Morning Report: November 2, 2004

Filmmaker Theo van Gogh slain. Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh - a relative of the famous painter of the same last name - was murdered in Amsterdam, in apparent retaliation for a film critical of the treatment of women in Islam. According to the AP article, van Gogh had received threats after the airing in August of the film "Submission". The film's writer, a Somali-born ex-Muslim woman named Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has been under police protection. Ms. Ali is a member of the Dutch parliament. For more on women and Islam, please visit Irshad Manji.

Anti-regime resistance in Ahwaz, Iran. According to this item at Free Iran: 'Tens of residents rushed to rescue the ambulant sellers,
located in the Imam Khomeini (former Pahlavi) avenue, in order to oppose the regime's militiamen who were seen
attacking them and trying to confiscate their assets. Stones and sticks responded to the militiamen's tear gas and heavy clubs while slogans were shouted against the Islamic regime and its leaders.' More resources on Iranian freedom activism are available at the Free Iran homepage.

Tel Aviv bombing signals Palestinian power play. A November 1 bombing in Tel Aviv, which killed four Israelis, was carried out by the Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This is the PFLP's first attack since the 2002 pizzeria bombing, and it may indicate that the group is eager for a bigger share in the post-Arafat Palestinian Authority. Analysts point out that the rejectionist PFLP is a long-time rival of Arafat's Fatah faction, and has accused Fatah of accommodating Israel by recognizing the Jewish state's right to exist; hence, the attack can be seen as an attempt by rejectionist elements to reassert themselves. Debka views it as a direct message to Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen):

The blast which killed four Israelis and injured more than 30 must also have echoed in the ears of US secretary of state Colin Powell a day after he urged Abbas to get moving and assert control of the Palestinian Authority. Abu Mazen was already in receipt of a flood of threats from the absent leader’s supporters, who showered the West Bank with leaflets vilifying him and accusing his son, Yasser Abbas, of corruption. The writers asked: “Would you want the man who raised this son to lead and educate the rising Palestinian generation?” As part of their campaign to prevent Abu Mazen’s takeover, the ailing leader’s close advisers, from the base they established in Paris, pumped out optimistic reports suggesting he was on the road to a miraculous recovery. ...

Further information and analysis is available through Stratfor.

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY IN THE UNITED STATES. Vote.

Update

So there it is, just to your right, appearing in honor of Election Day: my spiffy new sidebar. I've added quite a few new links, and organized it just a bit, so please feel free to explore.

The sidebar reflects most of my major interests: current events, feminism, human rights, gender, science. I've also added some internal links, reflecting the fact that Dreams Into Lightning is now six months old and has accumulated a modest amount of material.

THE PORTLAND MUKHABARAT (thanks to MJT for that great phrase) includes: Michael J. Totten himself; Emily at Strangechord, who was among a class at Portland State that I was invited to address (thank you Prof. Liebman); Auntie Cracker, who sent me some words of encouragement on my blog; and Alas, a Blog and Jason Holliston, both of whom I owe to MJT.

WOMEN now includes links to Curve and Girlfriends magazines, and also to the We'Moon homepage. Of the numerous women's communes that flourished in Oregon since the late 1970s, We'Moon has been one of the most successful, and their famous datebook calendars are now available in color.

ACTIVIST AND HUMANITARIAN will be getting more links soon; keep an eye out.

POLITICAL AND NON-POLITICAL BLOGS is just that, and in no particular order. (A few of the links aren't technically "blogs".) I've added a few, some new and some long-overdue.

GYPSIES, QUEERS, AND DAVID'S STARS takes its title from a line in Amy Ray's wonderfully twisted version of the folk classic, "This Train Revised", performed by The Indigo Girls. (It's the last track on the Indigo Girls' utterly sublime album "Swamp Ophelia".)

Skipping down to MISSED OPPORTUNITIES, these are some of my more important posts from Dreams Into Lightning. ORIGINAL FICTION is just that; I'm hoping to get some new pieces going after the election is over. And for those who just can't get ENOUGH OF ME, I'm collecting my longer posts and series at "Dreams Into Lightning Amalgamated" (thanks to Canadian Headhunter Michael for that great word). Currently playing at DiL Amalgamated: complete "New Republican" series.

I'll continue to update and upgrade my sidebar as time permits. Stay tuned.

