is her coughing blood up with her last breaths while people try to put pressure on the gunshot wound she has in her chest.
could we tone down the bullshit here and have a little respect?
Hi, womyn. Welcome to the internet, where people seriously think they can help save a third world country from a powerful totalitarian regime by posting tweets and videos on the internet.
60
@37 Yes, the information is being spread around Iran both internally and via info that gets in. People are constantly setting up and changing proxies so that people can get information both ways. People in Iran are spreading word of international protests as well as bringing in info from the outside about things like which embassies are taking the injured.
And @59? That information is getting out and is making more and more people aware of what is going on in a tangible way - this is a good thing.
And @59? That information is getting out and is making more and more people aware of what is going on in a tangible way - this is a good thing.
61
You see, this video totally proves Bush was wrong. Iran isn't on the axis of evil. And these people that are protesting don't seem to understand that, while they don't have a meaningful vote, at least when the government shoots them in the neck they get nationalized health insurance. That's why their better than us.
We just haven't spent enough time being "diplomatic" with them like our friends in France. We should be talking and talking and talking long enough for them to get their French-engineered, Russian-fueled reactors up to production levels. Really, they don't mean anyone any harm. We're just too judgmental, with our inherently bad Western ways - like the respect for human life, free speech, freedom of assembly, petition of grievances and other such total nonsense.
The Iranian government isn't a regime. We just need to send Rick Steve's over there to make some videos that make us feel like we don't understand their government. We're the bad guys in the world. We totally suck.
You see, this video totally proves Bush was wrong. Iran isn't on the axis of evil. And these people that are protesting don't seem to understand that, while they don't have a meaningful vote, at least when the government shoots them in the neck they get nationalized health insurance. That's why their better than us.
We just haven't spent enough time being "diplomatic" with them like our friends in France. We should be talking and talking and talking long enough for them to get their French-engineered, Russian-fueled reactors up to production levels. Really, they don't mean anyone any harm. We're just too judgmental, with our inherently bad Western ways - like the respect for human life, free speech, freedom of assembly, petition of grievances and other such total nonsense.
The Iranian government isn't a regime. We just need to send Rick Steve's over there to make some videos that make us feel like we don't understand their government. We're the bad guys in the world. We totally suck.
62
@61 - You're an idiot. We don't misunderstand their government. We just didn't get that the regular people are mostly very different from their government.
63
61: you're right! We're being too soft on Iran! We should BOMB them like McCain and Bush would have done!
Now THERE'S a great way to show support for the Iranian protesters: drop bombs on their apartments and workplaces. That'll show them our great Western respect for human life. Just like in Iraq!
Now THERE'S a great way to show support for the Iranian protesters: drop bombs on their apartments and workplaces. That'll show them our great Western respect for human life. Just like in Iraq!
64
We're the bad guys in the world. We totally suck.
There are a surprisingly large number of people in the world who would agree with you on that, most of them in countries where the US has supported dictatorships. Such as Iran, circa 1979.
65
That information is getting out and is making more and more people aware of what is going on in a tangible way - this is a good thing.
Actually, no. Awareness does not equal involvement.
66
56 =! Yeah, we financed 'nuclear energy' for N Korea in 94... pull your head out of your code...
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/27/world/…
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/27/world/…
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