Michael Totten: The Latest from Beirut

Who to talk to, who not to talk to:

If strangers talk to you at a bar, at a café, at a party, at a club, in a hotel lobby, in the countryside, or in a village, they almost certainly are normal people who are just being friendly. On the street in the city, though, chances are they want something from you. Maybe they just want directions. And that’s fine. Twice people have asked me for directions. I guess I look like I know where I’m going. But if someone doesn’t instantly tell you exactly, precisely, what they want, get away from them immediately.

“Americans have to learn this the hard way,” my friend told me. He’s right. I know he is. I had already half learned my lesson. I tried half measures yesterday and it wasn’t enough. ...

Flak jacket optional:

When I asked my brother if this place is what he expected he said “After listening to you talk about it and reading you write about it, it is exactly what I expected.”

My mom, though, is in a constant state of amazement.

Their first night out we went to Brooke’s restaurant in Gemmayze, a classy bohemian joint run by a British expat friend from the English countryside. The floor is wall-to-wall hardwood. Each chair is handsomely carved and stained dark like mahogany. A candle burns in a glass in the center of every table. I introduced mom and my brother to the bartender Elie and asked him to bring us a bottle of Bordeaux. The DJ played cool contemporary rock music over the sound system. The ambience, somehow, is pitch perfect. Brooke's, like so many haunts in Beirut, has an X Factor.

“This is surreal,” mom said. “What a great place!” We hadn’t even ordered yet. “I know you told me there are great restaurants in Beirut, but I never expected anything like this.”

Hardly anyone ever does. ...

Read it all at the links.

OSM Launch Impressions; or, It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To, and I Don't Want To

Now I know there are a bunch of naysayers out there, even in the blogosphere, doing what naysayers do best and saying nay. Well, suit yourselves. I just went to have a good time, and by golly I had a great time. So there.

Here are my scattered recollections from the event, with my memory bolstered by other bloggers who remember the Open Source Media launch much more clearly than I.

That fashion panel. Am I the only one who thought Elizabeth Hayt was simply divine? (I can hear you groaning. I'll take that as a yes.) No, really. Let me quote Eric at The Young Curmudgeon:

The only thing memorable about it was that Elizabeth Hayt, an NYT fashion journalist, bravely showed up. And I say bravely pointedly, to contrast her dignified bearing with the hooting and hollering that occurred both in the room and on-line for her daring to depart from the blog triumphalist mood of the day.

She stated at the outset that when she was booked she told the guy on the phone that she doesn't blog, she hates blogs, and thinks blogs are absurd so she didn't know why they were booking her. He said "That's why we want you." She was brought in as a sacrificial lamb, an example of evil MSM thinking for the assembled blog horde to devour with their teeth.

Now for my own take: Almost the first words out of Elizabeth's mouth were, "I don't read blogs. They're a waste of time. I think they're absurd. ... Bloggers are mostly rich people with too much time on their hands." This in front of a room full of bloggers. Think about it: How long did it take you to develop that kind of chutzpah? Well, there you go. You see what I mean, right? The woman's already halfway to being a blogger herself. She also admitted she doesn't read blogs. Now, when she goes the other half of the way, and decides she wants to know what she's talking about, we'll all have to watch out.

The Manolo he was there, sort of. This was the kind of gag that must have sounded like a great idea in the boardroom: Have The Manolo appear (so to speak) as a disembodied voice, with a sultry Latin accent. Well, fine. (BTW, I'm almost positive I met Manolo's "voice" after the event, but I digress.) But the ten-second (or however long it was) delay was ridiculous. I'm pretty sure they had somebody e-mailing the questions to Manolo and the "voice" reading his responses. Roger tried to tell us the delay was due to "long distance". Come on, Roger. We're bloggers, dammit, we're not that stupid.

Well, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain but do pay attention to the political panel. Richard Fernandez (Wretchard of The Belmont Club) is as articulate in person as he is on the screen. For the rest of the picture, I'll give you Judith at Kesher Talk:

The political panel was like every other political panel you have ever seen. Kudlow asked the three men most of the questions, Podhoretz and Corn bloviated, Wretchard tried to be thoughtful, and Rossett tried to get a word in edgewise. Since she is one of the few real investigative journalists working in the US today, this was a shame.

Podhoretz and Corn began their own "late twentieth-century history, as seen from the Right and the Left" debate, but Roger thankfully cut them off.

The first person I met at the reception was Robert of Publius Pundit - a very bright and dynamic young individual. He talked about life as an Air Force brat, the opportunities and pitfalls of the ongoing democratic revolutions, and what he hopes to do after college. Go read his blog.

