This morning I heard on the BBC World Service that the Burmese military dictatorship has started cracking down on the Burmese monks (and the supporters who have joined them) in peaceful marches demanding democratic leadership. Soldiers attempting to suppress the protests have started beating the protesters, firing tear gas, and firing live ammunition over the marching crowds.

I’m not really sure what one blogger can do for the people of Burma beyond trying to make sure people know what’s going on there. The thugs who rule Burma, in addition to stealing as much money as they possibly can from their people, do everything they can to keep news of what’s going on in the country from reaching the outside world. We’ve all grown accustomed to be able to follow breaking events in photos by searching Flickr, but that doesn’t work with countries like Burma.

This post is, more than anything, an expression of solidarity. I hope that these protests will not end with Burmese soldiers gunning down Burmese citizens.

By the way, it is perfectly fine to refer to the country as Burma. Calling it Myanmar only gives legitimacy to the ruling junta. To hell with them.