watching CNN and what is going on in Iran.

 Got caught up watching CNN today reporting on the protests going on in Iran.  They were basically showing Youtube video and twitter reports since the news media is not allowed to report any of this directly.  How dangerous this is becoming.  I believe that the protest is going on, but we are receiving what they are presenting as news and it can't be verified.  Also had an analysis person who said that by us getting this information through social internet networks we need to be careful not to believe that this represents Iran.  Most of these people are young, not representing a lot of other citizens of this country.  I am not niave to believe that there is no oppression going on.  Just wanted an intelligent conversation on how we need to be careful not to make careless decisions without having all of the facts.

Stop and think for a minute. But taking care of reading,listening and gathering of all the facts should be a prerequisite of any decision making of all "news" reports. Yes, there is probably some dissension going on about the vote in Iran but that is not to say that it hasn't been a long time coming. It is up to the citizens of a country to contest,protest and protect what they deem reasonable and responsible from their government.

Janetplanet:

 Just wanted an intelligent conversation on how we need to be careful not to make careless decisions without having all of the facts.

 

Well, when do we really have all of the facts anyway? We're always fed propaganda and what 'they' want us to see, whether it's the media or the government here or anywhere else. Fortunately, it's harder to suppress information in 'free' countries, but we're not immune to that, either.

 

The one thing to consider with Iran and other countries that block media access to this degree is that there has to be something significant going on, or they wouldn't do that so blatantly. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

The news is not cut off from Iran as much as the NA media says it is - check European media such as Holland, France or Germany or .....   or simply Al Jazeera - there is a great deal of live news out there.   And use GOOGLE to translate if necessary.

 

Spiegel reports that neither Hossein Mussawi nor Mahdi Karubis have been seen and are feared arrested.    Far too many are poor and uneducated and thus will follow Khamenei.   It is a dreadful situation.

Here are some originally not in English, but they provide an English option:

 

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE55F54520090620

 

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/2009620184151643728.html

 

http://www.nrc.nl/international/

 

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,630464,00.html

I was flipping between CNN and Fox (when commercials came on) this morning before going to work.  Something certainly is afoot in Iran, no doubt about it. And considering that 50% of that country's population is under 25, who have the internet and fb, myspace, twitter, youtube...whether verified or not, the streaming video of masses of young men is telling.

Isn't it interesting how repressive and or oppressive regimes, when faced with discord and opposition, immediately try to shut down outside communication. This might have worked well  50 or even 25 years ago...but today, with cell phones and ipods, it seems to me like trying to plug a sieve.  I heard google, fb, myspace and youtube were working to keep communication lines open.

 

Just watched the home invasion video - how chilling.  Frightening and horrible stuff.  You automatically assume it is the government police going after protestors.  There was an Iranian gentleman who was very knowledgable and he was adament that the US not get involved.  We have no credibility with their people, we have no relations with their government.  This is not ours to get involved in.

 

I would not trust "dDer Spiegel" all the way.

If I read a German newspaper I pick the FAZ (FRankfurter Allgemine Zeitung) but never checked to see if it is available in English.

The London Times is ood too

 

From what I have heard is that the Iranian Gvmnt has mainly banned US journalist but has let some others stay. That figures, we are not too well liked there.

Janetplanet:

This is not ours to get involved in

 

 

And lets just hope it stays that way. We've been involved in more than enough situations we should have stayed out of.

MOMTLJK:

Janetplanet:

This is not ours to get involved in

 

 

And lets just hope it stays that way. We've been involved in more than enough situations we should have stayed out of.

 

Janet, i find the whole thing really frightening, because we never know the effects of this whole hting, and the ripple effect can be dangerous...the most frightening thing of all for me was seeing one of the old mullahs...just standing there, and looking at the all the protestors, and to think the immesne powers they have...also, hearing the reports of how the secret religious police are swirling about in the crowds...with razor blades hidden ...and how they will cut people before they even realise it.  Just imagine casting your vote and to have it completely disregarded. My DH;s surgeon and coctors were Iranians, the surgeon was a very cultured woman, at the top of her profession in late middle age, she owuld probably not even been able to work in this capacity in her homeland.  Probably, the rest of the world is quite safe, the top mullah or is that Imman?  had made an announcement, that it is all the fault of Great Britian...which makes a nice change!

Mirry - we have been quite amused (if one can use that word in this situation) that Britain is now the Great Satan and not the USA!!

 

All these people have my greatest admiration.  Those elections were quite obviously a sham.  IMO the ballot boxes were never even opened, let alone counted.  Whether or not this succeeds is another matter.  I hope it does.

I hope the US keeps out of this. We don't need it to be about us which will happen if we get to hard on either side. Let it stay about Iran and their people. We need to listen to everything possible. It is to easy to to let opinion become fact with really no facts.I hope good prevails.

 Imagine what they (in Iran) must hear- are told, about us in the USA (or the rest of the world)

Just going from bad weather, I've seen how the news plays it up and makes it sound a lot worse.

 I used to live where there were occasional hurricanes, or they'd come up the coast, blow a bit and go out to see (MA) and going by the national news about it- if 3 trees had blown down, overall, they'd show those pictures over and over, it would sound like the whole area was destroyed.

  I'd have people I knew in other parts of the country calling me to see if I am "okay" and the house was still standing, etc.

  Not to say there isn't bad weather and disastors for real, but the media tends to focus on making it seem a lot worse than it is.

  I remember after 9-11 when the news was showing clips of people (in Iraq, or some country) dancing in the streets and cheering, then later it came out that was something else, another time, and nothing to do with the USA.

   The media can (and I think does) slant things to make people believe a certain way.

   Remember the book "1984"? It used to be about the future, and now it's in the past, we have gone beyond it. But some things seem similair.

   Like WINDOWS! Another topic, I know, but I have been more and more frustrated and impatient with this. Their auto udates, that come on and install, I turned them off and I get warnings about my computer is at risk! I used to be able to go to their website and get my computer scanned and told what I needed, and choose to put it in. Now the link to this is still there, but it goes only to the AUTO updates. One of them verifies you have legit Windows software in your computer (which I do, but still) So, I finally turned Auto updates back on, and it says it can't turn it on now.

  Yet it's still sitting down on the toolbar, periodically telling me my computer might be a risk because of critical security updates it needs (so why do I have virus scans?)  But it won't let me turn it on.

   I just changed to Firefox and it's still there.

   If I had the money to spare I would get a MAC and start over.

    If anything is "Big Brother is Watching" it's Microsoft. And who knows, they may report to "Big Brother" (automatically)

    The internet is something that comes into our home, and with cable, etc it is always on (with dialup it uses one's phone lines for data. The phone co is regulated by the FCC)

  I don't usually think about this, but for days I've been trying to get stuff (viruses, toolbars, updates, etc) OUT of my computer. Which I had been thinking was MINE.

 

  

 

Mirry - I heard on CNN a short while ago that Aunty Beeb has been completely banned from Iran.  Just what do they think that is going to accomplish?  The Beeb is banned from several countries - Zimbabwe and a couple of other African nations, Myanmar (It's still Burma as far as I'm concerned) and they still manage to report from these countries.