It’s been awhile since I’ve said anything about our health care but it is getting down to decision time and we need to support our president. I needed to get off of my ass this morning, say something, and participate in moving this thing forward.

Obama wants to make a decision before the fall break and the naysayers are saying, “What’s the rush?” What’s the rush?(!) I understand that it needs to be the right policy when it comes to health care reform and I think Obama’s plan has it. The naysayers just don’t want him to succeed. Everyday people are losing their health care. I heard on the MSNBC that 140,000 more people will lose their health care insurance by the end of next week. This is just unacceptable. But it’s happening…health care insurance premiums are on the uprise.

On a personal level, our health care provider just increased out premium by 30%! If someone is having a tough time meeting their mortgage or their monthly bills, and their health care increased, as ours just did, dropping their health care is going to be on the top of their list. It shouldn’t be but people simply can’t live without the basics. And as much as health care is important it isn’t something that we use everyday even though we need it everyday ‘just in case’. So, when it comes down to either losing one’s house or having their electricity turned off or dropping their health care plan, it isn’t suprising which one would be let go first. I understand the urgency to get this handled.

So…you can afford your premium you say? – good for you. But this isn’t about just you. It’s about our entire country and we the people need to stick up for each other even when we aren’t directly affected. That is what coming together as a community, as a nation is all about.

Sam Stein of the Huff reported that the war in Iraq has costed the taxpayers two times what Health care reform would cost us today. The ‘Just say no’ers’ didn’t know the word ‘no’ when it came to dumping money into Iraq every day for the last how many years. No, you didn’t hear anyone speak up then about being fiscally responsible, when it came to the war.  Obviously the repugnicants  weren’t paying attention to the numbers then; they were too busy breeding fear, and stuffing their pockets.

And now? While president Obama is releasing his detailed reform plan, lobbyists are spend 10 million each week to stop progress. They are literally trying to kill his plan through delay. Once again, the repugnicants will do anything they can to prevent Obama from succeeding in anything.

It is a critical time for health care reform and the time is NOW.  This is his plan in a nutshell:

President Obama has called for health care reform in 2009 that upholds three core principles. It must:

• Reduce costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals, and families, and they must be brought under control
• Guarantee choice — Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option
• Ensure quality care for all — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care

Furthermore, president Obama made this statement on the health care reform legislation introduced in the house just a few days ago. Check it out:

“For decades, Washington failed to act as health care costs continued to rise, crushing businesses and families and placing an unsustainable burden on governments.  But today, key committees in the House of Representatives have engaged in unprecedented cooperation to produce a health care reform proposal that will lower costs, provide better care for patients, and ensure fair treatment of consumers by the insurance industry.

I thank Chairmen Rangel, Waxman, and Miller for their hard work on this bill that fundamentally reforms the health care system. As this process moves forward, I look forward to continuing to work with all House members in ensuring this legislation helps all Americans and plays an essential role in reducing deficits and bringing fiscal sustainability to our nation.”

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning.

FYI:  A good see, and a good time to see it. If you haven’t seen Michael Moore’s movie ‘Sicko’ or even if you’ve already seen it, I think it is worth watching again. It is a good reminder of how screwed up our healthcare system is, and how desperately we need to do something about it. For being the world’s richest country, we rank 37th in healthcare, “just slightly ahead of Slovenia”. Ugh. Something has really got to change.

So what are you doing this weekend? How about rallying up some friends and family and have a ‘Sicko’ party? Peeps around the nation are doing it all weekend.

Michael Moore‘s ‘Sicko‘ on T.V. Tonight

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

The Movie Channel, this evening, will be airing the Oscar-nominated documentary, “Sicko,” Michael Moore’s film about a villain known as the health insurance industry. With the debate raging in Washington, D.C. — Republicans trying to scuttle it, the President trying to hang on to his public option, and nearly a hundred members of Congress pushing for a single-payer system — showing “Sicko” tonight is very timely. Mike lays out all the facts and the arguments as to why the private insurance companies are never going to side with what’s best for the American people.

“Sicko” airs on The Movie Channel tonight at 8:00 PM. It’s also scheduled to air on The Movie Channel on July 27th at 4:05 PM and on TMC Xtra on August 2nd at 10:45 PM and August 5th at 2:15 AM and 7:30 AM. Click here for showtimes.

There are people around the country who are holding “Sicko” viewing parties this weekend in their homes. Check out this call to revisit “Sicko” on the Daily Kos this week.

