The Power of People

Thousands of miles and several time zones away there are people who are showing the U.S. the meaning of civic engagement. As the lone "superpower" our nation prides itself on being an example of progress and freedom the world over. However, this nation's greatest moments, World War II, The American Revolution, The Civil Rights Movement, The New Deal, Women's Suffrage, etc, have come in times of struggle and conflict.

When you're on top (though there are a number of ways in which nations are measured where the U.S. ranks near the bottom) it's hard to hold yourself accountable because you have equal force to keep you honest. The U.S. has had the good fortune to hold onto to its status as the most wealthy nation in the world since the fall of the Soviet Union in the last century.

In Iran, right now as I write, there are people who may not know very much about Democracy and it's origins in Greek and Roman history. Still, these people are enacting the very principles which exist at Democracy's core. They not only speak out for what they believe in, but they are openly defying a government and cleric state that seeks to silence dissenting opinion about the most recent Presidential Election, proclaiming that these people should be treated as "terrorists".

[On a note of irony: I'm pretty sure Iran officials resented being lumped up with "terrorists" and the "axis of evil" when President George W. Bush needed someone to blame for the activities of 9/11, but now that the word works for there purposes, the same people feel justified in using the same language.]

Here in the great U.S. of A, it takes impeachable acts, gross misconduct and years of war that continues to be costly and unjustifiable for people to get involved on a national level. In 2000, we had our own version of the kind of electoral mishandling that is currently being protested in Iran. Sure, there were a few protests and court hearing, but after the Supreme Court ruled on the affair, the more than 50% of the country that were up in arms simply packed up their complaints and retreated into a whole of bitterness and resentment.

THE RESULT: An administration that may prove in time to be the most manipulative, power hungry, unscrupulous and ambitiously incompetent in our nation's history.

The protests of the last 30 -45 days in Iran could be seen in some eyes as all smoke and no fire,. because the results of the election weren't re-examined or officially disputed. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still President and his opponent Mir Hussein Moussavi remains on the outside looking in. However, there appears to be some light at the end of this tunnel as Moussavi is seeking a legal political structure to continue the fight for a more progressive voice in Iran.

Only time will tell whether or not the efforts of Moussavi and other progressives in Iran will bear fruit any time soon, but hopefully it will serve as proof to future generations that a person can still love his or her country and while voicing opposition to power. If only we could