Morning Report: June 15, 2005

Good news from Iraq. Winds of Change has the latest news: 'Samir al-Saboon, the Sunni head of Iraq's National Security Agency, has recently shared the results of latest opinion research in Iraq, taken in May: 'Recent polling data shows that fully two-thirds of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction, Saboon said. While a poll in January showed only 11 percent of Sunni Muslims in Iraq shared that view, that percentage has since grown to 40, he said... ' Hutwa bi hutwa. Read the full post at the link. (Winds of Change)

Australian hostage Douglas Wood released. The Belmont Club reports: 'Australian hostage Douglas Wood, has been released in Iraq, not through the payment of ransom, but apparently through military action.' Read the post at the link for full details, and for Wretchard's understanding of the likely chain of events. (Belmont Club)

US troops train in Africa. Stratfor (subscription service) reports: 'U.S. troops arrived in Mali June 15 to begin joint military exercises with Nigeria and eight other West and North African Countries. 1,000 U.S. troops, representing all four branches of the U.S. military, are stationed in Africa for the two-week exercise in Mali, Algeria, Chad, Niger and Mauritania. The operations focus on counterterrorism in the border regions of the trans-Sahara. The exercise is scheduled to continue through June 26 and will consist of orienteering, marksmanship, and field communications among other tactics. 3,000 African troops are participating.' (Stratfor)

Iranian activists announce plans. The following announcements have been posted at Free Iran:

Wednesday, June 15 New!
In Tehran, Iran a demonstration calling for the release of political prisoners . Location: in front of the infamous Evin Prison from 11am-1PM. The demonstration has held. I am told it was smaller (100 in some estimates) due to security forces blocking access to Evin Prison. Two women and a man were arrested. More on this soon.

Thursday June 16

The Hakha Movement, associated with Ahura Yazdi has called for people to go into the street at 10AM. They claim the regime will fall on this date.
In Palo Alto, California USA, Supporters of the Iranian freedom movement will attend a protest Location: The intersection of University Avenue and Emerson Street at 6:30 - 8:30PM.

Friday June 17 - Presidential Election Day

The Iran of Tomorrow Movement is calling for pro-democracy forces to stay in their homes and boycott the election. They are also asking Iranians, under the cover of dark, at 5:30AM to burn tires in the streets and alleys of their homes as a sign they are boycotting the election.

Anjomane Padeshahi, associated with Fouladvand has called for people to burn buses, flatten tires, place barbed wire in streets to show displeasure for the election. In the past, the regime has taken busloads of "voters" with false id's around to various polling stations to show the international media a steady stream of "voters." This appears to target these buses. This group is one of the few groups advocating a violent overthrow of the regime.

In Washington D.C. USA, Iranian opposition groups will hold a demonstration asking Iranians to boycott the elections. Location: the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section 2209 Wisconsin Ave, NW. at 5:30-73PM.

All Apologies

LaShawn Barber cuts loose with such a good rant about the Senate's formal apology over lynching, that I can't resist linking to it again.

In light of the serious problems we face in the world and our own country, I think this apology is one of the dumbest, emptiest, most politically correct pile of rubbish I’ve heard in a long time.
We’ve got fanatics trying to kill us all in the name of their god and hiding among us. We’re being taxed to death taking care of deadbeats and criminals, while President Bush is sending even more of our money to brutal dictators in Africa. And the Senate apologizes for failing to pass anti-lynching laws 100 years ago? ...

It just gets better; go read it all. Meanwhile, Helen at CaribPundit, who's always worth a visit, passes on some grateful words of appreciation for the Democratic Party:

An Open Letter to the Democratic Party
By Frances Rice

(This was originally posted on Free Republic on 6/4/2004, almost one year ago, but it is worthy of reposting here for the benefit of Caribbeanites who are fond of the Democrats.)

