Death of the Voice Called Neda

I know that many people in the Middle East hate us and especially in Iran. However, watching the news reports after Iran's presidential election causes me great pain. I think this empathy is occurring all over the world. The infected sore of downtrodden peoples wherever they may be seems to have been lanced by the election tampering there, and pus is spilling out into the streets of that land.

And it is not a worldwide feeling of relief after this lancing. It is only making the wound more sore. It's a feeling of not only unfairness by a ruling factor, but insult after the wounding. They are even poking peoples' eyes out! A Twitter reported this morning that several surgeries have been done where eyeballs have had to be removed after police poked eyes with their sticks.

The Iranian government has unwittingly given the people a rallying point as a result of their violent response to the peaceful demonstrations in the death of the young girl named Neda. I heard or read somewhere that the meaning of Neda is "the voice." In death, this young girl has become more famous than she might ever have become in life.

"The voice" of free speech may even be near death's door in this country as well. Not via a bullet, however. Democratic governments have learned that the way to handle the voice of dissension is to tolerate and ignore it, and if that doesn't work, assassination of character via the news media normally takes care of it.

At this point in history, we may only be able to stand and watch as the end of the voice comes upon us, just as Neda stood and watched the demonstration with her father on the street moments before her own death.

Sometimes the freight train of history creeps along instead of barreling down upon us. Yet it arrives unstoppable.