We are in a critical time regarding which direction the health care debate is going to go. Make your voice heard. And be armed with the facts. Watch “Sicko” again!

Here’s a little video blurb:

~~~~~~~~~~

Thais: I really enjoyed that article about Judge Sotomayer. Thanks for posting.

Al: I am okay…Thanks for asking.

ZL: I hope that you make time for a little fun in MN too.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Well I guess I’m on a roll with this relationship thing. If I’m going to find good advice for going through the big “D”, I might as well end it in a positive note too, with a new beginning. This article isn’t about divorce, but divorce can be tough…the big “D”- ‘Divorce’ can be big “D” – ‘Difficult’.  This article is all about making it through those difficult times by….

FINDING STRENGTH IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY

Glance at the front page of any newspaper these days and odds are good you will see the words “hard times.” Our national problems are spawning many personal woes, it’s true, but personal hard times can strike at any point… in your relationships, on the job, with the kids, and, of course, in matters of health. As life coach and Daily Health News frequent contributor Lauren Zander says, “Eventually your number is going to come up — bad stuff happens to everyone.” She is quick to add that while there is much you can do to prevent trouble, some of it is simply the unfolding of life. The challenge, she says, is to accept life’s blows as part of the journey, to learn from them and emerge stronger and wiser, rather than to create unnecessary drama that drags you down a path of misery.

We deal with hard times in several predictable ways. One approach is to cower and complain and use your bad luck to fuel comparisons to the experiences of others: “You think that’s bad, wait till you hear what happened to me!” But no one can possibly judge another’s hard time or determine whose is worse. Your tough time is tough and it is yours. Then there are those who take this concept of ownership too far, says Lauren, wrapping their hardship in a shroud of secrecy — such as the guy who got fired but tells nearly no one, pretending to many in his life that it simply didn’t happen. Or the person who suffers silently as a close family member spirals downward from substance abuse. Attempting to hide a hard time shows you don’t understand the most basic thing about it – everyone gets kicked by life sooner or later. Lauren’s advice is to accept what happens in much the way we accept puberty — as a part of life filled with challenges and all sorts of feelings, including humiliation. We all experienced it and we all understand.

THE UPSIDE OF BAD THINGS

Being open about what is happening in your life offers several specific benefits. First it allows you to demonstrate your attitude toward the matter, and thus signal to others what you would like from them, be it a lot of help or a little. It also helps you process your emotions, far better than stuffing them inside and hoping they’ll stay put. When you’re having marital trouble, for instance, the last thing you might want from a friend is for her to turn into Sally Sunshine, reassuring you earnestly that everything will be just fine… but, on the other hand, you won’t benefit from constant hand-wringing and shrill assessments about how awful it all is. Hard times make people feel separate and isolated from others and, to some degree, from life itself. Try to let people around you know that you don’t want them to over- or under-respond to your struggle. Help them understand how to be supportive.

In fact, the second benefit of sharing bad news is just that — an important opportunity to gather support. Many people secretly crave more attention from friends and loved ones than they get on a day-to-day basis. Ironically, tragedy can open that door, bringing you emotional support you need, which makes you feel loved. Be frank with others that you are devastated by debt, a diagnosis, a divorce… it will tell your friends and family that you need comfort and attention. Keeping matters to yourself will cut you off from what you need most.

FINDING THE WAY

Seen in the rearview mirror, hard times offer the opportunity to see how difficulties in the past have contributed to who you are today. To learn how the patterns and personality you developed over the years has shaped how you react to difficulties, Lauren urges you not to wait for another to hit. Make a list of awful experiences in your life, along with what you did to handle them — for better or for worse. Maybe you demonstrated amazing pluck publicly but consoled yourself each evening with pints of ice cream. Perhaps you shared nasty stories about the lover or boss who spurned you at every opportunity, but then cleaned every closet, lost 10 pounds and went to the gym daily. Or maybe you mostly just sat home and closed off the world. “The crucial thing to explore in this exercise is whether your pattern involved withdrawing… being destructive… or making changes that turned out to be productive. The more you know from your history including the traps you fall into and the ways you strengthen yourself to emerge better from a tough event, the better equipped you are to handle the hard times in the future,” points out Lauren.

For all the pain hard times cause, the truth is they also come bearing a gift… really. Hard times force change. At first you probably won’t like it, says Lauren, but a change — however dumped on you — presents the opportunity to do something different. Look around at those you know who were suddenly faced with loneliness during early retirement who started volunteering and met a whole new group of friends… who lost their home in a fire or flood and took the opportunity, then, to rebuild something they liked even better… or emerged from a painful breakup more capable and independent with a life that is more interesting, exciting and satisfying. And, there are many, many stories of cancer survivors who found an entirely new perspective on life after their diagnosis and treatment.

MAKE A PLAN

When life wallops you, Lauren says it is totally reasonable to throw a pity party and lick your wounds and feel dreadful about what has happened… for a while. (This advice does not pertain to people dealing with the death of a loved one — bereavement is a separate issue and for that Lauren recommends finding one of many excellent bereavement experts to help guide you through.) You need this time to process the event and your feelings. You may even benefit from joining a group with whom you can share your feelings and thoughts if, for example, your teenager is in trouble or a spouse is seriously ill. This can help you to work through feelings faster and more thoroughly, says Lauren. Whether in a group or by yourself, the trap to avoid as you process your pain is blame… be it the world, your genes, your rotten luck or that old standby, other people. Blaming turns people into victims, a true no-win position.

