Oakland and Tehran

Imagine if John Kerry, on the heels of a failed presidential bid, decided to become mayor of a small city with problems (say Springfield, Massachusetts), because he believed so strongly in public service that he wanted to create genuine change, even if this meant acting locally, and dealing with cops, criminals, and sanitation trucks.

That's essentially what Jerry Brown did when he became mayor of Oakland, California. Say what you like about 'governor moonbeam' - he's engaged in honest, progressive realpolitic. It should be no surprise that he's also a blogger, and a real one, not another politician supported by interns and hacks. A sure sign of credibility - he's already getting heat from local media.

But what caught my eye was a recent post that takes up the cause of Iranian dissident blogger Arash Sigarchi. Brown has guts to support this cause. Many on the Left are more afraid of a perceived victory for Bush than they are in favor of the downfall of the mullahs.

Shouldn't we be universally offended by a society that locks up it's citizens for practicing free speech - or publicly flogs teenagers for having sex?