Trying to stop a leak with your hands

Iranians are young, they are middle class and they are tired of the conservative elements within their society.

With that in mind there is sincere dissatisfaction with what has been happening in the “election” which just occurred in Iran.  Young people have been protesting, seemingly daily, in what is becoming a big challenge for those who consider themselves rulers of the country.

The Religious leadership have done the usual things, quash the press, restrict coverage from foreign journalists through violence or deportation.  Cut the phone lines. You know your typical dictators moves.

The Internet however has continued to function in the Islamic Republic.

This has meant that people can access Twitter, blogs, youtube and other methods of communication.  With this the updates come heavy showing a totally different view of a state that so often seems a monolith of intollerance and hate.  Instead you see an Iranian people who want change.  They are young, vibrant and solidly urban.   While it would be a mistake to associate these liberal forces as somehow more accepting of the West there is a common thread that appears that this is case.

Anything different, liberal, less absorbed with conflict, sewing mistrust and mischief across the middle east would be a good thing.

During all of this the official forces in Iran seek to shut down the protests, going house to house, seeking to “question” anyone with a satelite dish.  In doing this it would seem they are a person trying to block a leak with their hands.  Yes it works for most, still some slips out, and nothing they have done so far is making any real difference.

It is obvious that the water is travelling easily and the official forces to this point are just getting wet.

Of course, like so many dictatorships before them, if the government really seeks control they can go down the road of the Chinese and Russians and use force to push their way forward.  I have no idea at that point if the opposition will break down or continue to progress further into sincere rebellion.  But make no mistake opposition cannot remain a consistant force and not be met by those who do not want change.

Prorogued

After a week of political craziness I thought I would finish up on some observations.  But let me start with an article which gets to the heart of the political matter.  Especially for those unfamiliar of our system of government.

Dogs and Cats living together… mass hysteria

You can accept the fact that this [Country] is headed for a disaster of biblical proportion.

old testament, real wrath of God type stuff, fire and brimstone coming down from the sky, rivers and seas boiling.

40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes.

The dead rising from the grave.

Canadian Idiots

You know when you read this, this, this, and this.

From one of these I quote:

“A friend in Prague asks for an update on what he tells me “looks like a weird constitutional crisis in Canada” when viewed from a distance. I assure him that it looks like a weird constitutional crisis when viewed from up close, too. It was precipitated by newly elected Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper doing something that, well — let’s say, something that must have seemed a good idea at the time.”

You really wonder how stupid people can be…

Edited to add this article which I think encapsulates the whole thing rather well:

What a waste of precious time

Political shenanigans causing a special type of gridlock

North of the US border Canadian politics is locked in a huge death struggle that began at the end of the 2004 federal election, continued now through two more elections and little real progress.  Everyone says, wouldn’t it be great to have a minority government because they have to listen to “us” more.

So now we are on our third minority government (1 Liberal, 2 Conservative) and it seems even more bitter and partisan then ever.

A little background here:

Responding to the SLC protests over Prop 8

Recently there has been a lot of postmortem on the two sides of the proposition 8 issue.  Most of it has been because of the reactions of the pro Same Sex Marriage (SSM) side. I hate wading into this but yet I feel like I have to because I have heard many of these arguments before.

While I may be less sure of my position now then I was a few years ago let me make some basic observations.

On balance gay marriage, regardless of the novelty, is still something done by a very few, according to stats Canada since the allowance of SSM in 2005 only 16% of Gays and Lesbians are married. 

Prop 8 is half way there

so far as of nearly midnight in California…

Proposition 8-Same Sex Marriage Ban

All Precincts Totals

	Choice		Votes	%
	Yes		2,984,218	52.5%
	No		2,696,629	47.5%

48% of precincts reporting

Updated 11/04 11:45PM

As listed in the SF Gate Website