Morning Report: August 9, 2005

Shuttle lands at Edwards AFB, doesn't blow up. The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base, according to media reports. CNN: 'The space shuttle Discovery touched down Tuesday morning, completing NASA's first shuttle mission since Columbia broke apart during re-entry in February 2003. The shuttled landed at 5:11 a.m. PT at NASA's secondary landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California. As commander Eileen Collins brought the orbiter to a stop on runway 22, NASA spokesman James Hartsfield stated, "Discovery is home." (CNN)

Iraqi women demonstrate for, against civil constitution. Iraq the Model reports (with pictures): 'In spite of the heat and the dust that's covering Baghdad for the 2nd day, more than a hundred Iraqi women representing NGOs and active groups gathered to declare their demands in equality and a civil family and personal affairs law. The women set a large tent in Al-Firdows square which witnessed the fall of Saddam in April 2003. Under this icon of freedom the women held their signs and demands high. I met some of the activists who talked enthusiastically about plans for more protests and conventions to show their disapproval of the constitution's draft because they're afraid that religion might hijack the constitution and deprive them of their rights.' The liberal activists were met by a counter-demonstration of about 30 pro-islamist women. Responding to a question about the status of women witnesses in an Islamic court, one of them told Mohammed, 'It's an honor to me to be half of a garbage collector because that's what Allah said and it's not you who can explain to me what Allah said.' Read Mohammed's interview with the pro-islamist woman, and the rest of the article, at the link. (ITM)

It should have never had to end this way. Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the US atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan near the end of World War II, Neo-Neocon responds to some provocative questions: 'Why didn't they drop a nuke on an unpopulated area and say, 'See that goddamn horror? We'll drop another one on your heads in two days if you don't surrender.'
My post had ended with this quote from Fussell's article about the atomic bomb, which I think is especially relevant to anonymous' question: The past, which as always did not know the future, acted in ways that ask to be imagined before they are condemned. Or even simplified. Many of those who are critical of the dropping of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs seem to lack the capacity to understand that those who made the decision were given a certain set of circumstances with which to work. One of those circumstances was a fairly basic one: the US only had two atomic bombs at the time....' Read the rest, and visit Neo's previous post, at the link. (Neo-Neocon)

Update

New in the Dreams Into Lightning universe: yes, another blog; this one will primarily be of interest to family members and relatives. The Town Down the River will feature memoirs, trivia, memorabilia, and genealogical information about my family of origin.

Chapter 6 of Pacific Memories is complete, with my father's reflections on the people of Fiji.

The picture of a husky Fijian ambling along, scowling in the glare of the bright sun, and generally carrying a bolo in his hand, is a sight that makes you glad that these fellows are on our side. But the Fijians recognized this allyship, and acted accordingly, playing the perfect hosts.

Read it all at the link. In the next chapter, the men of the 37th Infantry Division will defy predictions ... but we're getting ahead of our story.

Also a couple of newly posted poems by my sister at Wilderness Vision. At Iridescence, Stephanie explains - at age fifteen - a little about her writing:

A person can search years for one thing and have to settle in the end for only a glimpse of the dream. Sometimes that's enough.

Many thanks to Erik Svane for the link, and thanks, as always, to visitors for dropping by.

Iraqi Women

Kat at The Middle Ground answers some questions about Iraq's evolving constitution in her new post:

First, the issue of Islam and Shari'ah in the constitution. To date, the constitution has been changed several times. Earlier on, there was specific reference that Islam would be THE basis of law. Approximately a week ago, that was negotiated down to "one of the sources of law" in which some were willing to allow local religious courts to participate in adjudicating certain criminal and civil issues (like divorce) as an elective choice outside of the civil process....

While the changes to the draft are an improvement, it by no means guarantees that women in rural areas or areas controlled by religious parties will not be forced to go to these courts by their family and the area instead of seeking redress in civil courts. And it does not preclude “civil courts” applying shari’ah law. This is why this is important that it is civil, secular and equitable law that is the main source of law for all citizens.

