One of the events that stirred the passions of colonial Americans was an event called the Boston Massacre in 1770, when British troops fired on a group rioting after a confrontation over an unpaid bill by a British soldier. The incident and the aftermath, contributed to the American Revolution. One of the ways that the incident was kept in the public eye was an engraving made by Paul Revere which became a visual rallying cry across the colonies.
Yesterday, I linked a video of the death of a young Iranian women who the world has come to know as Neda. The result of the 40 second hard to watch and even harder to listen too video has spread across the social and mainstream media like wild fire. 17 related articles »
Atlantic online has confirmed her death in this post Confirming The Basij Murder Of Neda
President Obama has spoken out forcefully regarding the deaths as reported in the New York Times article, Tehran Tense After Clashes That Killed at Least 13.
In Washington on Saturday, President Obama called the government’s reaction “violent and unjust,” and, quoting Martin Luther King Jr., warned again that the world was watching what happened in Tehran.
It will be a test of wills to see if the death of one young women, whose dying gaze locked on the camera for a moment before she lapsed into unconsciousness may become the image that propels Iranians to reject their current government. The image of her dying in the street, an innocent bystander, shot down in front of her father as she watched the demonstrations blocks away will touch the soul of every father in America on this day we reserve for honoring fathers. How it plays to the soul of the Iranian people is for them to use.
The direct confrontation is easy to suppress, but a national strike where everyone stays home and refuses to work will soon shut the country down and in the long run be more effective. The fragile economy will collapse and people will suffer by not having enough to eat, but they will be alive and able to rebuild.
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