We, African American citizens of the United States, declare and assert:

Whereas in the early 1600’s 20 African men and women were landed in Virginia from a Dutch ship as slaves and from that tiny seed grew the poisoned fruit of plantation slavery which shaped the course of American development,

Whereas reconciliation and healing always begin with an apology and an effort to repay those who have been wronged,

Whereas the Democratic Party has never apologized for their horrific atrocities and racist practices committed against African Americans during the past two hundred years, nor for the residual impact that those atrocities and practices and current soft bigotry of low expectations are having on us today,

Whereas the Democratic Party fought to expand slavery and, after the Civil War, established Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes and other repressive legislation that were designed to disenfranchise African Americans,

Whereas the Ku Klux Klan was the terrorist arm of the Democratic Party, and their primary goal was to intimidate and terrorize African American voters, Republicans who moved South to protect African Americans and any other whites who supported them ...

There's a lot more whereases until you get to the end. An apology and WHAT? (Can you say "reparations"?)

Thanks to LaShawn and Helen for these thought-provoking posts. What else should I write?

Science and Space

How to make nanotubes. Microscopic carbon tubes - or nanotubes - were manufactured in a novel way be researchers in China. Nanotubes just one micron long and under 50 nm. in diameter were made by heating plant materials at 250 degrees Celsius (just above the burning point of paper, which is 234 Celsius, or, famously, 451 Fahrenheit) and then heating the resulting residue at some 600 Celsius. The procedure is repeated up to 50 times. The process was developed by Enbo Wang of Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China. Wang used field grass, trees, and a certain wild herb in the experiment. This development is interesting enough by itself, but PhysicsWeb wins the award for best science headline of the day.

Spitzer telescope catches reflected light from supernova. Cassiopeia A, the youngest known supernova remnant in our galaxy, exploded 325 years ago. New data from the Spitzer Space Telescope indicate that Cas A let out one last blast of radiation, just 50 years ago. Photographs that appeared to show dust moving out from Cas A at the speed of light (which we all know is impossible) turned out to reveal an expanding circle of infrared light emitted by the star. Full story at Scientific American.

Mars rovers hit 1,000-sol mark. The planetary rovers Spirit and Opportunity continue to explore Mars more than 1,000 sols (Martian days) into their mission, according to Space.com.

Larger, Earth-type planet discovered. The smallest extrasolar planet yet detected was announced today, reports Space.com: 'Astronomers announced today the discovery of the smallest planet so far found outside of our solar system. About seven-and-a-half times as massive as Earth, and about twice as wide, this new extrasolar planet may be the first rocky world ever found orbiting a star similar to our own. "This is the smallest extrasolar planet yet detected and the first of a new class of rocky terrestrial planets," said team member Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "It's like Earth's bigger cousin." Currently around 150 extrasolar planets are known, and the number continues to grow. But most of these far-off worlds are large gas giants like Jupiter. Only recently have astronomers started detecting smaller massed objects ...' Full article at the link.

Update

I'll have to tell you another time about my conversion from Safari to Firefox and back to Safari. I think for PC users, especially those using MS Explorer, Firefox is a great idea - and it does have a couple of nice features that Safari doesn't. But overall I like Safari better. I'll bore you with the geeky details later.

Various factors related to work and bills and so on will probably force me to cut back on blogging beginning next week. Morning Report expects to be on duty through this Friday, but will take an indefinite leave of absence thereafter. Occasional posting will continue, well ... occasionally.

Favorite Google search, bar none, was the user who found Dreams Into Lightning with the search terms gay males from outer space. How does that saying go? "We are everywhere." I wonder what those space boiz look like ... Are they bears? Leather daddies? I'm betting they look like this guy.

Is there a whole race of them out there somewhere? But then, how do they reproduce ... ?

And what about lesbians from outer space? Hmmmm. Now there's a concept. Maybe there's a story in that. But I digress.

"I want to live in Niamey, be a doctor and be an important woman."

These words were spoken by Anafghat Ayoub, a brave young woman in Niger, following an unimaginably painful ordeal. Read the post at Neo-Neocon. I've also linked it at Africa Report.

