Certain quotes by our presidents or our heroes resonate forever in our subconscious.
Martin Luther King Jr. had his, “I have a dream”; John F. Kennedy had his, “ Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”; and Ronald Reagan had, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”.
To me, long after George W. Bush has walked off into sunset, we will remember his quote, “Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear”.
In the aftermath of a week of unrest in Iran, the government brazenly announced that 4000 people had been arrested.
Mass arrests in Iran are not something new and those who have followed the actions and policies of the clerics expected such a Crackdown.
What is shocking is the muted response from the world community.
The United States has been an advocate of change in Iran since the Islamic revolution, or at least since the backdoor attempt by the Reagan administration to make friends with Khomeini and his clique failed.
The world has come to expect the chants of "Death to America" from the supporters of the Mullahs in Iran and a reactive amount of vitriol from various U.S. Administrations.
Most however thought that George W. Bush meant business when he called Iran a member of the Axis of Evil and support for the freedom-seeking Iranians a moral obligation for those in the West.
If that is the case, why the deafening silence in the face of a mass arrest of 4000 "freedom-seeking Iranians"? When the Chinese students were mowed down in Tiananmen Square, the world did not ease the pressure on the Chinese government until most of those arrested were released.
The American government gave Chinese students in the United States temporary protected status and teased and prodded the Chinese leadership into a more civilized behavior towards its citizens.
It is quite possible that our patience in the United States is borne out of a tacit deal with the Iranian clerics. They do not meddle directly into the United States' affairs and Shiite relationships in Iraq and in return, we do not encourage an overthrow of the government in Iran. If that is in fact the case, we have already lost the moral authority to demand freedom for the region. If that is not the case, we must act now. The overwhelming majority of Iranian people want peace and freedom and look to the U.S. as a friend. It is time that we stop watching in silence as the body of Iranian discontent twists in the wind.
It is time for Mr. Bush to back up his speech with real support for the Iranian people.

FREEDOM IN IRAN HAS STIRRED.