The American Elections and the Mideast

The 444 days, and September 11.
Amir Taheri in Arab News

... The embassy seizure showed that Americans were no longer safe outside their homeland and that even diplomatic immunity would not protect them. The 9/11 attacks showed that the Americans were no longer safe even in their own homeland, and that no amount of military clout could protect them against enemies that recognized no bounds.

In a sense the Nov. 4, 1979 attack on the US Embassy in Tehran could be regarded as the opening scene of a long drama that reached its catharsis on Sept. 11, 2001. ...

BBC-Arabic on Bush and Kerry.
Iraq the Model

Bush is a better choice than Kerry.
Regardless of the reasons behind the war in Iraq, I’m hearing news about Iraqis happy with the liberation and frankly speaking, some of the Arab media are very hypocritic when it comes to the situation in Iraq and they exaggerate things greatly.
We-the Arabs-are getting to understand many new subjects”
Mohammed Kerim Al Sabti - Oman.

“If John Kerry wins, I’m going to grieve to death because Iraqis want Bush to accomplish the mission.
As an Iraqi, I’m going to have a party when Bush gets reelected.
I know that time is needed for things to settle down in Iraq and what’s going on right now is a natural side effect for the fall of the past regime”
Shakir-UK.

“Don’t you agree that our Arab brothers are not paying attention to what Iraqis themselves think about the war on Saddam?”
Huda-Baghdad. ...

Bush must not lose.
Big Pharaoh, October 22

George W. Bush, without knowing or intending it, became the symbol of fighting terrorism around the world. The global fight against terror became associated with George W. Bush simply because he was the first to instigate it right after 911. Bush to the fight against terror is what Bill Gates is to Microsoft Corporation. They are both symbols of things they started.

If Bush lost then all what America had done over the past 3 and half years will be in vain. The liberating war of Iraq will look as if it was all a huge fiasco and all those who sacrificed their lives to plant a decent country within the Middle East sacrificed it for nothing. How do I know that? I knew that by listening to how John Kerry heinously played with Iraq just to reach the White House. Mr. Kerry had a lot to play with: taxes, health care, gay rights, stem cell research, and even the Bush administration post war planning. Yet he chose to raise doubts about going to Iraq after watching the perceived mess there and seeing how Howard Dean capitalized on that during the primaries.

There are no words to describe how Iraq is so crucial. America must win in Iraq just as it won in South Korea. Iraq is America's most important foreign enterprise ever since world war two and it is the region's most important "attempt to create something decent" ever since Napoleon invaded the shores of Egypt in 1798. This is the reason why terrorists are doing everything on top of God's earth to make Iraq fail.

The big day.
The Mesopotamian

So tomorrow is the big day. For us the Iraqis, naturally, there has never been an American election of greater interest and importance. Well, I think that I have made my own views quite clear, and I still think the same. I have nothing personally against either the Democrats or Senator Kerry. I am not sufficiently well informed about the internal political situation in the U.S., so my own sentiments are naturally influenced by the situation in our country and the future course of the War on Terror and the conflict that is ongoing here. I am convinced that all pro-democracy forces in Iraq as well as all those defying murder and terror and bravely going on with their lives despite the nightmare; All these have quite a definite idea: It is better and more prudent that President Bush is re-elected. However, this is something which the American voter will soon decide. So whatever is the outcome, we wish the U.S. people well and hope that they decide wisely.

The Blogging Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Well, let me try to move on to a positive note. A very dear friend of mine in San Francisco recently announced that she is voting for Bush. B. and I have known each other for about seven years, and we've had many incredible conversations. She's a highly intelligent, independent-minded person. I had told her that I was voting for Bush, and why, but never pushed her to agree with me. But once she got internet access, she started reading this site and others, and chose to become better informed. What finally changed her mind was a TV interview with Michael DeLong, author of "Inside CENTCOM", which explained a lot about the Iraq war and put things in perspective for her. She has also begun noticing the media bias! Like me, B. disagrees with President Bush on many issues, but she understands that he is the only candidate with the will, the character, the resolve, and the ideas to see America and the world through this difficult time.

Here in Portland, my friend G. hasn't changed her pro-Kerry position (again, I've never pushed her to) but she has shown a genuine interest in learning more about what's happening. This, for me, is the most important thing. I wish more people had this attitude. If you are reading this blog, I hope you feel the same way.

