Shlonkom Bakazay?

Warning: This site is very very graphic

Hm...
this is interesting:

"The Americans and Italians knew about (her) car coming," Pier Scolari said on leaving Rome's Celio military hospital where Sgrena is to undergo surgery following her return home.

"They were 700 meters (yards) from the airport, which means that they had passed all checkpoints."

"Giuliana had information, and the US military did not want her to survive," he added.

When Sgrena was kidnapped on February 4 she was writing an article on refugees from Fallujah seeking shelter at a Baghdad mosque after US forces bombed the former Sunni rebel stronghold.

Bush and Berlusconi will have the wrath of the Italian people after this debaucle. There will be fall-out from this event. I guarantee it.

Update: These are some really important articles via Crooks and Liars. First it has become apparent that there was no checkpoint and they don't know where the bullets came from. Let's wait and see what the investigators come up with, but I believe this is very significant. The important thing is that out of this tragedy some sort of protocol for accountability is born. I am aware of many many incidents where Iraqis have been killed in this manner and not a single investigation is launched. Now I hope this case gets needled to the point where whomever is responsible for this is taken to account and for there, again, to be some sort of manner to avoid senseless deaths as is the case with Italian special agent Nicola Calipari. Here are the summaries of several important articles from several different countries:

Again, another thank you to Crooks and Liars for letting me snatch their code to make this post quicker.

I'll be Irakasting for you soon. This is just a test kast. You can subscribe to my feed by clicking on the XML button in the sidebar or right here...

If you just wanna pick up my podkast, just enter the following into any podcast aggregator like ipodder or doppler: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ShlonkomBakazay

Cut and paste baby!

You can then easily configure your aggregator to introduce the MP3s into iTunes, Windows Media Player, or another media player you may have...to then be uploaded to your handy portable player to take with you to the top of Mount Everest er somethin'. Isn't that special?

In the future, hit my Mainline if you want to get to the main link of that particular post or a direct link to the podkast for the day.

I'll be undergoing some changes. You'll understand as things develop.

Pass the humus,
liminal

Robert Parry notes quite clearly,

For a government that wraps its actions in moral absolutes about good versus evil, while deriding liberal relativism, the Bush administration may rank as the most committed in modern American history to an ends-justify-the-means ethos.

Indeed, to understand the administration’s neoconservative foreign policy, one must recognize how this moral framework works: First, it sets out worthy-sounding goals – freedom, democracy, security – and then it applies whatever tactics are deemed necessary – torture, murder, unprovoked invasions – along with an aggressive propaganda strategy at home.

Next, when events take a positive turn, the neoconservatives claim credit, even if they had only a minor role or the events were largely coincidental. Criticism of the bloody means is washed away by celebration of the virtuous ends. Mainstream commentators join in, cheering the neocons’ farsightedness. Those who opposed the original actions are pushed to the political margins.

After two years of bloody war in Iraq and 1,500 U.S. soldiers dead, the neocons have reached such a moment. They are claiming vindication because of several developments in the Middle East, including the Iraqi election, tentative progress in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and Lebanese demands for a full Syrian withdrawal.

Read rest here. Moment of vindication? I think not. No wonder the mention of Bin Laden. He grew the balls to say it again because suddenly (even though more and more people die), he's vindicated because of the Lebanese will? And of course he won't come out and say it, because it would undermine and injure Lebanese national pride in a time where he could gain political points off of this exact pride...although he has nothing whatsoever to do with events taking place in Lebanon. And I only wish Lebanon to succeed on its path to wrangle free of Syrian controls. But to score political points off of the emotions of Lebanon is just sickening to me.

Politics. What a sick game.

15 of the 19 hijackers of the 911 tragedy were Saudis, too. None were Iraqis. That's right. Zero, zilch were from Iraq. Did you know that?

Yet Saudi Arabia is a "close ally" of America. And while America wipes Saudi "royal" ass, it continues to churn out radical Islamic fundamentalists like no other country...even Iraq. Mr. Boosh's peoples are fascinated with Iraq so much that they continue spending billions of dollars destroying and rebuilding it at the same time as rebels continue to reek havoc making the jobs of Iraqis more and more difficult. This administration has had a catastrophic success in making Iraq into a fundie-jihadi magnet. And many Americans continue to believe Saudi Arabia is just one of our few "close allies" in the region like Hosni "Big Haz" Mobarak and Ariel "Reformed Violent Transmitter" Sharon.

