Muslims to March Against Terror - May 14

In a historic show of support for freedom and democracy, American Muslims will lead a demonstration in Washington, DC on May 14 against terrorism. The organization Free Muslims Against Terrorism writes:

To date,70 organizations have sponsored the first ever Muslim led March Against Terror. Approximately 20 of the 70 organizations are Muslim, Arab or Middle Eastern. This is the good news. The bad news is that of the leading Muslim organizations four have refused to participate or endorse the rally. The absence of these organizations is ironic. For the past 10 years, these organizations have complained that they are unfairly being accused of not doing enough to fight terror. But when a Muslim organization takes the lead to organize a March Against Terror they argue that it is not necessary and refuse to join.

These organizations have done enormous damage to the American Muslim community and Muslims are finally rising up to tell them “you don’t represent us or our American Muslim values.”

Over the last three years, American Muslims have witnessed the creation of several new progressive, moderate and secular Muslim organizations that actually represent the views of the silent majority and are bypassing the organizations that falsely claim they represent main stream Islam. Their monopoly is coming to an end.

As to the March Against Terror, moderate American Muslims recognize that those who commit murder and destruction in the name of Islam are using a warped interpretation of Islamic theology to justify their evil. Thus, we understand that the war on terror is more than a military battle, it is an ideological battle and the only ones who can win this battle are Muslims themselves. This is why we are organizing this march.

Go and read the full declaration at the link. The bad news, as Roger Simon points out, is that four Muslim organizations have refused to join. But

the good news is that the march is on. In that sense this dissension is much like the reported difficulties with the formation of the government in Baghdad. But then, what democractic government has ever formed without difficulties? (Yes, I know people are being gunned down in the street, but even those horrible and sad events are reminiscent of democratic revolutions in other countries - like France and the USA.)

Stay tuned for more news on the Muslim march against terror. By the way, the event is not restricted to Muslims or Middle Eastern people and is open to all who support democracy and freedom. If you're going to be in the area, I encourage you to participate.

Iran Report

Doctor Zin: MEK not an option.
Iran freedom activist Gary Metz, better known as "Doctor Zin", takes issue with an article by David Johnson at FrontPage in a Sunday post at Regime Change Iran. Johnson had advocated support for Maryam Rajavi's organization, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), as a means of bringing about regime change. Critics of this plan, including Doctor Zin, contend that the NCRI is an alias for the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (People's Mujahedeen Organization, variously abbreviated MEK, MKO, PMO) which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US State Department. In this view, support for the MEK (under whatever name) would be tantamount to a repetition of the "enemy of my enemy" fallacy, for while the MEK are opposed to the current islamist regime in Tehran, they are no friends of freedom and democracy. Doctor Zin writes:

Since I have been publishing all the major news on Iran for several years now, I am well aware of the various options in regards to the Iranian threat. I know most of the leaders of the Iranian expatriate community and there is little support for the MEK among them. I believe the MEK may have a place at the table in a future Iran, but a limited one.

I have also been aware of the massive campaign the MEK have been waging to legitimize themselves in the eyes of our government. I also understand the only way they will ever be in power inside of Iran is if the U.S. were to back them in an overthrow of the Iranian government.

It appears that is exactly what the MEK are seeking. David reported on the MEK's recent conference in Washington D.C. (attended by a few hundred Iranian, virtually all MEK supporters) saying:

[Their] plans for Iran remain ambitious. Mrs. Rajavi's [leader of the MEK] position as an interim president is planned to last for only six months after the fall of the current Iranian regime. At the end of her interim term, free and monitored elections would be held throughout Iran.
It appears the leader of the MEK is seeking U.S. help in replacing the Islamic Republic with herself as the new leader, for six months.

So who are the MEK? Here is the DiscoverTheNetwork.org's own report on the MEK:
Islamist-Marxist terrorist group that seeks to topple the Iranian regime
Served Moscow as a source of information on Iran during the Cold War
In the early 1970s, murdered five American military technicians working with the Iranian army
By the late 1980s, created a 10,000-strong fighting force in Iraq to aid Saddam Hussein ...
The MEK was founded in 1965 after a split in a Marxist-Leninist movement that had waged a guerrilla action in northern Iran. Its ideology emerged as a mix of Islam and Marx, with ingredients from the Iranian religious sociologist Ali Shariati, who advocated an "Islam without a clergy." The MEK, with KGB help, engaged in a campaign against the Shah and sent cadres to Cuba, East Germany, South Yemen, and Palestinian camps in Lebanon to train as guerrillas.
Yes, they have money (from places unknown), weapons and organization. Is David actually advocating that we "install" the MEK, even if only temporarily? The Khomeini regime was supposed to be a temporary regime.