[Note: I believe a similar arrangement exists in Israel, where Jewish religious courts exist side-by-side with secular courts. Unfortunately I am not knowledgeable enough about the details and ramifications of this system to discuss it here. Readers who are "in the know" about religious courts in Israel are invited to comment. - aa]

Second, women's rights in Iraq, prior to the invasion, is an interesting history and mix of culture and modern civilization. Long before Saddam Hussein was in power, the women of Iraq, like many other countries in the ME, had a women's rights movement in the 1920's. By the 1950s women had become very much "westernized" in appearance and education and by 1958, civil laws protecting their rights were introduced and had been the law of the land long before Saddam came to power.

You may be surprised to know that a similar movement took place in such countries as Bahrain, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Saudi Arabia. As another poster has pointed out, this backwards move towards Shari'ah is a very new phenomenon if you count the last two decades as "new". This is not an issue of the United States forcing it’s own concepts or cultural ideas on another culture. This is an issue of protecting existing cultural and social standards against other groups supported by extremist governments outside of Iraq and who are using their superior funding and positions to impose an idea that IS actually foreign to Iraqi society (barring traditionalists that have lived in the rural areas by these same rules)....

Third, on the Israel “discrimination” issue, the latest draft has removed any reference to Israel and has actually removed the reference of Iraq as an "Arab" state since there are so many ethnicities within it's borders. This is good because it separates them from their surrounding countries that are less amenable democracy.

What this tells me is that there are logical and reasonable people drawing up this constitution and capable of compromise.

Fourth: representation in the Iraqi government for women. The TAL (or Transitional Authority Law) gave women 25% representation in the assembly and government offices. In the January election, every third candidate on the party lists was a woman and there is slightly over 25% representation in the assembly. There are also women on the constitution committee. The committee tried to remove the representation clause, but it was put back on in the last two days. Which means women still have some rights to representation, but it does not guarantee them protection under civil laws, particularly when some of these women are members of SCIRI or DAWA or other non-secular parties....

For the full seven-point article, go read Kat at the link.

Women protest in Najaf. Omar at Iraq the Model reports (August 4):

For the 1st time in Najaf, women go out in an independent protest demanding their full rights and condemning the parts of draft of the constitution that threatens the state of women rights.

The protest which took place in front of the office of the Najaf human rights organization yesterday was reported by radio free Iraq:

The responses to the draft that was announced on Al-Sabah on July 26th varied in the Najafi street between cautious agreement and total disagreement but one group of women went to the streets in a protest that is considered the first for women in Najaf.
The report also included an interview with Ms. Intisar Al-Mayali who organized the protest.

When we asked Al-Mayali about the reasons behind the protest and the demands of the participating women, she said:

"Today we have women from 17 civil society organizations was organized to show that we strongly reject the parts of the proposed constitution that are against our rights as Iraqi women and this protest is in support of the memorandum we sent to the CDC in which we clarified our demands".

Then she details the women's demands and concerns:

"We want to make clear that we're against any attempt to revive the notorious 137 personal affairs law which was born during the period of Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim when he was the head of the GC.

We want a civil law to govern issues like marriage and inheritance and we also want to reactivate the related international treaties that Iraq had already signed and approved long time ago and even the existing civil law that we support needs to be modified and improved in a way that matches the needs and rights of Iraqi women and we insist that Islam must not be the only source of legislation".

Basra in the summer isn't always fun, especially when the power's out and there's no air conditioning. Iraqi-American blogger Fayrouz, herself a Basrawi, interviews a woman who's living there now. Go to the link to get a "before and after" picture in words, and some thoughts about the British troops.

