Neda Agha Soltan Will Not Have Died In Vain
June 23rd, 2009, 10:32 AM EDT
Neda, in death, has become an icon representing the changes sure to take place in Iran. A new video showing her just before being shot to death has emerged. She is seen next to a man who nursed her after she was shot.
Iranian authorities banned the family from having a memorial service, fearing it would arouse anti-government sentiments. Here is the video of her final moments. It may not be suitable for you if you wish to avoid graphic images.
That’s some pretty heavy footage.
As it circulates it is bound to stir up some stuff.
I feel for her family.
average james Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
The president just had a news conference in which he harshly criticized the crackdown.
He mentioned Soltan.
He also spoke of respect for Iranian sovreignty, it seemed a pretty fair balance.
I hope he does not cave in to right-wing pressure to bully and ostricize Iran.
liberalnut Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I just heard Alan give credit to President Obama for the uprising in Iran, I must confess I am just as big a liberal nut as the rest of you but if we want to give him credit for the uprising then we need to finish reading what he said in his speech.
“And that is why we will support them everywhere.” That is what the President said in the Cairo speech. Why did it take him so many days to show support for them? If all he did was to encourage this uprising and then turn his back on them once they did is inhumane and cowardice. I am just about sick of seeing blind alliengce without any accoutability from this adminstration. You have a brain why don’t you begin to use it.
OldLefty Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
liberalnut said,
“Why did it take him so many days to show support for them? If all he did was to encourage this uprising and then turn his back on them once they did is inhumane and cowardice.”
……………………..
I think Peggy Noonen said it best:
“To refuse to see all this as progress, or potential progress, is perverse to the point of wicked. To insist the American president, in the first days of the rebellion, insert the American government into the drama was shortsighted and mischievous. The ayatollahs were only too eager to demonize the demonstrators as mindless lackeys of the Great Satan Cowboy Uncle Sam, or whatever they call us this week. John McCain and others went quite crazy insisting President Obama declare whose side America was on, as if the world doesn’t know whose side America is on.
This was Aggressive Political Solipsism at work: Always exploit events to show you love freedom more than the other guy, always make someone else’s delicate drama your excuse for a thumping curtain speech.”
Unless you want a repeat of the first Gulf war, where we told the Iraqis to rise up and they were slaughtered.
Are you willing to invade and lose lives there?
Do you even know what is REALLY going on there, because if so you are the only one.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:00 am
From USAToday:
Tehran morgue demands ‘bullet fee’ for release of body
The family of a 19-year-old Iranian killed during clashes between security forces and protesters says officials demanded a $3,000 “bullet fee” before they could claim his body at the morgue, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The fee was assessed to pay for the bullet that killed Kaveh Alipour, the newspaper says. The Journal says morgue officials agreed to waive the fee after the family argued that all their possessions together weren’t worth $3,000.
But, according to relatives, the officials “demanded that the family do no funeral or burial in Tehran.” Instead, Alipour’s body was quietly transported to the city of Rasht, where there is family, the newspaper repoorts.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:06 am
Hey, dawg, hook us up with a link to the article, okay? I’ve been following the goings on inside Iran pretty close the last 10 days on Twitter and this is the first I’ve heard about a “bullet fee”.
If you wish to help and have some tech expertise check out http://www.catb.org/esr/nedanet/ they need all the help they can get.
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:13 pm
My response with the links has been in moderation for hours and hours, but if you go to the USAToday or Wall Street Journal sites and search for “bullet fee” you’ll find the articles.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 am
Alan, I’m not sure I understand how your caption fits the story. It is a very sad video but one that will happen more, I’m afraid. If nothing changes in Iran, it will be in vain. I do not feel Obama should be militarially aggressive in his opposition to this, but I don’t feel he should coddle them, either. He is more aggressive at home with Americans who just disagree with him.
OldLefty Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Obama should do what GHW Bush did in the first Gulf war?
People have no idea what they are talking about when they join the clerics in Iran in trying to provoke and goad the president into action or rhetoric that plays right into the hands of the hardliner ayatollahs.
flap Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:33 pm
“Plays right into the hands of the hardliner ayatollahs”
And you think it will honestly make a difference on how much they want to scapegoat or demonize America? Really?
Maybe “Death to America” vs. “Death to America” x 2!
OldLefty Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I think they came to hate us because we overthrew Mossadegh and propped up the Shah, who was a hated dictator.
They have gone from democracy to monarch to theocracy….now they undergoing change again.
The last thing we need is to be seen as orchestrating another coup.
Since 02 they were moving towards a more pro western stance. I think our invasion of Iraq pushed them into the arms of Ahmadinejad, and we have no choice but to let them solve their own problem.