How long you devote to feeling sorry for yourself depends on the harshness of the blow and the reality of your current situation. If money is tight and you just lost your job, you obviously need to get a new one fast. Find people to talk to who will bring a fresh perspective. It is also important to do good things for yourself such as getting out for a long walk or taking a yoga class. “Seek out activities that are healthy and cathartic and will distract you from your problems. This will help re-engage you in what is good about life,” says Lauren.  Now is the time to refer to your list of past challenges… what were the skills you saw in yourself that you can draw on now to move ahead? Did you divert your attention to avoid behavior that would be unproductive? Did you get back on the metaphorical horse and try again? Lauren recommends that her clients use the strength they gained from the past, avoid what didn’t work and learn even more from the current problem. Whatever you do, don’t give up and give in. As Lauren says, “However bad it might seem at the outset, a hard time is yet another chance to rise to the occasion with choices and behavior that will turn you into a hero in your own life.”

Source(s): Lauren Zander, founder and chairman, HandelGroup, a private coaching and corporate consulting company, www.handelgroup.com.

As I read this article, the saying, ‘And this too shall pass’ keeps popping up. And as much as I know this to be true, sometimes it is very frustrating when you find yourself saying, ‘And this too shall pass’….way too many times during the week or even during the day. Enough already!  But kidding aside, there is some good advice here. ‘Accept and learn’…because although ‘And this too shall pass’, whatever just passed might come back and bite you in the ass if you didn’t accept the situation and learn something from it. Remember: “What you resist persists.” Got it? Aren’t you just hating me right now?

************

Mendy: I aims to please – enjoy that little mission. :)

Anna: That artists’ corner sounds awesome. You sure are tapped into ‘la scene’ in Guam. When I make it over to  the island some day I would love for you and Peter to take me around. Hafa Adai.

Thanks too for sharing the article on Presnell. With women being considered and treated as second class citizens in Iran, the double standard that Presnell spoke of, doesn’t surprise me. The women have a huge challenge on their hands.

Brenda:  And there’s attitude behind my talk and shake within my walk too, girl :) Stay tuned for more hot topics.

Janet: Well…I am delighted that your mother turned you on to tune in. Maybe she knew that two-timer of yours was supporting a little on the side – you know mothers and their keen instincts when it comes to their children. I ought to know – my mother taps into it all of the time. I’m sure that you’ll make the right decision for yourself.

Lois & Martha: My pleasure. And thanks for the post on Franken – this is good news! – you too Thomas.

Bobby: Your un-edited townhall post just leaves me stunned. Isn’t it the repugs who get us into debt…you know the ones that claim to be so fiscally responsible, and the dems that pull them out of it EVERY time? Who reads and believes this propaganda?

Hey Zen Lill: I remember when your atty said that to you – we talked about it….’famous last words’ huh? I hope not for your sake, and that you are correct in your thoughts.

Brea:  Me too, thanks. :)

Peace’n out again….

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

I was listening to NPR yesterday and of course the topic was the much talked about, Iran. I didn’t get the chance to listen to much of the interview and honestly I do not know who Terry Gross was interviewing; I just know he was some political analyst. But really, who he is, is not that important for what I want to say.

He did bring up something interesting, and I wanted to share it with you. Maybe you have heard or thought about this before…maybe not.  I know I have been focusing much more on the post election happenings, as before this revolution I had known only very little about Ahmadinejad and even less about Mousavi.  In fact I was more inspired by Mousavi’s wife than Mousavi himself, which is the reason why I know anything about Mousavi, period.

Anyway what this analyst said was that this revolution has given much power to the Iranian people…it has inspired the desire for more change than if Mousavi had won to begin with.  Without this analyst saying that Ahmadinejad stole the election,  his point was basically that Mousavi has more power with the people now, post election, than he did when he was running, pre election.

It wasn’t that the people supported Mousavi as their new president, it was just that they so passionately did not want Ahmadinejad in the presidency anymore. And if Ahmadinejad really stole the election, (which I believe he did), he basically shot himself in the foot because Mousavi has more of the people supporting him than he did previously.  The people are outraged and the horrific violence against them is adding even more fuel to the fire in their bellies.

Do you agree?

As I read about Iran, even the revolutionary image of Iran is much different than 30 years ago. Then,  revolutionary Iran was all about the middle-aged bearded men – that was the image. The revolutionary image today is very different, and Neda is the face that inspires them. I can’t help but think of Neda Soltani, still.  She is the symbol of women in Iran: young, educated and modern.  From the stories that we have read…from the images that we have seen….from the Iranian women who have written in here,  women are playing an incredible role in the streets. And thankfully Madaline has been there to support them in their desire for equality.

So check this out: Sixty percent of university students In Iran are women. It is the women who are leading  the path to change. Since the 1979 revolution, women have really been stripped of their rights, and they have suffered the most.  Women are considered and treated as second class citizens. This we know.  Yet ironically because of the Iran / Iraq war, where many young men spent their lives on the battlefield instead of in school, women became more educated than the men. They are far more advanced because of their schooling. and yet they are considered inferior to men and as we all know, they have less rights than men.

This revolution, in my opinion, is their chance not only use their brains, and it seems their brawn as well is needed to bring about the change that they so desire.  As I write this I am so inspired by their strength and courage. This stealing of the election was probably the best thing that could’ve happened for the Iranian women. If Mousavi had won fair and square, changes may have been made but would women really get the chance to express their real need for change…would their hope for equality be  within reach?

Thoughts? Comments? You know what to do.

