Stardate 20020430.1645

(On Screen): The people of Iran continue to wriggle loose from the grip of the theocrats there. This has been an ongoing process for many years now, and the revolution has been happening on many levels. It's been happening at the level of government, at the level of commerce, and in the exercise of everyday life.

This article describes a 15-year-old girl in Tehran who has taken to going skating in the streets near her home in slacks, a sweater, and a relatively skimpy and quite brightly colored scarf on her hair. She's seriously pushing the limits of the Hijab, the legal statement about what women can and cannot wear in public.

In fact, she's well over the line, but the theocrats are turning a blind eye towards her and others that age. They're afraid that if they clamp down there could be a people-power style revolt which would toss them all out on their asses, and they're right.

Michael Ledeen thinks that the US should be making encouraging statements about this trend. I think we should keep the hell out of it.

Suppose that you pushing some sort of political agenda, and you read in the newspaper that the Klan had made a public announcement supporting you. Would you rejoice? I sure wouldn't; I'd slap my forehead and start cursing at them.

I certainly don't equate the US with the Klan (though some do) but I really think that an endorsement by the US right now of active resistance against the Ayatollahs would cause more harm than good. If they're actively working towards freeing themselves (and it seems that they are) then let's give them time and space to finish the job. The result will be far more lasting if it comes from inside.