Iran Shouts, "Death to Dictatorship!"

Yahoo News reported today on the protests going on in Iran over the fraudulent election of June 12 in an article titled, "Defiant Tehran protesters battle police," by Ali Akbar Dareini and Brian Murphy of the Associated Press Writers.

Does that cover my legal obligations to quote this article?

"Thousands of protesters defied Iran's highest  authority  Saturday..."  What does this mean for the Middle East, what does it mean to Americans? I'm going to try to explain what I think this means.

The news today is filled with negativity and hype.  The Associated Press does a really good job when it comes to reporting the news and only the news.  They do not speculated and rarely opinionate.  However, like all news agencies, the fall victim to the negative side of the news.  And why not, it brings in the high ratings and thus the high revenue of advertising.  

But that's a side note to the more pressing news that Iran is in the beginning stages of reform and before it is over, I am sure we (meaning the U.S.A.) will be involved.

"President Barrack Obama [warned Iran] to halt "all violent and unjust actions against its own people."  He said the United States, "stands by all who seek to exercise," the universal rights to assembly and free speech."

Interesting quote, yes?  Is our peace loving, talk first president really prepared to back those words?  Would he really lead the U.S. into helping one side of someone else's civil war?  And people were afraid of President Bush II.

Wait, did I say civil war?  Yes.  I believe this faux election in Iran could lead to more than civil unrest and become an all out war, a war we would no doubt be asked to participate in since... well, it's our fault.  Before I get to why it's our fault let me feed you one more quote.

Mehrdad Khonsari, a consultant to the London-based Center for Arab and Iranian Studies said, "... history has taught us that people in these situations lose their initial sense of fear and become emboldened by brutality."

So if history teaches us that, does it not also teach such emboldenment leads to revolution?  It did for the British Colonies of America some 230 some odd years ago.  Creating a nation which valued Truth, Justice and Liberty for all.

Liberty for all?  Is that why we are in Iraq and Afghanistan?  or was that just my motive for joining the army?

Maybe it's a universal want.  Aprox. 3,000 protesters marched against the faux election some chanting, "Death to dictatorship," "Death to the dictator," and my fave, "Death to Khamenei!" - a "once unthinkable challenge to the authority of the successor of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Revolution."

So why is all this the fault of the U.S.?  Because of the Domino Effect.  Here's how I see it.  The U.S. liberates Afghanistan - The U.S. liberates Iraq - Syria releases it's control of Lebanon - Israelbegins talking about a two state solution - Iran's youth gets a taste of freedom and wants more - Ahmadinejad cheats in the June 12 election - Iranians demand a fair election.

Will there be a revolution or at least a major reform in Iran? Why wouldn't there be.  History has also taught that a repressed people who feel emboldened will stand against further oppression.  So what does the Iranian gov. do? 

Block "Web sites such as BBC Fasi, Facebook, Twitter and several pro-Mousavi sites used by Iranians to tell the world about protests and violence.  Text messaging has not been working in Iran since last week and cell phone service in Tehran is frequently down."

But an emboldened people will find a way, Sami Al Faraj, president of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies said of the opposition networks, "They can resort to whispering... they can do it the old fashioned way."

I mentioned something about all the negative news didn't I?  Well here is a positive thought, one I never saw coming but now I can see it:  Peace in the Middle East in my life time!

Freedom/Liberty is contagious.  Once a people taste of its fruit the want more and more.  Don't believe me?  Look at the history of the United States we started with only giving true freedom to land owners and now even illegal immigrants are getting treated better than many of our fore fathers.

Give us Liberty for All or give us death!  Let Freedom ring, eh?

Ozymandias is Alive

Ozymandias is real but his name isn't Adrian Veidt it's Shai Agassi and he's gonna save the world.  In a time when a graphic novel has sparked all kinds of conversations about age old problems a real life counter part to Watchmen's superhero Ozymandias has appeared with a bold new plan to save mankind.

Shai Agassi started a company called Better Place, plans to replace all our gas powered vehicles with electric cars and to build a world wide infrastructure to support these vehicles.  Just like in the graphic novel Watchmen Agassi has invented power stations to be placed all over our city's and towns to charge these vehicles.  In the graphic novel Veidt invents a charging station that looks much like a fire hydrant you plug your car into when it's parked.  Will this change how the world runs?  Will it stop wars over oil?  How prolific is Watchmen and it's writer Alan Moore?

As the character Rorschach would say, "This needs further investigating."

for info on Better Place goto: Better Place

Alan Moore won't watch Watchmen...

Looking like the face on the Shroud of Turin but much older, Alan Moore is the epitome of Goth Punk.  You might guess he is a poet or a writer, so should you be amazed to find out he is the writer of comics greatest, most thought provoking stories?

The works of Moore tend to be wordy, as the art form of comic books and graphic novels often use the "less is more" approach, letting the art fill in the gaps; he gives "more than less" in every story he writes.  The words cascade across almost every frame of art, combine the two and it is as if you are living the story not merely reading it.

Some call Moore the greatest graphic novelist of all time, even prophetic in his story telling.  His acclaim comes from his many amazing stories but none so much as Watchmen.  The graphic novel given credit for changing thew ay comic books are viewed, was written in the late 80's (originally published by DC as 12 monthly issues between 1986-87) is about to be put up on the ole' silver screen, much to the writer's dismay.

When asked by Wizard:  The Magazine of Comic, Entertainment and Pop Culture (pg 54 Wizard#209) if he would ever see the film adaptation of his great work, he replied, "...that's never going to happen...  I'm never going to see the fucking thing."

Moore has an unfavorable attitude toward Hollywood.  If you have had the displeasure of sitting through the film adaptation of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen you just might understand why he feels the way he does.  However, other books of his which have seen the lime-light of Hollywood:  V for Vendetta, a faithful translation of graphic art to moving picture or From Hell which benefitted much from the performance of actor Johnny Depp, you begin to question where Moore gets his attitude.

In a recent interview with journalist Geoff Boucher of the L.A. Times, Moore explains his opinion, "I find film in its modern form to be quite bullying.  It spoon-feeds us, which has the effect of watering down our collective cultural imagination.  It is as if we are freshly hatched birds looking up with our mouths open waiting for Hollywood to feed us more regurgitated worms.  The 'Watchmen' film sounds like more regurgitated worms.  I for on am sick of worms.  Can't we get something else?"

So why would I call one of my "hero's" of the written word a big baby?

I think an artist should be thrilled at the idea so many have been moved by his work they want more.  With a film adaptation, as faithful as a film can be to an original work, so many more might have the opportunity to be affected by it, the artist should be thrilled!

Is it not a bit shocking how Moore can dislike film so much that he would take his name off the movie he inspired?  Dave Gibbons, the artist behind the graphic novel, Watchmen, is a talent to be recognized but people didn't buy the book for his art the way the might for any book published by Image Comics.  No, they bought the book because of Moore's prose.  They bought it and shared it because of the story Moore created.  They love the story and they will go see the movie because they want Moore.

I say:

Dear Mr. Moore

Get off your high horse, go see the film, enjoy the spoils of your work, you deserve it.  Did you hear Frank Millar cry like a little bitch about 300?  No, you didn't did you?  Why?  Because Zack Snyder stayed faithful to the book and made a much larger audience aware of his work just as he is doing with Watchmen.

... big baby!

But I guess when you are an intelligent, talented yet, eccentric writer you can get away with being a complete dick!