Women Today: More Uppity Middle Eastern Women

Iranian women demonstrate for equality. Hundreds of courageous Iranian women demonstrated at Tehran University this week, calling for a boycott of the IRI regime's "elections" scheduled for this Friday. This thread at Free Iran has the scoop, along with lots of photos! SMCCDI reports: 'Women's who are the majority in Iran are considered as half of a man based on Islamic texts. many positions or study fields are forbidden to them while men can control their lives. Young girls of under 14 years of age can be forced to marry with anyone. Iranian women have at various occasions taken off their mandatory veils or set them on fire in sign of protest while shouting "Na Roossari, Na Toossari" (No Veil, No Submission). Many of them have been beaten up, arrested or heavily fined in retaliation. Some have been injured with acid thrown to their faces. ...'

Iran Focus says the protesters numbered in the "thousands": 'A protest that began with a gathering of dozens of women in downtown Tehran this afternoon drew thousands of anti-government protesters and streamrolled into one of the largest demonstrations against Iran’s clerical rulers in recent months. The protest began in front of Tehran University as a small group of women began chanting “freedom, freedom” and calling for a referendum on religious rule. The rally grew rapidly as thousands of local inhabitants and passers-by joined the protesters. Hundreds of uniformed and plain-clothed security agents quickly circled the protestors to prevent thousands more joining their ranks. Agents of the notorious secret police, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the paramilitary Bassij forces were ferried to the streets around Tehran University to disperse the demonstrators. The mainly young protesters, many in their teens, defied the security forces’ assaults and chanted slogans against the upcoming presidential elections, calling it a masquerade.' More photos at this thread.

A woman's place is in the mosque - and not in the back, either, says Asra Nomani: 'There are those who see Nomani, a self-described "overambitious child of immigrants," as a crusader, an activist lobbying for the right of Muslim women to pray side by side with men. This spring she launched the Muslim Women's Freedom Tour, traveling from city to city (including a stop in April at the Islamic Center of Washington on Massachusetts Avenue NW) to encourage Muslim women to assert themselves in their mosques. As part of the tour, women pray in halls usually reserved for men and participate in mixed-gender prayer services led by women. "It's about time," says religious scholar and historian Reza Aslan. "This conception of the separation of men and women is something that never occurred during the prophet's lifetime." He adds, "What she has done is perfectly in line with Islamic values, traditions and the prophet's own desire to have men and women working side by side, praying side by side and even fighting side by side." ...' Nadz gives a first-class rant.

Also from Nadz, a very thought-provoking post on life as a teen for Middle Eastern and Western girls: 'The relevance of this is that Arab teenage girls, while more restricted than their American sisters, often have the same kinds of feelings and problems. They both experience double standards and contradictory images in how they are supposed to behave. The movie highlighted this well - as the troubled girls run down the street, they are bombarded with images and advertisements for makeup, slutty clothes and underwear that is way too old for them. It also reveals our bizarre outlook on how girls are supposed to act. ...' Read the whole post; it's first-rate writing, even for the super-talented Nadz.

Africa Report

Niger: FGM, fistulas, and heroism. Citing a Wall Street Journal piece by Roger Thurow, Neo-Neocon writes about female genital mutilation, the early "marriage" of young girls to adult men, and the agonizing and debilitating phenomenon of fistulas - infections that result from childbirth in girls whose bodies are too young for labor. The article follows the story of Anafghat Ayoub: after an early pregnancy led to a stillbirth and a fistula, Anafghat endured a costly and difficult journey to the nation's capital for medical treatment. Her father, Mr. Mahomed, spared no expense or effort to help Anafghat. While recovering in the hospital, 'Anafghat noticed a woman from Niger who was a medical student making the rounds with the American doctors. Anafghat, the goatherder's daughter from the rural village, was extremely taken with her, saying: I want to live in Niamey, be a doctor and be an important woman.' Read the rest at Neo's post, at the link.

Ethiopia: Tension and hope in electoral dispute. Ethiopia's governing and opposition parties have promised to refrain from further violence, the Head Heeb reports. 'With the party reaffirming its commitment to calm, the investigation of electoral irregularities can now go ahead - although, with the situation inflamed as it is, the truce may last only until the results are announced.'

