Not too long ago I helped out on a film called Iran (is not the problem), which provides historical context on U.S. relations with Iran. I recently got back together with a few colleagues from the film and we put together a set of Talking Points on Iran. Take a look: http://www.iranisnottheproblem.org/talking_points

If you are interested in endorsing it, please sign the petition here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/iranprotests/

TALKING POINTS (created 7/1/09):
What you should know about the Iranian protests and how you can help

As of this weekend, it seems the protests in the Islamic Republic of Iran have died down a bit… for now. The opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who for the past week has essentially been under house arrest, has agreed to seek the government’s permission before holding any further demonstrations and is no longer able to use his official web site as its functionality has been compromised. While these developments may be disappointing to many, they should not be read as the failure of this mass movement or its end. Such impatient and rash determinations by some analysts in the U.S. and Europe reveal a lack of faith in the very systems and values they claim to support. Have we forgotten that the Civil Right movement in the United States took more than a decade before we even began to see real changes? -- changes that are still in-progress today.

A military coup took place in Honduras on Sunday, June 28, led by School of the Americas (SOA) graduate Romeo Vasquez. In the early hours of the day, members of the Honduran military surrounded the presidential palace and forced the democratically elected president, Manuel Zelaya, into custody. He was immediately flown to Costa Rica.

A national vote had been scheduled to take place today in Honduras to consult the electorate on a proposal of holding a Constitutional Assembly in November.  General Vasquez had refused to comply with this vote and was deposed by the president, only to later be reinstated by the Congress and Supreme Court.

Like almost everyone, I was stunned to hear of the sudden death of Michael Jackson on Thursday, June June 25th. The community around Georgia Avenue in Washington, DC, was literally buzzing with the news when I arrived home from my office, with no fewer that three people stopping me on the street to share the news.

Somehow, the man-child who dominated the universe of popular music for nearly 40 years was someone who seemed to flirt with immortality. Michael Jackson, to hundreds of millions of people who celebrated him with a passion that bordered on worship, never grew old, and wasn't supposed to die. But now that are confronted with the reality that, at the age of 50, he is, indeed, dead.

As the Qur'an teaches us, from God Almighty we come, and to Him, we shall (all) surely return.

Gays Are the New Niggers: 40 years after the Stonewall riots, what Bayard Rustin means for American democracy

Those who declare “Gay is the New Black” want to link the gay rights movement to the civil rights movement. Yet the slogan is full of internal contradictions and historical incongruities. Comparing the experiences of black folks and gay folks in the U.S. has outraged intellectuals, religious leaders, and politicians inside the black community.

It has outraged, for instance, Rev. Irene Monroe. She identifies three cardinal sins of whiteness plaguing the gay-marriage movement:

The Metta Center for Nonviolence Education, of which I am the founder, released the following statement today:

An Open Letter to Sisters and Brothers in Iran

Dear Friends,

We are a group of professors and students who work with nonviolent movements (see our site at www.mettacenter.org) and we would like to extend to you our solidarity and encouragement for your struggle.  Based on our experience, we would share the following thoughts with you at this critical juncture:

Your cause is just.  Despite the blackout, people all over the world are following your struggle and our hearts are with you.  To have a just cause and courage are the two main requirements for a nonviolent movement, and you have both.

June 24, 2009

FOR press contact: Ethan Vesely-Flad, Communications Director, 510-701-5267 (c)

To the Iranian Leadership: End the Violence Immediately

Below is the final text of the speech I ended up giving at City Hall
this afternoon, drawing from some of the pieces many of you have
already read. Here is a link to the outcome:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=42240&tsp=1

"Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution -- authored by
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose father is Persian -- supporting the
people in Iran who are fighting for their democratic rights and calling
on the government create "an accountable election process." In a rare
show of unity, the entire 11-member body co-sponsored the measure
(which even included a swipe at domestic leaders, with one portion

(this was written on Sunay 6-21 but not posted to this blog until later)

CONGRESS TO VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO FORCE THE SOA/ WHINSEC TO RELEASE THE NAMES OF GRADUATES AND INSTRUCTORS

To send an email and fax to your Representative, visit
http://www.SOAW.org/vote
Start calling Congress NOW!

SOA Watch has received confirmation that Congress will vote on an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act that would require that the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC to release the names, ranks, country of origin, courses and dates attended of students and instructors at the institute.

The amendment will be offered by Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA), Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA), Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Representative John Lewis (D-GA) and we expect the vote to happen on Wednesday, June 24.