The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world.

Neighbours said that her family no longer lives in the four-floor apartment building on Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having been forced to move since she was killed. The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremonies at mosques, the neighbours said.

It’s painful to watch, to think about, to realize is actually happening. There’s a revolution in the making in Iran, and women are staging themselves as the centerpiece of it all. Women are taking a huge step forward, making themselves seen and heard. And that is scaring the hell out of those in power.

As Anne Applebaum writes on Slate,

Not Obama, not Bush, and not Twitter, in other words, but years of work and effort lie behind the public display of defiance—and in particular the numbers of women on the streets.

The Iranian clerics know that women pose a profound threat to their authority: As activist Ladan Boroumand has written, the regime would not bother to use brutal forms of repression against dissidents unless it feared them deeply. Nobody would have murdered a young woman in blue jeans—a peaceful, unarmed demonstrator—unless her mere presence on the street presented a dire threat.

As the protests continue, as more and more women stand up, as we witness the revolution in the making we also see the government tighten it’s grip. The blockage of news media and the attempts to hide what is going on has been in full effect since shortly after the elections. Though there are people still able to get their messages out through more nontraditional means, I am sure we’re still not seeing even half of what is happening.

M LeBlanc has a great list of links up at Bitch Ph.D. that certainly add the the doubts lingering in my mind. What is truly frightening is how this election has so many implications towards the rest of the world. How Iran will interact with, and be seen, by other countries was hovering over this election. Looking toward the future things seem rather grim right now. The protests over this election seem to be a sign of what could come.

Then I read a post in the Alternative Tulsa about the Holocaust memorial shooter. It seems the people ho believe these things are not just ignorant, they’re also dangerous.

We understand as well that von Brunn is also one of the birth certificate deniers, still claiming that Obama was born in Africa and is therefore an illegal president. As we noted, the facts don’t matter to these folks.

All this might be harmless, of course, if the zealots were just talking.

But they’re not. Some of them have guns and, as we have discovered, they are violent enough to use them against their enemies, real or imagined.

The problem with this guy, much like the man who shot Dr. Tiller, is the same. In conservative circles there can be mass saturation from certain members that so-and-so is like Hitler, or Stalin, or taking away our guns, or brainwashing the youth, on and on. And even when the top conservatives are smart enough not to out right agree with them, they lend credibility to them by giving their voices prominent places in the news. The more we have rants from people like Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh stirring up the lunatic fringe the more this will happen.

And the more we will hear “Well you know murder is evil, but this guy is a secret communist Muslim fanatic trying to destroy Christianity. But I wouldn’t say we should kill the guy. *wink wink*”

How many more guys like Jim D. Adkisson do we really need?

Alba was caught on camera sticking posters of the declining numbers of Great White Sharks on a bridge and other property in Oklahoma City, according to AP. Police are investigating.

Yes, she was caught sticking up posters. Not much more of a crime than hanging up garage sale signs or lost kitten signs. But because she’s a celeb and these posters were about protecting animals in a deeply conservative state (Save the animals, why? Jesus is coming next week and we don’t need sharks in heaven.) this has become a case of dangerous and disturbing vandalism and proof that those damn bleeding heart liberals are all evil.

President Obama was awarded Saudi Arabia’s highest honor yesterday — an elaborate gold necklace and medallion fit for a king or a rap mogul.

Right, because comparing Obama to a “rap mogul” is totally appropriate. Because he’s black, see. Get it. he’s black. Bling-bling. Oh how witty! So now the only question is, what do you call it when a middle aged white rancher from Texas also some bling around his neck? You know, like President Bush?

After dinner in the King’s Palace, Bush and Abdullah walked through a large central atrium and picked up cups of Arabic coffee to take into their meetings. Sitting side by side in chairs, Abdullah presented Bush with a gold necklace adorned with a large medallion — the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit, the country’s highest honor, named after the founder of the modern Saudi state.

“Today we’re standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear they will receive the same rights, responsibilities, and respect under New Hampshire law,” Governor John Lynch said before signing the legislation in a State House ceremony at about 5:20 p.m.

Bravo! I love hearing about politicians who actually grasp standing up for civil rights verses standing up for the bigots, assholes, and biblical cherry pickers. This new legislation isn’t perfect and there are some exemptions that need to be taken care of. But it’s still a huge step in the right direction. The more states that move towards equality the more people will see that, despite the scare tactics used by the religious right, legalizing gay marriage won’t harm kids or destroy straight marriage or bring about the end of the world.

Who knows, if a conservative state like New Hampshire can see the light then maybe, just maybe, there is a chance that we could finally have legal same sex marriage across the board. New Hampshire has brought out the optimist in me.

What I don’t support is groups using a horrific tragedy to push vegetarianism on others.

With the murder of abortion provider Dr. Tiller PETA has created a new ad campaign equating eating meat with both the pro-choice and the pro-life sides of the battle. And they are tying to put these new messages on billboards in Wichita, the home city of the late Dr. Tiller. You know, because the cold blooded murder of a valuable doctor by a crazed right-winger is the perfect opportunity to tell people they shouldn’t be eating poor little animals.

Is there a low that PETA won’t sink to? No, don’t answer that. We already know how little they think of women with their repeated use of sexism to push their agenda, equating women with both farm animals and sex objects often. So of course it’s no surprise that the tragic death of a doctor who provided a valuable service to women is nothing more than the opportunity for a publicity stunt for them.

The really sad thing is that I could get behind PETA and their cause. I absolutely agree with them that the cruel treatment of animals is appalling. But there’s nothing about their constant attempts to get publicity that makes me want to support them as an organization. If anything it only makes me, and I’m sure many others, turn further and further away from PETA’s goal.

Hell, this billboard nonsense only makes me want to go eat a steak or two just to flip PETA the finger.