Matters of Life and Death

Terri Schiavo. I cannot think of any single issue, ever, where my views have changed so profoundly and dramatically in such a short period of time. When I first mentioned the Save Terri campaign here, it was mostly as a freindly gesture to Sherri Reese, whose blog I've enjoyed greatly. Until I came across Sherri's post, I barely knew - or cared - who Terri Schiavo was. If I thought about it at all, I pigeonholed it as "some right-wing cause".

The more I learned, though, the more I realized that this case was NOT, as I had assumed, the case of someone living in excruciating pain; nor someone who had left explicit, written instructions that were being ignored by meddlesome right-to-life absolutists. I began to understand that this was a case too important to let my own prejudices and stereotypes about social conservatives cloud my judgment. Like the liberation of Iraq, it was a case onto which the Left had, for the most part, projected its own ideas - and had gotten it all wrong.

After reading Blogs for Terri, liberal "save Terri" sites like Liberals for Terri and Kesher Talk, and the pro-death side's feeble justifications for its position, I realized that I needed to re-think a lot of my assumptions about life, death, and culture. My previous Terri roundup is here.

Abortion. I have always been, and remain, a fence-sitter on the abortion debate. I have never formed a strong opinion on the subject one way or the other; although I will say that I have come to view the pro-life side with greater respect in recent years. I found this pro-life post from Sherri, which focuses on women's empowerment and responsibility, especially persuasive. There's also a gay pro-life organization called PLAGAL.

I'm not ready to sign on with either side in the debate right now, but I do want to mention one thing about the abortion debate. I can't imagine how the experience of having an abortion - however compelling the circumstances may be - can be anything but traumatic for the woman. And I wonder if pro-choice groups have sometimes downplayed this factor in the interests of making abortion seem more palatable.

Death penalty. I'm against the death penalty in all but extremely rare cases (e.g. Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden). I do not subscribe to the slogan that "capital punishment is murder" because I think it's a stupid moral equivalency. There is, after all, a difference between what the state is empowered to do and what citizens are allowed or forbidden to do. (The state has a duty to impose unpleasant consequences upon people who commit crimes, in order to make crime less attractive. "Death penalty = murder" makes as much sense as saying "prison=kidnapping" or "fines=theft".) But a death wrongly imposed cannot be revoked or commuted; and I do not see what an execution accomplishes that a life sentence - a REAL life sentence - does not. I think a death penalty puts too much power in the hands of the state.

"Matters of Life and Death" is a new feature and I hope to explore these issues and others in greater depth, in future installments. For now, I need to take a break. Stay tuned.

Morning Report: June 19, 2005

Latest Iran news. The IRI regime's recent "elections" drew calls for a boycott from Iranian freedom activists. Despite some MSM claims of "higher than expected voter turnout", eyewitness accounts from Iranians - and photographs of the polling places - tell a different story. There were also reports of violence against demonstraters in Los Angeles, Ottawa, and other cities. Commenter Rasker provides video of one confrontation in Houston. Opposition candidate Mustafa Moin has challenged the legitimacy of the polls, claiming that "a powerful will entered the arena bent on the victory of a particular candidate and the elimination of the other candidates" and declaring that "a warning bell has sounded" for Iran's rulers. Numerous anti-regime groups have designated the days following the election as the beginning of an organized campaign to depose the regime; however, no new information on this is currently available. (Free Iran, Rasker)

Belmont Club on Iraq developments. Wretchard examines the increased intensity of combat in Iraq, exemplified by operations Spear and Dagger. 'In the near term, the operational tempo (billed as "violence", "instability" or "mayhem" in the media) will almost certainly increase for the following reasons. First, Iraqi forces are now coming online and they are not the "fresh meat" the Daily Kos claims. Though they may have shortcomings, Iraqi troops are far from totally ineffective and actually represent a net increase in coalition combat power against the enemy. Second, the cumulative results of two years of intelligence infrastructure building coming into fruition in the larger size of caches being found and in the number of "tips" which precede many of the recent captures and rescues. Third, the insurgent strategy of attempting to ignite a civil war as described in the last post, will generate its own backblast.' See also Friday's post on Mosul. (Belmont Club)

