"Every man can follow his own conscience, provided it does not interfere with sane reason or bid him against the liberty of his fellow-men." - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
I
spent 4 years in Turkey and I know this good and democratic people
well. I can truly say that the most memorable and wonderful place I have
lived, out of 35 countries, in my life, is the Democratic Republic of
Turkey. Turkey is not an Islamic republic. It follows the democratic
constitution of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and which he wrote for a secular nation. 
Though
Turkey has had a history of abuse in the past and had a tough time
getting to true freedom, since the rise of power of the great and
freedom-loving president, The Late Turgut Ozal, whom I personal met
three times, Turkey has enjoyed real freedom and a vibrant democratic
election process. I can say that having lived there and married there
and worked in Bilkent University there for over 4 years. 
One
of the major tenants of a free nation is its people's right to protest
peaceably. This situation has highlighted the growing revelation that
the present government in Turkey is too pro-Islamic and brutal to the
nation of people and that refuses to allow their people to follow a
constitution that has always guaranteed their right to be free. 
This
should not shock anyone here nor should it cause us to judge the
Turkish people for their protest. They are smarter and braver than we
are now in America, because the same evil and dictatorial abuses of
power are taking place right here in "The land of the Free and Home of
the Brave." That term is no longer fitting in Obama's America.
Two Tyrants putting their heads together!
I stand with the FREE PEOPLE of the Republic of Turkey and say...Ne mutlu Türküm diyene! - Steven Clark Bradley 
Read this letter and see what it takes to oppose tyranny and ask yourself if you are willing to stand up and be arrested to maintain your right to be free as these brave Turkish people are willing to do.
(Sumandef Hakkinda writes on what's behind the movement - and how Turkish media are refusing to report it)
To my friends who live outside of Turkey: I am writing to let you know what is going on in Istanbul for the last five days. I personally have to write this because most of the media sources are shut down by the government and word of mouth and the internet are the only ways left for us to explain ourselves and call for help and support.
Four days ago a group of people who did not belong to any specific organization or ideology got together in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. Among them there were many of my friends and students. Their reason was simple: To prevent and protest the upcoming demolishing of the park for the sake of building yet another shopping mall at very center of the city. There are numerous shopping malls in Istanbul, at least one in every neighborhood! The tearing down of the trees was supposed to begin early Thursday morning. People went to the park with their blankets, books and children. They put their tents down and spent the night under the trees. Early in the morning when the bulldozers started to pull the hundred-year-old trees out of the ground, they stood up against them to stop the operation.
They did nothing other than standing in front of the machines. No newspaper, no television channel was there to report the protest. It was a complete media blackout. But the police arrived with water cannon vehicles and pepper spray. They chased the crowds out of the park.
In the evening the number of protesters multiplied. So did the number of police forces around the park. Meanwhile the local government of Istanbul shut down all the ways leading up to Taksim Square, where Gezi Park is located. The metro was shut down, ferries were cancelled, roads were blocked. Yet more and more people made their way up to the center of the city by walking.
They came from all around Istanbul. They came from all different backgrounds, different ideologies, different religions. They all gathered to prevent the demolition of something bigger than the park: The right to live as honorable citizens of this country.
They gathered and marched. Police chased them with pepper spray and tear gas and drove their tanks over people who offered the police food in return. Two young people were run over by the tanks and were killed. Another young woman, a friend of mine, was hit in the head by one of the incoming tear gas canisters. The police were shooting them straight into the crowd. After a three hour operation she is still in the Intensive Care Unit and in a very critical condition. As I write this we don’t know if she is going to make it. This blog is dedicated to her.
No hidden agenda
These people are my friends. They are my students, my relatives. They have no 'hidden agenda', as the state likes to say. Their agenda is out there. It is very clear. The whole country is being sold to corporations by the government, for the construction of malls, luxury condominiums, freeways, dams and nuclear plants. The government is looking for (and creating when necessary) any excuse to attack Syria against its people’s will.
On top of all that, the government’s control over its people’s personal lives has become unbearable as of late. The state, under its conservative agenda, passed many laws and regulations concerning abortion, cesarean birth, sale and use of alcohol and even the colour of lipstick worn by the airline stewardesses.
People who are marching to the center of Istanbul are demanding their right to live freely and receive justice, protection and respect from the state. They demand to be involved in the decision-making processes about the city they live in. What they have received instead is excessive force and enormous amounts of tear gas shot straight into their faces. Three people lost their eyes.
Yet they still march. Hundred of thousands join them. A couple of thousand more passed the Bosporus Bridge on foot to support the people of Taksim.
No newspaper or TV channel was there to report the events. They were busy with broadcasting news about Miss Turkey and 'the strangest cat in the world'.
Police kept chasing people and spraying them with pepper spray to an extent that stray dogs and cats were poisoned and died by it.
Schools, hospitals and even 5 star hotels around Taksim Square opened their doors to the injured. Doctors filled the classrooms and hotel rooms to provide first aid. Some police officers refused to spray innocent people with tear gas and quit their jobs. Around the square they placed jammers to prevent internet connection and 3G networks were blocked. Residents and businesses in the area provided free wireless networks for the people on the streets. Restaurants offered food and water for free.
People in Ankara and Izmir gathered on the streets to support the resistance in Istanbul. Mainstream media kept showing Miss Turkey and 'the strangest cat in the world'.
***
I am writing this letter so that you know what is going on in Istanbul. Mass media will not tell you any of this. Not in my country at least. Please post as many articles as you see on the Internet and spread the word.
As I was posting articles that explained what is happening in Istanbul on my Facebook page last night someone asked me the following question: 'What are you hoping to gain by complaining about our country to foreigners?' This blog is my answer to her.
By so called 'complaining' about my country I am hoping to gain:
Freedom of expression and speech,
Respect for human rights,
Control over the decisions I make concerning my on my body,
The right to legally congregate in any part of the city without being considered a terrorist.
But most of all by spreading the word to you, my friends who live in other parts of the world, I am hoping to get your awareness, support and help!
Please spread the word and share this blog. Thank you!
Sumandef, TRUE FREEDOM-LOVING AMERICANS STAND WITH YOU AND YOUR TRUE FREEDOM-LOVING PEOPLE!
- Steven Clark Bradley
___________________________
Watch & Get Your Copies Today!!!
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