A Candle for Iran?

HT:GS].
.... And just then, on December 13, 1981, the lights went out again. At midnight, as a soft snow fell lightly on Warsaw, a police raid commenced upon the headquarters of Lech Walesa's Solidarity labor union. The Polish communist government, consenting to orders from Moscow, declared martial law. Solidarity's freedom-fighters were shot or imprisoned. The flames of liberty were being snuffed out in this pivotal Eastern European nation.

But as Poles prayed for light to pierce the shadows, some remarkable things began to transpire. A week and a half later, the Polish ambassador, along with his wife, defected to the United States. Right away, they wanted to see Ronald Reagan. Reagan welcomed them into the Oval Office. They were overwhelmed. The ambassador's wife wept as Vice President George H. W. Bush put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

The ambassador then made an extraordinary request: "May I ask you a favor, Mr. President? Would you light a candle and put it in the window tonight for the people of Poland?" Ronald Reagan rose and walked to the second floor, lighted a candle, and put it in the White House window.

But Reagan wanted to do more than that. He saw a window of opportunity.

So on December 23, with Christmas only two days away, speaking to all of America in a nationwide address, Ronald Reagan connected the spirit of the season with events in Poland: "For a thousand years," he told his fellow Americans (watch video here), "Christmas has been celebrated in Poland, a land of deep religious faith, but this Christmas brings little joy to the courageous Polish people. They have been betrayed by their own government." The president then took a remarkable liberty: He asked Americans that Christmas season to light a candle in support of freedom in Poland.

It was a significant gesture -- for Poland, for America, for a free world. Poles heard about it and took it to heart. They still talk about it today.

What does this have to do with President Obama and Iran? Everything. To wit: How about doing something similar for Iranians today? Why not light a candle as a sign of hope for Iran's freedom-fighters? If not a candle, then something -- some kind of overt public display.

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image toon - 1st iran = Oby poster = don't want involved