Lisa Ramaci-Vincent was one of those I prevailed upon to sign my laptop during the reception. I had the pleasure of speaking with her for a few minutes, though not as long as Eric apparently did:

Lisa Ramaci is an incredible person, warm, open, unassuming and intellectual, a medieval history expert. She spoke of trips with her husband to Viet Nam before relations were normalized and even to Iran, where it turned out everyone was pro-American. She talked about her husband's memorial service, with representatives from the fetish scene, the downtown arts scene, conservative politics etc. and is going to send me a DVD of it to watch. Like Steven Vincent, she's a true American original and an utterly amazing person. Meeting her and actually getting to talk to her at length made my day and meant a hell of a lot more than meeting some blogger or journalist.

To that, I can only add that she is full of enthusiasm and idealism about Iraq, she is very warm and easy to be with, and an utterly amazing ... oh, wait, that's already been said. Well, consider it said again. FWIW, Lisa is also very big - stupefyingly tall, big-boned, and a very impressive woman physically as well as in every other way.

I blundered into this picture. Thanks, LaShawn - again! - for the link.

Wonderful people I met. I'm almost afraid to begin, because I know I'll leave somebody out. Well, okay. There was Pieter, with whom I had the pleasure of some conversation at the very beginning of the event. Pamela, Judith, Neo, LaShawn, and Fausta it was great meeting you in person!


I never thought I'd hear myself say the words "Excuse me, are you Cliff May?" It was, and I got to talk with him about the times and challenges of FDD.

Tammy, it was a special honor meeting you - and Bruce, good seeing you again!

Susan N., it was great meeting you! If you're reading this, drop me a line.

Okay, well that's enough of this. Here is what I really want to say about Open Source Media: Maybe you think it's a great idea, or maybe you think it's a dumb idea and we're all suckers. All I can say is this: Charles and Roger didn't ask me for a dime, they just asked if I wanted to sign on. I figured anything with all these folks - and Omar and Mohammed - couldn't be a bad thing. The trip to New York was worth it just to meet the people. I don't know where OSM is going, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

James Wolcott, please make an appointment with your therapist.

At the OSM launch I had the pleasure of meeting the charming Pamela of Atlas Shrugs (another political blog that ought to be on your browser).

This morning I read about this bizarre fantasy of James Wolcott. Apparently the man has terrible eyesight and an overactive imagination ... how can you confuse a hand with a breast? Maybe he's forgotten what breasts look like. (Perhaps the blog world ought to send him some pictures of breasts to refresh his memory?)

Really, can the MSM get any more pathetic? I mean, is it even possible?

Thoughts on the OSM Launch

It's 6:30am here in New York and only 3:30am back home in Portland. I'm still recovering from a terrific and overwhelming day yesterday.

A few random thoughts about the Open Source Media launch. Everybody I met was simply wonderful - right now I don't want to start trying to acknowledge people by name because I'm afraid I'll leave somebody out. (To all those whom I bothered to sign my laptop, many thanks for your patience and your signatures!) Every person I met - whether I thrust my PowerBook and my Sharpie under your nose or not - now holds a very special place in my life.

A fashion panel? To kick off the event? Well, it wasn't quite what I would have done, but it was entertaining in its own way. Really, how else would I have found out that bloggers are "mostly rich people with too much time on their hands"?

The only thing that bothered me about the fashion panel - and I'm going to be frank here - is that I think we could have done with more time for the political panel. Why a fashion panel, anyway? If fashion, then why not sports? Was the fashion group something thrown in "to appeal to the ladies"? I'd have liked to see women political bloggers better represented. For instance, I would have liked to see more of these women on the program.

That's all I have for now. More soon.

Liveblogging from OSM Launch

From the OSM (Open Source Media) launch in New York City:


Andrew Breitbart: In the old media, I never would have introduced competitors. But in the blogging world, we're all friends.

Roger Simon: We don't just want to criticize (a short-run thing); we want to do something constructive (a long-run thing). ... This is the first deliberate blend of these factions to create a new media paradigm. ... The internet ... is an ideal place to ensure accuracy of content. ... Our guiding principle will be this openness as practiced by citizen journalists.

John Podhoretz: "The authority inheres in the words themselves."

Richard Fernandez: Your primary capital is your "rep" ... and when you have a rep, suddenly everything you say matters.

Caudia Rosett: One of my favorite papers is the "Weekly World News", because I find stories about aliens entertaining. [But] when you set yourself up as a source of "truth", you have to be responsible.

David Corn: There's a transparency that's being imposed on all of us ... and that transparency brings accountability.

Glenn Reynolds, the George Washington of the Internet: Technology is empowering ordinary people in many ways. Blogs are only part of the story: We see amateur filmmakers ... The terms "correspondent" and "journalist" are going back to their original meanings.

