John Hancock 2.0

More than 250 Iranian intellectuals have signed a petition criticizing Ayatollah Khamenei and stating:

People (and their elected lawmakers) have the right to fully supervise their rulers, criticize them, and remove them from power if they are not satisfied.

That comes close on the heels of unprecedented public calls for the Ayatollah's hanging. Not long ago, of course, signing this kind of petition would've been tantamount to signing your death warrant. Since authoritarian regimes ultimately rely on a thin layer of fear to maintain control—there aren't enough police to keep an entire population in subjection without it—the fact that it's gone this far is a pretty good sign that the tipping point has been passed. This story, though, is not a little disconcerting. Let's hope the G8 countries don't decide that democratic reform in Iran just isn't convenient right now.