The Column

Monday, July 27, 2009

Protests, third-world style

Most countries are not like here, where you can at least vote, run for office, blog, or write a letter to the editor if the folks in government tick you off.

Here's what we in the trade call a "think piece," a Newsweek article on how they do it it places like Iran, Burma, Turkey, and places like that -- where governments try their level best to quash dissent. Actually, I find it more than a little inspiring.

An excerpt:

Following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's dubious reelection, Iran has seen the largest mass demonstrations since the 1979 revolution. Although demonstrators have fought off tear gas and batons on the streets, they're also responding with more innocuous weapons at home: toasters and blow dryers. On July 7, as Ahmadinejad gave his first televised speech after the election, defiant Iranians collectively plugged in their household appliances in an attempt to cause electrical blackouts and prevent the president's message from being heard inside people's homes ...


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