Despite massive opposition by the Iranian people, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad managed to win the 2009 Iranian presidential election, once again.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. hopes the outcome of the election reflects “the genuine will and desire” of the Iranian people.

As an Iranian, I would like to respond to Mrs. Clinton that it is not what the Iranian people “desire,” but what they “deserve”.  This group of highly educated intellectuals whom carry the history, culture and moral values not familiar to many in western societies want democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to share their valued opinions and ideals.

Many Iranians were determined not to participate in this election in order to demonstrate their opposition to the Islamic Republic, regardless of its candidates.
However, realizing they might end up with the worst of the two demons, Ahmadinejad, they decided to drop off their ballots at the polling sites.

In today’s Iran, two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30 and they make up one-third of the presidential election’s eligible voters.  Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Ahmadinejad’s rival, relied on these young voters since they are the generation who missed the 1979 Islamic Revolution.  This generation does not remember 1980s when Mousavi was prime minister and played a key role in shutting down university campuses, forcing women to go under veils while silencing protesters.
This generation does not recognize any other Iran, but the current one.  Iranian youth never got a taste of Iran prior to governance of the Islamic Republic.

While the late Shah made his own share of mistakes such as the excessive utilization of his corrupted secret police Savak, who altered and misused the power granted upon them.

Nonetheless, Iran was a country respected and reverenced throughout the world.  Its rise in modernization and military power intimidated  leading nations such as the United States, Britain and Russia.  For that reason, the Shah had to go.

Currently, it does not matter if it is Ahmadinejad or Mousavi.  They are only puppets to Islamic Republic’s key player who holds greatest political authority, Khamenei.  Crucial policies and issues of Iran rest with the ruling clerics headed by Khamenei.  The elected president shall be the individual who is identified most fit for the job by these clerics.  Today, it was Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian people deserve a country, in which the text messaging system does not go down during presidential election time, nor Websites get blocked, nor Internet connections become dramatically slow that it would interfere with news organizations transmitting information.

The Iranian people deserve a country in which the youth does not get executed for speaking their minds, and women do not get stoned to death under the name of God while the crucial act is being encouraged to and witnessed by children.

As in the past, change in Iranian government does not seem feasible without the guidance and assistance of greater nations such as the United States.  Although many would argue with me as to why the U.S. has to be the watchdog and meddle in other nation’s affairs, this one time it is not meddling.  It is the opinion of many scholars and politicians that the United States brought the Islamic republic to Iran.  After 30 years, isn’t it time to re-examine the situation?