~~~~~~~~~~

Peter: Sorry for the late reply. If you want to e-mail it to me, I would be happy to post it for you.

Emma: I’m not sure if some people see my blog differently than others. Obviously you have experienced that. I have been informed that my blog is being messed with, which is why I have to be careful of what I write, or who knows if it will be shut down. I don’t want to lose this connection to and for everyone.  However, I did find two comment that were waiting for moderation, and I was able to post them yesterday ( sorry forgot to mention that)

Readers: Take note:  As I have mentioned before, if you have more than One (1) url attached to your comment it will go into moderation. And if I am at work all day it will not get posted until the evening.

Zen Lill: I agree with you too. I have never had a desire to meet the president. But it would be one of the greatest highlights of my life if I could meet president Barack Obama. I would just love to sit and chat with him about everything and nothing. I love his sense of humor.

Nikki: My pleasure. :)

Anonymous and A:  The Iranian men are going to have to change in order for Madaline to help them. It is plain and simple. Everything that Madaline says makes sense right? Of course men would not feel that death is preferable to the life they have – they have a good life. Now it is time for the women to feel the same way. The fact that they don’t says that they are willing to die than to go back to being second class slaves to the men.

Peace out…..

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click below:

“A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

The Iranian people have such interesting names. In the last few days I have heard from so many of the women that I decided to find out what some of their names meant. I mentioned a few that I discovered yesterday. Then I stumbled upon this article of a young girl named ‘Neda’ meaning ‘voice’.

Neda was brutally killed this past Saturday in her fathers arms; her death, a symbol of rebellion for the Iranian people.

As I began to write my write this morning, I hadn’t even perused my blog since last night and there were only two comments posted. I decided that before I write, I had better see if anyone commented on anything that I might need to include in my write this morning. It was then that I discovered that a commenter had written one sentence: “Neda Soltani was shot in the chest from a rooftop by the Basiji.” I knew that she was the very same young girl that inspired my write today.

So…I’ll take that as a sign to continue….