Recently, Mr. Boosh had a renewed interest in Bin Laden. It even suprised Porter Goss, former self-proclaimed under-qualified Republican 'yes man' chair of the House Intelligence Cmt., the new head of the CIA. Well, I want the bastard--Osama that is--more than Bush or the VP Prince al-Idealogue bin Darkness does. I remember long ago when Mr. Boosh said that he didn't really think of Bin Laden any more. And many people still wonder about his dedication to address the Saudi question. Namely, of it being a country where something like 60-70 percent of the population is under 25. Did I mention that the economy there is shite and many of those young people don't have jobs? 2+2 equals Death and Destruction. Yet America will continue wiping Saudi "royal" ass and promoting the neocon-fantastical view of Middle Eastern relations. I argue Saudi Arabia was more of a threat than Iraq and the bastard Saddam before the most recent Iraq war and, sure enough, if we were not propping up some puppets there it would probably be run by Al Qaeda sympathizers today. Anyway, it's even more of a threat today and the occupation in Iraq is only adding seasoned jihadi war-veterans to the list of threats to face in the coming century. But we'll destroy Iraq to save it, won't we?

Now, Josef Joffe recently wrote an article for Foreign Policy that caused a lot of controversy: "A World Without Israel". I'm going to blog the latest edition of FP tonight I hope, which includes several reactions to Joffe's piece. (I'll add all the links later...maybe you know me by now.) Anyhow, I've become keenly interested in Saudi blogs. Just listen to what I have to say about one Saudi blogger that has stopped blogging and I'll fix up this post later.

One question: Does Israel contain more problems than it created/creates? Joffe argues exactly this in his article. It's an interesting piece and a fascinating slant, but I am not so sure. Anyway, I'll get to that later.

Now here's what Religious Police had to say about some "good news" in Saudi Arabia:

You may remember that on Saturday, our Muslim Affairs Minister, whose name escapes me for the moment but is really not worth remembering, announced that "the Saudi government ........have destroyed half of the terrorist force". Well, it gets even better. Prince Turki has now announced that "five out of six" terrorist cells have now been destroyed. That's an increase of 33.33% in just two days! Or 16.66% a day! On that basis, they'll all be destroyed by tomorrow (Tuesday)! Now isn't that Good News!


Don't believe me? Oh you miserable cynics. Have a look at this 5-minute BBC clip.

There! You heard him, didn't you? Very polished, wasn't it? Just a shame about the intense blinking when he's answered an awkward question. It looks like a very acute facial tic. It's a shame that when he did the course on "Broadcast Interview Technique for Leaders of Corrupt Arab States", he didn't do the optional module on "Controlling Body Language and Avoiding Involuntary Facial Movements that give away those little Porkie Pies". Obviously the reference to Pork put him off.

So that was the Good News. Now here's the Bad News. The Bad News is that the Good News is complete and utter Crap. The other Bad News is that Arabs don't like to give people Bad News, so we give them Good News instead, even if we lie about the Bad News. That way, everyone's happy....until they discover that the Good News is Bad News after all, then it's Bad News all round.

I hope that's clear for everyone.

What is clear to me is that even in the government, they haven't a clue about what they are fighting. They don't know the size of the external forces, and they don't know how much their own security forces have been penetrated. Apparently the US has offered to help. Well, with all due respect to our US allies, I don't think that Mr "Slam Dunk" and his CIA, fresh from their "WMD in Iraq" triumph, are going to be much help to us. To revert to my normal pessimistic gloom, I think we're up the creek without the proverbial paddle.

#1, I wonder whether the man or woman who wrote the above is still alive. #2, Is Mr. Boosh scared to "liberate" Saudi Arabia? I think it's a combination of being scared and having certain loyalties to the puppets in Saudi Arabia. What a schizoid state to be in, wouldn't you agree?

Whatever will we do with the Saudis?

More Saudi blogger action in the future...

Peace out,
Liminal

One thing wrong, anyway...

Extremists are killing women's rights activists. I cannot begin to tell you--without wanting to punch a hole through several walls--how counter-productive this "liberation" has been for women in Iraq. And it looks like no matter what happens now will result in a step or two backwards for them. Grrrrrr...Read this story to become more familiar with all the madness they've had to and continue to endure.

Also, visit the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq.

