Pajamas Media - NYC

I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for New York City - I'll be there to attend the official launch of Pajamas Media, which will begin operations under its new, as-yet-to-be-announced name.

Reminder: any readers planning on attending the PJ Media event this Wednesday are cordially invited to zap me an e-mail. Or look for me there: I'm the odd-looking figure in round glasses, ponytail, and black beret.

"Wilderness Vision"

The blog "Wilderness Vision" is now largely complete. For readers who aren't yet familiar with this particular corner of the Dreams Into Lightning universe, Wilderness Vision consists of the collected poetry of my sister, Stephanie McLintock (1964-1992). Stephanie, who died at the age of 28, was a beautiful person and an extraordinarily gifted poet. She left behind approximately 75 to 80 poems, most of which are reproduced at Wilderness Vision. I've recently shuffled the arrangement around a little, and currently some of my personal favorites are near the top, including Where the Night Water Runs:

Once I chased a dream, a bird song,
a peacock feather,
through mindnight down to the lapping water
silver crickets like ear-stars singing
all along the fields where fieldmice hide.
There is no place to go
but down to where the night water runs ...

Read the rest here.

I'm planning to publish Stephanie's poetry in print. I would like to see her work published in book form so that it would be accessible to more people, and kept in libraries for future generations to enjoy. The internet is great, but it's easy to get lost in that big sea of information; currently Wilderness Vision has only had 124 visitors since its inception. I can't bring Stephanie back, but I want her to at least get the recognition she deserves.

Stephanie's fiction and prose can be found at this site: Iridescence. I'm happy to say that there is still quite a bit I haven't yet posted; meanwhile, please visit the site and enjoy. The most recent addition is a story called Marie; it is an exact and truthful account of our mother (the character "Ellen" in the story) and our father ("Cal"). Keep watching Iridescence for updates; as I say, there's lots more.

Missionpundit: Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

Here at Dreams Into Lightning I generally write about stuff I feel comfortable writing about, either because I have personal knowledge about it, or a strong interest in it, or just strong opinions about it. But there are a lot of things - especially domestic, regional, and social issues - that I don't write about, even though they're important.

Enter Missiongirl. Missiongirl is a woman I've known for over eight years. She's lived in the Bay Area of California all her life, born and raised in San Francisco's Mission District. This is a personal friend of mine, for whom I have the utmost respect. She is tremendously intelligent and knowledgeable about social policies and "real life" in California. She can tell you what's right - and wrong - with social programs, what the Governator is doing wrong, and more. I don't want to tell you any more than that because I think she should tell you the rest herself. She is not blogging yet, but she tells me she will be starting within a couple of weeks. But don't wait: go ahead and mark her blogspace on your browser now: it's Missionpundit. There's nothing to read there yet, but when there is, it'll be well worth your time. Keep an eye on that spot.

The Price of Liberty

Although those who have fallen in the defense of our Nation's ideals are remembered on a special day - Memorial Day - it is also appropriate to pay tribute to them on Veterans' Day.

These Marines paid the ultimate price. The names I'm posting here are those affiliated with my old unit, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (formerly 1st Reconnaissance and 1st Light Armored Infantry battalions) and our sister units 2nd and 3rd.

Lance Cpl. Brian E. Anderson 26 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division Durham, North Carolina Killed in a vehicle accident west of Nasiriya, Iraq, on April 2, 2003


Lance Cpl. Jeremy L. Bohlman 21 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Sioux Falls, South Dakota Died from hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on June 7, 2004


Lance Cpl. Daniel Scott R. Bubb 19 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Grottoes, Virginia Killed by small-arms fire during combat operations against enemy forces in Al Rutbah, Iraq, on October 17, 2005.


Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Burns 20 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Laramie, Wyoming Died as the result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on November 11, 2004


Pfc. Nathan B. Clemons 20 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Winchester, Tennessee Died of from wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during combat operations against enemy forces near Ar Rutbah, Iraq, on June 14, 2005


Lance Cpl. Timothy R. Creager 21 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Millington, Tennessee Died due to hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 1, 2004


Lance Cpl. Tenzin Dengkhim 19 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Falls Church, Virginia Died as a result of hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 2, 2005


Cpl. Nicholas J. Dieruf 21 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Versailles, Kentucky Died due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 8, 2004


Lance Cpl. Scott E. Dougherty 20 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Bradenton Florida Died as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 6, 2004


Lance Cpl. Mark E. Engel 21 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Grand Junction, Colorado Died on July 21, 2004, at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, of wounds he received as result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 6, 2004


Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner 19 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division Ohio City, Ohio Killed by an accidental weapons discharge in southern Iraq on April 2, 2003


Lance Cpl. Chad R. Hildebrandt 22 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Springer, New Mexico Killed from small-arms fire during combat operations against enemy forces in Al Rutbah, Iraq, on October 17, 2005


Lance Cpl. Justin T. Hunt 22 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Riverside, California Died as a result of hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 6, 2004


Cpl. Jeffrey D. Lawrence 22 Company D, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Tucson, Arizona Died as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 6, 2004


Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald 29 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Washington, D.C. Killed when the light armored vehicle he was traveling in rolled over on June 25, 2003, in Iraq


Lance Cpl. Blake A. Magaoay 20 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Pearl City, Hawaii Died as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on November 29, 2004


Lance Cpl. John J. Mattek Jr. 24 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Stevens Point, Wisconsin Died on June 13, 2005, of wounds received in an explosion during combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on June 8


Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Molina Bautista 37 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Rialto, California Died as a result of hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on May 23, 2004


Sgt. Bryan J. Opskar 32 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Princeton, Minnesota Killed when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during combat operations near Ar Rutbah, Iraq, on July 23, 2005


Lance Cpl. Justin D. Reppuhn 20 Headquarters Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Hemlock, Michigan Died as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on November 11, 2004


Cpl. Scott M. Vincent 21 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Bokoshe, Oklahoma Died due to hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 30, 2004


Pfc. Nachez Washalanta 21 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Bryan, Oklahoma Died from injuries received due to hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on August 21, 2004


Pfc. Rodricka A. Youmans 22 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Allendale, South Carolina Died as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province

From the unit veterans' message board. Visit 1 of the Few for our story.

U.S. Marine Corps Celebrates 230 Years

Mackubin Thomas Owens in NRO:

On November 10, 1775, 230 years ago, the Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines. Tradition says that the earliest recruiting of Marines took place at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, owned by Robert Mullan, who later became a Continental Marine officer. The Marines' first operation was a raid on a British base in the Bahamas. As I like to say, the Marine Corps was formed in a bar and then immediately went on a Caribbean cruise.

The Marine Corps has the reputation of being one of the finest fighting organizations in history. In his wonderful book First to Fight, Lt. Gen. Victor H. "Brute" Krulak recounts a discussion he had early in his distinguished career with a senior Marine NCO. To Krulak's query about how the Marines had come by their reputation, the old Gunny replied, "Well, lieutenant, they started right out telling everybody how great they were. Pretty soon they got to believing it themselves. And they have been busy ever since proving they were right."

They were proving it in Fallujah at this very time last year. And they are proving it again now in Al Anbar province. As Marine general Jim Mattis says, "The Marines: no better friend, no worse enemy."

The first thing about the Marine Corps is the people. I have known Marines all my life. My dad was a Marine for 25 years, fighting in two campaigns in the Pacific during World War II and again in Korea. My dad and his friends were very tight; they had been through hell together in such places as Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Tarawa, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Just five years later, they were fighting again in Korea. The bonds they established in combat and training extended to their social life and each other's families. These were hardened, tough men, but they were like putty in the hands of their wives and children.

I guess I was destined to be a Marine from the beginning. ...

Michael Totten is in Beirut.

And he's wondering what it must be like to live someplace really crazy ... like, say, Paris.

But I'm a cheerleader!

You just never can tell.
Soundtrack: The Epoxies - "Bathroom Stall".

(Hat tip: Argghh!)

Something's Rotten in the State of Denmark

"Who's there?"

So begins Hamlet, Shakespeare's longest play. It's the story of a young prince who sees his kingdom being destroyed from within, and yet feels himself powerless to stop it.

Today's news: Muslim immigrants rioting in Denmark. Hat tip: Sandmonkey, and no thanks to the lamestream media.

Rosenhøj Mall has several nights in a row been the scene of the worst riots in Århus for years. “This area belongs to us”, the youths proclaim. Sunday evening saw a new arson attack. Their words sound like a clear declaration of war on the Danish society. Police must stay out. The area belongs to immigrants....

Four hours after the short meeting, Falck (Danish privat emergency service – Henrik) sent a group of fire engines under police escort to the nursery Kjærslund on Søndervangs Allé, right across the street from Rosenhøj Mall. Gasoline through the windowA window had been shattered at the back of the house, and the fire had been blazing, apparently because of gasoline poured onto the floor, then lit. Falck stopped on Viby Square, a couple kilometers from the site of the arson attack, waiting for the police to turn up so they could be escorted to the nursery. Two nights earlier, other Falck-employees were threatened, when they were covering up broken shop-windows. Cobblestones had smashed the shop-windows from one end of the mall to the other. The police wrote in their report saturday night, that the youths had their stones with them in bags, when they came to Rosenhøj....