Morning Report: August 7, 2005

Russian sailors rescued. CNN reports: "The seven-man crew of a trapped Russian mini-submarine are back in port after a three-day ordeal at the bottom of the Pacific with dwindling oxygen. Six of the seamen were taken to hospital for observation in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the eastern coast of the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka after arriving on board a rescue ship. ...' (CNN)

Israeli terrorist kills four Arabs. The Jerusalem Post reports: 'A far-right activist who was AWOL from his army unit murdered four Israeli Arabs and wounded 12 on Thursday evening when he opened fire while riding in an Egged bus in the northern city of Shfaram. He was then lynched by an angry mob. The shooter, identified as Natan Eden Zada, 19, of the Samaria settlement of Tapuah, had deserted his IDF unit and was on Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) watch lists. Despite this, Shin Bet sources said no warnings had been received regarding plans by Zada or other Jewish extremists to target the Israeli-Arab sector. Among the victims were two young sisters, Hazar and Dina Turki, 23 and 21-years-old respectively, and the driver of the bus, Michel Bahous, 56. Nadir Hayak, 55, a passenger on the bus, was killed as well.' Zada will be buried without military honors. (JPost)

Israel set to begin Gaza pullout; Netanyahu resigns. Debka reports: 'Finance minister Binyamin Netanyahu has resigned. He walked out of cabinet meeting Sunday which approved first evacuations from Gaza. Netanyahu left session in the middle leaving a letter on the cabinet table. He announced his refusal to be part of the “irresponsible” and “blind advance” towards a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and its handover to be “an Islamic terror base” posing extreme peril to the nation and Jerusalem. Earlier, education minister Limor LIvnat said she would vote against the first Gaza withdrawals from Netzarim, Morag and Kfar Darom due to begin in 10 days. Three more Likud ministers Danny Neveh, Israel Katz and Tsachi Hanegbi oppose the evacuations which has a cabinet majority without the Likud ministers.'

Iranian group lays claim to killing of judge. News media reported that Masoud Moqadasi, a judge who oversaw a case against now-imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji, was shot dead in his car after leaving his central Tehran office Tuesday afternoon, according to a judiciary spokesman. The comment thread a Free Iran offers some analysis: 'For a single person on a moterbike to aim and fire a full clip from an assault rifle on the move, into another moving vehicle is pushing the limits of the possible, one only has two hands. Even letting go of the handle bars (which is possible, in a straight line), the recoil would throw the bike off center, risking a wreck. It's virtually impossible to handle an assault rifle one handed, and keep aim steady, during a full-auto burst using up a full clip (30 rounds AK 47 7.62 mm) Perhaps having the sling of the rifle rapped around the arm holding the handle bars, as a prop to hold the gun steady, but aiming would be a bit more difficult. Not something one could do alone without practice, in any case. Plus then there's the fact that it would be almost impossible to hide such a weapon prior to, or after assault on a bike. Only certain people on the street allowed to carry that type weapon, thus it's probable that when "Iran's Intelligence Ministry later blamed the murders on "rogue agents" in the secret service. " ..They were accurate. Don't think for a minute that Opposition is not inside... as well on the street in protests. - Oppenheimer. / Iranian bloggers and news sources such as Pichay, Goroohesiyahkal, IranPan, and Gooya News: an English translation of the essential elements of these reports. As indicated in these Persian web sites, a group called Secret Armed Youths Organization ( A Branch of Pan-Iranists party) takes the full responsiblity of murder of the judge who was shot a few days ago in Tehran. The group claims they killed the judge because he has been killing and torturing political prisoners since 1980s. This group also claims that they killed this judge to support Akbar Ganji and other political prisoners in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. - Rasker.' (Free Iran)

Journalist Steven Vincent Murdered by Paramilitary Death Squads

Steven Vincent was abducted and killed in Basra recently. Vincent was the author of In the Red Zone, an account of his journeys in Iraq. Omar at Iraq the Model writes:

I was extremely shocked and saddened when I saw on the news a few minutes ago that Steven Vincent was found dead in Basra. Mohammed and I were closely following his reports from Basra and we really enjoyed reading them.
Now the bastards took him away. The terrorists try to silence every voice that tells the truth but they can not succeed as there will be always people who are ready and willing to write and speak the truth and they will see that our pens are stronger than their guns. We lost a fine writer today, God bless his soul and our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

A reader quotes the following from an interview with Steven Vincent:

Words matter. Words convey moral clarity. Without moral clarity, we will not succeed in Iraq. That is why the terms the press uses to cover this conflict are so vital. For example, take the word “guerillas.” As you noted, mainstream media sources like the New York Times often use the terms “insurgents” or “guerillas” to describe the Sunni Triangle gunmen, as if these murderous thugs represented a traditional national liberation movement. But when the Times reports on similar groups of masked reactionary killers operating in Latin American countries, they utilize the phrase “paramilitary death squads.” Same murderers, different designations. Yet of the two, “insurgents”—and especially “guerillas”—has a claim on our sympathies that “paramilitaries” lacks. This is not semantics: imagine if the media routinely called the Sunni Triangle gunmen “right wing paramilitary death squads.” Not only would the description be more accurate, but it would offer the American public a clear idea of the enemy in Iraq. And that, in turn, would bolster public attitudes toward the war. ...

The most despicable misuse of terminology, however, occurs when Leftists call the Saddamites and foreign jihadists “the resistance.”

Read the interview here.

Fayrouz has a few thoughts.

Chrenkoff writes:

Steve had a successful and rewarding career as an art critic in New York. Then came September 11, and his life would never be the same again. "When the Administration launched the Operation Iraqi freedom, I felt strangely excited," he wrote. "I wanted to join the conflict." Too old to enlist (his only military experience, driving a cab in NYC, he says), too freelance to hope to accompany the troops, Steve made the decision to see Iraq away from the frontlines: "I sought to embed myself in the Iraqi society."

The fruit of his two trips, and several months of stay in Iraq was his book "In the Red Zone: A journey into the soul of Iraq" - "some of the best journalism to come out of Iraq since the liberation," I wrote in my review. It was ‚– is ‚– a wonderful work, not uncritical of both the liberated and the liberators, but nevertheless infused with deep sympathy for the long suffering of the Iraqi people, as well as love of freedom, and hope for a better future. ...

Go read the rest of Chrenkoff's post at the link, and understand what the world lost with Steven Vincent - and what we must still strive for, now that he is gone.

Steven Vincent's last published articles:
On Again, Off Again
Switched Off in Basra

Morning Report: August 1, 2005

King Fahd dies. Though largely a figurehead since suffering a debilitating stroke in 1995, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, who rose to power in 1982, left his mark on the Middle East. He died early Monday at the age of 84. Voice of America has this: 'Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, who had been in ill health for years, died early Monday in Riyadh. The Saudi royal court announced the king's death and said Crown Prince Abdullah, Fahd's brother, has assumed the throne. The crown prince has been Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler since Fahd suffered a stroke 10 years ago. Officials say the monarch died at the King Faisal Specialized Hospital in Riyadh, where he had been admitted in late May for unspecified medical tests. ...' MSNBC: 'Fahd died at approximately 2:30 a.m. EDT, a senior Saudi official in Washington told The Associated Press. President Bush was alerted within minutes of Fahd’s death, the official told The AP on condition of anonymity. The king’s funeral was to be held Tuesday evening, he said.' Mahmood has a tribute. (VOA, MSNBC, Mahmood)

Bolton to get UN appointment. President Bush will appoint the controversial John Bolton as the US ambassador to the United Nations, media sources report. MSNBC: 'Frustrated by Democrats, President Bush will circumvent the Senate on Monday and install embattled nominee John Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations, a senior administration official told NBC News. Bush has the power to fill vacancies without Senate approval while Congress is in recess. Under the Constitution, a recess appointment during the lawmakers' August break would last until the next session of Congress, which begins in January 2007. ...' Fox: 'Democrats have not relented in their argument that Bolton is not the man for the job. "He's damaged goods; this is a person who lacks credibility. This will be the first U.N. ambassador since 1948 we ever sent there under a recess appointment. That's not what you want to send up, a person who doesn't have the confidence of the Congress," Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., told "FOX News Sunday." Republicans say the Democratic filibuster justifies use of a recess appointment. "I think Mr. Bolton has been treated incredibly unfairly by the process here. And the president would have every right to give him a recess appointment," said Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.' CNN: 'Senate Democrats held up the nomination after the White House refused, on grounds of executive privilege, to provide records of communications intercepts Bolton sought from the National Security Agency when he was the State Department's point man on arms control. The State Department last week acknowledged that Bolton incorrectly told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a questionnaire that he had not been interviewed as part of any investigation within the past five years.' (various)

