Tag Archives: international

Rejecting democracy

Fierce Planet Posted on by

I’ve been watching the attempted insurrection in Brazil, not with much shock, but with some anger. This is, of course, another expression of the right-wing authoritarians who are doing their best to fracture political systems around the world. They stormed Brazil's National Congress and set fire to the carpet. They attacked presidential offices, rifled through papers and tried to barricade themselves inside. Videos show Jair Bolsonaro's supporters rioting in Brazil’s government offices. https://t.co/dpVKpXYIdo pic.twitter.com/eMDQGA0rpf — The New York Times (@nytimes) January 9, 2023 Apparently Bolsonaro has been working with Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and perhaps other Trump-aligned fascist types, which … Continue reading →

Women of Iran ~ Dancing for freedom

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Reports (from MSNBC, no link) are that somewhere between 40 and 50 people have been killed in and around the Iranian protests. The protests are not disappearing, though, if anything they continue to spread. Internet outages continue, so information still comes slowly. The women have been forbidden to dance, but they dance anyway. I love these clips so much. This is what civil disobedience looks like in an Islamic Republic. #IranProtests #IranRevolution For 43 years women in #Iran have been forbidden to dance & sing in public or show their hair & they are saying enough. It’s really that simple. … Continue reading →

Update on Iranian protests

Fierce Planet Posted on by

From Sept. 20, this is the first video I saw from the protests in Iran. Unprecedented scenes in Iran: woman sits on top of utility box and cuts her hair in main square in Kerman to protest death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police. People clap their hands and chant “Death to the dictator.” #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/2oyuKV80Ac — Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) September 20, 2022 A report from Arash Azizi at Newsweek: Iran’s Regime May Have Just Sparked a Revolution On Sept. 17, Mahsa’s funeral in her native Kurdistan province was accompanied by massive protests which soon spread … Continue reading →

Best reads

Fierce Planet Posted on by

This week, try these three. Harold Myerson at the American Prospect, on a new labor alliance in California. L.A. Story, The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy: a new model for American liberalism? From reporters at the Arkansas Times, working with InsideClimate News, The path of the Pegasus pipeline in Arkansas, Exxon’s pipeline cuts across the watersheds that provide drinking water for 770,000 Arkansans. And James Fallows at the Atlantic presents an analysis of the situation in Syria, Your Labor Day Syria Reader, Part 2: William Polk. An in-depth, step-by-step account of how we got here and what might … Continue reading →

Dying for Freedom

Fierce Planet Posted on by

As in Iran, now in Egypt, news people are reporting that some numbers of protesters have been killed. My best wishes go with the people who risk themselves for their human rights. I hope our government supports them in their movement, and that no more lives will be lost. This footage, taken on the Kasr Al Nile bridge in Cairo on the 28th of January, is astonishing. The people push back against the police who try to stop them. I’ll gather some resource links for understanding this conflict in the space below. • Al Jazeera’s English language live stream has … Continue reading →

Iraq

Fierce Planet Posted on by

For me, at least, the winding down of this war demands a great scream of outrage, a reflection of the scream that has pounded through my own head from the night I sat up and watched the “shock and awe” bombings that began the thing . Wrapped in every form of death, degradation, and corruption, the War in Iraq is and always will be a a stain on our national history, an emblem of hubris and greed. The President can’t say any of that, and probably wouldn’t even if he felt he could. He’s a milder person than I am. … Continue reading →

Tehran Today

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Once again the people of Iran have taken to the streets in peaceful protest for their democratic rights. There are reports of people walking quietly all over the city, as well as in outlying cities such as Shiraz. Some reports of gunfire, but it’s not entirely clear what is going on. Best wishes to them.

Continue reading →

Where is my vote?

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Though the brutal crackdown in Iran has stopped the large demonstrations and slowed the flow of information from the country, the people have not stopped demanding their rights. They pray that we do not forget them, and ask that you download the .PDF file at Support Democracy in Iran, and spread them around. Put one on your door, post them at local businesses, share with your friends! I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it is one simple thing they have asked us to do. Don’t let the people of Iran and their struggle vanish from sight.

Continue reading →