I watched the video of Neda dying and I could not post it. I have never seen anyone die and I broke out in sobbing tears.  Her eyes in the video looked so innocent….scared…and yet so peaceful as she laid there. I could not take my eyes off of her.  Here is her story:

Her name is Neda, which means “voice” in Farsi, and her death has become the central rallying cry of the Iranian rebellion.

The fresh-faced teenage girl killed by what appears to be a single sniper shot on the streets of Tehran Saturday is now a potent symbol for Iran‘s pro-democracy protesters.

Her shocking and quick death in the arms of her howling father was captured on closeup video, posted to Facebook and came to life on computer screens across the globe.

“RIP Neda, the world cries seeing your last breath,” was one of a flood of messages on Twitter.

“They killed Neda, but not her voice,” read another. “Neda is everyone’s sister, everyone’s daughter, everyone’s voice for freedom,” said a third.]

Within hours of her death, posters of the girl’s face, open-eyed and bloody, were being brandished by demonstrators in Los Angeles and New York City.

The graphic video was originally posted to Facebook by an Iranian expatriate in Holland who said it was sent to him by a friend in Tehran, a doctor who tried to save the girl.

He identified her as Neda Soltani, a 16-year-old philosophy student.

A Facebook group created to mourn her calls her “The Angel of Iran.”

In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were quiet for the first time in a week, but the city was bracing for more unrest today when thousands are expected to mourn the girl’s death.

“To protest against lies and fraud is your right,” opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi told his followers in a statement.

“Be hopeful in exercising your rights and do not allow those who try to instill fear in you to make you angry.”

An ABC reporter in Dubai said she was told the girl was rapidly buried to forestall a funeral rally.

In the holy city of Qom, turmoil was reported among the ruling clerics. There were reports that some dissident clerics were trying to replace the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The regime is under threat after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a suspiciously huge landslide in the June 12 election, sparking accusations of vote rigging and days of mass protests.

Saturday’s brutal crackdown, in which at least a dozen people were killed and hundreds wounded, hardened opposition to the supreme leader as well as Ahmadinejad.

In apparent retaliation, the daughter of powerful former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and four of his other relatives were arrested and held for a day, according to state TV.

State radio said Monday that 457 people were arrested in the clashes.

Rafsanjani’s kin were held for a day for their own protection, but it was seen in most quarters as a clear warning to curb his support for Mousavi.

Rafsanjani, 75, is chairman of the Assembly of Experts that has the power to remove the supreme leader and is Mousavi’s most powerful ally.

Reporters Without Borders said 33 Iranian journalists and bloggers have been arrested even as the foreign press was barred from the streets .

“The regime has been visibly shaken by its own population. That is why the media have become a priority target,” Reporters Without Borders said.

State TV blamed “terrorists” for the street violence.

BBC Persia aired extraordinary video of a crowd of stone-throwing youths on Saturday slowly advancing on a cadre of well-armed police with riot shields, finally forcing the security forces to turn tail and run.

BBC’s lead reporter in Tehran was subsequently told he had 24 hours to leave the country.

A Life.com magazine photographer was missing, and a Newsweek reporter arrested.

Germany called for a revote, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the crackdown on peaceful protest “inexcusable.”

As the Neda video ignited fury and tears, several new Twitter accounts were opened dedicated solely to insisting the video was fake. The posters were roundly shouted down as tools of the Iranian regime.

One of the many other videos of the Tehran protests uploaded to YouTube captured the girl in the last moments of her life, standing on a curb with her silver-haired father, watching the protesters go by.

In a country where martyrdom is a matter of great import and mourning marches often mix with protests, the girl’s very public death has the potential to be a galvanizing event.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas: I hear ya. It is okay to  dump billions into the Iraq war to make our country feel safe and protected, but not okay to dump billions into our healthcare system to insure those same people that we are trying to protect, are well taken care of.

Anna:  First, I have to say, excuse for my brain freeze in the past week. I am well aware that you and Peter live in Guam and you were just visiting the mainland. I have got a lot on my  mind these days, but no excuse. Secondly, thank you for the quarters -that was so nice of you to send them to me! I finally went to my PO box and there they were. Thank you…Thank you!

Pan: As much as I’m sorry to hear that racism has been rearing its ugly head where you are too, we don’t need that kind of attitude here either. What can we do to work to eliminate it together?

Iranian Girls and Readers: Just as you have communication problems with the government spying on you, I too have to have some restraints with what I say on my blog, or my blog may not be accessible  anymore. Rest assured, things are going as they should be. My thoughts are with you.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

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