Bloggers' demo cancelled. Overshadowed by President Mubarak's unsurprising (but awkwardly timed) announcement that he will seek a fifth term in office, the planned demonstration in memory of the victims of Sharm-el-Sheikh was cancelled. 'Why did our permit get revoked? Why did the police send such a huge number of security soldiers to an anti-terror demonstration? I believe the answer lies in the phobia that our government has towards any sort of demonstration even if it was a protest denouncing Osama Bin Laden. They hate assemblies, period. May be the police was afraid lest our protest turn into an anti-government or an anti-Mubarak demonstration or something. They just don't want the hassle.' Sandmonkey: 'How can you explain to people the logic behind the illogical? Forget that, how can you put them in the same situation you were put in? After all the work they had to do to lobby for this thing to work, they had to call all of those people and convince them not to go, because the vigil was canceled, just like that. And the worst part is: you will no longer have any credibility with those people. You won’t be able to get them to come the next time.' (Big Pharaoh, Sandmonkey)

Mark Yost and Michael Fumento: What the MSM Aren't Telling You

Mark Yost got himself in a ton of hot water with this column:

... I know the reporting’s bad because I know people in Iraq. A Marine colonel buddy just finished a stint overseeing the power grid. When’s the last time you read a story about the progress being made on the power grid? Or the new desalination plant that just came on-line, or the school that just opened, or the Iraqi policeman who died doing something heroic? To judge by the dispatches, all the Iraqis do is stand outside markets and government buildings waiting to be blown up.

I also get unfiltered news from Iraq through an e-mail network of military friends who aren’t so blinded by their own politics that they can’t see the real good we’re doing there. More important, they can see beyond their own navel and see the real good we’re doing to promote peace and prosperity in the world. What makes this all the more ironic is the fact that the people who are fighting and dying want to stay and the people who are merely observers want to cut and run.

I feel for these soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan because I’m sure they’re coming home and noticing the same disconnect that I did when I served. Moreover, stories about their families and others who are here and trying to make a difference largely go unreported.

Ever heard of Soldiers’ Angels (http://soldiersangels.homestead.com/index.html) or Operation Minnesota Nice ( www.operationminnesotanice.com)? Probably not. ...

Michael Fumento at Townhall.com writes:

Editorial page associate editor Mark Yost at the Knight-Ridder newspaper the St. Paul Pioneer Press committed a major boo-boo. He penned a provocative column on media coverage of the Iraq war, observing that from what his contacts there told him – with apologies to Johnny Mercer – the mainstream media are accentuating the negative and ignoring the positive.

Yost couldn’t have imagined he was bathing in blood and throwing himself into the shark pen. His media colleagues were merciless. “With your column, you have spat on the copy of the brave men and women who are doing their best in terrible conditions,” reporter Chuck Laszewski at the same newspaper charged in an open letter. “You have insulted them and demeaned them,” he wrote. “I am embarrassed to call you my colleague.” ...

Chuck Laszewski ought to be embarrassed to look in the mirror, but that's beside the point. Read these articles at the links, and understand why more and more Americans hold the media establishment in ever-growing contempt.

