Iran's Emergence

We are watching an uprising of the people of Iran who are saying that they have had enough and are not going to take it anymore. They will not go down without a fight or go quietly into the night.

Right up until the day of the Presidential election between the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mir Hossein Moussavi, voters came out to show their hope and support. Ahmedinejad came out the winner. But many (enough to cause an actual uprising) demanded a recount and claimed fraud. It was not surprising that Ahmadinejad "won" the election. What was surprising to many onlookers from outside Iran was the reaction that came after. I didn't expect much ruffling of feathers because Iran's Supreme Leader(Commander-In-Chief of Iran's armed forces) supported Ahmadinejad's re-election. And the Supreme Leader's word is usually final. Moussavi's stance on key issues are pretty much the same of Ahmadinejad's, such as nuclear power and the non-recognition of Israel's existance (but does not exactly deny the Holocasut). Moussavi is more open in communications with the West and other powers and also supports having more rights for women.

Right now, there are millions of Iranians who are out on the streets protesting the election and demanding more accountability from the government. We might never know if whether the election was ever rigged or not. But Iranians are demanding more from their government and it seems they are getting it. The Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, stated that all who protest the election should go through the legal system and not cause any more violence. Also, there will be a recount of certain ballot boxes. It only seems like this on the surface. In the end this is still politics and a cat and mouse game. Many news and online sources have been banned or kicked out of Iran. We are relying on leaks from within the country but these reports cannot be verified. The number of casualties have also had fluctuating numbers from 7 to 30. Hopefully the violence and actual number of casualties have decreased. Violence is no answer to getting anything done or moving along. But, unfortunately, that is not the type of world we live in.