Judith Miller: I rarely open by quoting Karl Marx, but I'll make an exception: "Changes in production create changes in consciousness." But changes in consciousness also produce changes in the modes of production; and I think we're seeing both phenomena simultaneously. We still don't know the political ramifications of this revolution, but the ramifications for journalism are already apparent: journalists in the MSM are under pressure as never before. ... I didn't have internet access during my 85 days in the Alexandria Detention Center, but I did have time to think about a lot of things. I think many bloggers will be needing - just as we in the MSM do - a "shield law" to protect the relationship between the journalist and the source. ... Some of the more irresponsible bloggers conjured up stories of million-dollar book contracts, or published hurtful stories about my husband and family. ... There have been precious few stories - either from bloggers or from the MSM - on the threats to our freedom of expression. I urge you to support the "Free Flow of Information Act", federal shield legislation that is working its way through Congress. It is the function that we play as informers of the public that requires this legislation. ... This legislation would not cover all bloggers, but it would cover many bloggers. Those who express unsupported opinions or vitriol would not be covered - nor, in my opinion, should they be. But those whose goal is educating or informing the public, would be. We don't have an "are you making money" standard. ... The "Five Commandments" of journalism and mainstream blogging: (1) Be honest about who you are, what your agenda is, and where your funding comes from. (2) Try to reach the subject of your story for comment before you publish information about them. (3) If the subject of your article denies what you are reporting, and if the subject has corroboration, say so. (4) If you are wrong, acknowledge it through more news stories. (5) If you are wrong, commit to getting it right.

Senator John Cornyn: We are still a nation whose laws are premised on the consent of the governed; and if the governed don't know, then they can hardly consent, to what the Government is doing on their behalf. We can and should reform the culture in Washington to one where, if a citizen asks for information, the presumption is that they're entitled to it.

[All quotes are paraphrases and may not be verbatim.]

Visit OSM - Open Source Media, and be sure to mark the site on your browser favorites and/or sidebar.

UPDATE: The launch event is over - I'll have more on it later. I'm blogging from CyberCafe. It's a great place, and well worth your visit if you're in the area.

Update - Live from OSM (Open Source Media)

This morning I've shaken hands with Charles, Roger, Judith, LaShawn, Cathy, Richard, Neo, and the anonymous author of this classic essay! And many others whom I haven't named. This is incredible.

I'm in New York City!

... for the Pajamas Media launch tomorrow. The ride in from the airport was awful, but I'm here now and looking forward to meeting up with other bloggers.

UPDATE - 8:30pm ET: I'm in the downstairs lounge at the Lexington Avenue Dubya.

"Before You Go"

Belated (but always timely) Veterans' Day message; via homeboy Randy.

Inspiration for "Before You Go"

The elderly parking lot attendant wasn't in a good mood.

Neither was Sam Bierstock. It was around 1 a.m., and Bierstock, a Delray Beach, Fla. , eye doctor, business consultant, corporate speaker and musician, was bone tired after appearing at an event. He pulled up in his car, and the parking attendant began to speak. "I took two bullets for this country and look what I'm doing," he said bitterly. At first, Bierstock didn't know what to say to the World War II veteran. But he rolled down his window and told the man, "Really, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you." Then the old soldier began to cry. "That really got to me," Bierstock says.

Bierstock, 58, and John Melnick, 54, of Pompano Beach - a member of Bierstock's band, Dr. Sam and the Managed Care Band - have written a song inspired by that old soldier in the airport parking lot. The mournful "Before You Go" does more than salute those who fought in WWII. It encourages
people to go out of their way to thank the aging warriors before they die."If we had lost that particular war, our whole way of life would have been shot," says Bierstock, who plays harmonica. "Every ethnic minority would be dead. And the old vets are now dying at the rate of about 2,000
every day. I thought we needed to thank them."The song is striking a chord. Within four days of Bierstock placing it on the Web (http://www.beforeyougo.us), the song and accompanying photo essay have bounced around nine countries, producing tears and heartfelt thanks from
veterans, their sons and daughters and grandchildren. "It made me cry," wrote one veteran's son. Another sent an e-mail saying that only after his father consumed several glasses of wine would he discuss "the unspeakable horrors" he and other soldiers had witnessed in places such as Anzio, Iwo Jima, Bataan and Omaha Beach. "I can never thank them enough," the son wrote. "Thank you for thinking about them." Bierstock and Melnick thought about shipping it off to a professional singer, maybe a Lee Greenwood type, but because time was running out for so many veterans, they decided it was best to release it quickly, for free, on the Web. They've sent the song to Sen. John McCain and others in Washington. Already they have been invited to perform it in Houston for a Veterans Day tribute - this after just a few days on the Web. They hope every veteran in America gets a chance to hear it.

NOTE: If the link in the article doesn't work, just go to www.beforeyougo.us. It will get you there.

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.