Read the full post at the link for detailed information on the MEK. Doctor Zin believes that Washington must support the Iranian people in their struggle against the mullahs, but he opposes involving the MEK in this process. The post concludes: 'The MEK will likely play a part in a post Islamic Republic, but they need to find their way in a real democratic government. I hope that FrontPageMag.com will rethink its support of the MEK.'

Ledeen: Regime's hand, Washington's silence.
Michael Ledeen sees the hand of the mullahs as far afield as Iraq and Lebanon (where the vacuum created by the Syrian withdrawal may be filled by the eager Hezbollah) while President Bush retreats into silence: 'We know this is going on, yet we are fighting a purely defensive war in Iraq alone.' And yet, Ledeen argues, it doesn't need to be this way:

The terror masters hoped and expected that they would be able to turn Iraq into a replay of Lebanon in the 1980s, when they drove American and French armed forces out of the country. But they have failed. Contrary to their hopes and expectations, we — and the Iraqi people — have not been spooked by the wave of terror, and the Iraqis have demonstrated grit, bravery, and patience far beyond most expectations. Indeed, as the slaughter of innocent Iraqis grows, the people are manifestly becoming more resolute; dead national guardsmen and soldiers are quickly replaced with new volunteers, and the murder of government officials has not deterred Iraqi citizens from participating in government. The Iraqis are fighting back.

Worst of all, from the standpoint of the terror masters, the ultimate threat — freedom — is growing stronger, just as the president wishes, and freedom is spreading even though, despite his constant promises to support democratic revolution, he is doing virtually nothing to help it. He, along with Secretaries Rice and Rumsfeld, has not rallied to the side of the Iranian people, even though the Iranians have abundantly demonstrated their desire to be rid of the mullahs. Two weeks ago there were massive demonstrations and work stoppages in the oil-rich regions, centering around the city of Ahwaz. The demonstrators called for an end to the regime, scores of people were killed, and hundreds were beaten and arrested. On May Day, workers again demonstrated against the regime, this time in all the major cities. In Tehran, strongman and likely president-in-waiting Hashemi Rafsanjani was hooted down by the crowd, and pictures of him and Supreme Leader Khamenei were torn down and trampled. Yet no one in the American Government spoke a word of support for the demonstrators ...

Ledeen is getting tired of saying "Faster, please." Read the article at the link.

Morning Report: May 9, 2005

US forces strike Iraq insurgents. CNN reports: 'U.S. forces have launched an offensive against "insurgents and foreign fighters" near Iraq's border with Syria, killing at least 75 of them in the first 24 hours of the operation, the U.S. military said Monday. According to the military, coalition and Marine Corps aircraft and forces from the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines are involved in the fighting in Iraq's Anbar province. "The operation is currently on the area north of the Euphrates River, in the Al Jazirah Desert. The region is a known smuggling route and sanctuary for foreign fighters," the military said in a statement.' Debka adds: 'A merger of all Iraq’s insurgent forces is behind the deadly surge of violence that has climbed to 55 attacks per day. US has launched offensive with air support against Iraqi insurgents in Anbar province near Syrian border. US military reports 75 rebels killed in first 24 hours. Targeted are Obeidi sanctuary for foreign fighters who continue to stream into Iraq and smuggling route from Syria. Joint commands and operational units, including al-Zarqawi’s al Qaeda wing, are focusing action on Baghdad area timed for formation of new Iraq government.' (CNN, Debka)

Yemen's ambassador to Syria seeks asylum. Debka reports: 'Yemeni ambassador Syria Ahmed al-Hasani fled to London last week and asked for political asylum. Al-Hasani was Yemeni air force commander during 2000 al Qaeda attack on USS Cole in Aden harbor when 17 US seamen killed, 500 injured. He testified to links president Salah and Yemeni military and intelligence officers maintain with al Qaeda to this day – amid joint Yemeni-US counter-terror combat in Saada region'. Armies of Liberation explains: 'The Jihad in Yemen takes the form of the state attacking its Shia minority. There have been indications that aspects of the Yemeni government, in collusion with some leadership in the opposition Islamic Islah party, are close to al-Qaeda. A recent defector from Yemen, the Ambassador to Syria, says that its very likely that President Saleh was aware of the plans for Cole bombing. Indeed , Saleh refused to investigate the bombing until the US threatened military action. Sheik al-Zindani is on the US’s most wanted list and is a leader of the Islah party. He met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, and became his mentor. After returning from Afghanistan, Zindani became the leader of Islah’s radical faction, and the “Afghan Arabs.” Using state power, today Shia libraries are being trashed, mosques prohibited from preaching the Shia version of Islam, and mass arrests are taking place with thousands held without trial. All Shia schools are now closing. Officials of Saleh’s Sunni government have characterized their teachings as “blasphemous,” “backwards,” and “deviant.” The curriculum of some hard core Wahabbi schools, the greater threat according to analysts, was not addressed in their statements. There is also a very bloody and violent element to the jihad in Yemen. ...' Read the post at Armies for full details and links. (Debka, Armies of Liberation)

Nobody's Perfect

Quote of the Day:

However, he added, "The press has never pretended to be perfect. My own paper pretty much decided to overlook the Holocaust."

