By Jody Lee
radio host, author, political and lifestyle blogger, media consultant
Published: June 23, 2009

Well, not so much “what” but “who”.  They may be protesting for more individual rights and for fairness in government, but is the man who is – for the moment – the figurehead of their protests worthy of that position?
If not, it could turn out to be a serious setback to their movement.  A movement that is showing signs of momentum, though I would not compare it – as some have – to the Iranian version of Teheneman Square.

Still….

Mir Hossein Mousavi – the opposition leader – is now supported by former president and reformist Mohammad Khatami.

Hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is backed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran.

The names may be tricky for some of us, but we would do well to learn and remember them.  See, this is all made even more confusing by Iran’s government-controlled media.  “7 people dead in protests!  No, wait, it’s 27!  It’s a massacre!  It’s a mistake!” Despite the efforts of American reporters to get the truth out, it is a struggle.  Add in images from Twitter and the like and it gets even hard to figure out what is really going on.

It is important though.  And it will become moreso in the weeks/months to come.  So we have to try to keep up. 

Any insights, comments and/or opinions on the situation in Iran are welcome, as always.

As for me, I’m just trying to keep up.