Distraction Is Another Sure Way To Fail The Cause Of Iranian Freedom*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

How happy so many seem to move on from the patently disturbing fight for freedom in Iran to the trivial and much more pleasant death of a musician's star tragically dissipated through drug abuse, excess, and wholesale perversion. And this while the family of Neda Soltan has been evicted from their home and staffers at the British Embassy in Iran have been arrested.

Not that there hasn't been a sobering focus on the Iranian cause through a token show of support in a resolution introduced by Rep. Mike Pence. To be sure, both Republicans and Democrats in the House overwhelmingly voted in support of the Iranian people (except, of course, for lone isolationist loony Ron Paul, who is representing some sort of crazed constituency). But such support is easy, politically speaking, even if it does strike the right tone.

Contrast this event with the bizarre moment of silence held in Congress on behalf of Michael Jackson instead of the Iranian people, and one can easily discern the moral weakness of our times. And this is clearly no time for weakness.

Yet strangely enough, there seems to be an almost irrepressible desire to drop this issue of hard fought freedom for Michael Jackson or whatever else the warm winds of Hollywood graciously deposit into the morning newscast. In fact, the morning after Jackson's death almost brought down Twitter, the main conduit between Iranian citizens fighting for freedom and the world outside. It seems the adage out of sight, out of mind is not so much a tired cliche as a steely Western mindset--given that those things out of sight are uncomfortable and perhaps disturbing to think about.

So here the question must be asked: can we really afford to laud the odd passing of this undeniably talented musician and probable pedophile to the exclusion of the brave voices calling for freedom inside Iran?

We clearly cannot.

Distraction from this crucial struggle for freedom will be devastating to those actually fighting for their rights on the streets in Tehran. And failing to attend in a firm and positive manner to this warfare for basic rights--one with physical, ideological, and moral underpinnings that reach well beyond the Middle East and the next few years--will do much more to harm our American image abroad than anything critics of the previous administration might toss about for the purpose of political point making.

To be sure, we must continue to raise our voices--both individually and through our elected leaders, including a disappointingly timid President Obama--as the cost of apathy and appeasement will assuredly be more innocent Iranian lives. And it will also mean the best opportunity for freedom in Iran will have slipped away for no other reason than our own inexplicable lack of courage.

And we're not even the ones professing our loyalty to freedom in the streets.