Mbeki fires Zuma. South African President Thabo Mbeki has fired his deputy Jacob Zuma. Reuters reports: 'South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday he had sacked his deputy Jacob Zuma who has been implicated in a high-profile corruption trial in a move seen as strengthening Africa's declared drive against graft. "I've come to the conclusion that the circumstances dictate that in the interests of the honorable deputy president, the government and our young democratic system ... it will be best to release honorable Jacob Zuma from his responsibilities as deputy president of the republic and member of the cabinet," Mbeki told a special joint session of parliament. Zuma's former financial adviser Schabir Shaik was convicted of corruption and fraud this month in a Durban High Court ruling that also implicated Zuma and said the pair's relationship was "generally corrupt," sparking calls for Zuma to resign. Zuma, popular with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) rank and file as well as its trade union and Communist allies, had refused to step down saying he believed he had committed no crime and had not been tried in a court of law.' AllAfrica: 'This came almost two weeks after Zuma was implicated in corruption during the Durban High Court trial of businessman Schabir Shaik, who acted as his financial advisor. ... Zuma said he accepted and respected Mbeki's decision to sack him as deputy president.' (Reuters, AllAfrica)

UN expects Sudan to drop charges against Dutch MSF workers. Reuters via Sudan Tribune reports: 'The United Nations expects the Sudanese authorities to drop charges against two officials of the Dutch branch of the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on Tuesday, a senior U.N. official said. "I have reason to assume that the charges against the two MSF officials will be dropped today," U.N. envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk told reporters in Khartoum. "That would be very positive because that might make it possible that MSF, which has saved the lives of tens of thousands, in particular children, in Sudan, can continue that humanitarian work," he added. The two officials, Vincent Hoedt and his British superior Paul Foreman, were arrested in May over an MSF report about hundreds of rapes in Sudan's troubled western Darfur region.' (Reuters via Sudan Tribune)

Morning Report: June 14, 2005

Barzani named head of Kurdish Iraq. Debka reports: 'Kurdish parliament unanimously appoints Masoud Barzani president of Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq. His ally and former rival Jalal Talabani was last month named president of Iraq.' (Debka)

Interrogation video shows nervous Saddam. Saddam Hussein, whose "indefatigability" won him the admiration of certain types of people in the West, "appeared to be a shadow of his former self" in a video recently released by Iraq's Special Tribunal, according to this AP report (via the Chicago Tribune): ' Unlike Hussein's last video appearance, when he was arraigned just over a year ago, the man on a tape released Monday by Iraq's Special Tribunal appeared to be a shadow of his former self. Gone was the bluster and aggressiveness. The new Hussein had bags under his eyes, often clasped his hands and squeezed his fingers. He constantly ran his hand through his beard, which had more gray in it than a year ago. When quizzed by chief trial Raid Juhi, a man about half Hussein's age, the former dictator smiled meekly.' (AP via Chicago Tribune)

State Department tracks anti-gay incidents abroad. The US Department of State is holding foreign human-rights violations against lesbians and gays to greater scrutiny, the Washington Blade reports: 'The 2004 State Department report on human rights, released four months ago, condemns the treatment of gays by certain foreign countries and tracks employment discrimination, arrests, murder, imprisonment and torture of gays around the globe. ... A State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the department took extra steps to ensure gay rights violations were included in the 2004 report by asking foreign posts to report on HIV/AIDS discrimination and discriminatory laws. The department also relies on information from Amnesty International and other groups. “We felt this was an area we weren’t dealing with sufficient intensity,” the official said.' The article also notes that some US gay rights groups claim that the policy is a "double standard". (Washington Blade)