Command Post on energy issues. 'This week, debate in the Senate began in earnest on the federal energy bill - and the debate in the US, around the world, and on the internet shows no signs of abating. In a widely cited poll, Yale University researchers found that an overwhelming majority of Americans are worried about dependence on foreign oil (92%) and want government to develop new energy technologies to address it (93%). Apparently, they haven’t been reading their Kunstler, or else they’d know that there are no solutions other than the long-overdue destruction of our sinfully consumptive civilization - or maybe they’ve been reading their Engineer-Poet instead, and know better than to buy into sci-fi catastrophilia. ...' Winds of Change takes a look at real-world options on bio, electricity, fossils, nuclear, solar, wind, and energy policy. (Winds of Change)

Latest Iranian News; IRI Violence in North America

Regime-sponsored violence against Iranians seems to have spread to North America as eyewitnesses reported attacks on nonviolent activists in Los Angeles and Ottawa.

Excerpts from various current threads at Free Iran News Forum:

EXPATS IN L.A. URGE BOYCOTT
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=857083

LOS ANGELES Jun 17, 2005 — Iranian exiles are campaigning against Friday's presidential elections in their homeland, urging would-be voters in the Islamic republic and abroad to boycott what they call a sham poll.

In Los Angeles, one of 36 U.S. cities where voting was scheduled to take place, a half dozen television and radio stations that for years have criticized the regime are beaming their message into Iran by satellite and Internet. ...

*********************************
IRAN: FAMILIES OF POLITICAL PRISONERS CONTINUE PROTESTS
http://www.regimechangeiran.com/

Adnkronos International:Iranian police have manhandled the wife and brother of jailed journalist and dissident, Akbar Ganji, during the ninth straight day of protest by family members of political prisoners in front of the notorious Evin prison in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Despite having the written permission to meet with her husband, Ganji's wife, Massoumeh Shafii was not allowed to enter the prison on Thursday. ...

***********************************************
IRANIAN STUDENTS DESCRIBE POLLS
Iran's election feed back - Iranian student reporting
Various | June 18th, 05 | Self
http://www.regimechangeiran.com/

Posted on 06/17/2005 4:42:00 PM PDT by Khashayar


Reza from Tehran: This is 10 am in northern part of Tehran. There is no body in the site and I hope officials would announce the number of voters truly.

Hasan from Qom: IRIB (TV & RADIO) is just showing certain places where people go to vote. Most polls are empty here in our city.

Amir from Kashmar (east of Iran): No body is around, especially in the morning.

Sam from Tehran: I did vote to save my country from likes of Rafsanjani. I voted for Mr. Moin

Mehdi from Shiraz: I have counted 10-12 people in this poll in our area. Most of them were forced to vote.

Majid from Tehran: I voted for Imam Zaman to come and save us from the regime.

Fardin from Switzerland: Regime thugs attacked those of us who were protesting against the regime in front of one of the polling stations. ...


************************
SUSPECTED DISSIDENTS ARRESTED IN UK
Four linked to Iran terror plot arrested in UK
Jun 17, 2005
The Guardian
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_7645.shtml

Four terrorist suspects arrested by armed police in dawn swoops in north London yesterday are believed to be linked to a dissident group plotting against the Iranian government, according to police and anti-terrorist officials.

The men, aged 31, 37, 58 and 63, were being questioned last night at the high security police station at Paddington Green....

**********************
OPEN LETTER FROM DR. RAMIN ETEBAR

Dear Mr. President

What I am about to report is a sad day in the American history that requires your immediate action to protect the
the US constitution specifically the First Amendment.