He calls himself 100 percent Palestinian, born in a refugee camp in Lebanon 19 years ago, and now out of work in Denmark.“The police has to stay away. This is our area. We decide what goes down here”.

A crisis of will.

Hamlet knows clearly enough what he must do. He's cautious at first - he won't act on the basis of the words of his father's ghost alone, reasoning that the apparition may be deceiving him. But having set a "mousetrap" for Claudius, and by the evil uncle's reaction judging Claudius guilty, he sets out to kill Claudius - only to be brought up short by his own indecisiveness.

Europe - and certainly not Denmark alone - finds itself in the same situation as Hamlet. Its first task is to determine "Who's there?" Europe must honestly confront the threat of Muslim radicalism - and at the same time recognize the common interest of civilized Christians, Jews, and Muslims in eradicating it. Richard at Hyscience quotes Magdi Allam's speach in Rome:

Dear friends, I won’t hide my emotions as an Italian citizen, a Muslim, a layman in stating my defense of Israel’s unequivocal right to its existence. My dear Israeli and Jewish friends, your fight for Israel’s right to exist is also my fight for the right to life of all, including that of Palestinians who aspire to an independent state, including the many, too many, Muslim victims of barbaric acts of Islamist terror. On the foundations of the right to life, we all build our homes. It is a war of civilization which we will win together.

Go read the full post at the link, and understand what is at stake.


Of honor and honor killings.

I posted earlier about an honor killing in Denmark. A Danish story headlined Bror dræbte sin søster reads in part: "Calm and methodically big brother stoops over his little sister while shooting one projectile after the other into her. Her spouse, affected by several shots to the abdomen, can only look on helplessly, while his wife is executed by her own family." (The English translationbrother kills sister is courtesy of Free Republic.)

Not just in Denmark: "Honour-based violence is happening in Britain on a vast scale," says Kate O'Hara in the Yorkshire Post. 'Such crimes can involve false imprisonment, abduction, rape, men and women being forced into unwanted marriages, or in extreme cases, murders. "This murder (of Mr Ghorbani Zarin) fits the definition of an 'honour killing' absolutely," said Jasvinder Sangher, herself a victim of honour crime who is now studying for a PhD at Derby University. "Honour-based violence is going on in Britain on a vast scale. We are just beginning to scratch the surface," she said. Heshu Yones's father Abdalla Yones, 48, an Iraqi Kurd, was unable to tolerate his 16-year-old daughter's Westernised lifestyle and her relationship with a Lebanese Christian man. He stabbed his daughter 17 times at their London home in October 2002 and was jailed for life after pleading guilty to murder.' Hat tip to KBU News.

What happens when there is a breakdown of basic respect for the law - and not only the law itself, but the very values of humanity that the law represents? What happens when a modern state decides, through indifference or cowardice, that the lives of some of its citizens are not worth defending?


Hamlet's weaknesses: self-doubt, self-hate, nihilism.

Self-doubt. Hamlet has one opportunity to do in Claudius, while Claudius is praying. But he passes it up, reasoning, "And so he goes to heaven - and so am I revenged?! That would be scanned!" He's thinking of the posthumous reports he's heard from his own father ("a tale ... whose lightest word would harrow up thy soul") regarding the afterlife prospects of one who dies without atoning the benefit of final sacraments ("no reck'ning made"); if he kills Claudius at prayer, he thinks, Claudius will go straight to heaven. But this is dubious theology at best, and Claudius himself doesn't buy it: just a few moments earlier, we've heard Claudius musing, "what can [prayer accomplish] when one cannot repent?" No, Hamlet is only rationalizing. He can't bring himself to do the act when he has the chance.

Self-hate. Hamlet often speaks of how unworthy and ineffectual he feels, particularly in comparison to his late father. He doesn't hesitate to criticize his own culture, chiding his fellow Danes for their drinking habits (in keeping with the pervasive "drinking" metaphor of the play) but his real problem is with himself.

Nihilism. "To be, or not to be?" Hamlet's famous question underscores the most serious internal challenge he faces: his own will to live. Much has been made of Hamlet's relationship with his mother, Gertrude; here I'll just say that the young prince, raised in the sheltered environment of Elsinore, must find the courage to actualize himself as an individual - that is, to come out into the world on his own.

