Green Peace

How much did you pay attention to Iran this weekend? The US mainstream media has been oddly avoidant on the topic. Granted, it is the weekend, but the blogosphere never sleeps. I like to think that you out there, the Quarterlifers smart enough to get your news from the internet, are informed. However, I’ve had a few friends tell me “what about Iran?” and I’m miffed.

Iran held a Presidential election on Friday its a big effing deal. Granted, the President of Iran doesn’t hold the same power as the President of the US, seeing as they have a “Supreme Leader” above him who isn’t publicly elected. Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005 and has faced criticism since then, both domestically and internationally. Ahmadinejad’s closest rival in the election, Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh, was expected to take a big chunk out of Ahmadinejad’s performance, and even win by a landslide depending on what news source you read. Iranian election officials declared Ahmadinejad the winner of this 2009 elections, resulting in revolts in the streets of Iran (for details, check out Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com. Statistics rule). With election results that reek of tampering, the revolution has taken to the streets. With communications, including cell phone calls and text messaging,  stifled out of Iran, we don’t have full details yet on how many have been killed and injured, but we know that the streets are not calm.

I feel for the Iranians. We know what it is to go through an election, only to have it stolen out from under you. But their outrage is far more raw than ours ever was, and rightly so. Funny now to be on the other side of the coin, having to deal with a country that fixes elections.