It is matter of civil liberties and the separation of church and state.

The first revolution was an instigation of rule under religious law. It succeeded and of course the US did not embrace that. How could they it stands against Civil liberties.

Today Iran is not liberal and is controlled by a religious council, it is not the US that is causing the protest it is the desire to move away from the religion in law.

Iran sees the US as threatening because of it liberal beliefs. The taking to the streets is the acting out of liberal moderates in the country and it is the US and Western liberal ideals that are behind it. But that actions does not discount religion it by defaults makes religion a choice. The conservative cannot accept that, as the conservative mindset mandates all must follow the same path and in the case of Iran under one religion. Iran is a threat to itself as it is oppressive inherently within its charter.

One of the reasons behind the first Iranian revolution was the Shah allowing woman to hold political offices. The Shah’s ‘White’ revolution was in fact liberalization which the conservative Ayatollah perceived as heresy.

What is happening in Iran is the inevitable centering that needs to occur, the movement from the right to the left. From conservatism to liberalism, movement in either direction and against the status quo can bring about violence. The violence can embolden that and the resolve behind it.

What the US and the entire free world will never do is empower an oppressive nation, the call within the article for unification to fight the west is basically a conservative mind crying for assimilation of all.

There are those who can't resist commenting on my post(s).  I present mainstream fact, and they rush quickly behind to muddy the waters; launching a Bill O'Reily - Rush Limbaugh styled campaign of disinformation.

This person(s) can't resist telling lies, damn lies.

Thus, for obvious reasons, this comment (to my own post) is not for that person or persons.

However, to those who don't have their heads stuck up Dick Cheney's ass; deep, deep, deep within Cheney's ASS, I'll say this

...

Iran is a sovereign nation.

Also, not that it really matters (wink, wink) Iran has oil, lots of oil.

Again...

Iran is a soverign nation, which by the way, has lots and lots of oil.

There are those who--unable to think beyond the FOX News paradigm--squel in protest every time truth is presented.  But, there are things that cannot be denied.

It is truth that the U.S. is a nation born of genocide, deception, hegemony and wanton slaughter; just ask the nearest American Indian or Black person with a memory.

It is truth that the U.S. is a nation unwilling to see its mistakes, let alone learn from them.  Just ask any person of any color that didn't make over $500,000 last year.  From banking to healthcare, almost everyone can attest to that.

It is truth that the U.S. Government has instituted a policy of lying--ommiting crucial facts--like, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, for instance.

Imperialism, it happened with the original occupation of this nation, which saw the merciless massacre of millions of American Indians.  It happened for nearly 500 years of slavery, which cost the continent of Africa zillions of dollars, also resulting in other unspeakable atrocities. It happened with Vietnam, which cost more untold lives.  It’s happening with Iraq.  It's happening with Afghanistan. And now the U.S., up to its eyeballs in international scandal and near economic collapse, seeks to ram more of its failed policies down yet another nations throat.

The audacity, it's pure psychosis!

Canada, France and Germany have center-right governments, yet they have universal healthcare for all citizens, and same-sex civil unions (marriage) are legal throughout the land.  And yet, the Limbaughphiles would have us believe that the U.S. is liberal when it offers no universal healthcare and no national same-sex civil unions.

The stealth O'Reiley fans, deep in denial of their own supremacist wet dream, would have use believe that the U.S. is liberal?????????

That joke is played out.

Bush is Pol Pot's brother.

The age of Rush Limbaugh is over. 

The U.S. is NOT Liberal, never was. 

But if it really were, we would have had at least a dozen black presidents by now and just as many women presidents too.  Electing a Black or woman would be no big deal, because it would already have been a done deal.

Iran has oil.  We want oil. 

Iran has oil, and they won't give it to us.  So now we'll try to steal it.

As stated in this PNAC document, and elsewhere, The U.S. wants--has wanted-- control of the Middle East.

Enough said.

And just as a sidebar, for anyone who hasn't seen this incredible video of Bill Maher talking about the fact that America only has the right and the hard right, this is an absolute must see. I don't agree with Maher on everything, but on this he speaks absolute truth.  The Democrats are the new Republicans, and the Republicans...well, just watch the video.

AND...let's not forget about the time (liberal? conservative? whatever!) John McCain "jokingly" said we shoud "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."

Recommended reading: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ, by Hooman Majd (I am sure that he and I are related--of course, we are all related:).  The first step in justifying war against any one is to objectify them and make them less human. 

We work ourselves into an irrational frenzy.  Hooman Majd's book reminds us that the people in Iran are no different from the people in the United States and they, too, have power freaks (NEO has a lot of power freaks, too).  Iranians have families that get up every morning and go to bed every night, just like we do--in search of the day's meal and the comfort of a family, roof over their head and some explanation for the unknown.  Read Hooman Majd's book and you will recognize many of the problems and experiences he encounters and relates about his "homeland."

We need to recognize, as Eternity posits, that Iran is a sovereign nation.  We can not make this country--so similar in many, many ways to the United States--into a puppet regime of the United States.  Iran is throwing off the tyranny of "colonialism."  This is their fundamentalism not so far removed from the fundamentalism that founded our country's ideals.