With all the usual Caveats

[pecunium]

Jesus 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.

Comments

[twicet.livejournal.com]

I have watched this unfold with great sadness and horror. I tend to think you are right, direct interference will only make a tragic situation worse. Yet, when we in the west have so many "rights", it is hard to sit back and do nothing for those who have so few.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

I feel for them- I really do. But I also know that they have to find the strength to change themselves. Any interference from us- and sadly, I include a lot of the Twittering that is going on- can be misconstrued- and will be. They'll either win now, or win later. I fear it will be later.

[benet.livejournal.com]

Under the rubric "record of interference", you includethis, correct?

[maps-or-guitars.livejournal.com]

It's dreadful. It is so difficult to see this and know that so little we can constructively do about it, save bear witness. Anyone know how to set up one's website as an anonymous proxy server?

[maps-or-guitars.livejournal.com]

Well, that *would* be the place to start with regard to the U.S.

The fact that we backed Iraq during their war with Iran doesn't go down well, either.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

That would be, "calls for the overthrow of the gov't; which we did so well the last time we managed that, there" Unless you are aware of a different time, in the past 60 years we got to set up the gov't in Iran.

[benet.livejournal.com]

:) I sorta missed the 'there' in that sentence and parsed it out as "calls for overthrow of some government somewhere". Whoops. No, I'm not aware of any other occasions in recent decades.

[sethg]

You need some rudimentary sysadmin skills and you need administrative control over a computer with a permanent connection to the Internet and a static IP address. Also, this should be a computer that you're not actually using for anything important, just in case its bandwidth gets overwhelmed with Iran traffic or the ruling powers in Iran find out about you and decide to take revenge.

If those caveats don't scare you off, there are some instructions here.

[maps-or-guitars.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll review it tonight, see if this is doable.

[vanmojo.livejournal.com]

Hey TK,

I essentially agree with your take, and the tragedy is -- I fear -- is only going to get bloodier before it gets better.

While I understand a certain sympathy with those who would wish the international community could do more to influence the outcome, or perhaps ameliorate further violence, I think the current administration has taken the exact right tone.

Moreover, I think it a crime that the President actually had to explain the obvious reason for this public take on things... but per the conservative hive mind, discernment and discretion are apparently weakness. Morons.

mojo sends