I was asked to do something today that took a small amount of courage. Not a huge big deal, I hope, but some risk is involved. I did it. The result will become clearer as time goes on. The protestors in Iran gave me an object lesson in courage:
The silence of the demonstrations would be a counterpoint to the nightly chants from the rooftops and prisons of the nation. Chants of “Allah is great,” along with “Death to the Dictator.” If you believe the folks on Twitter, those chants have been louder with each passing night, despite the violence of the Basij and Revolutionary Guards, which ranges from snipers shooting from one rooftop to another, armed thugs breaking into homes to seize computers, cell phones and other communications devices, and arrest one or more family members. Meanwhile, horribly maimed bodies have been showing up all over the country. Some of the gouging of the bodies seems to have been done to remove all evidence of bullet holes, but whatever the “explanation,” the bloody savagery is well documented.
Over the objections of medical staff, bodies from the demonstrations were quickly moved elsewhere. “We believe they were transferred to the Baqiatollah military hospital or some other undisclosed location”, notes the doctor. Then, under the pretext of “organ donation”, all traces of bullets were removed from the bodies. “The parents were force to accept this if they wanted to retrieve the body for burial”.
And yet, the protest goes on. For the past three days, a general strike has been in effect, with significant results. Indeed, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei preemptively admitted defeat when government offices and factories were shut down in the name of a religious observance. But the strikers only expanded the range of their actions, notably by shutting down electrical grids in several cities, including parts of Tehran. Great swathes of the nation were plunged into darkness. This sort of thing is likely to continue, whatever happens on the 9th.
Most of the protesters fear the worst, warning of snipers preparing to shoot into the crowds, and a massive buildup of security forces in Tehran. There are rumors about possible countermeasures from the demonstrators, but, like the stories about massive repression, these remain to be confirmed.
Michael Ledeen’s entire article is worth reading, and it includes a sort of blow by blow report of the day’s protests in Iran, direct from Twitter feeds. I am, at this moment, ashamed that the leaders of my nation are not doing more to help the Iranian people get rid of their dictatorial mullahs. Perhaps they are doing something productive behind the scenes. If they are, God bless them. But it seems unlikely.
Read it all.
I wonder how many Americans have the courage, to defend their freedom, that is displayed by these protesters in Iran, who are trying to gain their freedom? Based on our willingness to give everything to the government, and to meekly accept whatever benefits the government will dole out to us, I am not optimistic about it.
Most of us won’t even call our congressional representatives and senators.
