Saturday, June 20, 2009

Some thoughts on riots in Iran

We're about to hit the road for the next leg of our long way to GA, and I've been watching CNN over breakfast. While it's hard to trust the news from Iran, given the lack of international journalists permitted inside, one thing seems clear to me: Benjamin Franklin was right, that we have spawned a new people on this continent, more enterprising but more violent- the property damage and blood in the streets of Tehran so far is less than you'd expect in an American city that just won an NBA championship.

3 comments:

Chalicechick said...

Ummm... LA is hardly America's safest and calmest city.

But after the Lakers won the championship this week, the cops arrested something like twenty people, who threw traschcans around and set a dumpster on fire. Someone "attempted" to turn a car over but was not successful. The press sure enjoyed calling it a riot but when you read what actually happened, it sounds like a normal night in LA.

Statistically, I'm pretty sure 20 arrests, with the most serious charge being arson, wouldn't be a statistical blip on any major city in the world.

I'd say what's going on in Iran should be taken a little more seriously.

CC

Joel Monka said...

I'm sure you're right, but I haven't had a chance to catch up yet- when I get my news fix, (dammnit, family, you know I love you, but can't you see I'm a junkie?), I'll have more to say.

Chalicechick said...

According to the source I was looking at, there are 30 dead and 200 wounded in Tehran.

That might not be accurate, though. You never can tell with all the stories that fly around a situation like that.