Haiku 080309

cars run over
shadows on the road
passing clouds

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Recently, we read the following:

Los Angeles Times: “Trials start for 100 reformists, moderate politicians in Iran” By Borzou Daragahi

“Iran's hard-line judiciary today began trials of 100 prominent, moderate politicians and others, accusing the country's main reformist and moderate political groups of working with foreigners trying to foment a popular uprising against the government.

"The opposition immediately decried the charges as groundless and said the mass indictment was filled with errors that shows that it was hastily made up, perhaps by the editors of a the vociferously right-wing newspaper Kayhan…

"Analysts say the confessions read at the trials are meant to lift the morale of hard-liners bombarded by reformist media and Persian-language news channels abroad as well as to frighten opponents and take the wind out of the sails of the protest movement. But as night fell, the capital erupted in angry cries of "Allahu Akbar," or God is great, in what has become a daily ritual of rooftop protest....

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And we thought:

… The Iranian government runs roughshod over the opposition, apparently thinking that after a number are put in jail, the rest will be silenced eventually.

What if the persistent cries heard on Iran's streets have gone beyond election fraud concerns? Given the passion of the crowds continuing to march on Iran’s streets, it seems more likely than not that we're really seeing signs of an emerging social reform movement with wider-ranging aspirations. There may be heavier storm clouds approaching…