The crisis in Iran deepened today as protesters took to the streets to denounce the results of Friday's Presidential election which declared incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner despite initial reports that his chief rival, reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi had won.
There are late reports of shots fired at a rally in the capitol Tehran today, apparently fired from members of the pro-Ahmadinejad Basij volunteer militia. From AlJazeera.net:
At least one person is thought to have been killed in Tehran after clashes erupted as tens of thousands of people rallied in support of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated presidential candidate.
Hours after the rally began on Monday, armed men reportedly opened fire on protesters who had gathered in the Iranian capital in defiance of a ban imposed by the interior ministry.
An Associated Press photographer in Tehran's Azadi Square said one person had been shot dead and several others appeared to be seriously wounded.
The incident occurred in front of a local base of the Basij, Iran's volunteer paramilitary force, which had been set ablaze.
Police fired tear gas as dozens of protesters set several motorbikes on fire.
"There has been sporadic shooting out there ... I can see people running," said a reporter of Iran's English-language Press TV from Tehran's Azadi Square.
Like an exquisitely bad Sci Fi movie that is so much better with running commentary, the Pres and Veep debates should not be watched alone if for no reason than mental hygiene. So, join me on this converence call where we'll watch the Veep debate and discuss the responses along the way. Some of us may need to be talked off the ledge while others will be urging people to jump. Should be wonderful.
Our nation's first woman to serve as Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, came to Indianapolis and Bloomington to speak on behalf of the Obama-Biden campaign today, and my videographer Karen Sensney and I were able to capture the event for Bloosiers and Blue Indiana.
The speech was fantastic and was far more laid back and humorous than I expected from a lady who has served as an inspirational figure for women everywhere, breaking the "marble ceiling" as she put it to become the first female Secretary of State in US history. Madame Secretary spoke on a wide array of foreign policy and domestic topics, extolling the virtues of Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and his running mate, Senator Joe Biden.
The speech lasted for just under 35 minutes, and included a question and answer session with the audience at the gathering sponsored by the University of Indianapolis College Democrats. Former First Lady of Indiana Judy O'Bannon provided opening remarks before a fantastic introduction of Secretary Albright by local philanthropist and business leader Christel DeHaan which energized and excited the assembled crowd of U of I students, faculty, staff and members of the public.
When Secretary Albright took the stage the entire audience at the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall erupted into a standing ovation and thunderous applause. Madame Albright began her speech with a very engaging humorous story about a recent incident at Chicago's O'Hare Airport upon return from a trip to China.
She related the story of a fellow passenger who did not realize who she was traveling with who witnessed an exchange with a TSA security guard who recognized Madame Albright because he was a Bosnian immigrant. It was a very touching story and served as a reminder of the impact this woman has had on the entire world having served as the chief diplomat for the Clinton Administration.
I won't go into any detail here about her remarks, the video of the entire speech is available at the top of this post or by direct link at YouTube here. Watch the entire thing, she has a very important message for all Americans.
UPDATE: I had some after speech photos to share I finally got uploaded to Photobucket. Mary Ann Sullivan showed up, I saw but did not get a picture of State Rep. John Day, and captured photos of Judy O'Bannon, Christel DeHaan and Madame Albright after the speech.
As Ray so aptly pointed out when he said "Obama is back on his game," the results are starting to very clearly show the result of shifting the focus from the defensive to on the offensive. The Obama/Biden lead has widened to 5 points as economic woes worsen.
The squabble to be first in deciding the nation's fate is intensifying. Early states are cleverly inching their primaries in a race to secure voting influence for their citizens. By the end of February, we'll know who the presidential finalists are before more than half the nation gets a chance to vote, let alone meet the candidates. Sound Fair?
The heavily frontloaded primary schedule does all of America a disservice. Leaving the power to decide who the next president of the America can be to a handful of people is just not right. The demographic make up of all the early primary state, even combined, does not accurately represent the American population. For instance, isn't New Hampshire the third wealthiest state in the nation?
With less than a month left, there seems like there's no hope. The Washington Post reports that the American people are being tempted by pessimism, and are losing faith in our political system. But, not to fear.
Register to host a caucus at www.nationalcaucus.com and get involved.
It seems like there's no hope but to accept the circumstances. However, I came across this website, the National Presidential Caucus, that looks to give voters a fair chance to voice their opinions before the primaries kick off. It's not a national primary or anything like that, don't let the name mislead you.
Here's how it works:
1) Post your caucus online
2) Meet offline with some friends, neighbors, whomever to discuss candidates and issues
3) Post your results from your discussions online
It's as simple as that. It's really just an effort to encourage and empower civic engagement and voter opinions. So why not...
How can we claim to go across seas to build a democracy, when our own political system at home is suffering? Get involved. sign up to host a caucus in your neighborhood today.
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The crisis in Iran deepened today as protesters took to the streets to denounce the results of Friday's Presidential election which declared incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner despite initial reports that his chief rival, reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi had won.
