My Take on the Iranian Election

The coverage in the American news media on the elections is severely slanted. I don't think the Iranian election was "stolen". But then, I'm one of the nation's newest fans of Al-Jazeera English (watch it first then criticize).

There's no talk of voter breakdowns in Iran and there's no mention of where these protest rallies are specifically taking place in Tehran or throughout the country. The American media wants us to believe that all of Iran is up in arms over this election except for a small few.

Don't get me wrong; I think Ahmadinejad is the Iranian version of George W. Bush and I hoped, like everybody else, that the Iranian people could get rid of him. However, given that he has a large core of support in the rural areas and sizable support in some urban areas, I believe that he was actually democratically re-elected and that the Moussavi supporters are an angry, but large minority that are sore that their horse lost. (I can definitely relate - I felt like they did in 2004.)

This is not to say that I think Ahmadinejad won in a way that was completely fair. Taking away the fraud (if ther was any), the numbers would be closer, but still in his favor. Would the media have screamed "election fraud" if the numbers had come out in Moussavi's favor and not Ahmadinejad's in 2 hours? I think not! It doesn't help the regime's cause to react violently to protesters or restrict their internet site access to control what's being sent out to the rest of the world. Perhaps drawing the criticism of Western governments serves the political purposes of the Iranian regime in the same way making their government appear illegitimate serves the purposes of the American government.

Let's face it: It would be really convenient for the war hawks in Congress to make an argument "to bring democracy to Iran through war" if the majority of Americans believed that Iran's government was not legitimately chosen by its people. If our leaders were really the supporters of democracy that they claim to be, they would look at the bigger picture, respect or at least consider that Ahmadinejad really won and move on. I know it would be better for the world if that weren't the case, but I would rather respect the will of a nation even if I dislike the leader that they choose. The will of a people is still a democracy, even when it disagrees with American foreign policy interests.

My Plate Runneth Over...

For the first time since I had a "summer vacation," this one is loaded with stuff to do. My mind wants to relax after surviving the school year, but I feel a great urgency to do a lot with the time I have before the fall. Thesis research and writing, finding the right doctorate program, improving my GRE scores, and mapping the road after graduation - all of it needs to get done and right soon. A job to bring some income would also be more than helpful.

And so many graduations! I'm going to Atlanta to see my niece graduate next week. I won't be able to see my nephew graduate in California (too expensive and I'm already committed). I'm assisting with a summer camp that week. I also have other nieces that are graduating too...can't remember when though.

I wonder if I'll be able to get everything done; if the urgency will be enough to spur me onto achieving it all. We shall see...