Date: 2009-06-21 04:20 Subject: Neda, I still believe. Security: Public Location: Revolution Square Mood: depressed Music: Wilco - "Ashes of American Flags" Tags: hermionebigbang, iran, neda

TEHRAN — The Iranian police commander, in green uniform, walked up Komak Hospital Alley with arms raised and his small unit at his side. “I swear to God,” he shouted at the protesters facing him, “I have children, I have a wife, I don’t want to beat people. Please go home.”

A man at my side threw a rock at him. The commander, unflinching, continued to plead. There were chants of “Join us! Join us!” The unit retreated toward Revolution Street, where vast crowds eddied back and forth confronted by baton-wielding Basij militia and black-clad riot police officers on motorbikes.

Roger Cohen.

I know I'm a guy and all that bullshit that comes with it and maybe I'm not supposed to say this but that makes me want to cry. Hard. Maybe I'm just sentimental because of the last month and what's happened (really, what hasn't happened?!), but oh my God wow.

Don't watch the Neda video. Read the story, but I really would advise against watching the video.  I don't know how I'm going to get to sleep after that.

This was a depressing entry.  But I'm depressed.  Which is weird, because it's been a wild time recently with some ups and downs and deaths and summer break time and etc, but what can I say.

As far as actual updates on my life - I'm working on my hermionebigbang story, which I should finish by the time I'm out of town, and I'm really excited about it.  It centers around Remus and Hermione and the nature of magic and has been loads of fun so far, even if I should be working on that right now rather than making myself weep over foreign revolutions.

And I'm seeing Oasis in Coventry!  My God.  I was going to put that in caps, but it seems kind of silly now compared to the rest of my post.

I'm done.