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Saturday, September 19, 2009

International Friday in Iran

Posted by Brendan Kiley on Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 11:28 AM

I fell way behind the Iran story yesterday, as I was all wrapped up in the mayoral race and why unions would endorse the corporate candidate.

But the news is fantastic—pro-democracy demonstrators hijacking the government's annual anti-Israel festival of hate. This detail, from the NYT, is chilling and beautiful:

Often, the protesters slyly distorted the traditional rallying cries of the pro-government crowds. When the marchers chanted, “The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader,” protesters countered with, “The blood in our veins is a gift to our nation.”

It's the poetry of martyrdom—driving a wedge between the idea of the The Leader and the idea of The Nation is the philosophical crux of democracy.

Meanwhile, Obama will meet with ~~Lil' Putin~~ Dmitry Medvedev and press him to be tougher with Iran. Asking a dictator's puppet to sanction a fellow dictator seems futile, but since the US abandoned its anti-Russia missile shield, it's in a position to ask for favors. Whether it's in a position of negotiating strength remains to be seen.

And the Obama administration will meet with the Iranian government starting October 1. We'll see whether Obama's policy of engagement with dictators, terrorists, and other assholes works—or whether it's just a sweet dream.

Comments (3) RSS

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The more restraint shown by the west, the more their government looks incapable of showing good judgement and comity.

Posted by Vince on September 19, 2009 at 12:58 PM

"Asking a dictator's puppet to sanction a fellow dictator seems futile" -- really, Brendan Kiley? Way to take an incredibly nuanced topic and write about it in the most puerile way possible.

Posted by rcrantz on September 19, 2009 at 2:32 PM

If The Stranger is so pro Union and contemptuous of candidates who are not--how come the Stranger is not unionized?

I thought Dan supported "working stiffs."

Posted by Joe Hill says Savage and Keck are phonies on September 19, 2009 at 5:47 PM