Iran......Gdansk or Tiannamen?

With all of the domestic problems we are facing in this country the coverage of what is evolving in Iran has drifted to the lower reaches of the news feeds but keeping an eye on it might be a good idea. Certainly it is in our national interest if the current regime is removed and a more centrist or modernist government put in place. It is good for us and certainly good for the Iranian people.

Living in a country where we are blessed with the ability to change our National Government by ballot we are never subjected to living under harsh brutal dictators. Sometimes its too easy to forget that there are still substantial numbers of people in the world who go to bed at night worrying that the secret police will be at their door to make them disappear.

During a recent conversation with a co worker who recently returned from Iraq I asked him what the real story was in the Middle East. Are we making progress? He said yes but qualified his statement with the observation that while a great many people in the region have many modern amenities like cell phones and high speed Internet access the majority of them are still positively medieval in their thinking.

Lets hope that the brave people in Iran, those who would rather foster democracy then destroy America are successful in achieving their freedom.