Today’s video of the day comes from The O’Reilly Factor, where James T. Harris and I discussed the racial dimensions of the media coverage of Michael Jackson’s death.

Yesterday, the global community suffered a devastating loss, as Michael Jackson joined the ancestors at the age of 50. What are your favorite memories of the King of Pop?

Today’s videos of the day are offered in honor of Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of all time, who passed away yesterday.

For the past two weeks, the world’s attention has been focused on the crisis in Iran. After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s heavily disputed victory over Hossein Mousavi, the Iranian people took to the streets to protest the results of the election. In an effort to stamp out the protests, the Iranian government promptly released security and militia forces, which arrested, beat, and even killed man of those who voiced their opposition. As this spectacle plays out on the global stage, I find myself overwhelmed by feelings of pride and shame.

Despite a lack of resources and the looming presence of state-sponsored terrorism, the Iranian people have risked their lives in an unlikely struggle. Although the odds are immense and victory is far from certain, their commitment to freedom and democracy is both astounding and inspiring. Even as I challenge the protests as somewhat reactionary and misguided –in my estimation, Mousavi does not represent a better political alernative than Ahmadinejad—I can’t help but smile at the latest instance of oppressed people fighting for freedom.

The events in Iran also serve as a sobering reminder of how weak the American activist community has been for decades. Of course, the social, political, and economic conditions of Iran are far more dire than those in the US. Still, there remains an array of issues worthy of our collective outrage. In 2000, President Bush was appointed  president by the Supreme Court due to multiple layers of fraud Florida. In 2004, Bush was re-elected by the margin of voter suppression in Ohio. Since then, dozens of innocent people have been murdered by police, thousands wrongfully incarcerated and millions subjected to substandard housing, healthcare, schooling, and protection under the law. Our government continues to prosecute wars of choice that have more to due with money than justice. Despite these circumstances, we have done little. We have risked nothing. We have grown complacent.

If we learn anything from the current Iranian protests, it is that freedom and justice must be protected at all costs. As Americans, this means that we must recover our thirst for freedom and democracy. We must be willing to lay our lives on the line in the interest of freedom, justice, and equality. We must be willing to sacrifice everything in order to force America to live up to its democratic promise. What are you willing to risk?