Bill Keller, Executive Editor of the New York Times, speaking at the Frank R. Kent Memorial Lecture in Journalism at Johns Hopkins University; go read Rand Simberg's thoughts at Transterrestrial Musings.

Log Cabin Lesbians to Watch Out For

Alison Bechdel, the fabulously talented creator of the lesbian-themed comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, has always managed to blend feminist and gay activism with excellent line art, rich characters, warm humor, and a sense of irony. While staunchly liberal, she's not afraid to take occasional shots at leftist/feminist sacred cows.

A couple of years ago, Bechdel took the bold step of introducing a conservative lesbian character, a college student named Cynthia. To Alison's credit, she does a pretty good job of portraying Cynthia sympathetically, and even lets the conservative character (I think) get the better of some political debates. Considering that Cynthia is a composite "conservative" drawn by an artist who's firmly liberal (Alison herself believes the 2004 election was "rigged"), the character manages to avoid being a caricature, a stereotype, or a conflicted, self-loathing lesbian.

Read Alison Bechdel's blog here. A fan's page has a collection of links to DTWOF strips featuring Cynthia.

I'll be interested to see what Alison Bechdel does with Cynthia in the months to come. Given Cynthia's interest in the Middle East, perhaps she will be reading up on Irshad Manji. Why, I'll bet Cynthia's love interest*, Samia, is already reading The Trouble With Islam Today.

*UPDATE: I should clarify that Samia is in a relationship with Ginger; Cynthia's crush on Samia is just that. I have it on good authority that they will not become involved with each other.

Africa Report

Congress considers Sudan action. According to an April 26 article by Margaret Talev in the Sudan Tribune, the US Congress is considering action to help stop the violence and suffering in Sudan:

Seven months after President Bush declared that a conflict in a remote swath of Africa amounts to genocide, several members of Congress are pushing for more substantive U.S. intervention in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Displaced Sudanese women build a makeshift tut in Otash camp on the outskirts of Nyala town in Sudan's South Darfur region. (AFP).

They say the West has a moral obligation to do more to stop the killings, rapes, destruction and food shortages estimated to have killed 180,000 or more people and displaced 2 million.

At least 10 proposals before the House and Senate this year address this two-year-old struggle, which has pitted Arabs against non-Arab blacks, nomads against farmers and Muslims against Muslims, and brought an agricultural economy to its knees.

The proposals include emergency relief funds added to the supplemental Iraq war spending bill, but also more controversial ideas:

• A long-shot effort to suspend trading of stocks for international companies with business in Sudan.

• Calls for enforcing no-fly zones, and for pressuring the United Nations and NATO to send thousands of troops.

• Authorization for use of military force by the United States.

A lack of consensus persists over how deeply the United States should involve itself.

The military is spread thin with its involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other concerns include the risks in intervening in yet another Islamic conflict, the lack of pressing U.S. economic or national security interests in Darfur, and resistance from nations, including China and Russia, that have oil and weapons investments tied to Sudan.

...

Said Eric Reeves, a Smith College English professor who has spent the past several years on leave as a full-time Sudan researcher: "We are talking about a country that's right in the heart of Africa, on the volatile border between Islamic and non-Islamic Africa, between Arab and [black] Africa in a racial sense.

"It is very possibly a powder keg. It's a reason for us to call into serious question the geopolitical wisdom of talking a good game but not really doing what needs to be done."

Canada may send 150 troops to Sudan. The CBC reports that Canada may send as many as 150 peacekeeping troops to Sudan: 'Canada is reported ready to send up to 150 military personnel as peacekeepers to war-torn Sudan. A child refugee from Darfur washes clothes outside her shack at the Iridimi refugee camp near Iriba in eastern Chad, September 2004. Ottawa would also donate some used military equipment and increase its humanitarian aid for the northeast African country. An official announcement is coming in the next few days, the Canadian Press reported Saturday. The federal government has already earmarked $20 million in aid for Sudan. And Gen. Rick Hillier told CBC News Friday that Canada was making plans to send troops to the Darfur region of Sudan by the end of the summer. ...'

CIA - Khartoum meetings alleged. An article by Norm Dixon, appearing in Green Left Weekly and posted at Passion of the Present, alleges that a secret meeting between CIA officials and General Salah Abdallah Gosh of Sudan's secret police indicates an ongoing relationship between the Khartoum regime and the Bush Administration. The article, which draws heavily on a piece by Ken Silverstein in the Los Angeles Times, states:

Ken Silverstein, writing in the April 29 Los Angeles Times, reported that US government officials revealed to him that, in the previous week, “the CIA sent an executive jet ... to ferry the chief of Sudan’s intelligence agency [General Salah Abdallah Gosh] to Washington for secret meetings sealing Khartoum’s sensitive and previously veiled partnership with the administration”.

