Jane has a superb post on the UN. The time has come to radically reform, replace, or abolish this anti-democratic institution which represents states, not people.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot: Sudan has been appointed to the UN Commission on Human Rights.
Have a nice day.
2004-05-04
2004-05-03
Sidebar Highlight: Ruti Gaon
Israeli artist Ruti Gaon offers a wide range of original work, from stunning renditions of Biblical scenes to inspirational productions. She is a woman of many talents, and I'm reliably informed that she is a fearsome opponent on the Quidditch court as well. Go check out her site.
You ain't there yet?!
You ain't there yet?!
Morning Report: May 3, 2004
· Al-Qaeda strikes Saudi oil facility – details murky. (Debka) A day-long suicide attack and gunfight claimed several lives at Yanbu on May 1. Official reports said that three attackers were gunned down and a fourth captured. Debka’s analysis questions official casualty figures, and suggests that several “bands” of terrorists may have spread out through the town. The Israeli report suggests that the goals of the attack were to undermine the Saudi regime, to weaken US/Saudi oil ties, and to cause oil prices to rise prior to the US elections in November.
· Brahimi a Saddam fan? (Free Arab Forum) Quoting Kurdish media, FAF alleges that Iraq’s UN representative has close ties with former dictator Saddam Hussein.
· VDH on overcoming dependency. (National Review Online) In a long and eloquent piece assessing the current situation, Victor Davis Hanson calls for decreased dependency on foreign oil:
“Surely conservatives can agree to reasonable mileage standards for new cars that will have the eventual practical effect of reducing our nation's daily consumption of oil. By the same token, surely liberals can agree to explore our own Arctic Circle for known petroleum, under careful environmental scrutiny to ensure that such resources are extracted with more care at home than they are currently extracted abroad, in areas where our own environmental protocols have no sway. We Americans cannot expect to drive cars that consume more gasoline than they need nor demand of others to tap their own fragile environment for resources that we desire but would not do the same for at home."
· Gaza pullout: Likud says no. (Various) Voters in Ariel Sharon’s Likud party soundly rejected the Israeli Prime Minister’s plan for a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The Head Heeb comments succinctly: “This is a good day for Hamas and a bad one for Israel.” Debka, which had previously noted its lack of enthusiasm for the plan, essentially pronounced the vote the end of Sharon’s political career. I hope to post my own thoughts on this a little later.
· Brahimi a Saddam fan? (Free Arab Forum) Quoting Kurdish media, FAF alleges that Iraq’s UN representative has close ties with former dictator Saddam Hussein.
· VDH on overcoming dependency. (National Review Online) In a long and eloquent piece assessing the current situation, Victor Davis Hanson calls for decreased dependency on foreign oil:
“Surely conservatives can agree to reasonable mileage standards for new cars that will have the eventual practical effect of reducing our nation's daily consumption of oil. By the same token, surely liberals can agree to explore our own Arctic Circle for known petroleum, under careful environmental scrutiny to ensure that such resources are extracted with more care at home than they are currently extracted abroad, in areas where our own environmental protocols have no sway. We Americans cannot expect to drive cars that consume more gasoline than they need nor demand of others to tap their own fragile environment for resources that we desire but would not do the same for at home."
· Gaza pullout: Likud says no. (Various) Voters in Ariel Sharon’s Likud party soundly rejected the Israeli Prime Minister’s plan for a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The Head Heeb comments succinctly: “This is a good day for Hamas and a bad one for Israel.” Debka, which had previously noted its lack of enthusiasm for the plan, essentially pronounced the vote the end of Sharon’s political career. I hope to post my own thoughts on this a little later.
Sudan Atrocities
After attacking the village in February, soldiers and Janjaweed chased women and children into a valley and shot them in cold blood as they attempted to hide behind rocks and trees.
"They said: 'You are dogs! We will drive you off this land!'" said Salma Zakariah Hassan, 19, who escaped unscathed.