Morning Report: July 29, 2005

London bomb suspects arrested. CNN: 'Three men have been arrested following police raids in west London in connection with last week's failed terror attacks in the British capital. Unconfirmed media reports, citing police sources, said two of the men were suspected bombers behind the July 21 attempted attacks on London's transit system. Friday's arrests came after heavily armed police raided two locations in west London at around 11:00 a.m. (1000 GMT). ...' BBC: 'Two more of the failed London bombing suspects are believed to have been arrested as police carried out a number of armed operations in west London. ... Police moved residents to safety during two raids, in Notting Hill and north Kensington, and made three arrests. Officers also arrested two women at Liverpool Street station, which has reopened after packages were examined. Police are still questioning a third suspect arrested on Wednesday in Birmingham. Yasin Hassan Omar was wanted as a suspect in the Warren Street Tube attempted bombing. ...' Debka: 'Two of the three July 21 bombers at large arrested by armed London police in swoops on hideouts across city, Friday July 29. Two women were also detained at Liverpool Station after struggle. Three of the four July 21 bombers are now in custody. They are two men who unsuccessfully tried to blow up a train at Oval Tube station and a bus in Hackney. The Warrren St. bomber was captured in Birmingham Thursday. Still sought is the would-be bomber who fled Shepherd’s Bush station ahead of pursuit. ...' (various)

Saddam faces questions. CNN reports: 'Saddam Hussein was called to a hearing where he was questioned about the 1991 repression of a Shiite-led uprising in southern Iraq after the Gulf War, a court official told CNN on Friday. Judge Raid Juhi, of the Iraqi Special Tribunal set up to try the jailed ex-leader, said Saddam answered questions in Thursday's session, more than 30 minutes long. The former president attended the session alone. A trial date for the former dictator will be announced soon for Saddam's alleged role in a 1982 incident, in which Shiite Muslims in the village of Dujail north of Baghdad were massacred. ...' (CNN)

Orthodox Union: Israeli troops harass religious Jews. The Jerusalem Post reports: 'The Orthodox Union, an umbrella group representing hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Jews in North America, accused the Israeli government and security forces of bigotry and religious discrimination in a recent letter sent to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Ambassador to the US Daniel Ayalon and Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz. The letter, released to the media Tuesday evening after Israeli officials failed to respond for four days, stated that, based on both media and eyewitness accounts, "Israeli government officials, jurists and police and security forces" showed an "indifference to civil liberties." ... The OU cited an incident in Ma'aleh Adumim in which police stopped a bus and removed all passengers wearing kippot [skullcaps]. "Those passengers were not even traveling to a demonstration but were simply seeking to reach their place of work in Jerusalem upon the same bus on which they travel each and every day," said the letter. The OU also accused the government of using administrative detention or house arrest against persons "merely advocating positions at odds with government policy," "baseless confiscation of drivers' licenses," and "threats and coercion against persons seeking to exercise their right of lawful travel and free association." ' (JPost, via e-mail)

Samir Hassan: Religion vs. oppression. '... A number of different [Koranic] verses clearly demonstrate that the "cause of Allah" is not to be actively pursued in any nation unless the people of that nation have collectively agreed to an accord which defines and guarantees the basic liberties and responsibilities of its citizens. Here are just a few examples: "There is no compulsion in religion." "You shall have your religion and I shall have mine." "Truth is from your Lord; if you wish, you can either believe or you can disbelieve." "Thou art not in control over them." "Thou shalt consult with them." "Intercession for all is by Allah alone." The believers in such a nation would readily volunteer to fight in defense of its lifestyle. They would also volunteer to liberate the "ill-treated (and oppressed)- Men, women, and children" of other nations....' Read the full English text of Samir Hassan's very fine article at Friends of Democracy. Arabic text is here. (Friends of Democracy)

Iranian Hunger Striker in Coma

Via Free Iran, Amnesty International reports:

Manuchehr Mohammadi has reportedly gone into a coma. He had been on hunger
strike since 6 July, in protest at the authorities' refusal to grant him leave
from prison to receive medical treatment. His life is in grave danger.

His family visited him on or around 20 July, and reported that his health was
deteriorating rapidly: he was unable to walk, could barely talk or see, his
skin had turned yellow, and his eyes were sunken. On 24 July it was reported
that he had fallen into a coma.

Manuchehr has suffered serious health problems in prison, some reportedly
caused by torture and ill-treatment, and the conditions in which he has been
held. ...

Read the full item at the link. Thanks to Stefania.

