It appears that change is in the air in Iran. Don’t be fooled by the news reports that the recent protests are simply a result of unhappiness over an election.
It is clear that the Iranian people have been log frustrated with their leadership. A society that has already experienced secular rule of law and a society that modeled more Western-style democracies will not soon be forgotten.
Our leadership is wise to measure their responses. With that said, however, they would be wise to be ready to assist the protesters as needed and to send a very strong message to the Iranian leaders that it would not be wise to allow another repeat of Tiananmen Square to take place twenty years later. A lot has changed since then.
The technology that allows the people of Iran to send their message to the world through Twitter and websites has changed the way governments control their citizens.
Our leaders need to respect the right of the Iranian people to direct their destiny but our leaders darn well better be ready to protect them after they have taken the courage to stand up to one of the most oppressive regimes since Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
Take note of the women who have shed the burkas and have exposed their faces. This is a direct challenge to the ayatollas. Do not underestimate the the will of the Iranian people. They are strong and courageous.
It is time for the nations of the free world to ban together and make a very large and loud collective statement. A meeting of the leaders of the free world needs to be called immediately and they should publicly and loudly proclaim the rights of the Iranian people to protest and decide their destiny. They need to decry the oppressive nature of the Iranian government.
They need to do it now.