Sohrab Ahmari seethes at the conflation of the two:
"This was absolutely inspired by Tahrir Square, by the Arab Spring movement," a protestor told New York Times editorialist Nicholas Kristof — who gushingly approved the comparison in his column. Next came David Swanson, an organizer with Occupy Washington, D.C., who took to Press TV, the state-run organ of the Islamist regime in Iran, to denounce Congress and President Obama, and mark the dawn of an American Spring.
"Well, you have a president [Barack Obama] who is not just continuing these wars and expanding on abuses of civil rights but is introducing job killing corporate trade agreements," Swanson told PressTV’s anchor, ranting incoherently. "You have a Congress that now has a caucus to represent the interests of unmanned drones and people feel shut out, 99 percent of us feel shut out and we planned this occupation to begin on Thursday in Washington D.C. months ago inspired by the Arab Spring to mark the ten-year anniversary of invading Afghanistan." That the outlet he was addressing represents a brutal theocracy with the blood of thousands of dissidents on its hands seemed to have eluded Mr. Swanson.
Ahmari's bottom line:
[T]o make the comparison is to denigrate the courage of brave young Arab dissidents who took on ruthless dictatorial regimes entrenched for decades.
(Hat tip: Kirchick)
The Dish 