"They told me: 'You are a rebel and the son of rebels!'" said Hussein Daafallah, 12, who was shot three times - in the face, arm and leg. The child saw three friends aged between 7 and 11 fall wounded beside him, but does not know whether they lived or died. That, he explains, is why he is crying; not because of his disfigured face, shattered elbow and swollen, infected leg. ...
The Sudanese government is believed to be complicit in the ongoing horror in the Darfur region in the west of Sudan, bordering Chad. The gangs of thugs known as janjaweed appear to be enforcing the regime's ethnic-cleansing policy.
Despite the urging of American officials, the UN response - and particularly that of the European Union - has so far been disappointing.
Recalling the words of the 18th century Whig politician Edmund Burke: "It is necessary only for the good man to do nothing for evil to triumph" - the head of the US delegation to the Commission called for a special session to "hold accountable those responsible for the deplorable acts in Darfur."
"After World War II, the world said 'never again,'" US Alternate Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs Richard Williamson said. "Then came Cambodia where the 'killing fields' were awash in blood. Ten years ago in Rwanda, evil reigned ... Then came ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo.
"We cannot fail as we have before. 'Never Again' must be more than mere words or an idle promise."
Read the whole story here. (Hat tip, as always, to Jane.) Then sign the petition.
"They said: 'You are dogs! We will drive you off this land!'" said Salma Zakariah Hassan, 19, who escaped unscathed.
"They told me: 'You are a rebel and the son of rebels!'" said Hussein Daafallah, 12, who was shot three times - in the face, arm and leg. The child saw three friends aged between 7 and 11 fall wounded beside him, but does not know whether they lived or died. That, he explains, is why he is crying; not because of his disfigured face, shattered elbow and swollen, infected leg. ...
The Sudanese government is believed to be complicit in the ongoing horror in the Darfur region in the west of Sudan, bordering Chad. The gangs of thugs known as janjaweed appear to be enforcing the regime's ethnic-cleansing policy.
Despite the urging of American officials, the UN response - and particularly that of the European Union - has so far been disappointing.
Recalling the words of the 18th century Whig politician Edmund Burke: "It is necessary only for the good man to do nothing for evil to triumph" - the head of the US delegation to the Commission called for a special session to "hold accountable those responsible for the deplorable acts in Darfur."
"After World War II, the world said 'never again,'" US Alternate Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs Richard Williamson said. "Then came Cambodia where the 'killing fields' were awash in blood. Ten years ago in Rwanda, evil reigned ... Then came ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo.
"We cannot fail as we have before. 'Never Again' must be more than mere words or an idle promise."
Read the whole story here. (Hat tip, as always, to Jane.) Then sign the petition.
More on the Prisoners
Jonah Goldberg at NRO's The Corner says it better than I can. He's also posted an email from a veteran commenting on this outrage:
"Jonah,
... The damage done to our cause, and our country's reputation by this appalling conduct could be catastrophic. For all the people in the world who dismiss the Eurotrash's sniping at America, to say nothing of the likes of bin Laden and al Jazeera, this will be hard to explain and may very well plant a poisonous seed.
I'm not the parent of a fallen soldier or Marine, but I can just imagine how I would feel if, after experiencing the horror of outliving my child after
he or she died for freedom in Iraq, saw those pictures of the prisoners in
Baghdad. My kid's dead...but his memory, and his reputation as an American fighting man, ostensibly fighting against this same barbarity, has been sullied by guttersnipes led by a one-star witless moron.
700+ heros have taken a bullet and meanwhile...literally behind their
backs...everything they have bled and died for is being gleefully
undermined. These people pissed on their graves...and laughed. String 'em up.
I'll be happy to spell one of the guards at Leavenworth should they need it. ..."
Goldberg writes:
"The awfulness is twofold. First, there's the illegal, morally corrupt -- and corrupting -- evil of torturing people for the pleasure of it (and taking pictures of it!). Second, there's the counter-productive stupidity of it. Even if these guys were the worst henchmen of Saddam's torture chambers, the damage this does to the image of America is huge. How do we look when we denounce Saddam's torture chambers now? How many more American soldiers will be shot because of the ill will and outrage this generates? How do we claim to be champions of the rule of law?