We don’t really what things are like outside of the large urban areas where people are more conservative and support the ayatollahs.
It doesn’t matter how much they WANT to scapegoat or demonize America, it matters what we actually do.
Kregg Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Lefty said: I think they came to hate us because we overthrew Mossadegh and propped up the Shah, who was a hated dictator.
K: IMO, this is wishful thinking. Hardcore Islam has always hated ‘infidels’ – and each other, as they have traded fatwahs back and forth for each religious slight one religious leader gives another. Sometimes things AREN’T our fault, Lefty.
OldLefty Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Kregg said,
“Hardcore Islam has always hated ‘infidels’ ”
………………………………….
It’s not a matter of it being “our fault”, it’s a matter of not being on the wrong side, which comes back to bite you later.
There have always been the hardcores in ALL religions:
Yitzhak Rabin was killed by a right wing fundamentalist, Ghandi was killed by a right wing Hindu, McVeigh and the Tiller killer were Christians.
Mossadegh WAS the lover of democracy we want there now.
Many people in that whole hemisphere, Christian, Buddists and Hindus, look at 1953 Iran, as a strong message, ‘Democracy is not for you….if we don’t like who you elect, we will overthrow him’.
That’s where much of the support for the hardcore wackos comes from.
flap Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Yeah, I kind of agree with you. This may very well be in vain. Depends on what is meant by that.
Was Tiananmen square in vain? Did it change anything except reinforce the idea that those people were/are being ruled by a totalitarian iron fist?
Perhaps Obama should go out on a limb and rhetorically lay a beat down on the Iranian regime. I want him to use the term “Axis of Evil.” ;)
jasperjava Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 1:00 am
It was the “Axis of Evil” insult which drove the Iranians to support Ahmadinejad. Before that wisecrack, the iranians were making progress towards opening up to the West. They even offered to help the U.S. fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“Axis of Evil” indeed. That’s what happens when you let the speechwriters make policy for the sake of a clever turn of phrase.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Old Lefty’s reply:
“Obama should do what GHW Bush did in the first Gulf war?
People have no idea what they are talking about when they join the clerics in Iran in trying to provoke and goad the president into action or rhetoric that plays right into the hands of the hardliner ayatollahs.”
You may be right, but Obama should remember his speech he gave in Europe. His actions now contradict his words. Maybe his words were just that and nothing more?
People have to stand for something or nothing at all.
OldLefty Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Deb,
What actions now contradict what words??
jasperjava Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 1:04 am
I think that the reform movement in Iran got a huge boost from the Cairo speech. Last month, the polls indicated that Ahmadinejad was winning by a 2-to-1 margin. The Cairo speech was widely reported in the Iranian press, and i think it changed a lot of people’s attitudes.
That’s why I’m not annoyed by Obama’s cautious approach. He just set the ball rolling, and it’s wiser to let events unfold without interference. Obama has clearly outlined where America’s sympathies lay. It’s up to the Iranians now.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 2:04 am
and ahmadinejad won by a 2 to 1 margin…so maybe the earlier polls were correct.
Iran is an enigma wrapped in a riddle then deep fat fried…like a delicious mysterious corn dog. Parve of course.
Kregg Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Jas said: That’s why I’m not annoyed by Obama’s cautious approach. He just set the ball rolling, and it’s wiser to let events unfold without interference. Obama has clearly outlined where America’s sympathies lay. It’s up to the Iranians now.
K: With this I would agree…
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
well, the Obama adminstration invited Iranian diplomats to his 4th of July party. How nice. What a sign of solidarity with the folks in the streets wanting a fair election.
jasperjava Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 1:05 am
By the time the 4th of July rolls around, the situation might be completely different. It’s best to wait and see instead of making rash moves that could backfire.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
If only the people would see that they out number the goverment and take back their country.
OldLefty Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
hhhhhah said,
“If only the people would see that they out number the goverment and take back their country.”
…………………………
We did….on Nov 4, 2008.
craig7120 Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Lefty my friend found a nice article written by Azar Majedi.. Iran: Myths and Realities- What do the people want? another good read
Kregg Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Hah said: If only the people would see that they out number the goverment and take back their country.
K: They don’t have any guns. Its something for our bleeding heart friends to consider for THIS country.
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm
“They don’t have any guns. Its something for our bleeding heart friends to consider for THIS country.”
Yeah and I believe in the rule of law and I don’t want the paranoid mental defectives of the radical republikkan right trying to stage a revolution, with help from the subversives of the NRA.
Kregg Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Rocky said: Yeah and I believe in the rule of law and I don’t want the paranoid mental defectives of the radical republikkan right trying to stage a revolution, with help from the subversives of the NRA.
