Well, it was a small thing to open a Twitter account using Tehran for my location and time zone. I linked through from Brandy's Twitter posts. But I balked at putting Tehran as my name. So I chose FriendofYasmine for my screen name. I can change it later if I want to. The program asked me to choose some people to follow. One of the choices on the page was Change for Iran by an Iranian student. I chose to follow his twitter feed.
I posted a few short messages, some of them very trivial, last night, hoping to contribute to the "electronic Twitter cloud" in Iran. I posted again in the morning, and noticed that I had gained a "Follower". I was surprised to see a photo of a young blonde woman (from the waist up) in a bikini top. She is following 1,250 Twitter accounts. Many of them have green avatars. She may have done a search for accounts containing the word "Iran" or something. I sincerely doubt that she cares anything about my own posts. She's trying to help the protesters, too. Doing more than I am to help them. You can choose to limit your followers to people you invite to follow your messages, but that would have defeated my purpose in signing up for Twitter at this time. I can change my account later.
I logged in tonight to find a number of dramatic, alarming messages from "Change for Iran" right on my Twitter home page, along with my own pedestrian comments. So that's what happens when you "follow" someone on Twitter. I did a quick check on Instapundit to see what else had happened in Iran during the day. A lot of people, from a variety of political and cultural backgrounds are trying to help. There are reports on the protests from Huffington Post on the Left and Gateway Pundit on the right. The former includes a lovely tribute from a young woman to another young woman who was shot dead by a sniper as she watched the protests with her father. It starts, "Yesterday I wrote a note, with the subject line "tomorrow is a great day perhaps tomorrow I'll be killed." I'm here to let you know I'm alive but my sister was killed...
Instapundit also linked this post which compares the Twitter messages from someone named Mark Knoller about President Obama's trip to an ice cream parlor with his daughters with Twitter messages from an Iranian protester. It was the same protester whose messages I had found on my Twitter home page a few minutes earlier.
By the way, President Obama also issued a statement today to indicate his deep concern with the actions of the Iranian government. Good. Wish he'd done it sooner. But it's a start. This remains a critical time in Iran. It is probable that, at this point, the Iranian government will choose to assert is power with wiidespread oppression. But it is a time during which some basic principles could be clarified.
The Obama administration did take one early step to help the protesters. The State Department asked Twitter to postpone scheduled down-time so that their service would remain active during the day in Iran. So far, I don't think the Mullahs have been able to block Twitter. Below, in chronological order, are the messages I found tonight from "Change for Iran" on my twitter home page:
It was a nightmare, I can barely breath & my face is burning, Masood got shot in the arm & Shayan's brother is missing
about 9 hours ago from web
I don't know where to start with, first they attack our peacful memorial gathering in front of the university with water gun
about 9 hours ago from web
the university's doors were close, we couldn't run everywhere! & then they start shooting tear gas at us
about 9 hours ago from web
they were so many! riot police, normal police, intel, IRG, Basij! I managed to scape, but they captured so many people
about 9 hours ago from web
all routes to Azady square were blocked & if anyone stopped walking or walking slow they hit him/her brutally
about 9 hours ago from web
there was no safe path, people were walking in cycles between all variety of security forces
about 9 hours ago from web
I think they made fun of people, don't go here, go this way, not that way & for no apparent reason suddenly attacking random people
about 9 hours ago from web
we tried our best using all known shortcuts for reaching Azady SQ were mousavi was, but ended up in face to face with IRG
about 9 hours ago from web
they weren't just the ordinary police or motorcycle riot guard, they were soldiers holding MP5 supported by reinforced military cars
about 9 hours ago from web
we didn't realize for a moment they started shooting at people, the gun's sound was like a toy gun, not loud & the soliders were smiling
about 9 hours ago from web
I was going to tell masood they are using fake guns for scaring people! until people started screaming in agony
about 8 hours ago from web
we were at Nosrat st, and that part of that damned street had no were for covering
about 8 hours ago from web
we ran as fast as we could in the opposite direction, at the same time basiji bastards started to hit fleeing people
about 8 hours ago from web
I think I saw 2 or 3 people lying on the ground in blood & IRG started to move them, probably hide them.
about 8 hours ago from web
I lost masood in the crowd in upper streets of Nosrat the irony was everything was calm there & people overthere shocked by the looks of us
about 8 hours ago from web
it was the biggest disadvantage for us today, police & basij managed to cut off people and prevent them from gathering
about 8 hours ago from web
they also attacked & arrested anyone with any green symbols or mousavi's pictures
about 8 hours ago from web
damned government also armed street thugs & Afghan workers with anti riot shields & wooden or electric batons
about 8 hours ago from web
most of them wearing in house clothings & I think they were really enjoying attacking people
about 8 hours ago from web
apprently when I was wandering in Laleh Park searching for water Shayan managed to take Masood to a local Doctor
about 7 hours ago from web
for a help please found a good way for countering tear & pepper gas, drinking milk didn't help.
about 7 hours ago from web
it looks some people are still out there, I can hear a chopper passing by
about 7 hours ago from web
thanks everybody for the info & links
about 7 hours ago from web
it looks state TV showed the conflict live via traffic cams, saying: enemy agents attacking police in Azady street
about 7 hours ago from web
I have no idea why some people still believe in State TV, a woman told me today you just found a new way for playing around streets
about 7 hours ago from web
lot happened at Shiraz city too, one of few cities standing with Tehran
about 7 hours ago from web
I didn't believe in acid from choppers, but many around the Farsi web talking about it! what the hell is those bastards thinking?!
about 6 hours ago from web
shame on our national army if IRG is really moving tanks & armor inside Tehran & they still do nothing
about 6 hours ago from web
I'm going to sleep a little before joining with the others, please pray for all people of Iran & wish us peace & freedom
about 5 hours ago from web
Praying. Wishing you peace and freedom.
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