Gosh is almost certainly among the scores of Khartoum officials named in a sealed United Nations file as being responsible for “crimes against humanity” in Darfur provinces, in western Sudan. The UN Security Council voted on March 31 to refer the file to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

As Sudan expert and human rights advocate Eric Reeves () points out: “Gosh is directly responsible for tens of thousands of extra-judicial executions, killings, ‘disappearances’, as well as countless instances of torture, illegal imprisonment and other violations of international law.”

According to the LA Times report, Washington has cooperated closely with the Islamist dictatorship’s secret police, the Mukhabarat, since before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US. Following 9/11 attacks, which Khartoum immediately condemned, the relationship has steadily deepened.

The secret alliance has continued to strengthen despite the Mukhabarat’s central role in directing and arming the Arab-chauvinist janjaweed bandit gangs, which are spearheading the persecution of Darfur’s non-Arabic speaking farmers.

The article further charges that 'US and European governments have refused to provide adequate funds, equipment and logistics to African Union (AU) soldiers deployed as cease-fire monitors in Darfur, the only force in a position to prevent or discourage attacks on civilians. Only 2300 of the 3500-4000 troops originally promised to be in place have been able to deploy, and even they have taken around six months to arrive.'

Ivory Coast talks fail to reach deal. 'Representatives of the rebels and army in Ivory Coast have failed to reach agreement on a disarmament timetable after five days of talks,' the BBC reports. 'But they did say they would meet again in the next few days. Under a peace agreement mediated by South Africa in April, government forces and rebels who control the north were due to lay down arms this month. Both sides began pulling back heavy weapons from the front-line last month, as part of the agreement. The prime minister's representative, Alain Richard Donwahi, said the talks in Ivory Coast's capital, Yamoussoukro, had been positive. A timetable would be presented to military chiefs from both sides next Friday for approval, he was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.'

Escape Velocity: Alastair Reynolds

I'm focusing on the novel "Absolution Gap" in this post because it illustrates a lot of what I like about the science fiction of Alastair Reynolds. AG is the third novel in a trilogy that begins with Revelation Space and continues with Redemption Ark. The novels are set in a future, spacefaring civilization divided into two warring factions, the Conjoiners (who embrace the radical integration of the human body and technology) and the Demarchists (who reject this level of integration). This universe has passed through, and abandoned, a stage of highly developed nanotechnology, which became a liability with the advent of something called the Melding Plague. (Reynold's true feelings about nanotech become somewhat more apparent in his new novel, Century Rain, which also appears to explore the origins of the Demarchist/Conjoiner schism. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.) The two factions must confront a threat from the ruthlessly destructive machines known as "Inhibitors" or "Wolves", which, we are told, are the relic of an ancient conflict known as the Dawn War, and whose sole function is to keep the Galaxy free of spacefaring civilizations (thus answering Enrico Fermi's famous question).

Alastair Reynolds is a Welsh-born science fiction writer now based in the Netherlands. Until recently, he worked as an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency, and he brings a professional's eye for detail to his stories of space travel. Oh, and one more thing: He can write.

Part of the strength of Reynolds' writing comes from his ambivalence toward technology - a trait he shares with Isaac Asimov. (In fact, the Good Doctor also created a faction of techno-skeptics, known as the "Medievalists".) I'd argue that the tension between the technological, "cultural man" and the pre-technological, "natural man" is a universal theme of literature, stretching from Gilgamesh (cf. the relationship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu) to The Lord of the Rings (Frodo and Samwise) - and see also Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik's analysis of the opening chapters of Genesis in The Lonely Man of Faith. But I digress.

What makes Reynolds' writing stand out is his evident comfort in writing as a writer. He devotes no less attention to the inner landscapes of his characters than to the details of his futuristic universe - which he describes meticulously. Even better, there is a seamless transition between the one and the other. This is what science fiction writing, at its very best, should do: mirror the reciprocal relationship between our inner and outer worlds - how the outside world changes us, and how we change it in return. This is what I call "inside/outside technique". Here's a magnificent passage in which Quaiche, who has been infected for political reasons with a virus that simulates "religious" feelings (literally the opiate of the masses!) confronts his own imminent death in a crashed spacecraft:

The virus was not helping. He had hoped that it would, but the feelings it brought were too superficial. When he most needed their succour he could feel them for the paper-thin facades they were. Just because the virus was tickling the parts of his brain that produced feelings of religious experience didn't mean that he was able to turn off the other parts of his mind that recognised these feelings as having been induced artificially. He truly felt himself to be in the presence of something sacred, but he also knew, with total clarity, that this was due to neuroanatomy. Nothing was really with him: the organ music, the stained-glass windows in the sky, the sense of proximity to something huge and timeless and infinitely compassionate were all explicable in terms of neural wiring, firing potentials, synaptic gaps.

