The part that most applies to me:<p>"Large-scale protests have failed to materialize. Even if they had, protests rarely have an impact unless they threaten regime survival"<p>I don't like protests. I attended one, and then skipped the next one. I think there's a broad feeling that it hasn't yet reached the need to threaten the survival of the regime yet -- but the author is correct that her personal survival is indeed under threat. So I am making the choice that her survival does not merit me risking my own life (which would be the consequence of a protest with any chance of working).<p>The best mechanism for protecting her would be the voting booth. We failed at that in November. We might get another chance in 18 months, but we might not, and even if we do, there's every reason to think we'll fail again. She cannot take that risk.<p>So I've failed her. I think it's important to take that responsibility. It's not just on me, but there are a lot of people who should have helped, and didn't. They failed her, and I failed to convinced them that they should.<p>I am sorry that she has to blow up her life to be safe. I hope that people are reading this, and that they see the thing that I see in it. The ones who are persecuting her will not change, but I'd like to think that there are enough people who will make the absolute minimum effort to prevent that.<p>If not, it will get worse and worse, and eventually it will come for me. And I wish I knew how to get through to people that it will come for them.