K: No one I know who owns guns OR is a Republican is anywhere NEAR as whacked out as you are Rocky. An armed citizenry controls it’s government – and unarmed citizenry is controlled by it’s govt.
placefield Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm
An armed citizenry controls it’s government – and unarmed citizenry is controlled by it’s govt.
Maybe if a 50cal Desert Eagle was any match against a F-22 Raptor.
Kregg Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Place said: Maybe if a 50cal Desert Eagle was any match against a F-22 Raptor.
K: Place, wars are won on the ground and that pilot has to hit the ground sometime… But you need something smaller than a .50 Desert Eagle. Something in .40 to .45 with plentiful ammo should suffice… ;-)
RDM Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:53 pm
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
RDM Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:08 pm
The Dog said; “It’s something for our bleeding heart friends to consider for THIS country.” They don’t have any guns.
Are you suggesting you and your bleeding heart friends create a parallel Muslim universe here in the land of the free? Everything being the same? I’ll keep my guns, you can have all the rocks you can find.
Geemimy!
Um Cara Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Place, wars are won on the ground and that pilot has to hit the ground sometime… But you need something smaller than a .50 Desert Eagle. Something in .40 to .45 with plentiful ammo should suffice… ;-)
You are talking about an American killing an American pilot?
And liberals are accused of not supporting the troops?
goliath43 Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Um
That is not what he is saying and you know it.. you learned alot from the spin master colmes
Um Cara Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
you learned alot from the spin master colmes
I don’t listen to much rap music, is he the DJ for that ‘Lil Wayne’ dude?
Kregg Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Um said: You are talking about an American killing an American pilot? And liberals are accused of not supporting the troops?
K: Um, you’re half right. Libs don’t waste much time supporting the troops, but the statement you quote was part of a hypothetical situation in which an armed citizenry might be forced to overthrow it’s government.
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 10:32 am
“An armed citizenry controls it’s government…”
Ya, just like you’re controlling it now?
What it comes down to is dreams of armed insurrections. “From my cold dead hands…” Subversive chit-chat direct from the NRA. It says that despite all the blather about “patriotism” and “country” the radical gun-owning rightwing is loyal only to guns and violence and threats of violence.
Kregg Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Rocky said: What it comes down to is dreams of armed insurrections.
K: Actually it was a paraphrase of the founding fathers, Rock. Do you know who they were?
Um Cara Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Um, you’re half right. Libs don’t waste much time supporting the troops,
Sure they do, but as I stated, they are accused of not supporting the troops.
but the statement you quote was part of a hypothetical situation in which an armed citizenry might be forced to overthrow it’s government.
But you do see gun ownership as needed in the US so citizens can more easily kill American soldiers, correct?
TDro319 Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Kregg:
Liberals DO support the troops. The difference is WE want them home (alive) where they should be.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
god we must be nearly perfect to be pontificating to these people eh? how short some memories are Anybody remember the 2000 presidential election? The guy that had more votes lost the election!! Our last president told the world he HAD to invade Iraq because they had WMD’s and likely nuclear weapons that could reach us very soon And the vice presidents chief of staff got convicted in a scandal that outed a CIA agent. THE VICE PRESIDENT GETS OFF SCOTT FREE.
Obama doesn’t want the pictures of the horrible things that went on in Abu garibe saying it will cause unrest if seen by Iraqies yet he cites this dead women to influence,it seems, whats going on in Iran All we got left is power everything else is in shambles. how come we think we think so good
I say lets start taking a long hard look at US. How much we consume how much we waste. how much influence oil has on policy in Washington regarding the middle east I believe it would be found to be enormous.
Wev’e been found to be extremely corrupt, yet we go along like we are better Are we gonna change god I hope so
goliath43 Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 pm
SISI
you do understand how a president is elected right? Electoral votes remember
I’m not even gonna waste my time on the rest of the stuff. Resolutions denied inspections intel un santions ect.
CIA thing was so blown out of proportion.
I say lets start taking a long hard look at US. How much we consume how much we waste. how much influence oil has on policy in Washington regarding the middle east I believe it would be found to be enormous.
Wev’e been found to be extremely corrupt, yet we go along like we are better Are we gonna change god I hope so
If you think this country is so bad and so corrupt do something about it instead of whining and complaining. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.
This is the greatest country on the planet with the greatest people on the planet that can overcome any problem. We have our problems don’t get me wrong and everyone has different ideas to fix them some good some bad. But united we can build this nation into something all us can be proud of…yes even you little eric
TDro319 Reply:
June 24th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I agree, SISI. We definitely need change in the country. We can start by investigating the “alledged” (put in for the benefit of the cons who post here) criminal war activities by the last administration.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:29 pm
[...] Neda Agha Soltan Will Not Have Died In Vain (alan.com) [...]
June 24th, 2009 at 11:01 pm