In his moment of greatest need, when he most desired that comfort, it had deserted him. He was just a Godless man with a botched virus in his blood, running out of air, running out of time, on a world to which he had given a name that would soon be forgotten.

(I'm reminded of Theodore Sturgeon's masterpiece, "The Man Who Lost the Sea" here.) This passage goes on to describe the work of a gifted glassblower named Trollhattan, whose impossibly delicate works are created in zero-gravity and cannot be transported far because of the accelerations involved; Reynolds invokes the image to evoke Quaiche's relationship with Morwenna.

One of the book's most memorable characters is Scorpio, whom we first met in Redemption Ark. Scorpio is a pig - an intelligent pig, of a race bioengineered by humans. (Think The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells.) In AG, Scorpio really comes into his own; we see a character who has been abused by the cruelty of humans, and at the same time feels alieneated from his own kind. Even among intelligent pigs, he is smarter than your average pig. Having availed himself of the physically taxing process of cryosleep several times, he feels himself aging, and knows he cannot hope to enjoy the kind of lifespan avialable to humans with their (human-engineered) rejuvenation technology.

There's more I'd like to say about Reynolds, but I'll save it for another time; I want to get this post done so I can move on to something else. Next week we're going to look at the novella Seven American Nights by Gene Wolfe.

I'm looking foward to more work from Alastair Reynolds. There are still a couple of pieces by Reynolds that I haven't yet read (Chasm City and Turquoise Days).

Reason to exclude gays? Uncle Jimbo says no.

Uncle Jimbo of Military Matters writes:

The question is whether pretending there aren't gay folks in the military even matters anymore, I don't think it probably does. If they are already there what benefit does it provide to have them pretend they are straight? Are our troops so intolerant this will tear units apart? I sincerely doubt it and if it won't, then change the rule. There were dudes in my unit that we were fairly certain played in a different league, but there were plenty of others who didn't want their preferences or in some cases perversions aired publicly either, and that was 10 years ago. Unfortunately we had absolutely no lipstick lesbians.

The military integrated racially before the rest of the country and offered women a fair shake earlier too, but somehow it is lagging now. Homosexuality is rapidly becoming a yawn issue, "Oh you're gay, that's nice. What time is the movie?" That is a good progression and there is no reason not to add the military to the list of people who just shouldn't care who you sleep with. Plus it would take one more issue away from the dirty, nasty, patchouli-smelling, hippy protestors and that's a good thing. ...

Col. David Hunt (Ret.) was interviewed by NRO in this June 2003 piece:

NRO: How do you feel about women in combat?

HUNT: I'm in favor of competent people doing their job — I don't care how you go to the bathroom. It's said that Jessica Lynch killed a lot of people, which is why they tortured her so much. It ain't about sex. If I'm with you on the battlefield, we're not going to do it! We're too tired and too scared to have sex. We're not serious until we're inclusive, which means: "Can you do this job? Can you fight the war on terrorism?" Fine, you're on! I don't care if I have a whole division full of lesbians, if they can do the job. Look, we kicked out a bunch of gay men who were linguists, Arabic specialists. What kind of stupidity is that? ...

The military leadership needs to start listening to these people. I served ten years in the Air Force and four years in the Marine Corps, and the question of whether gay people were there, or belonged there, was more of a distraction than anything else. Whether a person is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, or (like me) simply a living violation of Article 178 of Skippy's List - none of that matters in the prosecution of combat against the enemy. All that really matters is: Can the person do the job?

Morning Report: May 8, 2005

Iraqi assembly approves six Ja'afari appointments; human rights nominee al-Shibli steps down. Debka reports: 'Iraq’s general assembly approves 6 appointments to Jaafari government including 4 Sunni Muslims. Of 155 deputies present, 112 confirmed Sunni Saadoun al Dulaimi as defense minister, Sunni Hashim Rahman al-Shibli – human rights; Sunni Osama al-Nujaifi – industry: Sunni Mutlak al-Jiburi –Dep. PM. Shiite Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum named oil minister.' However, Shibli declined the post, citing his opposition to the current government's ethnic quota system. AP via MSNBC reports: '“Concentrating on sectarian identities leads to divisions in the society and state, and for that reason I respectfully decline the post,” Hashim Abdul-Rahman al-Shibli told reporters at a news briefing.' (Debka, MSNBC)