Hamlet is driven in part by a sense of a nation in general decline from a more noble past. (When he says, "O what a falling-off was there", he is referring specifically to the contrast between the honorable, elder Hamlet and the perfidious Claudius, but also to the general condition of his country.)


A spectre is haunting Europe.

Hamlet correctly perceives that "the time is out of joint" and laments that he was "born to set it right". But who else will do it? Who else is there?

The officious bureaucrat Polonius is so busy being a busybody that he can't accomplish anything. He's more interested in micromanaging his children's personal lives than in letting them grow into adults. Sounds like the EU.

(Side note: Polonius' advice to Laertes - "costly thy habit as thy purse can buy ... for they in France are of a most select and generous chief in that" - is not a typo, as some commentators believe. Chief is simply the Old French word for "head", so the line means, "they in France are of a most select and generous head (or mind) in that." Polonius being Polonius, he can't resist throwing in a French word, especially when speaking of France, because he thinks it sounds cool. Later, in V:ii, Hamlet satirizes the pretentious courtly vocabulary by throwing a lot of French words at the courtier Ostricke.)

The point is, Hamlet - given his many shortcomings - seems far from the ideal candidate for bringing down the usurper Claudius and restoring justice to the kingdom. But there isn't anyone else to do the job. It's him, or nobody.

For too long the West has denied the threat of islamist extremism in its midst. Due to a combination of self-doubt ("certainty" is for fanatics), self-hate (all the world's problems are our fault), and nihilism (one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter ... and after all, isn't all this freedom and modernity just a bit too much?) we have allowed the threat to grow almost out of control.


The name of action.

A recent letter published at Irshad Manji's website reads:

"Tell the truth on islam and not all these lies you crazy woman. Ppl like you must pay and will pay." - Abdel

Irshad replies (not to Abdel but to you, dear reader): Judging by his email address, the individual who sent me this message lives in Denmark. His last name is Andersen. Sounds to me a like a convert -- and a “homegrown” or “Western-raised” threat. We're seeing more and more like him. Which is why pretending that the problem exists outside of the West is no longer an option.

What is at stake is not merely an abstract notion of "the West"; it is civilization itself. Proof of this is the fact that progressive Muslims like Irshad Manji recognize the importance of this struggle. In a two-part post at the Belmont Club, Wretchard imagined a jihadi giving the following analysis to Osama bin Laden:

Having lived among them and killed many of them, peace be unto you!, you understood that the West on three occasions just barely escaped destroying itself. Whether in the muddy trenches of the Great War; or in the global bloodbath of the Second World War; or the Cold War, lived in the shadow of thousands of nuclear warheads, you understood the West was like a man who had escaped suicide thrice only through great good fortune.

This yearning for the death of the West comes from Shaitan himself and is proof of their accursed nature, and explains why we will eventually be victorious despite our material weakness. The desire for self-death is embodied in what is called the Left, the unnamed shadow motivating the carnage of the last century. We must remember its name, for we will invoke it again when deciding on how best to pursue the Jihad.

But if the West is like a stone balanced on a precipice, wanting to fall yet held back by those among it who wish to live, still its final plunge requires a lever, some instrument of power which by tipping it the decisive inch will unleash the self-destructive tendencies of the infidel; let them yield to the spirit that haunts them, "the spectre haunting Europe" and like the Gadarene swine of their scripture, hurl themselves into the precipice. That lever will be provided by Islam. ...

With the riots in France now approaching their eleventh day, we are out of time. This is not a clash of civilizations; it is a battle for civilization itself. We must understand what is at stake. But we must also understand that we can win - if we have the will.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: For the positive side, read: The Decent Danish.

Dr. Sanity: The Left vs. Liberalism

Great post from Dr. Sanity:

... The Left of today is considerably different from the liberal Left that I became acquainted with during my college years in the late 60’ and early 70’s. At that time, although I disagreed with many of my fellow students about their methods, I could still completely relate to the underlying idealism and desire to improve the world. Back then, the Left was attuned to the values of classical liberalism—freedom; equal opportunity; the rights of the individual. The Left, at that moment in history was compelled to go beyond mere rhetoric and act to promote the liberal ideals and values they espoused. That is when the Civil Rights movement went mainstream in American society. And, even thought there were undercurrents of the ideological rigidity that was to come later, the Left could be proud of the results of that movement.

