Protestor
“Sometimes storms are necessary to wash away the old, and bring along the new”
Click here for a Youtube video of Iran Protests
By Mike Sanch
Over the past couple of news intense and hot summer weeks, Americans and people around the world have stayed glued to their screens as they watched in dismay at the ongoing and violent street demonstrations in downtown Tehran, the capital of Iran. The erudite and young crowds have been massing in the streets in protests that have essentially pitted a generation of young revolutionaries against a hard line establishment.(“youth or young” pertains to the 16-35 demographic in this article)
During the recent Iranian unrest, the images of bloodied protestors facing off with masked police in riot gear could not be ignored by the world’s internet community, as videos posted by Iranians lit up youtube.com, and helped spread the news and images of the carnage being executed on the world stage- streaming to you within minutes of the events.
The role of Internet in these demonstrations cannot be ignored, for the Iranian revolutionaries have shown their utilization of the internet with twitter.com accounts, and facebook.com profiles as they are openly reeling and blazingly demanding reform by posting and updating the world and the rest of Iran about their struggles in confronting their government.
Videos of the events have spread virally, such as the now infamous Neda video, a graphic and raw video that shows a bloodied protestor named Neda staring into a camera as she laid dying after audaciously taking a bullet while standing up for her rights as a women. The video now serves as a rallying cry, and has become a symbol of rebellion.
Ironically, the government being confronted by these demonstrators is led by the people who participated in their own revolution just 30 years ago, when their generation was young.
I could not help but have reverence for the youthful and connected demonstrators who showed the world the courage it takes to stand up to an unrighteous and oppressive regime. By amassing and communicating via the internet to organize their demonstrations, they openly defied the elites, and sent the establishment a message. A message that is quickly becoming a mantra- in the age of the Internet, tyranny does not go unchecked or unnoticed by the world community.
Demographics – Young and connected
Iran is a nation of youthful and connected people. Because of the Iraq- Iran War, which lasted through 1980-1988, nearly a whole generation of Iranians was wiped out due to the long, savage and bloody war that forced Iran to defend their borders against an invading U.S. backed Saddam Hussein who unleashed hell in the region. Chemical warfare, village massacres, and pointless lost of life were all part of that merciless war which had no clear winner, yet the people of the two countries were the clear losers.
One of the consequences of the aftermath of the Iran –Iraq war is the shift in demographics. Iran’s population characteristics are unique in the world. Nearly half of the 70 million Iranians are under the age of 25, and accordingly, it is the third largest nation of bloggers in the world. In fact, Iran has the highest amount of bloggers per capita in the world. The blogs provide a safe haven for the young generation of people in expressing their thoughts about politics, love, dating, railing against the repression of women’s rights and other “progressive” topics.
Here is cool video on the bloggers in Iran- “A revolution within a revolution”
What the demonstrations may really be about
The demonstrations come in response to voting irregularities experienced during the elections, which saw the controversial incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, take a commanding victory once the votes were tallied.
However, this is only what sparked the powder keg, for the country was just waiting to explode.
Patrick Zeller, an ex “mainstream media guy”, who has frequently worked with numerous publications around the country, such as San Antonio’s own Express News, toured the country of Iran just three years ago on a cross country motor bike ride that took him from the elegant palaces of Tehran graced with elaborate and colorful Persian rugs, to the gate of a controversial Nuclear power plant, tucked in between the mountains that dictate much of Iran’s geographical landscape.
Check his story here about his amazing trip across 3,000 miles of Iran Here
I had the opportunity to speak with Patrick at a local beer joint in San Anto’s South Town district over a couple of beers.
“When I was there, the topic of another revolution came up frequently.” said Zeller, as if it was a matter of fact. He noted the disconnect between the hard line Shia branch of Islam, which dominates the government, directly conflicts with the youth of Iran, who seemed just to want to ride their motorcycles and be free.
Zeller went on to say, “We tried to predict when the next revolution would come, we thought at the time within 8 years”.
The revolution it seems, didn’t want to wait that long. For the clash between the generations can be described as a battle between the connected vs. the unconnected, the progressive (secular) urban populations vs. conservative (religiously) rural populations.
Background
To understand the situation in Iran today, let’s establish a little history.
In 1979, Universities across the nation of Iran started participating in demonstrations with students railing against the shah and the United States intervention into their internal affairs. The struggle of ’79 eventually led to a revolution that overthrew the U.S. Government supported and installed crony, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, or better described as the then dictator of Iran.
The revolutionaries of the 1979 revolution were inspired by the Ayatollah Khomeini, an elderly and charismatic clergy man who was exiled by the Shah for political reasons, yet returned to Iran once the student led rebellion successfully ousted the Shah.