You know something is very wrong when I side with Silvio Berlusconi. What the hell happened??? Are they going to be able to get out of prosecution of who ever killed the Italian secret service agent, Nicola Calipari, like they are with the hundreds of innocent Iraqis that have probably died in a similar fashion? What's the excuse this time gentlemen? If you don't pay for this one, Italy's not going to be so willing. Not that Italians are now anyway...

You've gotta check it out. Unbelievable. This thing is getting stranger and stranger. [via Crooks and Liars]

Lebanon is a Mediterranean society on Mediterranean time. There's a slower pace to life, even in Beirut...excluding the wonderful driving conditions. I love driving in Lebanon, and in Beirut especially. It's like a video game. Or like being a horse...How could I possibly describe it better?

Anyway, everything else in Lebanon seems to go much slower. And yes, people (including myself) are prone to ignore getting certain things done because of the impeccable weather and reasons such as the previous post. I call it the "Book'rah" disease. It's easy to get distracted. But I suggest President Emile Lahoud and others in the standing parliament not get distracted to what they are facing like this article suggests. "Pro-Syrian sections in Lebanon have called for the formation of a government of national unity, ignoring a list of tough conditions set by the opposition for the future of the country." They seem to be saying "book'rah" (meaning "tomorrow" in Arabic) to the Cedars Revolution. And that's just not good enough for the Lebanese.

They better not ignore the fact that the previous government has resigned and there are demands to be met. Personally, I wish Lahoud would step down as well. He's finished in Lebanon as far as I'm concerned. But let's see. I want the Lebanese people to make him their puppet if he does stay. Let's see. Let's see...But don't ignore the opposition. You'd be poorly advised to do so.

Okay guys, stop drooling. So, this is a tribute to all the women of Lebanon. You're hot...real real hot. But I love you for much more than that!

2 reasons to love Iraq is the next tribute to women I will have up soon enough. Beware: They're extremely hot, too. My oh my!

:)

lim.

the caravaggio exhibit is now in london. thankfully, the guardian online edition of G2 was given as an demo on february 17, the day there was a feature about the exhibit. Here are some wonderful illustrated .pdf's of the article that include amazing images. remember, zoom to read. if you're not in london you'll want to check this article out. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Is it not both hypocritical and un-Christian to be a supporter of war and pro-death penalty?

It just came to my mind after the Supreme Court's decision today to throw out the death sentences for about 70 minors.


Update: Because I wanted to ask that once again.

According to this, we will find out soon. American hypocrisy when it comes to matters of democracy will either be confirmed, delayed, or rejected in the decision of Jose Padilla. After more than 2 1/2 years of detention, will he get a fair trial or be released? Or will he be unlawfully detained for longer by virtue of some new suspension of this right? This is in America where the writ of habeas corpus is celebrated as the most efficient safeguard of the liberty of an individual. Meeting with Putin and making claims about the lack of democracy and free press in Russia rings hollow if you cannot ensure the liberty of your own citizens.

out,
l to the l

Addendum: Thank you Maureen Dowd for saying this on Meet the Press. [via Crooks and Liars]

But here it is for you. Censorship, classic Bush administration style. [via FREEwilliamsburg]



click pic to hear Bush admitting to it. (quicktime)

I will collate a list of opinions regarding the situation in Lebanon at the moment. Things are moving very quickly indeed, as Angry Arab says. It's hard to take it all in, but I'll try my best to give you several opinions to disseminate for yourself.

It'll take me a while to get this all up. I'll have a Lebanon E-culture link list up soon, too. My fractured identity is slowly rising to the surface in bits and pieces.

It might be several hours before I get this list of commentary up because I'm taking care of my beautiful neice today. ;) liminal

UPDATE:

It's impossible, isn't it? Every time I've gotten hopeful about the situation in Lebanon, I've had to check myself for fear of influence from external parties. Now I've got to do the same with regards to internal ones. I'm really freaked out. It almost seems too good to be true in many ways. And young Lebanese who wish to feel free from the clutches of Syria need to watch their front and their back for fear of being taken for a ride.

That's right, I fear now that the sentiment and action of Lebanon's idealistic young people (including myself) will be taken advantage of by certain unsavory characters. If you visit Angry Arab, you'll get an idea of what's on my mind at the moment. His words are extremely cogent and well thought-out, but I'd like to hope there is less of a chance of us being taken advantage of...yet I haven't seen (although I'm sure there are) some young intelligent and strong leaders who are really out for a fluid national identity and for the security and peace of all Lebanese. You've got to feel on certain levels many of the personalities from the 75-90 war still operating today in Lebanese politics are pretty sketchy. They deserve a hard look. Do they have harmful agendas? Are they short-sighted power-grabbers? And of course, there are other matters to take in to hand, but I hope to get to them later.