Those glory days when the Left believed in freedom and individuality; and that the content of one’s character was more important than the color of one’s skin-- are long gone. Nowadays it seems that the Left only pretends to believe in those values and feels it necessary to mouth the words.

But my observation is that today’s Left pretty much stands for nothing—not freedom, not equal opportunity; not individual rights; not even peace. Trying to right the wrongs and injustices of the world is truly ethical and noble goal, but something happened on the road to that beautiful utopia. The Left made a wrong turn and got lost--somewhere in the vicinity of Vietnam, I think.

But I’m not going to rehash Vietnam again. Instead, I’m going to focus on the behavior of today’s Left and antiwar movement.

At this very moment, every issue supported by the Left, and almost all of the behavior exhibited by the Left is completely antithetical to classical liberal philosophies. There is no longer a commitment to personal liberty or to freedom. The Left is far to busy to promote freedom for the common man or woman, because their time is taken up advocating freedom for tyrants who oppress the common man; terrorists who kill the common man; and religious fanatics who subjugate the common woman. ...

Go read it all.

Hyscience: Enemies of Islam

Richard at Hyscience has an outstanding post on "Islam's Worst Enemies":

Salim Mansur, professor of political science at the University of Western Ontario, wrote in the Toronto Sun in mid-October that "Extremists' violent perversion of religion threatens us all." I've previously read his piece entitled, "Muslim on Muslim Violence: What Drives It," and after reading his more recent piece in light of having read the earlier one, I find myself struck with a deeper awareness of the very grave dangers we all face from radical Islam, and I'm much more aware of the fact that the "we" that are facing such dangers includes both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. ...

Go read the whole thing.

Ghazal Omid: "Living In Hell"

For a fascinating and often horrifying account of a woman's life in revolutionary Iran, read "Living In Hell" by Ghazal Omid. "Living in Hell" is a long, lyrical, and very rich memoir; the chapters are short vignettes of the author's life.

I remember the resentment I felt toward my father. I despised him early on for making my mother suffer. At age seven, I often questioned my mother, asking her why she brought me into this world when she knew she could not give me a father and why she continued to live and suffer with a person who doesn't love her.

The book's power comes from the vivid descriptions of family and society in Iran, both before and after the Khomeini revolution. Ghazal Omid's testimony is extraordinary and valuable in its ability to humanize the narrator and make her experience real for us. The book describes the workings of a deeply dysfunctional family in a way that many of us can relate to; it also shines a light on some of the dysfunctional aspects of Iranian society that pre-dated the Khomeini regime. This is especially important because it helps activists who look forward to a post-IRI era to understand the other challenges that Iranian society faces.

I strongly believe in religion but religion can change people. Religion is the path to salvation but Islam, like other religions, has been used for personal agendas. It is not the religion that is wrong; it is the preachers who sabotage the word of God. Mum, like most religious women, was naive and the regime's mullahs took advantage of her good heart and flooded her brain and the brains of her like minded sisters with irrational lies and preaching, orchestrated to blindfold the female force.

"Living in Hell" includes harrowing accounts of rape, incest, and sexual molestation. It also recounts the author's first lesbian experience:

... I had a fleeting teenage brush with lesbianism. I had a classmate who was incredibly stunning. She was very beautiful and mature for her age: medium height, very slender, olive skin, long black hair down her back with an incredible flexible body. Like a gymnast, she would bend over backwards and touch the ground with her hands.

Aside from her beauty, I envied the distinctive, burgundy, ballet type leather shoes she wore. ... The other thing that I think made us kindred souls was remarks she made that caused me to suspect that her brother was also molesting her.

... Slowly but surely, I found myself becoming sexually attracted to her. Even now, it is puzzling how a naive kid like me suddenly found herself, in the middle of mathematics class, fondling her friend's breasts. ... I had never had any attraction toward women. I grew up around women it large public, Roman style bathrooms where all the women were naked and never had a lustful twinge.

The afternoon after fondling my friend's breast, I came home from school, excited and a little nervous about the next step. As usual, I was daydreaming and sort of studying and thinking about tomorrow's adventure. Mum was praying in the same room that was my study/living room. She suddenly stopped and read to me the translation of the chapter from the Koran that said that women were sisters and that they should not touch each other sexually. If they did they will pay the consequences of their actions since it is considered a great sin in the eyes of God.

... I was silent for a few minutes. There is no word to describe how I felt. ...

"Ghazal Omid" is a pen name meaning "lost soul"; the author now lives in Canada. I had the honor of speaking with her on the phone the other night; she is as lively and articulate in conversation as she is in print.