Klansman to stand trial; Senate regrets inaction on domestic terrorism. Accused in the infamous 1964 slayings of pro-democracy activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi, Edgar Ray Killen is now on trial for his role in the murders. Jury selection in the case has begun. An AP article in the Washington Post reports: 'The slayings of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner _ three young men who were helping register blacks during the "Freedom Summer" of 1964 and were investigating a church burning the night they disappeared _ galvanized the civil rights movement and helped win passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ... Killen's name has been associated with the slayings from the beginning. FBI records and witnesses indicated he organized the carloads of Klansmen who followed Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner and stopped them in their station wagon. Chaney, a black man from Mississippi, and Schwerner and Goodman, white men from New York, were beaten and shot to death. Their bodies were found 44 days later, buried in an earthen dam. Killen was tried along with several others in 1967 on federal charges of violating the victims' civil rights. The all-white jury deadlocked in Killen's case, but seven others were convicted. None served more than six years. Killen is the only person ever indicted on state murder charges in the case.' The article also notes that "about a quarter of the jury pool on Monday was black, roughly reflecting the racial makeup of the county's 28,700 residents. In 1964, very few blacks were registered to vote in Neshoba County, and juries were usually all-white." Meanwhile, news sources report that the United States Senate has formally apologized for its failure to act against lynching, a form of domestic terrorism that claimed some 4,700 American lives between 1880 and 1960. Most of the victims were African Americans. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. George Allen, R-Va and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., passed without objection. A Washington Post editorial remarks, 'It is tempting to say that the Senate's expression of regret comes too late. It is never too late or too untimely, however, for a great nation to remember terrible wrongs, and lynching was a crime of national proportion. Senate Resolution 39 notes that incidents of lynching were recorded in all but four states, thus having it succeed slavery as "the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction." ' UPDATE: LaShawn Barber isn't impressed. (AP, Knight Ridder via AZ Central, Washintgon Post, LaShawn Barber)

Belmont Club: Deep strike. In a Monday post at The Belmont Club, Wretchard reflects on the state of the Iraqi insurgency today, and considers the question of 'whether it is enough to merely stay the current strategic course, trusting that current trends will eventually break the enemy, or find new methods which will accelerate victory.' In World War II, "accelerating victory" meant destroying the enemy's infrastructure, often by ruthless means. Today, more congenial methods are available: ''Democratization' is fundamentally an attempt to destroy the fabric on which the terrorist war-making potential rests. It is the American weapon of choice in lieu of the Atomic Bomb.' But as Michael Ledeen observes, "more time has passed since 9/11 than transpired between Pearl Harbor and the surrender of the Japanese empire," and a resolution is needed sooner rather than later. (In Ledeen's famous phrase: "Faster, please".) And by the same token, the enemy - and its sympathizers in the West - possess a "deep strike" weapon of their own: 'the conviction that that no series of foreign military victories can offset a determined depiction of defeat at home.' In short, the current conflict is nothing more nor less than a battle of wills. (Belmont Club)

Morning Report: June 12, 2005

Bombs kill 8 in western Iran. Free Iran citing AFP reports: 'A TV grab taken 12 June 2005 from Iranian Al-Alam TV shows a wrecked car in Iran's restive southwestern city of Ahvaz, an ethnic-Arab majority city close to the border with Iraq, following a string of bomb attacks that targetted several public buildings. At least eight people were killed and 75 others injured when a string of bomb attacks rocked the city just days before the Islamic republic's presidential election. At least eight people were killed and 75 others injured when a string of bomb attacks rocked Iran's restive southwestern city of Ahvaz just days before the Islamic republic's presidential election. Four blasts targetted several public buildings in Ahvaz, an ethnic-Arab majority city close to the border with Iraq and capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province. "The victims were two employees of the budget planning organisation and six residents of the city who were outside the prefecture and housing ministry office," deputy provincial police commander General Hassan Assad Masjedi told the official news agency IRNA. "Because of the seriousness of some of the injuries, the death toll could rise further," he added. Khuzestan's deputy governor Gholam Reza Shariati said the unidentified attackers were trying to damage "the territorial integrity of the country and the election process". ' A comment at Free Iran asserts: 'Today 4 bombs in Ahvaz damaged goverment buildings, killing 8 and injuring many. The opposition groups beleive this to be part of the infightings which is in the rise and now reaches a point that the two sides attack each other with bombs! This is a continuation of assasinations which took many victims from mostly 'reform' side. It's possible that the hardliners are planning more assasinations, in case the so called reform candidates win the election. Although, the mojahedin [=Mojahedin-e-Khalq?] group announced last week that they will create chaos within the regime, they haven't taken responsibilities of these recent bombings yet. The other opposition group, Anjoman e Padeshahi declared that any attacks will not include bombs, and will be announced. Mr. Fouladvand said today that anjoman does not support bombings, and has not ordered this action.' (AFP and Iran Press News via Free Iran)

A Beautiful and Fun Blog

Paula Gaon, an artist and a very dear friend of mine now living in Israel, has started a blog called Beautiful & Fun Things. Paula describes herself as "one of many aging BabyBoomers scratching my head and wondering where the time went and why I still feel so confused." She loves life in the desert, Harry Potter, Motown, and the Beatles. Her blog covers astrology and art - go check it out, and be sure to visit her site at CafePress.

