Iraq Update: Barbershop Talk

Mohammed of ITM went to get his hair cut in the Ba'athist stronghold of Adhamiya (the neighborhood in northern Baghdad that juts out into the Tigris on the east bank). He reports that it is one of the few areas in Iraq where " no one dares to say that what happened was right" for fear of retribution from the Ba'athist gangs.

In Baghdad, as elsewhere, barbershops are a place to talk politics. Mohammed overheard the client ahead of him say to the barber that the list of "agents and spies" (meaning anti-Ba'athist informers) on 20th Street had grown to 250. Choosing his words carefully, Mohammed remarked that the "honest people" (Ba'athists) must be dwindling in numbers and losing support.

Mohammed goes on to say:

"I smiled inside as I remembered the days of Saddam when we couldn’t dare to speak fearing Saddam’s agents who seemed to be everywhere. I was living a somewhat reversed picture from the past and it was a bit amusing. I went adding, " I don’t think it’ll take a long time before things get better" This phrase could be interpreted in 2 different ways but still no one dared to approve of what I said. People here are still afraid of a very small criminal group that is capable of everything and believe they’re the only ones who are right and who have honor while all the rest are cowards spies who should be killed without hesitation.

This was the way Saddam and his assistants used to think. They thought that if they had to sacrifice 24 million Iraqis for the rest to live "honorably" then that was what they would do with clear conscience."

Read the whole post here:Land of Spies

This is good news indeed. As always, don't hold your breath for BBC and CNN to report it. They're still weeping over the downfall of their genocidal hero, Saddam Hussein.

Morning Report: July 23, 2004

Congress on Sudan: It is genocide. AFP article in the Sudan Tribune, without further comment: "The US Congress unanimously passed a resolution declaring the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Sudan, a genocide, and calling on the White House to intervene multilaterally or even unilaterally to stop the violence. By a vote of 422 to zero, the House of Representatives and "the Senate concurring" passed the resolution introduced a month ago by New Jersey Democrat Donald Payne stressing that in Darfur 30,000 people have been "brutally murdered", 130,000 have fled to neighboring Chad and more than one million have been internally displaced by the violence. Quoting the United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator who said that the violence in the poverty-stricken region "appears to be particularly directed at a specific group based on their ethnic identity and appears to be systemized," the resolution "declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide." It urges the US administration of President George W. Bush to "call the atrocities ... by its rightful name: 'genocide,' and calls on it to lead an international effort to prevent it. The resolution, adopted late on Thursday, further calls on the Bush administration "to seriously consider multilateral or even unilateral intervention to prevent genocide should the United Nations Security Council fail to act." It also demands "targeted sanctions, including visa bans and the freezing of assets of the National Congress and affiliated business and individuals directly responsible for the atrocities in Darfur," and urges USAID to help the refugees resettle and rebuild their communities." (Sudan Tribune / Agence France-Presse, via Google)

Israel dispatches Islamic Jihad head man. According to the latest Debka bulletin, "Israeli helicopter-borne rocket hits car in Zeitun district of Gaza City killing two Islamic Jihad terrorists, according to witnesses. One identified as Hatem Rachim who paraded head of Israeli soldier after IDF APC blown up three months ago." (Debka)

Wretchard on the ransom tax. Latest post at the Belmont Club discusses hostage negotiators' " habit of skimming stuff off the top when handling ransom money." Wretchard observes that of about one million offered by the Philippines government for the release of hostage Angelo de la Cruz, the hostage takers only saw about a quarter-million. (Belmont Club)

Danger present for Democrats, Republicans alike. Cliff May reports that Senators Joseph Lieberman (D - Connecticut) and Jon Kyl (R - Arizona) have moved to revive the bipartisan Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), originally a Cold War -era organization dedicated to educating Americans about the danger of Soviet Communism. According to Cliff May on CPD, the organization, founded in 1950, enjoyed a revival in the 1970s under Democratic Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, a staunch anti-Communist. Today, "in its third incarnation, with Senators Lieberman and Kyl as honorary chairmen, the CPD is to focus on terrorism and the movements that are using terrorism to damage and, ultimately they pray, destroy America." (Foundation for the Defense of Democracies)

