Dude. Where’s my Vote?
By Thorne Dreyer / The Rag Blog / June 18, 2009
See more photos below.
A rally and march condemning alleged election fraud in Iran took place in downtown Austin yesterday, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, starting at 5 p.m. Some 350 people, a majority of them Iranians and many either students or faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, gathered in front of the Texas State Capitol.
Backed by live music fueled by two energetic drummers, they chanted, listened to speakers and poetry, and waved signs directed at passing rush hour traffic. Many in cars honked their support and flashed peace signs. The demonstrators’ placards called for “Democracy for Iran” and asked “Where is my Vote?” Non-Iranian supporters showed signs expressing their “Solidarity with Iran.”
Then the two-block long group marched down Congress Ave. to Sixth Street and back, chanting “What do we want? Democracy!” and “Ahmadinejad. Shame on You,” One distinguished grey-haired gentleman in tie, jacket slung over his arm, stepped proudly while holding up a sign that asked, “Dude. Where’s my Vote?”
The demonstration was organized by UT student group Iranians for Peace and Justice, and by the Persian Student Society of UT and Austin Permanent Peace Protest.
Also see Were Elections a Fraud? Uprising in Iran; Protest in Austin by Banafsheh Madaninejad / The Rag Blog / June 16, 2009
The Rag Blog
Many Rag Blog contributors will hearken back to our protest and picketing days in the early 1960’s seeing Thorne’s article about today’s young folks engaged protesting the Ayatollah’s railroad job in Iran.
I hope these photos (which,in black and white could have been us) as well as the article can make it through the harsh censorship the Islamic oligarchy is attempting to impose.
Imagine if we had of had the internet in 1962!
1. The best that Americans can do about the internal problems of foreign countries is nothing.
2. In 2006, a presidential election in Mexico was probably stolen and millions of people rallied to protest. The American media practically ignored the scandal. What makes Iran more important?
3. Our own election in 2000 was stolen and our people didn’t protest in any massive way. The Spanish language has an apt characterization of that kind of behavior: Candle of the street, darkness of the house.
GREAT PHOTOS !
I was all set to write nearly the same thing as Dick did, so I’ll just endorse his remarks.
I’ve read articles where Iran is upset about the interference of the USA in all of this; aren’t we a bunch of hypocrites when we got GWB because of what I deem, as ‘fraud’….
Are we still worried about Iran; their nuclear program, and need to bring this to such a heightened awareness on the media, so they’ll think we actually give a damn? And that sign about where is my vote in the picture. Hell, where were our votes in this country!
If Iran has a democracy like we have, then they’ll have a few ‘hanging chads’ and voter manipulation/fraud, and the same b.s. we’ve been dealing with for much too long.
I also noticed the other comment about 1962 – yes, the power of the I-net; would it have made a difference in the events that followed, had we had that wonderful tool for mass communication and prompt reaction and speedy action to demonstrate/protest, and possibly have changed the course of our own history in a more positive way.
Brave people, hijacked movement. Their allies are Neo Cons, Neo Libs, “Morans”, Netanyahu, and the Shah’s son. Their leader is no reformer and very likely involved in the Beirut bombings.
Also think of this, in the 60’s we were in the streets, but the nation itself was not threatened by a nuclear armed Vietnam, Canada and Mexico were not imposing sanctions on us, and the USSR wasn’t running militant black ops inside Texas. In other words, it was quite clear that we were protesting the system and aspects of the culture. We ran a pig for president. Many mistakes were made, and yes there were outside influences and CIA/FBI influences too, but the context was not one where the very existence of the nation was being compromised.
Still, the Iranian opposition has caused an earthquake and the process has been set in motion. Go home, organize, think about a general strike.