Regime Watch Iran

Militia motorbike torched in southern Tehran. Free Iran: 'A militia motorbike carrying a club welding passenger was caught by a group of young demonstrators in Eslamshar a poor suburb of Tehran and scene of various riots.

The two regime agents who had beaten up several celebrators were caught few meters away and injured in their fall.

Their light transmission materials and pistols were taken by those demonstrators who vanished in the crowd which is shouting slogans against the leaders of the regime or dancing and chanting.'

Clashes in Esfahan, Mashar, Shiraz, Madar, Tajrish. Free Iran: 'Several clashes have been reported from several areas of the Greater Tehran and cities, such as, Esfahan, Mashad and Shiraz.

Plainclothes agents or paramilitary Bassij members have tried at several occasions to attack and end some of the celebration gatherings turned into massive shows of popular defiance and rejection of all symbols of the Islamic regime especially its upcoming sham Presidential elections.

Some female demonstrators who had pulled off their veils were beaten and injured in Madar and Tajrish areas.

Several demonstrators identified of having destroyed regime's advertisements were also beaten up or arrested in Esfahan's Enghelab square and in Darvaze Shiraz.

In Shiraz clashes have happened near Darvaze Ghoran as groups of demonstrators were shouting slogans against the regime and its supreme leader.

In Mashad, clashes have taken place around the university.

Several plainclothes agents have been injured in Ray and Narmak areas.

It's believed that the regime forces are waiting that most residents get back to their homes in order to crackdown on demonstrators.'

Commenter Liberty Now, citing Iranian media, adds this invaluable detail: 'A GROUP OF THUGS AND BUTCHERS REACHED THE LOCATION IN AN AMBULANCE (!!) TO ATTACK THE WOMEN.

THERE WERE LAST SEEN RUNNING BACK TO THE VEHICLE WHILE THE NEARBY GAURDS HAD TO ESCORT THEM OUT OF THE CROWD!'

The revolution. Free Iran, from Iran va Jahan: 'Shaheen Fatemi, Iran va Jahan:The Message Is Emphatically Clear:

Aim: Regime Change
Method: Non-Violent Civil Disobedience
Goal: Democratic Government.

While the international attention is focused on Iran’s WMD program and the phony presidential “election,” most observers seem to be missing a veritable seismic popular movement for radical change.

With every passing day the number of people who dare to add their signature to those who are openly challenging the system and are asking for total boycott of the elections mounts.

The mood of the country is rebellious. Last Sunday I was invited by VOA’s Persian language program to speak to a live interactive audience calling in from all parts of Iran. While everyone knows that these programs are recorded by the dreadful agents of the regime, no one seemed to care. They were unequivocally calling for a regime change. I was truly surprised by the universal vehemence of their condemnation of the ruling Mullahs. [Posters note: This is the same lack of fear that permeated Lebanon during the Cedar Uprising!] ...' Read the full article at the link.

Even the MSM can see it: Football (soccer) rallies are political. Regime Change Iran cites a Reuters account: '"Iran erupted in a frenzy of raucous celebrations after the Islamic state booked its place at the 2006 World Cup soccer [football] finals in Germany with a 1-0 home win over Gulf rivals Bahrain on Wednesday. ... But though the mood was mostly joyous rather than tense, there were sporadic clashes between a hardline volunteer militia and revellers in eastern Tehran. A Reuters reporter saw at least three injured young people.' Doctor Zin at RCI adds: "Even Reuters is reporting the unrest. But these international media reporters tend to have minders with them and thus they do not go to where the unrest is."