Goli Ameri out-raises opponent Wu. The Republican challenger for Oregon's first congressional district, Goli Ameri, has outpaced the Democratic incumbent David Wu in fund-raising by more than $100,000, raising nearly $500,000 in the second quarter. Ms. Ameri, the first Iranian-American woman ever to run for US Congress, is running on a strong pro-business and pro-freedom platform. The Tehran-born business leader is the founder of eTinium, a consulting firm for high-tech corporations such as Lucent and Nortel. Oregon's First District includes parts of downtown Portland and extends through the Oregon coast, also including tech-oriented cities like Hillsboro, Beaverton, and Tigard. (Goli Ameri 2004)

Morning Report: July 21, 2004

One giant leap. Yesterday marks T + 35 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing. How long till we go back?

Berger quits Kerry campaign. Samuel Berger, the former National Security Adviser who was caught stuffing classified documents into his pants, has quit his role as informal adviser to John Kerry's presidential campaign. Berger's resignation comes amid reports that Berger is the subject of a criminal investigation in connection with the incident. (Fox)

Al-Qaeda's silent partners? According to this Debka report on Saudi/IRI/Syrian al-Qaeda connections, the triangular "axis" of regimes helping al-Qaeda is still active "when it suits the parties". The article states that the three regimes may now be working to repatriate all of the key players in the 9/11 attacks, including Muhammed Khaled al-Harby (Suleiman al-Makki) - Zuwahiri's son-in-law - and Ibrahim al-Sadiq al-Kaidi. Questioning the 9/11 commission's conclusion that "America had more reason to go to war against Iran than Iraq", Debka argues that it's a case of apples and oranges: al-Qaeda had actually struck separate deals with Ba'athist Iraq and SA/IRI/Syria. In any event, the article concludes: "The thousands of Saudi terrorists who wended their way to and from Afghanistan through Iran are now fighting American troops in Iraq."

Kurdistan Blog

Don't miss the chance to check out Kurdistan Bloggers Union (KBU). They're new, they're smart, they're Kurdish. They'll be on my sidebar, too.

Free Thoughts, Free Words, Free Deeds

There's a wonderful blog you should know about, called Free Thoughts. It's done by a young woman in Italy named Stafania, who is a strong supporter of the cause of Iranian freedom. Recent posts include an article on Zbigniew "Dr. Z" Brzezinski. Go check it out.

Notes from a Muslim Refusenik

Some recent comments from the homepage of Irshad Manji:

Reader comments and Irshad's replies
Posted July 15

"My name is Hamza and I am currently in high school. I was born to Pakistani parents. I want to congratulate you and encourage you on your initiative to help reform Islamic practices. We really need that. I also want to say that I hope you don't leave Islam, like you said you might. We really need people like you in Islam. I have some personal issues that I've been trying to sort out, and issues with my family, and you've kinda been a role model for me. But sometimes you criticize Islam too much. Perhaps you should endorse the true, open-minded, peaceful, forward-thinking Islam more than bashing the ill-practiced Islam in the world today. I wish you the best of luck." - Hamza


Irshad replies: Like you, I think it's vital to promote a positive vision rather than merely complain about what's wrong. Which is why, in The Trouble with Islam, I outline a global campaign to promote innovative approaches to Islam. It all begins with recognizing that Muslims are capable of being more thoughtful and humane than our clerics give us credit for. Your email is proof positive. So are the next two...


"As a young, open-minded Muslim, you can count on my unstinted and unreserved support. The work you have done and are doing is crucial. I am glad there is someone out there, like you, who has the guts to say it all. We Muslims no doubt have to reform ourselves. God bless you, Irshad."- Sheeraz


"I didn't read your book because I live in Jordon. They wouldn't allow it. Thinking is forbidden. But I read an article criticizing you in the local newspaper and I did my search on the web. I never thought someone else could see in a similar way as I do. Islam needs a reform movement. It's about time to re-think the whole thing.


I believe in mind, not myth. One of the greatest errors in the 'divine religions' is that the god who created them didn't install a protection mechanism for the future generations. The point is: working hard and learning to offer a better life for the next generation so they can live successful, healthy and happy is the best way to worship god... Social success requires a lot of work and knowledge. Many religious Muslims escape to religion to cover their failure.