By age 18, I had seen so many deaths and my heart had become so hard that I couldn't cry. After the war was over, I couldn't have cried if I tried. ... Then one night, I had a dream.

I saw myself in my school uniform, waiting to meet Abo-al Fasel, a holy man, who had been dead over a thousand years. He died for the sake of helping others and is the symbol for dkindness and virtue in Shiah Islam. In my dream, I, together with many others, was waiting in a cemetery for his holiness to appear. for a long time, Abo-al Fasel didn't come. I was impatient to leave. I left the graveyard, still searching for him at the exit door. Suddenly he came riding on a great white horse, just as we had been told he would do. As he came near me, I greeted him and he looked at me with compassion and said, "Be kind to others; love other people."

-All quotations from "Living In Hell" by Ghazal Omid.

Now I have to say a few words about the awful review the book received in "Publishers' Weekly". Please ignore this hatchet job. I contacted Powell's Books to complain about their inclusion of the PW "review" in the Powell's online listing for "Living in Hell". It turns out Powell's is under a contract that requires them to post all PW reviews, favorable or not, on their website; but the good folks at Powell's did add some more favorable reviews of "Living in Hell", which I commend to your attention. Thank you, Powell's Books, for doing the right thing.

Folks, I don't think I have to explain this for my regular readers but I think it needs to be said: People everywhere are just the same; and people everywhere are unique individuals. Those who live under dictatorships do not become less human because of it; their personal conflicts, their family problems, their inner struggles are not magically blotted out by the force majeure of an oppressive regime. And to believe otherwise is nothing but a variation of the slaveholder mentality that sees enslaved persons as "happy little slaves" with no volition or agency of their own.

The problems and complexities of a personal life are not a "privilege" reserved for the citizens of free societies alone, and living under fascism does not grant immunity from the mundane cruelties that individuals inflict on one another. Let me quote the Iranian scholar Azar Nafisi, in the portion of her literary memoir devoted to Jane Austen:

A girl is raped, carried in the trunk of a car and murdered. A young student is killed and has his ears cut off. There are discussions of prison camps, of death and destruction in Bellow, in Nabokov we have monsters like Humbert, who rape telve-year-old girls, even in Flaubert there is so much hurt and betrayal -- What about Austen? Manna had asked one day.

Indeed, what about Austen? ... Austen's heroines are unforgiving, after their own fashion. There is much betrayal in her novels, much greed and falsehood, so many disloyal friends, selfish mothers, tyrannical fathers, so much vanity, cruelty and hurt. Austen is generous towards her villains, but this does not mean she lets anyone, even her heroines, off easily. ...

Modern fiction brings out the evil in domestic lives, ordinary relations, people like you and me -- Reader! Bruder! as Humbert once said. Evil in Austen, as in most great fiction, lies in the inability to "see" others, hence to empathize with them. What is frightening is that this blindness can exist in the best of us (Eliza Bennett) as well as the worst (Humbert). We are all capable of becoming the blind censor, of imposing our visions and desires on others.

- Azar Nafisi, "Reading Lolita in Tehran"

This is why the Publishers Weekly critic's conclusion that "Iran would seem to be the least of her worries" is so galling. It demands that Ghazal Omid make a choice: "Either you can complain about being oppressed by the Iranian regime, missy, or you can complain about your personal problems - but you can't do both." Still more offensive is the reviewer's statement that the author only "claims to have been raped" (my emphasis). It would seem that Nafisi's blind Iranian film censor is alive and well and working for Publishers' Weekly.

Please visit Ghazal Omid's website: Living In Hell - Ghazal Omid on Iran which is now also linked on my sidebar.

Lightning vs. Lightening

For those of you who are confused, which apparently is about 50% of the English-speaking world, the title of this blog is "Dreams Into Lightning". That's L-I-G-H-T-N-I-N-G. Not "lightening". (See here).

"Lightning" (spelled without an e) refers to a discharge of atmospheric electricity, of the sort usually accompanied by thunder.

"Lightening" (with an e) refers to the act of making something less dark or less heavy.

For pictures of lightning go here.

For lightening pictures on your TV set, turn up the "brightness" knob; with a camera, widen the aperture and/or increase the exposure; for large, heavy oil prints, take the picture to a professional frame shop and replace the heavy frame with a lighter one.

For advice on lightening your hair please consult your local beauty salon. Do not under any circumstances do this.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by Dreams Into Lightning. (Not "Lightening".) We now return you to your regularly scheduled rants and ravings.