A Few Final Thoughts

... before the election.

I'm tired of writing about politics, but we're not done yet. It ain't over 'til Fat Boy howls in anguish, which, G-d and the American people willing, will be very soon.

I received a last-minute pro-Kerry e-mail from some well-meaning friends in San Francisco. They sent me editorials by Alan Dershowitz and Rabbi Avi Wikonur. I spent the morning composing a lengthy rebuttal in my head, but at this point, frankly, I haven't got the energy.

Let me say what I really mean. I haven't got the patience to plod through the same arguments again and again. I sit in front of this computer every day, sometimes for 6 or 8 hours at a stretch, and I've heard every argument there is. There isn't anything Dershowitz or Wikonur can say that I haven't heard already.

There is only one candidate who cares about making the Mideast, and the world, a better place. Perhaps Kerry actually believes his own insane claims that the Iranian mullahs will be induced, through gentle persuasion, to give up their nuclear ambitions. Kerry, in fact, seems to have a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality, which is the single thing about him that disturbs me the most.

I'm rambling. I don't know what else to say right now. I feel like I should have some profound thoughts on the eve of the election, but I'm just numb. I'm numb, and I don't know what to say.

Update

My blogroll is now in some remote semblance of order, although it still needs a lot of work. But please take a look, I've sorted out my links a bit, and, even more important, added some new ones.

I don't have time to post this morning, got to get to class. (M/W/F: Calculus and Women's Studies. Tu/Th: Early American Literature.) Hope to post a little this afternoon if time permits.

And BTW, thanks to everyone who has taken time out of their busy schedule (even if just 2 seconds!) to visit Dreams Into Lightning over the past six months. Feel free to post a comment here, if you have any questions or if there's something you'd like to see more/less of, or if you just want to chat.

Catch you later ...

Let's blogroll!

SPECIAL EDITION: The Portland Mukhabarat

It's worth mentioning Auntie Cracker again. "Everyone should vote!" Errr, no. If you don't care, if you're not informed on the issues, then don't vote. So says Auntie Cracker, and I agree.

No on Amendment 36 to the Oregon Constitution! Join ampersand, bean, and friends at Alas, A Blog in defending the right of lesbian and gay couples to marry. Also some positive comments about Log Cabin Republicans, lots of feminist stuff, and a fabulous cartoon called Hereville.

For the political omnivore, a group blog called Blog Junky has your fix.

Sure, you knew Lyndon LaRouche was insane. But do you really appreciate the full depth, breadth, and scope of his madness? Or what lavender can do for a seven-year-old girl's room? What do Christopher Hitchens and Victor Davis Hanson have in common? For the answers to those and other questions, you must visit Jason Holliston.

Hat tip for Alas, Blog Junky, and Jason Holliston: Michael J. Totten.

Walter, we love you. Now shut up.

What has happened to Walter Cronkite's brain? The newscaster we all grew up on seems to have jumped the proverbial shark. Ocean Guy, from his vantage point on A1A, wonders if Walt has lost his mind. Portlander Auntie Cracker thinks the time has come for Cronkite to be kept quiet. (I left a comment with Auntie, too.)

And while you're checking out Auntie's current posts, follow her link to "Jayhorn". It's disturbing. Trust me on this one.

Michael J. Totten returns ...

... to his homepage after helping to hold down the fort at Instapundit. If you scroll down on his current screen, you'll find his impressions from his stint in the upper realms of the blognoscenti, plus his sailing trip up north to Washington, and observations on the experiences of those annoying "liberals for Bush" like Christopher Hitchens and Marc (Armed Liberal) Danziger. MJT - who also wants you to know that he still reads Andrew Sullivan - speaks succinctly for many of us when he says, "despite the fact that I’ve been pushed toward to the right, I haven’t joined the right." Go read his blog.

UPDATE: Don't miss the new guest post by Danziger, The Struggle of Ideas.

The Lancet doesn't glitter ...

... in this analysis by Andrew Coulson.

Also follow the link to Rip Rowan at The Skeptician.

Remembering the 49

Kat at The Middle Ground writes that the cold-blooded massacre of Iraqi recruits should become a rallying-point for Iraqis. Will it?

