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I am sure that everyone here who has used the Orkut social network site has gotten to know at least one Iranian person there. I have gotten to know several and count them as friends. Now comes the news that the Iranian government (more accurately, the ayatollahs) are blocking Orkut, among other social networking websites, from being accessed by its citizens.
Ostensibly, this is to protect their innocent eyes from morally decadent speech and pictures like nudity, etc. but in reality I believe that it is because the Iranian people are discovering that Americans, and other people in the west, are not the devil incarnate. They are learning that we are people just like they are, and that we live with more freedom than they do.
This measure blocking Orkut is just one more in a long series of infringements on the liberties of the Iranian people. The ayatollahs have been passing death sentences on reformers, they've been disqualifying thousands of people for elected office because they are reformers. Recently a judge personally put the noose around the neck of a 16 year old girl he convicted of being un-muslim, for having the temerity of denouncing the behavior of the government. Whoever this girl is, she is a hero of liberty who should have a monument built to her, alongside Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine.
What can we do to help?
+ 'adopt' an Iranian?
+ send libertarian books to Iranians.
+ help Iranians immigrate
any other ideas?
To Iranians: you have our support and sympathy. We in the free world want to help you. This is, though, primarily YOUR fight. As Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." You will get the government you deserve if you stand up to demand it, but also if you do nothing. The future is in your hands to accomplish. If you lead, the world will follow.
I believe it is of utmost importance that the entire world stand up in solidarity with the freedom-seeking people of Iran, to let them know they have our support. If you know an Iranian in Iran, please take the time to let them know of your support.
 | Those are good ideas. I think it is important to try whatever we can.
A very good friend of mine is a Polish fellow who defected here in the 80's after working as a smuggler for a number of years, not being able to make a decent living as an engineer there. He would smuggle levis, video tapes, bibles, and quite a few other things that you and I would consider mundane but were verboten before the USSR and the Warsaw Pact collapsed. He escaped to austria when he heard that police were searching for him specifically. Now he is working with me on the Free State Project and is an officer in the Connecticut Libertarian Party. His example is very inspiring, the sort of thing that individuals who care about liberty should be doing everywhere. If we took more responsibility as individuals to expand liberty around the world, there would be far less reason to start wars. |
 | hey pal ! All I can say is that thanks .............Your concern is really appriciated at least by an iranian girl who have read your journal.
I was really impressed :) |
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
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send libertarian books to Iranians. 