I've had a great day with my adorable neice. Soon she'll sleep and I'll be able to get to that list I promised.

Let's see. Lebanon's future is still on a knife's edge, but this is a good development. The next step is crucial. What it will be, I don't know. But we need some fresh and clean hands in Lebanese politics today. If there's ever a time for somebody to make a move to enter the political arena in Lebanon, right now's the ripe time to do so.

My best wishes for Lebanon in this very exciting and uncertain time...
And still, I say no to violence and no to being taken advantage of by both external parties and internal old hat sectarian strife.

Peace out,
Liminal

UPDATE:

I'm having way too much fun with my neice! Ok, here goes...

1. Juan Cole's Lebanese history cliff-notes style - a short summary (20 minutes tops)
2. The newest addition at LBF, Mana gives you her first-hand experience at the protests in "Freedom Sqaure"
3. Firas at Thermo-Police gives you perspective with his thoughtful words
4. My new favorite friend in Lebanon blogger, Unfrozen Caveman Linguist with some fleshed-out posts of wisdom
5. Ramzi is another gem of blogger with the best for Lebanon on his mind
6. Mysterious Eve makes mind melt a mode for all that read Arabic
7. Callipyge quotes a protester's sign on listserv, Assad bi Lubnan, arnab bil Julan. Nuff said, lol, check her out.
8. Angry Arab is still angry...perhaps too angry for my taste these days. I believe he's putting little faith in my generation. I still love him, though. He has some important points regardless of your thinking.
   
9. Roy Saad has a first-hand experience of the protests and some things to think about.
10. Window in Lebanon for French speaking first-hand essence of the times
11. The immutable Zounazar with Lebanese activism in a strong Arabic voice
12. Rampurple for another patriot's view from Kuwait
    
13. For more bloggers views check Lebanese Blogger Forum

MORE LATER...

All I know, there's gonna be a party in Ain El Rimaneh tonight.

Ok, the entire Lebanese government has resigned. Of course, that leaves Emile Lahoud as president and the mostly Pro-Syrian parlaiment members in place. Now, Lahoud has to form a new government. The fight isn't over yet, in other words. Will he really be able to form a new government in such conditions? And if he forms it, will it be obvious that it's another Pro-Syrian puppet-regime?

Please do not misunderstand me. I have no quarrel with the Syrian people...none at all, in fact. I have objection with Syrian presence in Lebanon and control over Lebanon's economy and intelligence infrastructure. I am aware Bush will probably count this as a gold star on his harldy used National Guard uniform. This is only to be expected. The free will of Lebanese people is finally shining...and this is the main point here.

Lebanese people are saying Lebanon will not be used as a battlefield for other people's wars. This will be a difficult thing to acheive entirely, though. But we are moving in the right direction to make sure Lebanon really remains for the Lebanese.

Now, I'm going to go celebrate this first of many victories.

How exciting is this?! What will we call this revolution? The Cedars Uprising? Or the Cedars Revolution? I'm going to think about it today and come up with some good ones. Any suggestions?

:)

liminal

WOW!

I was running around the house trying to get to the computer to post this!

I'm so happy I have eggs on the oven...I will have more later!

LIM

Incredible. People have hit the streets before being banned tomorrow!




"Protecting civil peace..." Yea, right. And I'm irreverent because I don't like you personally...not because I wish all peoples to be free and not subjugated to occupations and torture. There's no reason for Syria to be in Lebanon any more. I don't know a single Lebanese person that does not wish they would just leave. Enough! Khallas!

SO GET OUT YA PUNKS! WE DON'T WANT YOU!

It's poetry to see Lebanese people uniting and helping themselves!

How I wish I was there
With you on FREEDOM Square
I send you my best tonight
My spirit will join the fight

MORE L8R

L to the L

That's my feeling now. I spent the day with our friend. And sure, it's fresh on my mind, but I think they pushed the button that killed Rafiq Hariri plus several others, and badly injured Dr. Fuleihan and many others. It obviously backfired. We must not let the fury over their presence calm down. They have to leave. The government has to resign. Lebanon deserves a fresh start.

Power to the Lebanese in Lebanon.

There'll be demonstrations tomorrow in Beirut. It could get nasty. And if it does, we'll know it's their fault too.

liminal

If anybody gets the chance, please visit Dr. Basil Fuleihan's site, Praying for Basil. The site is for the family and friends of Dr. Fuleihan who would like to keep updated on his condition.