Kuwait denies women the right to vote. Kuwait's parliament has denied women political rights in Kuwait, according to this Feminist Majority Foundation newswire. 'In a blow to women's rights, the Kuwaiti parliament has failed to pass legislation that would have given women the right to vote and run for office in municipal elections. According the New York Times, Islamist and conservative lawmakers created a block that eliminates any chance that women will be able to participate in elections for another four years. Kuwait’s constitution gives men and women equal rights, but the current election law only allows men over the age of 21 who are not in the police or military the right to vote or run for office making only 15 percent of the population eligible to vote. If women were granted the right to vote, that could make the percentage of eligible voters rise to 39 percent, reports the .Associated Press, which could substantially change Kuwait’s political map.' (FMF)

Microsoft renews support for gay rights. Reversing an earlier decision to back down on its promised support for a narrowly defeated Washington State gay rights bill, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said his company would support gay rights legislation in the future. According to the AP report at MSNBC, 'Ballmer made the announcement in an e-mail to employees two weeks after gay rights activists accused the company of withdrawing its support for an anti-discrimination bill in its home state after an evangelical pastor [the Rev. Ken Hutcherson of Redmond, Washington - aa] threatened to launch a national boycott. The bill died by a single vote in the state Senate in late April.' An article at Gay.com (via PlanetOut) elaborates: '"After looking at the question from all sides, I've concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda," Ballmer wrote. "Microsoft will continue to join other leading companies in supporting federal legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, adding sexual orientation to the existing law that already covers race, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability," he wrote. "Obviously, the Washington state legislative session has concluded for this year, but if legislation similar to HB 1515 is introduced in future sessions, we will support it."'

Raid on Zarqawi compound kills six terrorists. Fox News reports that 'Coalition forces killed six terrorists in raids targeting the terror network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi near the Syrian border on Sunday, the U.S. military said. Weapons caches were found during the operations in Qaim city, and 54 terrorists were detained, the military said in a statement. It also said that Ghassan Muhammad Amin Husayn al-Rawi, a militant in al-Zarqawi's group who was captured on April 26, had provided intelligence that had helped lead to Sunday's raids.' (Fox)

Debka: Al-Libbi arrest in Pakistan points to new phase of war against al-Qaeda. According to a Debka report, the recent arrest of a senior al-Qaeda operative in Pakistan indicates a shift in focus from the person of Osama bin Laden to the next generation of terrorists: 'The high profile arrest Monday, May 3, of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, 40, the man responsible for al Qaeda’s operational planning and execution in Pakistan, was followed three days later by the capture of 18 members of his network. He was taken after a gun battle in the Mardan Division of Pakistan's North Western Frontier Province which borders Afghanistan. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources sayal-Libbi, a Libyan national aged 40, moved to Mardan recently from his Waziristan hideout when a Pakistani Army military operation made it unsafe. The new Mardan hideout was raided by officers of the ISI-Inter-Service Intelligence. They were acting on a tip from none other than the head of US Central Command, who paid a surprise visit to Pakistan on the morning of May 3 and conveyed the information to president Pervez Musharraf. Several hours later, al-Libbi was bagged. The raid, which yielded the arrest of four other foreigners whose nationalities have not been disclosed, turned into a chase when two of the suspects fled on a motorbike. One, clad in a Burqa, was later identified as al-Libbi, The chase involving three vehicles ended when security officials overpowered the man driving the bike. They also fired at the second fugitive, but he ran towards a half-built house, jumped into an adjoining house and locked himself in a room. When efforts to break open the door failed, police lobbed a teargas canister inside the room through smashed windowpanes. "From the smoke-filled room emerged a young man, hands up and head slightly bowed. He was unarmed and later identified as al Qaeda's chief operational commander in Pakistan, Abu Faraj Al Libbi," a police official said. ...' Morning Report regrets that no photographs of the burqa-clad terrorist are available. The Debka analysis goes on to report that: 'DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources also reveal that, since entering its second term, the Bush administration has quietly initiated a new phase in the war on terror, adjusted to counter perceived threats from the new and deadly al Qaeda breed spawned since 9/11. Very little is known about the new structure, its central command, and whereabouts. “No longer is the US global effort focused on the hunt to track down Osama bin Laden; instead, the search is on for his links,” say the sources. In any event, most of the earlier al Qaeda cells have either been caught or exposed and are no longer able to operate effectively. They have been replaced with a fast-growing network which takes its inspiration from Osama bin Laden and Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Running it to ground, US and Pakistani intelligence agencies both believe, will uncover its links to the two leaders. Debriefings of the latest crop of al Qaeda detainees begin to lift the veil on the new structure’s organization and reveal it as tight and tough with very few weak points. But no clue to the top men’s whereabouts has been elicited.' Read the full analysis at the link. (Debka)