Well, there is one way. This needs to be investigated and prosecuted."
Read the whole thing here and here.
"Jonah,
... The damage done to our cause, and our country's reputation by this appalling conduct could be catastrophic. For all the people in the world who dismiss the Eurotrash's sniping at America, to say nothing of the likes of bin Laden and al Jazeera, this will be hard to explain and may very well plant a poisonous seed.
I'm not the parent of a fallen soldier or Marine, but I can just imagine how I would feel if, after experiencing the horror of outliving my child after
he or she died for freedom in Iraq, saw those pictures of the prisoners in
Baghdad. My kid's dead...but his memory, and his reputation as an American fighting man, ostensibly fighting against this same barbarity, has been sullied by guttersnipes led by a one-star witless moron.
700+ heros have taken a bullet and meanwhile...literally behind their
backs...everything they have bled and died for is being gleefully
undermined. These people pissed on their graves...and laughed. String 'em up.
I'll be happy to spell one of the guards at Leavenworth should they need it. ..."
Goldberg writes:
"The awfulness is twofold. First, there's the illegal, morally corrupt -- and corrupting -- evil of torturing people for the pleasure of it (and taking pictures of it!). Second, there's the counter-productive stupidity of it. Even if these guys were the worst henchmen of Saddam's torture chambers, the damage this does to the image of America is huge. How do we look when we denounce Saddam's torture chambers now? How many more American soldiers will be shot because of the ill will and outrage this generates? How do we claim to be champions of the rule of law?
Well, there is one way. This needs to be investigated and prosecuted."
Read the whole thing here and here.
2004-04-30
Mohammed: Terrorism to Lose its Bet
Today's post by Mohammed in Iraq The Model emphasizes several points that freedom activists must keep in mind: that democacy is never perfect; that perception is of great importance; and that by staying the course, we can defeat the enemies of freedom.
Citing what he diplomatically calls the "modest performance" of the GC to date, Mohammed admits to having had some doubts about the urgency of the June 30 transfer of sovereignty. However, he recognizes the need for the new Iraqi government to have credibility in the eyes of the world and the Iraqi citizenry. Most important, Iraqis must feel invested in their own future: this is what he means by the "birth of the new Iraqi citizen who has the faith in the good results in the future and who is free from the paranoia that inhabited the minds of Iraqis and Arabs in general".
This feeling of investment is the key to meaningful citizenship, in the West no less than anyplace else. Individuals who, for whatever reasons, feel they have no stake in the future of their country - the United States for example - will inevitably yield to cynicism. This is the dynamic behind much of the Left's psychology.
Mohammed concludes by noting that "international terrorism that bet a lot on the failure of the project in Iraq will find that it has lost a great deal of its war" when the claim of American "colonialism" in Iraq is shown to be a fraud. This can only happen when full Iraqi sovereignty - warts and all - is restored.
Citing what he diplomatically calls the "modest performance" of the GC to date, Mohammed admits to having had some doubts about the urgency of the June 30 transfer of sovereignty. However, he recognizes the need for the new Iraqi government to have credibility in the eyes of the world and the Iraqi citizenry. Most important, Iraqis must feel invested in their own future: this is what he means by the "birth of the new Iraqi citizen who has the faith in the good results in the future and who is free from the paranoia that inhabited the minds of Iraqis and Arabs in general".
This feeling of investment is the key to meaningful citizenship, in the West no less than anyplace else. Individuals who, for whatever reasons, feel they have no stake in the future of their country - the United States for example - will inevitably yield to cynicism. This is the dynamic behind much of the Left's psychology.
Mohammed concludes by noting that "international terrorism that bet a lot on the failure of the project in Iraq will find that it has lost a great deal of its war" when the claim of American "colonialism" in Iraq is shown to be a fraud. This can only happen when full Iraqi sovereignty - warts and all - is restored.
Iraqi Prisoners Abused by Americans
Disturbing photographs show Iraqi POWs were subjected to inhumane conditions in American custody at Abu Ghraib prison, according to news reports. Still worse, an American soldier who complained of the abuse was silenced by superior officers. According to the AP report on Fox News:
Army Reserves Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick wrote that an Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad lacked the humane standards of the Virginia state prison where he worked in civilian life, according to a journal he started after military investigators first questioned him in January.
