When it hits close to home, ignore it. It's so much easier to fight oppression if you are not called out on similar injustices. As practical as the Iran regime has been in the past, its strong and supported leadership is wavering. It is resolving to hypocricies that led to a hatred of the Shah three decades before, which ultimately happens when a government realizes its in trouble.
In keeping with the spirit of the Islamic Republic's resolve to protect Muslims against injustice, Iran is holding a pro-Palestinian rally. But there's a small caveat: opposition supporters are not allowed to use the rally to protest against the government:
"Mr. Khamenei also pointed to the upcoming annual Pro-Palestinian rally on the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan and warned the opposition not to use the opportunity to protest. Protestors had said they would take part in the rally, wearing green, the trademark color of Mr. Moussavi’s supporters, to show that the opposition movement was still alive. Mr. Karroubi vowed that he would participate as well." (NYT, 11 September 2009)
As far as fighting injustice goes, it works according to what seems like 2nd grade rules: I can tattle on you but you can't tattle on me. The current Iranian government has already closed down the offices of opposition leaders Karroubi and Moussavi, suggesting that the opposition is still strong and the government is quite afraid. Amidst the arrests, tortures and censorship, I hope someone at the Palestine rally will ask "what makes you any different?"
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Speaking of hypocricies, a little more laughable is Glenn Beck's recently received honor of being a key-holder of Mount Vernon, Washington as granted by the mayor. According to Beck, his childhood days in Mount Vernon represented the true spirit of America. The whole town filled sandbags when the nearby river threatened to flood.
“We were small enough to care about each other,” Mr. Beck said. “We were all in it together. It wasn’t about whose responsibility it was, whose fault it was, who you’d end up owing a favor to. You did it because it was the right thing. In Mount Vernon, you grew up knowing that you always had to do the right thing.” (NYT, 10 September 2009).
Hm, this sounds oddly similar to what President Obama said in reference to the need for a health care reform:
"It, too, is part of the American character -- our ability to stand in other people's shoes; a recognition that we are all in this together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand; a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise." (Obama's health care speech, 09 September, 2009).
Apparently when a Republican says it, the helping hand is considered part of the American spirit. But when a Democrat says it, it's considered another tactic to spread socialism in the country. Or is it just because Obama is saying it?
Friday, September 11, 2009
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