Belmont Club on Oil-for-Food: If no criminality, why the death threats? Examining the troubling words of Paul Volcker, Wretchard wonders why, if the UN Oil-for-Food scandal was merely an instance of "negligence" (as Volcker's reports so far have concluded), the lives of witnesses would be threatened by too deep an investigation - as Volcker himself also alleges. 'The two reports so far issued by Paul Volcker have dealt with the formal remit of the Oil For Food Program; the procedures under which bids were let; the dubious relationship between Kojo Annan and Cotecna and the possible but isolated malfeasance of Benon Sevan. By his own account, Vocker found ineptitude but not criminality. While he cannot exonerate the Secretary General, nothing in the Volcker reports so far can put a smoking gun in Kofi Annan's hands. So far, it has been a story of incompetence without a crime or a criminal mastermind; of people who resemble conspirators without being members of a conspiracy. Volcker's implicaton that the "lives of certain witnesses are at stake", though he would not name who specifically "was threatening witnesses" clearly indicates that despite his first two reports, something criminal, indeed murderous lies within the Oil for Food universe. Something that could get people killed. Having excluded the possibility of a criminal conspiracy in his first two reports, Volcker now wants to prevent former investigator Robert Parton from divulging certain undisclosed details to the US Congress because he fears that the "lives of certain witnesses are at stake". That which was denied is now invoked.' (Belmont Club)

The Hours, the Days, and the Years

Sometimes interesting things happen when you watch two totally incongruous movies back-to-back. I had such an experience this week when I watched "The Matrix" on DVD, followed by "The Hours". And while Stephen Daldry's beautiful film with Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf seems to have little in common with "The Matrix", it occurred to me that there are some points of connection.

There are no computers and no kung fu fights in "The Hours"; and when people fall out of buildings, they don't get up again. And yet, like the denizens of the apocalyptic world of "The Matrix", many of the characters seem to live in an invisible prison - one they cannot "smell or taste or touch". And some of them, like Neo and the other inhabitants of Zion, choose to confront the reality of their world - even if it is unpleasant and dangerous, even if it threatens their very sanity. Virginia Woolf has no use for the comforting retreat of the suburbs, and precious little patience for the well-intentioned efforts of others to "take care" of her. She, too, prefers "always to look life in the face, and to know it ... to love it, for what it is." She is a red-pill person.

But there are many kinds of prisons. Mental illness - Virginia's depression, Richard's schizophrenia - can also be a prison. Sometimes the only way to exercise your autonomy is to have some say (as Virginia says) in your "own prescription", just as Neo must choose for himself which pill to take. (Or like Richard, who simply takes too many pills.) The choice is in your hands; but once the choice is made, you must live with the consequences.

I live alone, and spend a great deal of time in my own company. Often, this blog is the only conversation I get during the day. It's a strange conversation, the one you and I are having: we do not meet face to face, and with the exception of a few friends who read my blog, we are probably strangers to each other. All you know about me is what you read here; and all I know of you is the anonymous statistics collected by SiteMeter.

Sometimes I have a certain feeling - as if something is wrong, it's not fitting together somehow, and it's not a problem that's definable, and it's not a problem that is fixable. As if no matter where I go or what I do, I'll always be surrounded by this invisible membrane that keeps me separated and locked away from the rest of the world, from humanity, from life. I don't even know what name to call it; I don't know if it has a name.

I do know that I can make my own choices. I do not want anyone making them for me. I don't want anyone telling me how to live, or what to read, or what to listen to, or how to think. I don't want anyone feeding me pre-digested answers like some kind of processed food. And I do not want to be stuffed into some kind of mental coccoon and told that it's for my own good.

We do not get a choice whether or not to die. That decision is made for us, and in the end, without exception, it will always end the same way. The choice we do get is whether to face each and every day. Sometimes it is not an easy choice. Even the most fortunate among us may inhabit prisons invisible to others. Freedom from fear does not, alas, bring freedom from suffering. To choose, consciously, to live each and every day that is given to us - to say with Audre Lorde, "Today is not the day" - this is the real test of our humanity.

We are at our most when we forget ourselves. Clarissa is sustained through the difficult years - which seem to go on and on - by her duty to her old lover. ("When I'm gone," Richard mockingly reminds her, "you'll have to think about yourself.") Neo can fulfill his mission only after the Oracle convinces him that he is not "the One", the messiah of Zion.

When Virginia walks into the river, she makes a choice that many of us have contemplated at one time or another. Perhaps, like many people who make the same choice, she is no longer the master of her own actions. Do such people sin by this act? Perhaps that is for the Righteous Judge to decide. What we do know with a certainty is this: That just as the actions and kindnesses of others have affected our own lives, so too do we affect the lives of others, even in ways that are hidden from us. We have the choice to extend and accept such kindnesses - whether in the form of a fancy dinner or a simple cookie - at every moment we draw breath. By choosing kindness and love, we also choose conflict and suffering; but we choose life.