Ugandan Police Attack Lesbian Activists

Via Pseudo-Adrienne at Alas, A Blog, Black Looks has this item on anti-gay government violence in Uganda:

The ugandan parliament have enacted a new anti-homosexual law and with this the Ugandan police yesterday stormed the house of lesbian activist, Victor Julie Mukassa. Victor tried to contact me today but unfortuantely I missed her call so the details on her present situation are still sketchy. However there is a report on the raid in Behind the Mask as follows:

On the night of 20 July 2005, Victor Juliet Mukasa, who is the chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), had her residence raided by the Ugandan government police officials. The officials confiscated all documentations and other materials that had homosexual content.

Unfortunately for the police contingent which was clearly intending to pounce on Mukasa, they didn't find her at home as she had not yet arrived back home from town.

On the house they found a gay activist from Kenya who works closely with SMUG. She was detained for the night. According to Kasha Jacqueline, a lesbian human rights activist, "They took her [the Kenyan activist] in so Victor and the other LGBT activists [from SMUG] would want to fetch her from the police and then they can arrest Victor specifically and or the other activists

"The police threatened to broadcast the information found in the national media and that can lead to more containment by public at large", said Jacqueline.

This purported trap to arrest for SMUG officials is suspected to be part of an elaborate plan by the Ugandan government to obliterate gay and lesbian activities in that country.

Here's a link to the original post at Behind the Mask. An update at the Black Looks post adds:

I have just spoken to Victor who has reported to the police. They were unable to detain her since they have nothing on which to charge her. She has a lawyer and the IHLHRC are supporting her case. Meanwhile she cannot go home as people near where she lives planned to attack her. Once the matter comes out in the press she will be in even more danger. She is staying and moving from hotel to hotel. Victor's human rights have been grossly violated. There was no search warrant on her home and her guest was stripped naked by the police and detained and both their lives are now in danger. All of these issues will be followed through with the support of the international gay and lesbian community and their friends.

Meanwhile, a current post at Black Looks has this:

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) Press Release

On July 20th, an LC1 Chairman (local government official) and another man forcibly entered the home of J.M. at Kireka, who is a human rights activist and chairperson of SMUG (Sexual Minorities Uganda). They proceeded to search her home without a warrant and to mishandle her friend, a visiting Kenyan activist who they found at the home. ...

Read the rest here. And don't forget to bookmark (and blogroll) Black Looks, Behind the Mask, and IGLHRC.

PS - If you possibly can, take a moment to make a donation to IGLHRC. I just did.

Egyptian Bloggers Set to Demonstrate Again

In case you missed it the first time (which would be partly my fault, 'cuz I failed to post on it), Big Pharaoh and Egyptian Sandmonkey are organizing ANOTHER demo against terrorism - this time with official approval!

The first protest in response to the terrorist murders at Sharm el Sheikh was small but drew a lot of attention. (They even made MSNBC - thank you, Glenn - and the Guardian.) Unfortunately, the demo ended prematurely when the police arrived - the demonstrators didn't have a permit.

Now, with official permission, they're ready to roll. So are you waiting for an invitation? Here it is:

A candle light vigil will be held tomorrow (Friday July 29th) from 6-9 P.M at Al Azhar Park. Permission was granted. If you are in Cairo, please come wearing white and bring as many people as you can.

Sadly, I won't be able to make it to Cairo tomorrow, but I will be following this one.

Science and Space

Shuttle roundup. NASA has issued the following release on the Space Shuttle Discovery foam incident:

RELEASE: 05-207

Statement on Foam Shedding From External Tank

NASA engineers are evaluating the loss of a large piece of insulation foam from the Space Shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank during Tuesday's launch. Based on initial assessments, the foam -- which appears to measure approximately 24 to 33 inches long, 10 to 13 inches wide and 2-1/2 to 8 inches thick -- was seen by high-resolution camera equipment added to the Shuttle system after the loss of Columbia in 2003. The accident was caused by foam from the external tank hitting the orbiter during launch.

There was no indication the piece of foam sighted Tuesday caused any damage to Discovery. The Shuttle will undergo further inspection beginning Thursday to check for any significant damage to the orbiter.

