This is Iran's Moment

Saturday, June 20th will, without a measure of doubt, go down as one of the greatest and most prideful days of my summer.  On this day myself and 150+ other activists gathered in Salt Lake City for a rally in support of the solidarity of Iranian citizens.  

The day started off with little but a hint of modest success.  Upon the arrival of Jo Anne and I there were maybe only 15-20 supporters present.  There were plenty of signs lying around, but with no one to carry them their message would mean very little.  We grabbed our signs- one with an Iranian flag and another with a juxtaposed image of Iran and a twitter bird- and joined in the congregation.  As we joined in, others started coming in as well- one by one, two by two.  Slowly but surely this rally was building.  Within an hour or so the tiny group of 15 or so people had grown 10 times in its size- still not an extremely significant number, but ever symbolic of grassroots decisions and their building influence over time.  

As the group reached its zenith in population we began our march toward the capitol.  About this time it began to rain as well, only a trickle at first, but soon the combined dampness of cloth and chilly gusts of wind made us all at least a little cold and uncomfortable.  As if preaching to the choir one of the main rally leaders announced: "Please stay even though it's raining- this cause is too important!"  But I doubt anyone would leave.  All of us there already knew the stories of the rain of injustice falling upon the Iranians- rain of boiling water dropped from helicopters, rain and fog of tear-gas canisters, and the rain of innocent blood from the mostly-peaceful protesters.  Our predicament of cold was nothing when compared to their unhindered bravery.

The night after the rally I went to KSL's website to observe the half of my face that was on television and also to read the comments posted there.  Many of them were from people who were both disrespectful and uninformed who believed that the rally was used to "bash" the United States and that everyone at the rally should "go back to Iran."  If I could speak to these people directly I would advise that they take advantage of their opportunity to get a decent education in the United States, because judging by their spelling errors (littered throughout their paragraphs like a field after Woodstock) and their blatant racism, arrogance, and ignorance.  Luckily, this movement isn't about them.  This is about Iran's moment.  This is about Iranian solidarity and the long-awaited human rights that they must be rewarded.  Let's not give up on Iran- even if our support here seems insignificant I'm confident these grassroots will grow- just like they did in our rally.

House Resolution 241

Today I decided to write some letters to my congressmen regarding house resolution 241. This resolution is fiat in putting continued pressure on the Sudanese government and the pursuance of lasting peace and stability in Darfur. Below I have pasted a copy of the outline of my letters- I encourage you to write letters, call your congressmen (1-800-Genocide) or both. To learn more about resolution 241 or just general information about the genocide, visit www.savedarfur.org or any of the other sites dedicated to the resolution of this crisis. 

Dear (representative),

I write you today not only as a constituent but also as a dedicated grassroots activist regarding House Resolution 241. As I’m sure you are aware, resolution 241 calls for the condemnation of the brutal regime of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and support of the reinstatement of humanitarian aid into the impoverished region of Darfur, Sudan. Your immediate and firm support of this resolution will be necessary for many reasons. 

First and foremost the lives of many innocent Sudanese are in danger. The genocide in Darfur has already claimed the lives of over 450,000 and has displaced millions from their homes. Many of these survivors are clinging to life in the scattered refugee camps throughout Sudan and neighboring Chad. The expulsion of humanitarian organizations in March of this year by Sudanese President Bashir will undoubtedly worsen the chances of survival for many of these people.

But the lives of Sudanese are not the only stakes at hand. The situation in Darfur is unique because it marks the first time a genocide has been recognized as such while still in progress. This means that our action or inaction in Darfur will set our future policy toward genocidal and murderous regimes throughout the world. We must set a moral policy against these heinous actions not only to bring peace to the current conflict but also to secure a lasting anti-genocide policy toward those who would disregard the fundamental rights of life and liberty that each world citizen deserves.

I would also like to commend you for your support of (state prior resolutions supported). These resolutions have been key in creating a lasting foundation of anti-genocide policy within the United States. However, I would also like to urge your continued support and resolve in this matter due to the ongoing suffering and injustice which is endemic throughout Sudan.

Sincerely,


(your name, address)

It also might be a good idea to hand write these letters rather than to type them. Hand written letters show real effort and time was put into the letter. Typed up letters can be copied and pasted by the thousands.

This Title Does a Poor Job of Summing Up the Content of This Blog

Today is day two of the 5 days off of work I've recently acquired and, since I'm running out of things to do with my life, I've decided to begin work on what will undoubtedly become yet another addition to the ever-expanding archives of my obscurity.  Oooh!  I'm self-aware!

But the beauty of creating something you doubt will ever truly be seen, read, or even cared about is that you can write virtually whatever you want about anything you want and pretend that it is reaching a wide audience of individuals just waiting to pounce on your next word and suckle it dry of its thick, syrupy knowledge-juice.  Coincidentally, a free supply of syrupy knowledge juice is exactly what I intend to impart of with this blog.  

But what knowledge can an 18 year old Junior in College have, you ask?  Well the answer is simple- I know everything.  I wouldn't know everything if you came up and asked me a question in real life, but the fact that this blog is hosted on the internet should suffice to say that I want you to ask me a question through the internet so I can hide behind a veil of wikipedia references and google searches that will make me seem all knowing and omnipotent.  I just have to hope that the general public hasn't yet learned how to perform a google search.  

So to sum up my poorly organized and vaguely defined introduction I'd like to say this: read my blog on a regular basis or the terrorists are winning.  If you hate America and endorse Somali pirates, please disregard my work entirely.