Afghan Report

One Taliban leader killed, another arrested. Two key Taliban figures were put out of action in a joint operation by coalition and Afghan National Army (ANA) forces. Afghan Warrior writes: 'A senior Taliban commander was killed and another arrested during a joint operation by the Afghan National Army and coalition forces in Arozgan province after the Taliban attacked ANA and coalition forces. Mullah Abdul Manan was arrested and Mullah Bismillah was killed. Both were key Taliban commanders in the troubled province. According to the ANA, the operation is to be countinued in the area to find other suspicious enemy. Meanwhile, three senior Taliban officials surrendered to the government in the eastern province of Paktia and announced their support for the government.' Waheed adds that the spring weather has brought an increase in hostile actions by Taliban remnants: 'Attacks by Taliban have recently increased, particulary the southern and eastern provinces Zabul, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Helmand, Paktia, Paktika, Kabul and Nangarhar provinces have seen a wave of fatal attacks in recent weeks.' Full details at the link. (Afghan Warrior)

Congress approves $82 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan. Voice of America reports: 'The U.S. House of Representatives has given final approval to a bill to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The measure would also tighten immigration law. The $82 billion supplemental spending bill is a compromise between separate measures passed by the House and Senate earlier this year. Most of the funding is to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.' (VOA)

Chrenkoff: Good news and bad. Arthur Chrenkoff reminds us Why We Fight: 'As you're reading the latest installment of "Good news from Afghanistan", remember that every Islamofascist killed or detained, every new school opened throughout the country, and every vote cast in a democratic election is a step forward against this: "Authorities have found the bodies of three Afghan women, one of whom worked for an aid group, who were raped, strangled and dumped with a warning for women not to work for such groups ...The bodies were dumped near a road outside Pul-i-Khumri city, the provincial capital of Baghlan ... One of the three was a 25 year-old woman who until recently worked for a Bangladeshi non-governmental organisation (NGO) involved in providing micro credit, mostly to widows. ..." ' Meanwhile, there's plenty to keep us busy in the latest installment of Good News from Afghanistan:

To struggle to improve women's rights continues. In Herat, women slowly and step by step are trying to break through the old barriers:
"A new plan in Herat to teach women to drive and give them licenses is at once a symbol of the official rights women continue to win in Afghanistan and a reminder of the difficulties they still confront in exercising those freedoms...

"Now, for the first time in memory, shops in Herat are hiring women to sell their wares. Women's fitness clubs are popping up along the city's leafy avenues. And ever more women are trading their burqas, the head-to-toe garment worn in public, for an Iranian-style shawl, or chador, which covers the hair and body but not the face."
In Bamyan province:
"The new governor sounds like a typical politician, promising paved roads, electricity, jobs and water, just like the last governor.

"But the new governor of Bamiyan is anything but ordinary. Habiba Sorabi is a woman, the first female provincial governor in Afghanistan's tortured history. Her appointment by the president marks a step forward for Afghan women, oppressed even before the Taliban forced them to stop working and beat them for showing skin.

" 'Thank God a thousand times,' said Massoma, a woman of about 40, who like many Afghans does not have a last name, as she sat near an unpaved road in Bamiyan, hoping that someone would give her a ride. 'Women are more powerful than men in this country,' added her daughter, Marzia, 22. 'If God wills it, they'll do better things'."
You can read more about Habiba Sorabi here:
"As the new governor of Bamian province in central Afghanistan, Habiba Sorabi has a clear idea of what she hopes to accomplish. She wants to build roads, open schools and supply electricity to residents of the province, located about 200 kilometres west of Kabul. She also hopes to lure visitors to this poor, war-ravaged region, despite the fact that its most famous tourist attractions - two huge, 1,600-year-old stone Buddhas - were destroyed by the Taleban in 2001.

"Sorabi has already gone a long way toward accomplishing one of her primary goals - raising the status of women in society - simply by being appointed the first female governor in the country in March."
The example is spreading slowly to other, significantly more conservative, parts of the country:
"She can't leave the house without an all-covering blue burqa, many of her relatives are scandalised, but Shahida Hussain is preparing to stand for parliament anyway.

"The 50-year-old women's rights activist who lives in the Taleban spiritual heartland of Afghanistan is one of at least two women in the southern city of Kandahar who are preparing to stand for elections in Afghanistan's parliamentary polls on September 18."
Read the whole article; there's plenty more there about women's political ambitions in the Pashtun south of Afghanistan.

Go read it all. (Chrenkoff)

Schindlers to be Interviewed

The Schindler family will be on Fox tomorrow (Friday), per this item at Straight Up with Sherri:

The Schindler family is slated to appear on Hannity and Colmes on FOX News Channel On Friday, May 6th at 9:00 pm Eastern Time. This will be their first exclusive television interview since the horrible death of Terri.

Marsi Tabak isn't a household name, but Jason Holliston brings us the story of this "give-up-hope vegetable" ... and her recovery. Follow Jason's link to the full story.

"Holy shall you be, for I the L-rd your G-d am holy." - Leviticus 19:2