Thank you,

Liminal

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

***

A shout out thanks to Johnny Depp for bringing it to my attention.

;) liminal

News emerges Blair was Georgie's female dog as early as April 2002.


How much do you love daddy now?

I know digby had a post about this earlier, but I missed it until now. Here's the video. The exceptions are Zell Miller and Joe Leiberman? And this is TIME magazine's blogger of the year? Woah, the people at powerline are scary.

William Faulkner
February 23, 2005

Down the hall, under the chandelier, I could see them talking. They were walking toward me and Dick's face was white, and he stopped and gave a piece of paper to Rummy, and Rummy looked at the piece of paper and shook his head. He gave the paper back to Dick and Dick shook his head. They disappeared and then they were standing right next to me.

"Georgie's going to walk down to the Oval Office with me," Dick said.

"I just hope you got him all good and ready this time," Rummy said.

"Hush now," Dick said. "This aint no laughing matter. He know lot more than folks think." Dick patted me on the back good and hard. "Come on now, Georgie," Dick said. "Never mind you, Rummy."

The Administration and the Fury - If William Faulkner were writing on the Bush White House. By Sam Apple

Yet another spin-off of Punk'd has been out for some time, yet I've just noticed it.

The New Republic Online presents Iraq'd. They provide the best explanation of its purpose, which I've posted here. But it's a blog you should check out.

WHAT IS IRAQ'D?: If you're a pro-war liberal, chances are you're probably feeling burned right now. The case for the Iraq war rested on three pillars: The danger of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, with the clock ticking on a nuclear capability; the danger of Saddam Hussein's connections to Al Qaeda; and the human rights imperative of deposing one of the world's most despicable regimes and assisting newly-freed Iraqis in building a democracy. Well, it turns out that Saddam didn't have much in the way of WMD, or even ongoing WMD programs. And it also appears that his ties to Al Qaeda were tenuous at best. So all that's left for the war rationale is the human-rights-and-democracy argument, which for liberals is intuitively appealing (or should be). But then along comes the Bush administration's November 15 Agreement to relinquish sovereignty by June 30, which tells the Iraqis that, owing to election-year considerations, the United States can't be bothered right now to midwife a democracy. You might say you've been Iraq'd.

And no one is more Iraq'd right now than the Iraqis themselves. It's no accident that, as soon as the Coalition Provisional Authority announced its withdrawal plan, the various Iraqi factions immediately began pressing for their maximal demands: The Kurds want autonomy, an internal militia, and the oil-rich city of Kirkuk; the Shia want direct elections to the body that will assume sovereignty, in order to guard against their disenfranchisement; the Sunnis are resisting elections because they fear disenfranchisement by the numerically-superior Shia; our handpicked Iraqi Governing Council, distrusted by the broader Shia and Sunni populations, is agitating to keep its hold on power. Each faction is fighting hard to impose facts on the ground because it can no longer count on the United States sticking around to ensure that all segments of Iraqi society are represented in a future Iraqi democracy.

One of the premises of Iraq'd is that the U.S. decision to cease nation-building jeopardizes our own national security as well as Iraq's. After all, if we believe that Iraqi democracy would be a model for the region, then the converse is also true: If we leave behind a failing state in Iraq, then we provide Middle Eastern autocrats with a pretext for cracking down on the reformers and liberals in their midst, since they can point to the chaos in Baghdad as the likely fruit of democracy. And since Islamist terrorism feeds in part on Middle Eastern tyranny, then we're in a lot of trouble. Iraq'd will highlight developments in Iraq and the Middle East to call attention to this danger.

A couple of programming notes: This blog is written from Washington. Readers in Iraq are invited to pass along accounts of what's happening on the ground. Readers at home are invited to disagree with any and all of the arguments featured here.

So, do you feel Iraq'd?

I do. And many in my family do too.

out,
liminal

According to an Amnesty International report just released, Iraqi women live in more and more fear as their rights are reduced. Welcome to the newly liberated Iraq.

Asma, a young Baghdad engineer, was shopping with relatives when she was forced into a car by six armed men. They took her to a farmhouse outside the city, raped her repeatedly and dumped her back in her neighbourhood the next day.

The incident, which took place in May, 2003, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq ended, is now commonplace for Iraqi women, says an Amnesty International report titled "Iraq: Decades of suffering, Now women deserve better." "Women and girls in Iraq live in fear of violence as the conflict intensifies and insecurity spirals," it says.

