Hengameh Solouki sentenced.

30-month prison sentence for female civil activist Hengameh Solouki

There is so much that we in the west don't hear about. This is very ironic, considering the internet has made it ever easier for us to get access to news from the rest of the world. Maybe it's because we don't care, or perhaps it's because we are overwhelmed. All too often, people turn their backs. However, we need to know and we need to care.

First of all, these are real people. What does it take? A Hollywood movie with some actor/actress that we recognize to make us care? Is it only real when we see it on the big screen with CGI?

Second, these events have a fall out. In case people have forgotten, it was the events in Iran that caused many changes to take place in our political chessboard. Some feel that Carter lost the election to Ronald Reagan over how he messed up the hostage crisis.

We must not forget that we did not always have our rights. The fact that we can walk behind a booth and vote is something people in many parts of the planet are dying for. There are people who are denied access to Youtube and the internet for religious and political reasons. Women may be forbidden to attend school in some parts of the planet.

I cannot turn off that switch in my head that tells me not to care. Not merely because I was a political science student at university, but also because I want others to have the same options as myself.

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