"As with any unexpected occurrence, we will closely and thoroughly evaluate this event and make any needed modifications to the Shuttle before we launch again," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said. "This is a test flight. Among the things we are testing are the integrity of the foam insulation and the performance of new camera equipment installed to detect problems. The cameras worked well. The foam did not.”

Discovery’s seven crew members are being updated with the latest ground team analysis of the foam loss and are continuing to take part in the inspection process.

Tariq Malik at Space.com writes: 'NASA officials have grounded the agency's remaining space shuttles after the Discovery orbiter's external tank shed chunks of foam, including one piece more than 2 feet long. The problem is similar to what occurred in the disastrous Columbia flight in 2003 and was thought to have been fixed. Space shuttle officials said that while there is currently no indication the foam contacted the Discovery orbiter, the incident should not have happened in the first place and is reason enough to put a hold on future flights. Images taken of the external tank in orbit identified the foam separation, and also detailed additional areas where the material pulled loose from its tank, they said. "Until we've fixed this, we're not ready to fly," said Bill Parsons, NASA's space shuttle program manager, during a press briefing here at Johnson Space Center. "You could say that we're grounded." ... he foam shed during Discovery's Tuesday launch originated on a protuberance air load (PAL) ramp that juts out from the orange external tank and protects vital cables, wiring and pressure lines running along its length. Current estimates place it between 24 and 33 inches long at its longest point and up to 8 inches wide.' NASA's two remaining shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour, will not be flown until engineers fully understand and fix the problem, according to officials.

An AP article by Marcia Dunn (you can tell it's AP by the word "pessimistic" in the headline) reports:

NASA may never be able to prevent threatening chunks of insulation foam from breaking off the shuttle's fuel tank during launch, the agency's chief said Thursday, a day after future flights were ordered grounded because of the problem during Discovery's liftoff.

"We are trying to get it down to the level that cannot damage the orbiter,'' NASA administrator Michael Griffin told NBC's "Today."

"We will never be able to get the amount of debris shed by the tank down to zero," he said.

With Discovery in orbit, NASA grounded all future flights because a large chunk of foam had broken off the external fuel tank in a hauntingly similar fashion to Columbia's doomed mission. This time, NASA believes the foam missed the spacecraft, although it's being closely inspected.

"Everything that we see at this point says that the orbiter is in fact a clean bird," Griffin told ABC's "Good Morning America'' on Thursday shortly after the shuttle did a somersault maneuver to allow the crew on the international space station to photograph the shuttle's belly for signs of damage. Discovery later docked at station to deliver long-awaited supplies.

Griffin stressed in a statement late Wednesday that the current mission was a test flight and ``among the things we are testing are the integrity of the foam insulation and the performance of new camera equipment installed to detect problems."

"The cameras worked well. The foam did not," he said. ...

No new posts from Rand Simberg, but I'll keep an eye out.

On the air, in the air, into space. On a somewhat more upbeat note, Kuwaiti Girl posts some pictures of her radio rig and a story on Kuwait's first woman pilot, 19-year-old Munirah Mohammad Buruki. Also thanks to Maryam for the link to this blog by aspiring astronaut Damaris B. Sarria of Florida. The 23-year-old woman holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M, has held a string of space-related jobs, and currently works for Boeing at the Kennedy Space Center. Go pay her a visit.

Of spacecraft and art museums. Some rules can't be broken. On "The L Word" (Season 1, Episode 12), Bette, the art museum director, asks the cute butch contractor Candace for an estimate on some remodeling. When Bette is taken aback by the quote, Candace draws a triangular diagram with its three sides labeled fast - good - cheap. She then imparts the following wisdom to Bette: "You can have any two of the three in combination, but you can never have all three together."

If NASA under Administrator Goldin had hired Candace as a consultant, she could have explained the self-evident folly of the slogan "faster, better, cheaper" - but it's doubtful that anyone would have listened. It took the disastrous consequences of that approach to shake things up. Let's hope that the current leadership understand that the laws of economics, like the laws of physics, are unforgiving. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.