With all the usual Caveats
Jun. 24th, 2009 01:48 pmJesus Wept
I don't know what happened in the election in Iran. This stopped being about the election very shortly after the election.
My take on it: The Iranian people were willing to put up with a lot; the various controls on their lives, the censorships, the restricted choices in elections, so long as they believed in the elections.
They might get the reforms they wanted, as fast as they wanted, but they believed the system was; in its ways, fair.
The election, and the responses to it, put all that into a cocked hat. The reactions to their reaction was gasoline on the fire. I don't think the US has any way to affect it, at least not for the good. Our record of interference (right down to this congress, and the reiterations of calls for the overthrow of the gov't; which we did so well the last time we managed that, there), means we really ought to keep our hands off.
None of which eases the horror at what is going on there right now.
I don't know what happened in the election in Iran. This stopped being about the election very shortly after the election.
My take on it: The Iranian people were willing to put up with a lot; the various controls on their lives, the censorships, the restricted choices in elections, so long as they believed in the elections.
They might get the reforms they wanted, as fast as they wanted, but they believed the system was; in its ways, fair.
The election, and the responses to it, put all that into a cocked hat. The reactions to their reaction was gasoline on the fire. I don't think the US has any way to affect it, at least not for the good. Our record of interference (right down to this congress, and the reiterations of calls for the overthrow of the gov't; which we did so well the last time we managed that, there), means we really ought to keep our hands off.
None of which eases the horror at what is going on there right now.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-24 07:33 pm (UTC)If those caveats don't scare you off, there are some instructions here.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-24 07:38 pm (UTC)