I think last night was the first night in a long time when I was hounded by nightmares...and not about my future as a father. As the world watches, Iran continues it's attempts at diplomacy with presidential elections, though the outcome is become much more violent than anywhere in America or Britian.

We've all heard of police beating up peaceful demonstrators, some making the comparison of Tehran to Tiennamen Square. Last night was a nail in a coffin for me. But first, a little backround.

Last night, as soon as my favorite tuesday night show was over (Deadliest Catch on Discovery), I gave complete television control to my wife, and slipped up onto CNN.com to check out the latest news. Of course, it was more and more about Iran. There was also an article that had caught my eye...."Neda makes unlikely martyr."

Clicking on it, I mostly skimmed the article, reading up on the horrific murder of this innocent 16 year old girl by a cold-blooded sniper...seemingly someone working for the government. The article spoke of the grief of the father, and the outrage of the people that had SEEN this murder occur on YouTube. I didn't believe it. Jumping onto YouTube, I typed in Neda's name, and clicked on the first video that popped up. I don't want to get graphic...but I'm haunted. The girls eyes seemed to focus upon the person taping her death...and the look in her eye said she knew she was dying. I couldn't watch the whole thing. I barely slept a wink last night. It was too close to home to my own nightmares which I have buried for the past six years. I wept for Neda and her family (yes, fish can cry). I pray for them today. Honestly, I don't even know if this is in the right place. Today, I'm a bit numbed by what I saw. Who says that watching something on television makes it easier to watch....

No decent human being could fail to fill compassion for this young girl and her family. Her father watched as the life blood poured from his young daughter. What a total sense of powerlessness to be unable to help your child. And of course the Iranian authorities place the blame for her death on her own shoulders for attending a peaceful demonstration.

I hope this won't become another Tienanmen Square, where the government forces the people into silence and forgetfulness. Whatever the government is able to do to silence their own people will not stop the world from knowing and remembering. Neda is the new poster child that symbolizes the corrupt religious leadership of a morally bankrupt nation.

Fish, after what you described, I can't even bring myself to watch the video. Just you and cmp's description is haunting and saddening enough.
It hurts me that our President isn't being more supportive of the "freedom fighters" over there. The Iranian people thirst for the way we have it here, even showing their demonstration signs in English. I wish we could be more supportive, even if it's just the words from our President. He could say something like "We in America are behind you and pray you win your right to freedom from this tyrannical government". Wouldn't that have been something that would be uplifting for him to say? Hell, maybe even dropping pamphlets overhead, just do or say something!

Larry...don't watch. The fact that I was able to sit through half of it sickens me. It almost didn't seem real, but I knew that it was, and that a child was never going to see another sunrise.

I wept all night. Had nightmares. Was shaken all day. As for President Obama....I have to agree with his actions, or...as you point out...his non-action. This is something that the people of Iran must figure out on their own. Change how things are being run, stand up for themselves. Until they do that, no real change will ever come.