Regime's days are numbered, say activists. This Friday will mark the official beginning of the revolution against the IRI, according to SOS Iran: 'We the 70 million people of Iran request your declaration to denounce the Islamic Republic as the legitimate government of Iran on the 10th of June. On this historic day, we the Iranian people will place our seal on a promise of this general uprising which will go down in history as a confrontation between good and evil. On the 10th of June, the people of the world shall rally to our cause, in solidarity with Iranians everywhere. We have given the mullahs until the 16th of June to submit to the will of the Iranian people and peacefully surrender the power to its rightful owners. We the 70 million Iranians hereby cast our vote to end the Islamic Republic’s reign of terror, and no longer consider the Islamic Republic a legitimate government. Should they be so unwise not to leave peacefully on June 16th, we are prepared to remove this dictatorship and bring to an end the 26 years of their shameful reign. We will strike on the 18th of June, from every corner of our land, in every city, at every outpost of the Islamic Republic, and will bring those who have wronged us to justice.' The full text of this ultimatum (PDF), signed by all the major Iranian opposition groups, can be found at the SOS Iran homepage. Iranians are urged to stay indoors with the lights out every evening, beginning this Friday, as a show of unity. The declaration also calls for acts of civil disobedience by Iranian expatriates in Europe in solidarity with activists in the homeland.

Iran of tomorrow. The dissidents' manifesto also declares the start of a transitional Iranian government in mid-June: 'We have asked the exiled Iranians to come together and aid us to the utmost of their abilities to form a legitimate interim government, for the people, to replace your totalitarian regime with a democratic system after the 16th of June. We are coming together to defeat the Islamic Republic dictatorship, like we did under the banner of Kaveh to defeat the Tazi, and as we have always united to defeat those who so naively believed they could conquer us. We have asked the Iran of Tomorrow Movement (IOTM) to devise and put into place a system for the registration of candidates for the Interim Government, and a voting system to be used by Iranians outside Iran to vote for the candidates. This secular Interim Government shall represent a cross section of our society, independent of political beliefs, and ready to assume all governmental functions by June 10th, 2005. We have full confidence in the formation of this Interim Government to provide a strong foundation for a democratic and secular government for our country.' In keeping with the spirit and intentions of our freedom-loving friends in Iran, Dreams Into Lightning will recognize this Interim Government as the legitimate government of the Iranian nation. Keep watching for new developments.

Morning Report: June 8, 2005

Ethiopia: Protests over disputed election claim 18 lives. CNN reports: 'The death toll from clashes between protesters and security forces in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa has risen to at least 18 in a third day of unrest following a disputed election. Sources at one hospital told Reuters on Wednesday that 11 people had died from gunshot wounds. Sources at another hospital said they had seven dead bodies with bullet wounds. Ethiopian families at the hospitals said they feared many more had been killed in the violence, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, a human rights group told The Associated Press that at least 20 people has been killed in the worst violence to hit the capital in four years.' (CNN)

Gaza pullout to proceed; conflict continues. Debka is currently reporting: 'Palestinians shell Israeli S. Gaza locations of Gadid, Neve Dekalim and IDF regional command, injuring one Israeli soldier. The barrage Wednesday follows Israeli airborne missile strike against Hamas mortar launchers ready to fire from nearby Khan Younes. The Gaza pull-back will be executed on schedule despite obstacles placed in its path by opponents, Israeli prime minister and defense minister asserted Wednesday. At ministerial panel on disengagement they dismissed as disinformation claims that nothing is ready and rejected calls for postponement. Palestinian fire continued Wednesday against IDF positions guarding Israel-Egyptian border on second day of ceasefire violations.' (Debka)

Wretchard: "Trouble brewing" in Zimbabwe. Wretchard writes at The Belmont Club: 'My own simpleminded take on all this, without the benefit of special knowledge or experience in southern Africa is that the opposition to Mugabe will be nonviolent for now, but is unlikely to remain so for long. The reason: food.' President Bush may be eyeing South Africa's Thabo Mbeki as a strategic partner, the post concludes, but ' things are going to have to get a lot worse before Mbeki and the "International Community" get themselves in gear.' Even so, Wretchard concludes, it's just a matter of time. Read the whole post, and don't forget to bookmark the new homepage. (Belmont Club)