Is This Mir Mousavi's Slain Nephew?
According to Irannewsnow and their sources on the ground, it could be. Even if it isn't, it looks as if this young man is dead, which immediately blows out of the water the Tehran police chief's risible assertion that not only has no one been killed but that his men weren't even armed with guns.
And even if you're skeptical about that man's death, this picture ought to put an end to your cynicism. In all other photos and footage I've seen of this poor bastard, his unrecognizable pulp of a face was pixillated or blurred. Now you know why.
This next video shows Iranian security forces attacking more protesters. At the end of the video, the woman shooting it shouts, "Let's get out of here! They're coming!" Note even the elderly are throwing rocks.
As CNN pointed out, as during the protests last June and July, no international aid is forthcoming. There are manifold reasons for this not the least of which is the idiotic vandalism that doesn't elevate the standing of the protesters. Another is the enduring myth that Iran is a sovereign democracy and their internal affairs are no one's business but their own.
Think about why we invaded Grenada. A few American students were kidnapped and came to no harm during their captivity. They were used as a cover story in order for Reagan to hunt down Communists that weren't really there.
Think about why we invaded Iraq. Every reason we used turned out to be a fucking pack of lies. No WMD ever materialized any more than did the democracy that President George W. Appleseed was going to implant.
This is one military intervention that I could live with whether or not it involves regime change. As with last summer, this is a human rights emergency and just because these unarmed people are gaining ground and are being heard doesn't mean the government won't bring more guns to work with them tomorrow.
posted by jurassicpork @ Sunday, December 27, 2009
4 comments
4 Comments:
"idiotic vandalism"??? When people are resisting a tyrannical government that silences their very existence, one of their tools is to claim public space. You can call that "vandalism" if you want, but to do so would be to buy in to a whole Orwellian vocabulary in which protesters are "rioters," "mobs," or "vandals." This is how the Mexican media (and most US media) represented the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca, which was very similar, on a slightly smaller scale, to what is going on in Tehran today.
It is idiotic. What good will it do them to burn uniforms and wooden boxes and bikes and cars in the street? Will that help them win their democracy back? If we'd resorted to such mindless vandalism in the 1770's, you think we would've won our independence from the British?
If they must expend their energy and risk their lives and safety, they ought to be storming government buildings, dragging important people into the street and not stop at little dog shit police depots and basiji thugs. Setting fires and throwing rocks will only get you so far. These people need a leader and need to be more constructive with their time and ebergies.
JP,
Human rights crisis are not justification for invasions.It seems that you've swallowed the hook.
rangeragainstwar
I'm not advocating an invasion or regime change, just some honest, humanitarian intervention. I was just saying that we've actually invaded and occupied other countries on much flimsier pretexts.
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