Iranians defying the Mullahs by celebrating Nowruz, the pre-Islamic Persian New Year

If the Iranian people want freedom from the mullahs, they know -now- not to expect help from Barack Obama or anyone who thinks like him.

Obama To Iran Green Revolution Dissidents: Drop Dead   "During their brutally suppressed protests in 2009, Iranian freedom fighters sent the White House an urgent memo calling for help. Under Obama, America ignored it.

. . . "President Obama made his choice, and like so often before it was to vote “present*.' ".  * Just to prove a point, this link is from the strongly leftist 2007 "Mother Jones".

All that said, here is the featured post:
Shokooh Mirzadegi  ". . . In order to survive, Iranians have had no choice but to resort to the essence and fabric of their culture of joy, beauty and kindness. Iranians have discovered that culture can be the best antidote to a government’s inhumanity that has brought them nothing but despair, sorrow and anger.

"This year, on the eve of yet another spring and at the dawn of the thirty-eighth year of civil disobedience, we, the lovers of Iranian culture, will once again renew our struggle with this current culturecidal government of Iran. A struggle for our natural rights of freedom and our rights to be happy and inevitably bring down this sullen army of anti-liberty and anti-happiness, ultimately to their knees."

Shokooh Mirzadegi began her literary work, both as a novelist and a poet with Ferdowsi magazine and Kayhān daily in the late 1960s in Iran. Over the past four decades, she has been one of the most active figures in the Iranian literary community, both inside and outside Iran. She is currently residing with her husband in the US.

Remember when young Iranians made this video and were later arrested by the Iran authorities? There was once joy in Iran; Obama could have helped to restore it but chose the Mullahs instead. As was his wont, Obama voted "present".

Oh, how'd that all work out for them?
Iran's 'Happy' Dancers Sentenced to 91 Lashes "The seven young Iranians who were arrested for creating a dancing video response to Pharrell's "Happy" have been sentenced to jail time (ranging from six months to one year) and 91 lashes each, according to Associated Press.
 . . .. "After their May arrest, the seven Iranians were humiliated and forced to repent for their actions on state television. But they found support from a dumbfounded Pharrell, who tweeted that month, "It's beyond sad these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness." Meanwhile, Iranian police chief Hossein Sajedinia called their "Happy" send-up "vulgar," saying it "hurt public chastity."