Iran Update (Language And Anger Warning)

So, as expected, all hell is breaking loose in Iran (the Guardian). Protesters are rioting and government soldiers are killing them. If you want to ruin your Saturday--and hey, why not? a lot of Iranians are having their weekends ruined!--check out Andrew Sullivan's live blog over at the Atlantic. There's gruesome, tragic videos of death and mayhem, too. Wheee.

Oh, and to make a few obvious points with absolutely necessary strong language: 1.) fuck tyrants. 2.) fuck religion when it's twisted to justify slaughter, and I don't care if it's Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism or Jedi and 3.) fuck the so-called protectors of the public good -- be they soldiers, police or militias--who murder unarmed civilians. If you're wearing body armor in Iraq today you're the bad guy. Fuck you.

And by the way, just to put my massive rage in context for people who aren't used to me totally flipping out, I've had a huge soft spot for Iran for a long time. It's seemed to me a country full of dynamic, strong, intelligent and wonderful people with the bad luck to be ruled by a pack of cave-dwelling religious thugs from the stone age. I'm no kind of expert on the country whatsoever but I always had a gut feeling the people of this country were fundamentally smart, funny, friendly and irrepressible and (before the Republicans were turfed in the States), I spent a couple of years freaking out over the fact that Cheney and co. clearly wanted to bomb them (4. and fuck Cheney, Bush and company).

To see these wonderful, brave people lying dead and dying in the streets, it's too much. This regime needs to end so Iran can grow. There's a flower here that can make the world a lovelier place.

Out with the cheaters, liars, desperate power-graspers and "supreme leaders". Out with religious governments.