I don't mind being part of a group, but the group that Islam represents is the furthest one from me. I prefer 'faith' much more than 'religion.'" - Tareq

Morning Report: July 20, 2004

Former Clinton aide probed for classified mishandling. The national security advisor for the Clinton administration, Samuel "Sandy" Berger, is under federal criminal investigation for allegedly removing classified documents from a secure area. During his preparation for the 9/11 commission hearings, Berger is said to have taken documents and notes from the National Security Archives without proper authorization. Berger states that he took the documents "inadvertently". (CNN)

Taheri: Iran to be 2004 election issue. In a recent article, Amir Taheri notes the importance of Iran in the upcoming US presidential campaign. Taheri notes that the IRI's nuclar ambitions are causing growing concern "even in European circles" and that a UN resolution on Iran could be on the table as early as this fall. He faults the Bush administration for its lack of a clear Iran policy - partly due to internal divisions in Washington. (See my May 6 post "State vs. Defense".) Kerry, on the other hand, unequivocally espouses an appeasement policy. Tahei concludes that he hopes the upcoming election will force Bush to clarify his policy on Iran (perhaps taking a harder line to distinguish himself from Kerry) while persuading Kerry to take a more "realistic" approach. (Benador)

Farewell, cruel blogosphere ... oh, never mind.

Rachel Lucas has withdrawn her blogicide note and returned to blogging. It's great to have her back.

Rachel ... you go, girl!

Morning Report: July 14, 2004

Constitutional gay marriage ban likely to die. "The constitutional amendment we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans ... It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them." So said Senator John McCain (R - Arizona) of the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. McCain's words illustrate why many Republicans oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment. Further complicating matters is the wording of the proposed amendment's second clause, which states: "Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman." Some critics, including Andrew Sullivan and Oregon's Republican Senator Gordon Smith, charge that this could be interpreted to deny existing domestic-partner benefits to gay couples. In fact, the FMA seems unlikely to achieve even a simple majority in the Senate, much less the two-thirds vote it would need to clear this first hurdle (followed by a 2/3 majority in the House and ratification by 3/4 of state legislatures). All things considered, it seems unlikely that the FMA will pass. (CNN)

Bulgaria stands firm. According to latest reports, Bulgaria will stay on in Iraq despite the reported killing of one Bulgarian hostage and the threatened killing of another. (Channel News Asia)

Morning Report: July 13, 2004

RP surrenders to terrorists. The government of the
Phillipines announced it would pull out peacekeepers following the kidnapping of a Filipino in Iraq. In a refreshingly candid statement, RP foreign minister Rafael Segulis delcared on al-Jazeera that "following the demands of the hostage-takers, the Philippines will withdraw its humanitarian force from Iraq as soon as possible." (CNN)

OBL aide surrenders to Saudi authorities. A top aide to Osama bin Laden surrendered in Iran to Saudi Arabia under an offer of amnesty from the kingdom, according to recent reports. Abu Suleiman al-Makki (Khaled al-Harby) is reported to have given himself up at the Saudi embassy in Iran. (VOA)

A Few Thoughts About Blogging

They say blogging is the wave of the future, and I suppose it's true. It certainly can be addictive: after only about ten weeks, I find I'm compelled to blog. When I'm away from the keyboard, I can only think about what I want to write on my next post. And when I'm writing, I feel fulfilled and empowered - as if I'm finally able to communicate my ideas to the outside world, which had hitherto proved to be an indifferent and unsympathetic listener. And I know this is a good way for me to spend my time. But the question I have to ask myself is: how much of a good thing is too much?

So thank you all, for your support. I have really enjoyed writing Dreams Into Lightning. I feel I've made an important and meaningful contribution to political discourse. I've learned a lot, and met lots of wonderful people online. But now the time has come to take stock of my priorities and to make some hard choices about how I expend my precious personal energy. And so I am going to make this post on Dreams Into Lightning my











... had you going there, didn't I?

DiL resumes normal operations tomorrow morning. Morning Report to report for duty. Wonder what's going to come out about Cpl. Hassoun? Oh, and I can't wait to tell you about my new place.

See you soon.

Rachel Lucas calls it quits

Rachel, I'll miss your piquance, impudence, and especially ordnance. But you know what's best for you. Do what you gotta do.