A group of Iranian Americans composed of TV journalists and political activist who had gathered in front of the
Commerce Plaza Hotel (Los Angeles suburb) to protest and report the conduction of the sham Iranian presidential elections
were assaulted by the hotel security on the command of IRI thugs in US.
According to Ms. Dokhi Abdi; a political activist and Iranian satellite TV reporter and commentator in Los Angeles, upon the
arrival of the group to the Commerce Plaza Hotel where the elections for the Iranian presidential election was being conducted, the group of 12 activists and journalists were intercepted by the hotel security and a valid Iranian passport was demanded from them in order to allow entry to the hotel. Soon after several Iranians who were in charge of the event in the hotel were called to the scene; upon their determination that this group of 12 were Iranian dissidents as well as Iranian Americans who are against the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran) the hotel security attacked the dissidents and journalists.
According to Ms. Abdi, the hotel security attacked Nasrin Mohammadi whose two of her brothers are political prisoners in Iran to confiscate her video camera as a result of this she fell from a platform. Ms. Firozeh Ghafarpour (another TV journalists and political activist) started to protest this; she was then viciously attacked with pepper spray. At this point Ms. Dokhi Abdi told the security that she was a reporter and that she was there to report the event, upon stating this she was attacked and she was sprayed in the mouth. Several other individuals were beaten and hand cuffed. As I write this the victims are being treated in a local hospital emergency room.

Mr. President, I, as an Iranian American, as a republican, as one of your constituents, as one of your campaign volunteers, as a political and human rights activist I severely protest this incident. How is this possible to require a valid Iranian passport to gain entry into an American hotel in US soil? How is this possible to allow violation of our First amendment Bill of Rights to freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble? This is an act of terror! What is the American law enforcement agencies are going to do about this? What is the US Department of State is going to do about the Iranian interest section (Under the Embassy of Pakistan) who is organizing these acts of terror?

Mr. President, actions speak louder than words! What are you going to do about this?

Sincerely yours,

Ramin Etebar, M.D.
Las Vegas, Nevada

***************
IRANIANS PROTEST "ELECTIONS" IN CANADA
Iran News Jun 17th, 2005 - 18:31:52
Page One > Iran News
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_7642.shtml

Iranians protest election day in Canada
Jun 17, 2005
Sayeh Hassan and Ruzbeh Hosseini - Persian Journal

Today, a large number of Iranians gathered in front of the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada to support the boycott of the 9th presidential elections in Iran. ...

The highlight of the event was a hostage taking by Embassy personnel of a well known film maker named Masoud Raouf. After obtaining the required permission from Embassy personnel and the RCMP, he went into the Embassy to take footage of the election for a documentary. Once inside, the Islamic Regime's agents started to harass him. When Mr. Masoud pleaded to have the RCMP intervene, the IRI agents refused and three of them attacked Mr. Raouf and beat him violently about the nose, genitalia, and other parts of his body. To bring attention to his situation Mr. Raouf smashed and broke an Embassy window. This caused the protesting Iranians to storm the Embassy grounds and make thunderous demands for the release of Mr. Raouf who had then become a hostage. Slogans such as "Free Masoud, Free Masoud" could be heard blocks away and it took forty-five minutes for police to calm the crowd and move them away from the Embassy door. The protesters resolved to continue their protest until Mr. Raouf was released. After another hour he was finally released and gave a small speech regarding what had taken place inside.

A disturbing common theme is the willingness of the regime's thugs to use violence against fellow Iranians on foreign soil. Keep watching this space for updates.

Fouladvand Reported Arrested; Clashes in Iranian Diaspora

Latest reports on Iran from Free Iran:

Friday, June 17, 2005
Dr. Froud Fouladvand Under Arrest?
regimechangeiran.com

Iman Foroutan, SOS IRAN.com, told me that it has been reported that Dr. Froud Fouladvand, the Iranian broadcaster operating out of the UK has been arrested. He has been advocating an armed struggle with the Iranian government. His group has been responsible for numerous demonstrations in Europe asking the leaders of the EU to drop its support for the Islamic Republic of Iran. I have yet to find a news source that can confirm this report.

posted by DoctorZin @ 5:15 PM
Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Iranian Polling Station in LA Shut Down

I just heard from Iman Foroutan, of SOSIRAN.com, that the Iranian polling station in Los Angeles, CA was shut down. Prior to its closure, Aryo Pirouznia, of SMCCDI, and an unnamed women were pepper sprayed by security personnel guarding the polling station. The woman required medical attention and was taken to a local hospital.