Once Khomeini arrived in Iran, he and the clergy quickly began to formulate one of the most complicated governments in the world, which consists of nearly two “branches” of everything. A secular government body and a clerical or religious based government body complimenting each sector of the government. The president of Iran serves at the bequest of the most powerful individual, who is known as the supreme leader, which is presently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
After the 1979 revolution, the fierce war between Iraq and Iran began, and it can be analyzed, because of the War and the scenes witnessed by the Iranian revolutionaries of 1979, their conscious and ideas of an ideal new government was tarnished forever. This allowed and set the stage for an oppressive government led by theocrats to take hold. Perhaps, these past events gave the reasoning behind the crackdown in Tehran, for it is the scarred minds that fought in that war, who now control the government a generation later in 2009.
The Future vs the Past
The clashes between the Bassij (Government Troops) and the young people of Tehran, has stained the streets of the capital of Iran with the blood of protestors.
The Ayatollahs who benefit from the current theocratic status quo in Iran realize the power of the Internet, and recognize the web’s efficiency and view it as a threat. The Iranian Government has even moved to crackdown on those who are utilizing the internet, by slowing down internet access, detaining opposition leaders, and in some cases restricting internet access in general.
Michelle Bastanjoo, who is an Iranian- American, attending the University of Texas in Austin, said this about a fellow acquaintance that left for Iran in May.
“I know one girl who went to Iran for vacation for two months, she left right after the spring semester, so after all this started I thought I would send her a message on facebook, but then I saw on someone’s page that apparently facebook is blocked for them, so I didn’t think she’d see my message any time soon.”
As the young generations of people around the world, log in, have access, and are exposed to the internet, we should have nothing to fear. Once we combine the taste and experience of freedom with energy of the young imaginations that enable the human conscious-the revolutionary spirit against oppression will be kept alive and well.
It is the youth that formulate creativity and progress, and the energy of the youth combined with the prowess to access information-perhaps this will accelerate progress in the years to come. Knowledge is power, and in tomorrow’s world, if knowledge is increasingly being decentralized because of the internet, then it is only natural that power will be decentralized, as human’s go into a world where bombs and bullets don’t solve our problems anymore.
Texas Politics in need of Reform
Important Bills Run Out of Time! Only Shows Deeper Problems with Texas Legislature The Texas legislature has now ended its session, leaving many bills, one being the bill dealing with Conceal and Carry License holders being able to carry their concealed firearms on college campuses, to run out of time and die.
There were many other bills that did not make it, however this particular one had a large amount of media coverage and public support and opposition, one would think that the legislature would have made high priority of such a bill. However, there is a potential problem when you look at how the Texas legislature is set up.
It is a system that invites corruption. Doing little for people and as much as possible for big business or other powerful interests. Many find Texas politics boring and do little to understand them, so I will give a brief breakdown.
The Texas legislature only meets ONCE every TWO years, and only for 90 days. With all the decisions that need to be made, this is not nearly enough time to make them. Another problem is with the short amount of time in session is added to the problem that the pay for being a legislature in Texas is extremely low. This causes many of the legislature to work for companies and corporations.
This causes a conflict of interest, being on the company payroll, it causes representatives to put forward bills of their host companies first and with more intensity, leaving issues that have to deal with the public to be placed on the back burner.
Another problem that has been seen is what is called “ghost voting”. With only having to meet 90 days every 2 years, you would think that these Texas state reps could make all or at least most of the meetings. However this is not the case ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6X-xtVask&feature=related). As seen in the video many congressmen are voting for other congressmen on issues, even reaching across party lines. This has been accepted inside the chamber, however is very immoral.
This goes back to the problem that so many things must be voted on in such a short period of time, bills are not even discussed the are just put up on the floor and voted on. The way Texas politics is set up is horrifying, but not many people pay attention to them.
However, where most of the things that affect our lives happen is at the State level. I would encourage all readers to look more deeply into your state politics, many of your representatives are running around unchecked and unleashed serving their own selfish interests.
Go Green To Save Green in this Economy
Summer time and the livin' easy (Photo: Sanch)
Go Green to Save Green this Summer!
By Mike Sanch
As we all know, South Texas summer’s can get really caliente! This usually means your utility bills are going to rise with the temperatures, because your air conditioner will work overtime trying to keep your house cool.
With the summer here, it’s also a good time to be aware of the environment and take steps that will help your wallet, as well as la tierra. In these uncertain economic times, now is a good time to pick up on some of these money saving habits.
Here are some tips to save some green, while being verde.
1. Set your thermostat between 75-78 degrees: or whatever you can accept and be comfortable with. According to the Department of Energy, for every degree warmer you set your thermostat, you save up to 4% of energy your air conditioner uses.
2. Dry Your Laundry Outside: Clothes dryers use a lot of energy and attributes to our consumption of precious resources. You can save money on your electric bill at the end of the month by hanging up your clothes outside on a clothes line. The hot sun and warm summer breeze will dry your clothes naturally, and you will get some exercise as well.
3. Cook Outside: Electric stoves and gas stoves use a lot of energy, and they also warm up your house, so your air conditioner will have to work harder. Hang outside under a tree and B-B-Q, that way you don’t have to have the air conditioner on inside.