The Iraqi prisoners were sometimes confined naked for three consecutive days without toilets in damp, unventilated cells with floors 3 feet by 3 feet, Frederick wrote in materials obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
"When I brought this up with the acting BN (battalion) commander, he stated, 'I don't care if he has to sleep standing up.' That's when he told my company commander that he was the BN commander and for me to do as he says," Frederick wrote.
The writings were supplied by Frederick's uncle, William Lawson, who said Frederick wanted to document what was happening to him. ...
All freedom lovers must join in condemning any such abuse. This goes against everything we stand for. President Bush has wasted no time in giving his reaction:
President Bush has condemned the apparent mistreatment of some Iraqi prisoners, saying, "Their treatment does not reflect the nature of the American people. That's not the way we do things in America. I didn't like it one bit."
He was asked about photos showing Iraqi prisoners naked except for hoods covering their heads, stacked in a human pyramid, one with a slur written in English on his skin. That and other scenes of humiliation have led to criminal charges against six American soldiers. Arab television stations were leading their newscasts on Friday with the photos.
"I share a deep disgust that those prisoners were treated the way they were treated," Bush said. ...
It is essential that we root out not only this anti-human behavior itself, but also address the underlying problems in the military hierarchy that allowed these obscenities to happen. I trust all freedom lovers in America and elsewhere will join in insisting on a full investigation and the strictest justice for those responsible.
2004-04-21
Best of Blogdad: Freedom and the Third Element
What role do we play in our own fate? How much power does society have in our lives, and what is our complicity in it?
These are some of the questions Ali addresses in his essay “The Second Element”, dated December 3, 2003. Provoked to reflection by a reader’s remark that “you guys deserved (Saddam Hussein)”, Ali explores the forces that shape individuals and society. The first element is genetics – our natural predisposition. The second element is society itself. Ali observes the role of the media, both in Iraq and in the West, in shaping opinion.
But beyond society – the “second element” of the post’s title – there is
“a 3rd. element that forms and shapes the ultimate course of the life of an individual, and let me call it “the free zone”, a zone of free will that neither the genetics nor the environment and not even God have any influence whatever, and as this zone is free, it is liable for frequent changes throughout its short course on earth.”
Ali makes it clear that the first step in exercising our free will – and sometimes the only step left to us – is to use our capacity for critical thinking. In America we have the choice of what to watch on TV, what books to read, what to view on the internet. In Ba’athist Iraq these choices were nonexistent. But the people did have one choice: whether to take the hateful propaganda of the regime into their own minds, their own lives, and their children’s lives, or to reject it.
This is the choice that all of us – free and not yet free – still have. We can decide who we are, and who we want to be.
Ali said it better than I can. Read the whole post here.
These are some of the questions Ali addresses in his essay “The Second Element”, dated December 3, 2003. Provoked to reflection by a reader’s remark that “you guys deserved (Saddam Hussein)”, Ali explores the forces that shape individuals and society. The first element is genetics – our natural predisposition. The second element is society itself. Ali observes the role of the media, both in Iraq and in the West, in shaping opinion.
But beyond society – the “second element” of the post’s title – there is
“a 3rd. element that forms and shapes the ultimate course of the life of an individual, and let me call it “the free zone”, a zone of free will that neither the genetics nor the environment and not even God have any influence whatever, and as this zone is free, it is liable for frequent changes throughout its short course on earth.”
Ali makes it clear that the first step in exercising our free will – and sometimes the only step left to us – is to use our capacity for critical thinking. In America we have the choice of what to watch on TV, what books to read, what to view on the internet. In Ba’athist Iraq these choices were nonexistent. But the people did have one choice: whether to take the hateful propaganda of the regime into their own minds, their own lives, and their children’s lives, or to reject it.
This is the choice that all of us – free and not yet free – still have. We can decide who we are, and who we want to be.
Ali said it better than I can. Read the whole post here.
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