.... What feels wrong from this side of the ocean is what appears to be a missing Iraqi national will or concensus about who they are, what they are fighting for and who it is all for. Seems like every group has their own agenda and can't see to the first agenda, the national agenda.

Patriots and Soldiers

Big Pharaoh takes a moment to fadfad - Egyptian Arabic for getting something off your chest - about the terrorists' tiresome search for new tricks:

The Wahabi/Salafi animals in Iraq showed us today a new way to display the different kinds of demons they have inside. They kidnapped over 50 young police recruits on their way from training and ordered them to lie down on the ground. They neatly organized their preys in rows of 12 and made them put their hands behind their heads. The animals then stood in front of each victim and placed a single bullet in his head.

That was a new show by the Wahabi/Salafi animals in Iraq. First they shocked the world by broadcasting their videos that showed Nicholas Berg being slaughtered. Today, these "slaughtering videos" are not blockbusters anymore, we got used to them. The Wahabi/Salafi animals like to innovate, they are creative people. Today they showed us a new thing. Organize young police recruits in rows of 12 then place a single bullet in their heads. How neat.

Fadfada

Seeing the massacre as a call to action, Alaa at The Mesopotamian provides a link to World Inquiry, which is organizing a multi-pronged campaign to support Iraqi freedom. WI's program includes collecting letters of support for Iraqi security forces:

My new partner in crime, Michelle, will be co-author of a plan to spread peace of mind in Iraq. Since my initial project, I have been contacted by all four representatives in the US congress from my state, and we have been offered assistance from one whom I am voting for this term to ensure this project's success.

This time, our sights are set much higher. We plan to send letters to the Iraqi Police and Civil Defense Forces in Fallujah, Najaf, Samarra, and Baghdad. 40 letters to one city, however impressive on the first go-around, will not cut it this time. We need you, the reader to petition your congressmen and women to write letters to these brave souls who wake up every morning without knowing whether or not they will have to die for their country to secure it, and whether or not they will succeed. We need letters from you, we need letters from your grandmother, we need letters from everyone we possibly can get from all walks of life and all political leanings.

World Inquiry project
The Mesopotamian

World Inquiry is also promoting an ambitious project to translate Federalist 10 into Arabic and distribute it in Iraq and the Arab world.

I'd like to write more about Big Pharaoh's post. It reminds me of an earlier post by Zeyad at Healing Iraq, which I'll try to track down soon. Unfortunately I don't have time to post more this morning; got to get ready for class.

Rabin Remembered

Reflections on Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995)

Israelis recently marked the ninth anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist named Yigal Amir.

Alison Kaplan Sommer writes:

Mommy, Yitzhak Rabin was killed in Tel Aviv, right? By a bad guy with a gun named Yigal Amir. And he was Jewish, too. Mommy, tell me again, why did the bad guy kill Yitzhak Rabin?”

It’s that time of year again.

As November rolls around, the questions begin flying thick and fast from my son Eitan — questions about Rabin’s assassination, exactly how he was killed, where he was killed, who killed him, and the hardest question to answer — why?

Eitan is seven years old — he was born in September 1996, 10 months after Rabin’s assassination in November 1995. He never lived at the same time as Rabin.

Yet — with all the ceremonies, memorial rallies, and class lessons about his life, through the ever-growing number of schools, parks, roads, and buildings named after him — Yitzhak Rabin is vivid and real and familiar to my son — much more so than today’s politicians.

Eitan can regale you with stories about Rabin’s childhood, where he went to school, his army career. But mainly, he can tell you the details of the assassination — the date it happened, the location — how Rabin was approached, how many shots were fired. He knows that the man who killed him was named Yigal Amir, and that he was Israeli and Jewish. He knows that Amir was angry at Rabin for signing a peace agreement with the Arabs. He knows that Amir is in jail and will never get out. And yet, every year, he wants to know more.

All of this feels eerily familiar. I was born in September 1964, 10 months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy — an event now being marked with 40th anniversary commemorations. At Eitan’s age, I, too, could rattle off stories of the Kennedy clan, recount the drama of Oswald and Ruby, describe where the grassy knoll was located and the color of the suit Jackie Kennedy was wearing that was splashed with her husband’s blood. ...

- An Unsealed Room: Rabin