4.Go to the Library or other Public Spaces(or book store): The Public Library is a great community resource, and has a friendly and helpful staff. The library has many magazines, books, and computers that can keep you entertained and indoors in the air conditioned building. Public buildings always have the air on, so go to the library so you don’t have to have the air on at your casa. If the Library doesn’t live up to your “cool”-“hipster” standards, just seek out your nearest Barnes and Nobles. You might even learn something.
5. Stop Drinking Bottled Water: Bottled water is very expensive when you compare the cost to tap water. Also, the plastic bottles usually end up polluting our earth, and are not environmentally friendly.
So, this summer,enjoy your Mother Earth while also taking care of her. Have fun!
AM Architect Album Release and Free Track
Local San Antonio artist AM Architect has released his newest album. “The Road to the Sun“. It’s an electronic melody that’s sure to please your aural fantasy.
Be sure to also download the free track “Next of Kin“
Greatbeats and sweet treats. Read more…
Civilians Versus Police: Policing those with Power
The original and ultimate goal behind establishing a police force was to serve and protect the people. Each and every day, we entrust our immediate security to the police force and thus we have given them an enormous amount of power. Unfortunately, the mission to serve and protect sometimes becomes blurred, and the power of law enforcement is misguided and abused. We as Americans can’t be expected to feel “safe” if our protectors are spending more time with violation enforcement than actually protecting our neighborhoods from danger. The idea is to exert the full wrath of the law on dangerous and violent criminals, not upon harmless citizens for petty violations. To date, the police force remains unchallenged and has not taken full responsibility for these moments of overexertion and the common misuse of power. In order to reduce police misconduct, we as civilians should establish local review boards with the power to monitor, review, and prosecute officers to provide accountability and restore trust in the community. Read more…
New Belgium Mothership Wit Review
Note: (Libre! does not condone the use of alcohol or drugs, this is for cultural knowledge and opinion)
We at Libre! love beer, just as many of you do, at least I hope you do. So I decided that it was a good idea to do the first ever Libre! Beer review. Libre! also loves the founding fathers, so I thought it appropriate to place this quote before this review starts.
“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” (Benjamin Franklin)
The beer that we have chosen to honor as the first to ever be reviewed by Libre! is New Belgium’s Mothership Wit. Read more…
The Kings of Leon Return to Their Throne
KOL returns to power with Only by The Night.
BY Mike Sanch 2/03/09
The first time we met the good ol’ brothers from Tennessee in 2003, we were introduced to a fast paced southern version of the Strokes that had an emotional lead singer that always seemed to be yearning for that ever elusive girl that he met one night, fell in desperate desire for, and wrote a song about it the next day with a hangover.
If you follow the Kings, by now you’ve been on board long enough to allow lead singer Caleb Followill’s wild, uninhibited lyrics, that seem to have been recorded with copious amounts of Tennessee’s finest whiskey, enter your longing soul. Read more…
Inflation Risk for Bailouts
by Mike Sanch 10/08
As a college student, most likely you have remained indifferent to the “financial crisis”. For whatever your reasons, whether it be the fact that you have been busy studying for your midterms, or perhaps you have been preoccupied with work and class attendance that you have tuned out the mainstream media’s assertions that what is happening on Wall Street, is your problem.
Most college students don’t own a mortgage, have stocks or 401k plans to worry about, so the reasons for ignorance when it comes to the current economic situation are quite reasonable. Read more…
Farm Subsidies Ruining American Farmers
By Andrew Dossman 11/24/08
American farms have been receiving “farm subsidies” since the end of the great depression and the dust bowl. A farm subsidy is money from taxes that is paid to farmers to grow or in some cases to not grow crops that year.
This made sense back in the 1930’s when about 25% of the population was on 6 Million farms across the country. However demographics have changed with time and now there are about 157,000 farms in America which account for over 72% of the total farming output.
Now these subsidies are supposed to help struggling farmers by placing a price floor for their crops, as well as giving them some extra money to continue farming. Read more…
The Day Liberty Fought Back
Patriots stage “End the Fed” Nationwide Protest
“[A central bank is] a curse to a republic; inasmuch as it is calculated to raise around the administration a moneyed aristocracy dangerous to the liberties of the country.”-
-President Andrew Jackson
By Amador Salazar 11/29/08
As the sun rose, I alertly got prepared for a day that will be remembered in history.
I give my friend a ring, and three hours later we’re anxiously zigzagging through traffic on the freeway toward downtown San Antonio. We were on our way toward that putrid building that is the Federal Reserve Bank Branch of San Antonio.
We struggle to find parking but eventually do so, and we shuffle toward the crowd of non-violent renegades who were already in progress of protesting against the Federal Reserve Bank. It was a sizeable crowd of about 80 to 100 concerned Americans who understand the irony and illegitimacy of a private bank that is able to control the amount of money that floods the market. Read more…
Libre! America 