Protest or terrorism?

Whether or not the Iranian election results were the result of chicanery (the WaPo, oddly enough, suggests that they may not have been), the demonstrations are certainly real enough.

As with the color revolutions in other countries, these demonstrations seem to be the result of genuine dissatisfaction with the powers that be amongst the middle class, possibly inflamed by some 'outside agitators' from you know where.

The really strange thing is that the US has made a specialty of suppressing demonstrations, the DoD regards protesting as 'low-level terrorism' but evidently just in the US. Iranians, Lebanese, Georgians are all encouraged to demonstrate against their governments, while here organizers are arrested before the demonstrations even start, 'free speech zones' are little areas tucked away from possible witnesses (not even necessary for the press, they ignore US protests instinctively), and anyone who does get to a protest is confined in steel grids until ordered to disperse (followed by the inability to disperse and subsequent beatings and arrests).

The main talent of the US press, like that of a good party member in Oceania, is to be able to believe two (or more) contradictory ideas simultaneously. This has been another good example and a lesson to all you budding 'journalists' out there. Protest or terrorism?, depends on who's doing it, and where.