Posted on 06/22/2009 2:19:48 PM PDT by lewisglad
Her dark eyes are haunting. They reveal the intimate agony of a brutal death, but Neda Soltan died publicly -- for the world to see.
I am deeply stirred by the screenshot from a YouTube video showing Neda's eyes as she lay dying Saturday on a Tehran street.
A highly connected world allows us to experience things as they happen and that, believe it or not, makes us accountable for those events. They are no longer foreign news items posted on a ticker that does not force us to engage.
What is happening in Iran binds us as humans. What is happening does not allow us to be dislocated and remote. It demands our very human recognition.
It has not been independently confirmed who killed Neda, who was 26 years old. But Iranians who posted the video say the Basij, the pro-government paramilitary force, shot her, The Associated Press reports.
Nico Pitney quotes a BBC Persia interview that apparently features Neda's fiance, Kasamin Makan.
He says that Neda was not even a part of the protests when it happened. He also is quoted as saying:
"Neda's goal was not Moussavi or Ahmadinejad -- it was her country and was important for her to fight for this goal. She had said many times that if she had lost her life or been shot in the heart, which indeed (is) what happened, it was important for her to continue in this path," he said.
Whatever her political views actually were, Neda's face now is emblematic of a revolution. Memorial pages have been created for her on Facebook. Twitter is flooded with posts about her and the YouTube video depicting her death is a graphic, heart-wrenching recording.
This open display of anger and pain and protest coursing through social networking platforms connects us to the human cost of upholding the core values of Iran and any country. Every person has the right to judge a government freely and civilly. Elections should be free and without the terror of reprisal. Protesters should be respected, not disabled by tear gas or felled by bullets.
On Monday, the AP reported that a family member says Neda's family was prevented from having a funeral for her. However, an Iranian blogger, according to The New York Times, has identified Neda's grave. A photo on TwitPic shows flowers strewn across a mound of dirt. But I won't forget Neda's eyes.
She was a stunning woman wasn’t she? That picture of her is grotesque, poignant and still somehow her beauty comes through.
I wish I knew that it sound stupid what I just said, I’m sure it does, but just something I feel.
Like I know her or something! I mean this woman in an instant became a PART OF MY LIFE.
Does that sound insane guys?
So would most of us, but Obama as POTUS has played this correctly.
What???
The poignancy of this woman’s death makes Obama’s cowardice even more sickening. God rest her soul.
Not really. Giving the mullahs any legitimacy is a sign of weakness.
Just being ironic.
No. I remain unconvinced.
Your irony was effective (and pretty damn funny), kudos.
So exactly what is it you would have said or done todate (if you were POTUS) and what would be the expected outcomes of your actions?
I would have said the same thing about the Iranian elections as I said about the pre invasion Iraqi elections and the election that brought the marxist Hugo Chavez to power in venezuela. That they were corrupt and cheated the people out of their votes and that we stand for those who fight for freedom from tyranny and corruption.
I’m pretty sure Reagan wouldn’t have jumped in the ole First Limo and taken Patti & Ronnie out for ice cream while people were dying in the street. And he wouldn’t have worried about “playing” it correctly. He would have issued a statement of support for the reformers and focused the eyes of the World on the clerics. But that was just Reagan.
Yeah, you could tell when she lost consciousness. Her eyes rolled up and that was it. She was already dead for all practical purposes. Shot in the heart she would have lost almost all blood pressure within seconds. She was probably already dizzy by the time she sat down and by the time she was laid on her back her world would have quickly faded to black. From bullet impact to unconsciousness probably only took 5 seconds. Another poster said she was looking at the camera. She wasn't looking at anything by that point.
Don’t be vague, tell me what Reagan would have said.
Do you think Reagan would have gone on the air and stated that Amreica supports those Iranians who want to overthrow their Gov't - and put the kiss of death on them?
Get real. Reagan wasn't that stupid.
bttt
But he would have, according to the NYT, in order to go down to the homeless camps and bum cans of beans from the idiots.
BUMP! BUMP!
Condolences to family and friends of Neda. RIP dear young lady.
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