The Underground Onus

In news reports coming out of Iran two competing versions of reality are being presented. One is propagated exclusively by state media in Iran. And the other is broadcast in the international media. The individual observer doesn’t have enough information to conclusively determine which version is true. Either Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won or Mir Hossein Mousavi won, both can’t be true. But no one knows for sure. In the absence of the clear evidence, I would like to present the competing claims and discuss the implications of each.

1. The Iranian Government is wrong.

The US media has generally adopted this conclusion. It means that the leading national politicians and the Supreme Religious leader are either misinformed themselves or they are intentionally participating in an act of deception. Deception of this magnitude, displayed through a worldwide broadcast of a forgery, would show that that government officials and leaders of Iran are maliciously protecting their own interests at the expense of the truth. They have very little respect for the people’s right to know the truth.

Such a blatant lie could only be justified with the belief, common among dictators, that a human beings are no higher than an animals and they must be ruled over in the same way that a Shepard herds his sheep. Sheep don’t need to know the truth because what is in the best interest is making sure their physical needs are met–food and shelter (economic wellbeing and national security). If people of Iran are nothing more than sheep then all they need to know is what their benevolent Islamic shepards tell them.

2. The Iran Government is right.

This would mean that the western media has failed. And if they failed, we have failed. It would mean that our western perception world events is deeply flawed. It means that somewhere along the line we have either chosen to ignore the facts or we have been too weak to discern them. All the frenzy that we have stired in minds and hearts of the people is based on a lie, made worse by our appetite for sensational news. A misreading of this magnitute would strike a nasty blow to the hope of seeing eye to eye with the Iranian government. In the event that we are wrong, it will take us a long time to realize our mistake. We will go on talking the cruelty and injustice the Islamic Republic of Iran for the next 10 years regardless.

Conclusion:
The truth can be discovered through a simple process of aritmatic. The paper ballots exist, human beings are capable of counting them. One guy recieved more votes then the other. Its a black and white matter, that sadly, might never be exposed to the light. The tragedy is the darkness that has been created. No one can be sure who to trust or what to think. We are forced to either vilify the regime in Iran or vilify the international media.

Many have already formed judgments. Some reading this will think I’m doing a disservice for not falling in step behind the popular beliefs communicated in the International media. I do lean heavily to the side of those that accuse vote rigging. I find it difficult to see it any other way. However, its sad when people are driven to such extremely divergent views, regardless of who is right.

Someone is doing massive harm by lying. The Iran people suffer. And the prospects for improved relations between the US and Iran are seriously diminished. I hope that someday someone will write a book on the facts of what transpired in the election of 1388 in Iran. Until then, the unrest will continue…