I have heard of other agressive measures taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran's personnel in other cities today. A more complete briefing on today's efforts will be posted later.

Update: An SOSIRAN.com associate sent me the following report:

A group of Iranian Americans composed of TV journalists and political activist who had gathered in front of the Commerce Plaza Hotel (Los Angeles suburb) to protest and report the conduction of the sham Iranian presidential elections were assaulted by the hotel security on the command of IRI thugs in US.

According to Ms. Dokhi Abdi; a political activist and Iranian satellite TV reporter and commentator in Los Angeles, upon the arrival of the group to the Commerce Plaza Hotel where the elections for the Iranian presidential election was being conducted, the group of 12 activists and journalists were intercepted by the hotel security and a valid Iranian passport was demanded from them in order to allow entry to the hotel.

Soon after several Iranians who were in charge of the event in the hotel were called to the scene; upon their determination that this group of 12 were Iranian dissidents as well as Iranian Americans who are against the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran) the hotel security attacked the dissidents and journalists. ...

Posted by Rasker; go to the message thread at the link for full details and follow-ups.

Morning Report: June 15, 2005

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday June 16

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

Friday June 17 - Presidential Election Day

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

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

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

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

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

Morning Report: June 14, 2005

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

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

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

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

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

Morning Report: June 12, 2005

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

Morning Report: June 8, 2005

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

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

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

No, seriously ...

Alison Bechdel nails it. Show of hands if you've ever been Cynthia ...

Morning Report: June 6, 2004

Good news from Afghanistan. Posting at Winds of Change and elsewhere, Arthur Chrenkoff reports that over 600 Afghan Islamic clerics convened in a ceremony to formally strip Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar of his religious authority. In recognition of this important event, Morning Report and Dreams Into Lightning will no longer refer to the Taliban leader as "Mullah" Omar. Chrenkoff writes: 'This important gathering and its implications were reported by only a handful of news outlets around the world - in stark contrast to the news several days later about the assassination at the hands of the Taliban of the head of the council and the suicide bombing at the historic mosque during his funeral, which appeared through hundreds of media outlets around the world. Faced with this sort of media coverage, President Karzai expressed his exasperation during his recent visit in the United States: "Sometimes - rather often - neither our press, nor your press, nor the press in the rest of the world will pick up the miseries of the Afghans three years ago and what has been achieved since then, until today."' (GNFI / Winds of Change)

Britain defers EU vote; death knell for union? Following a decisive defeat in France and an overwhelming one in the Netherlands, the proposed Constitution for the European Union suffered a potentially fatal setback in the United Kingdom on Monday, as the British government postponed a planned referendum on the document. CNN reports: 'British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said a referendum on the European constitution has been postponed, following the document's rejection in France and the Netherlands. The EU Council, not the UK, will decide the future of the treaty, he said. But in the circumstances it would not now be sensible to press ahead with a referendum in Britain, Straw told MPs on Monday. "Until the consequences of France and the Netherlands being unable to ratify the treaty are clarified, it would not in our judgment now be sensible to set a date for second reading."' An analysis at Stratfor (subscription service) suggests that Britain prefers not to be seen as the party "putting the bullet in the charter's head", but notes that Britons have historically resisted both the EU project and the adoption of any written constitution. Stratfor concludes that "this sets the stage for a very awkward summit of EU heads of government in Luxembourg on June 16-17." (CNN, Stratfor)

Memorial Day

Please take a moment to remember those who have given their lives in the defense of freedom.

I had the privilege of serving in the armed forces of the United States for ten years. During my four years in the Marine Corps, my unit took part in Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Our story is told here:
1st Light Armored Infantry Battalion, USMC

The Marines we lost are remembered here:
In Memoriam

(Mac users: This site is best viewed in Microsoft Internet Explorer; the navigation menus don't show up in Safari and Firefox.)

Have a pleasant Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy the blessings of liberty - and remember, freedom brings responsibility, so celebrate responsibly.

UPDATE: Mamamontezz has Memorial Day posts here and here. Go check 'em out.