Neda. One of 6 billion becomes world figure.

On the streets of Tehran and across the Islamic Republic of Iran, peaceful protest was met with force. In the case of one 16 year old girl from Iran, she was met with the greatest of all force, her life was taken. Simply known as Neda, which in Farsi means "The Voice", has now become the voice of a new generational revolution in Iran.

Much like how Tank Man became the unofficial logo of the Tienanmen Square Massacre, Neda has already become an important figure in the protest movement. Much like in 1979, when one was killed, the marches grew, when more died, more people were unified. Islam is a religion which preaches that we are all connected as one and it is our duty to care for one another. This is exactly what is being done.

There is no way to deny how this figure in the protests movement gained her popularity. Twitter began to spread her story around the world through many phrases such as " Rest in peace, Neda, the world hears your voice." and "If an innocent girl gets shot halfway across the world, does she make a sound? Yes, the whole world hears her."

I personally mourn her loss and the loss her family is currently going through. I mourn the losses in which all of Iran has been going through. The loss of life is unacceptable, the loss of civil liberties is reprehensible, and the suppression of free expression is irreconcilable. I will leave this post to the words of the Qu'ran which easily expresses how the lives of all that are lost will not be in vain.

“Say: Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (The Cattle 6.162)”

True Courage

These words are not my own. They are from an Iranian blogger. I don't know how anyone could not moved by these words.

“I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow! There are a few great movie scenes that I also have to see. I should drop by the library, too. It’s worth to read the poems of Forough and Shamloo again. All family pictures have to be reviewed, too. I have to call my friends as well to say goodbye. All I have are two bookshelves which I told my family who should receive them. I’m two units away from getting my bachelors degree but who cares about that. My mind is very chaotic. I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so they know we were not just emotional and under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow’s children…”

What Should the President Do About Iran?

There is a fierce debate on what the US should be doing in response to the situation in Iran. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has come out strongly stating that President Obama has been "tepid" in his response to the situation and that the US needs to come out and denounce these elections as a fraud and demand the truth to be shown.

On the other side, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) explained earlier today in an op-ed that the US could do more harm by speaking out than by remaining silent. He also criticized Sen. McCain directly in this sense. Describing the situation in the New York Times, Sen. Kerry lays out a great past and present day history of Iran.

But this still leaves the question though, who is right? What should the President do? What we see in Iran are the largest protests since the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the world is watching. What we are seeing in Iran is a true grassroots and organic democratic growth in Iran. Democracy is something which must be organic and homegrown to the state it will represent. Although these systems may not the the "American" democracy many would like to see, it works though for the people. This is why democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan have trouble in taking hold because they have been set up under the eyes of the United States.

Is the President being cautious in this situation, of course he is, and its the smart thing to do. We do not know the facts yet due to the misinformation which has been spread by the Iranian government. Right now there is a dark room with plenty of obstacles that the President has yet to enter yet and to rush into it would be disastrous. We must not mistaken caution with weakness. This is the change in Washington policies he was elected for and not meddling in Iranian affairs is allowing this to grow to be something which can benefit both Iranian and American interests.

Iran, in pictures

So I am not going to write anything on this issue today, but I will just show it through images. Some may be graphic, but the truth must be seen.











The truth must been seen. You can kill the protester, but you can't kill the protest. You can murder a rebel, but you can't stop the rebellion.

Expanding the Peace Corps

Currently, the House of Representatives is working to expand the Peace Corps hopefully to double the program's size. As someone who is in the process of getting ready to serve in the Peace Corps let me say this, ITS ABOUT DAMN TIME! All too often, politics gets in the way of doing something good for the rest of humanity. The Peace Corps however relies on volunteers who have only one thing in mind, helping out fellow citizens of the world. They care little for borders and political minefields. They have one goal, to serve.

If anyone has traveled outside of the US, it is pretty safe to say the two things people of these nations are used to 2 types of Americans, the military, and loud tourists who want their trip to be the perfect vacation just like it was in America. The Peace Corps provides an oppotunity for the true sense of America to be played out, where we cherish the relationships we have with fellow man and want to ensure the basic rights to everyone in the world.

The sad thing about this, there will probably be a debate in Congress and the Senate on whether or not extra funding is needed. I hate to say this, but I welcome it, but only for this reason. It will let us, the American people, see who actually cares for the betterment of the world. Maybe this is me thinking in black and white too much, but this is the one thing which makes the view of us oversees for the better.

I hope this makes its way through Congress and on the President's desk ASAP becasue the more people we have serving showing the true sense of what America really is, the better every person will be.

Iran: Democracy "In"action

On Friday, the people of Iran cast their ballots for what they hoped would become a great showing of democracy in their own nation. People came out in record numbers to show support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mir-Hossein Mousavi at rallies, debates, and most importantly the election. A few hours before polls closed, Ahmedinejad was declared the winner. With polls starting to make a move towards Mousavi, and record turnout of younger voters, many began to see what could very well have been a stolen election.


Now what we see 4 days later, are clashing protests; which are in violation of Iranian law banning demonstrations. Protests have been broken up with club wielding motorcyclists and even gunfire. Some see a nation in turmoil, others a democracy beginning to flourish through the organization of peaceful protests. But are we truly seeing? With foreign journalists now out of the country by governmental order, blocking of websites and even the jamming of satellites, what is Iran trying to hide, and can they even hide it with the digital age we live in?

What I see is hope for Iran's future, however currently demonstrations are underway in support of Ahmedinejad and the militia are currently marching along side of them on their way towards a pro-Mousavi rally. This nation first began to look like a nation about to move its way through a peaceful revolution through election. But now what we are seeing is oppression through these types of action and the rounding up of student organizers in dorm rooms and the shutting down of news stations in Iran.



For the future, may we hope for a peaceful resolution to this situation as well as the safety of all people in Iran at this time. It is had to decide what is going on in Iran right now historically speaking. We have seen protests and demonstrations that have only been seen since the Iranian Revolution, but we are also seeing suppression and a grandiose scale. For Iran's future, may we hope for the benefit of the people, a true and honest government who supports dissent and opposing views, and welcomes the people's views with open arms. As the photo below shows, the people of Iran want democracy, and the rest of the world supports your cause.

Welcome!

To anyone who decides for whatever reason to read this:

First let me say thank you if you decide to listen to my rantings. I will in no way try to act like an expert on the issues I will discuss. However, I will show my own view and how these issues are important to me, and hopefully you. Blogs are found all over the place online and although my voice will more than likely get lost in the fray, no one can hear you unless you speak.

I have decided to title this blog the Global Mirror as I feel it is important that we are forced to look at ourselves, but in the context of global issues. I will discuss politics, the environment, economics, and various social issues which are so prevalent in today's society.

So, please enjoy. If you agree with what I say great; if you disagree, even better. A dialogue on the important issues is vital to progress in the world. So keep it civil, but honest.