Released yesterday, the report calls on the new Iraqi government to introduce measures that can protect women at a time of escalating crime, religious fanaticism and disorder.

I would support any possible candidate for prime minister in Iraq if they supported measures to protect women. Has any candidate even seriously brought this up? Well we know that women will be seen as half a person in the new Jaafari government in accordance to Islamic law. Sorry, but this is not moving forward for Iraqis. This is moving backwards. If they really go through with this, I'm going to puke all over this screen.

TheStar.com - Iraqi women live in fear, Amnesty says

Egypt announces democratic reform...yea, I'll believe it when I see it. You mean Mubarak's son will not be the only choice for Egypt's future?

I say, Nawal Saadawi for President.

Lets be honest with ourselves...do you think this was done on Mubarak's on accord? Nah, I'm sure Georgie gave him the ol' nod on this one. And if Georgie ends or cuts aid substantially to Egypt, their economy could collapse.

Also, this article suggests that this will now silence his critics. I disagree. I think it should add more voices to the growing list of critics of this autocratic regime that isn't a democracy in any sense of the word.

GRRRRRR...the people are coming to get you.

out,
lim.

Abbas makes me aware to the following article...and it sets me off after speaking with my cousin:

Our people, the Assyrians, the original inhabitants of Iraq - whose empire preceded Babylon, many of whom still speak Aramaic, the language of Christ - have been robbed. Along with other minorities in the north of our country, the Turkmen, the Yezidis and the Shabak, we were promised democracy. But the ballot boxes never arrived. The recent elections simply passed us by, our complaints ignored, our rights trampled, by people who should know better, because we shared their experience of repression under Saddam Hussein. As a result, no Assyrian representatives will be taking their place in the new Iraqi parliament.

Want to know WHY many in my family don't like what's happening in Iraq today?

Does anybody out there care?

Will we be run over by such a cruel fate?

Will we be left completely unrepresented?

Do we even exist now?

Imagine why I am starting to begrudgingly favor Allawi as the prime minister. The only way this is happening is because of the series of unfortunate events that has come to pass. The smaller minorities in Iraq will probably be extinct because of this illegal war and no plan at all by anybody to protect them in the aftermath.

I spoke with a cousin recently. He blew my mind. He said, "We should be ashamed to be Iraqi. Iraq doesn't want the [our family name] family any more. We should all leave." Of course, how I gather, he was referring to the combination of a couple things: 1) the frustration of being mistreated by people outside Iraq (even in a working environment) once they found out he was Iraqi. He said, "People think you have chemical weapons in your pockets. Everything is normal until you tell them you're Iraqi. Then they start to treat you differently." 2) And being a part of a minority left out of the democratic process completely...as have Assyrians, Turkmen, Yezidis, and the Shabak in Iraq.

So, imagine how it feels to be one of us completely disenfranchised people now. All sides are hostile to us. We don't belong inside Iraq because we are a little cared about minority or OUTSIDE Iraq because we are still Iraqi. IT makes me angry. Very angry.

I still don't believe my cousin told me what he did. But maybe he's right. So, not only are members of my family refugees, but now we can be refugees of our own mind--if we choose to be--by simply cutting ourselves from our identities. Sure, many in my family are currently finding homes elsewhere, but we're fortunate. There are so many inside Iraq and that have been forced to leave Iraq that ARE NOT as fortunate. And I'm speaking up for us ALL.

I want to know which Iraqis, in the blogosphere or just wandering around on the internet...I want to know whom of you support us. Please let your voice be heard.

OUT,

LIMINAL

I have no reaction. The pressure is on. Is the end of secular Iraq upon us?

Here's the resume Georgy boy has taken with him to Europe. I almost bought what he said today in Brussels. Psyche! Just Kiddin'...

Why?

Today, as in 1972, the international system has a triangular shape. Then it was the US that outwitted the Soviet Union by making overtures to China. Perhaps it is now Europe's turn to outwit the US by doing the same. Or has George Bush already booked his flight to Beijing?

.wav & .mid & .mp3

Ahmed reflects on some quotes in his latest post:

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. -Nietzsche

America and any new Iraqi government, please be careful.
I do fear that when any new Iraqi government tries to follow up and catch terrorists or any of those whom it thinks are a source of threat, the government will reach a point where it will follow the same techniques that Saddam did in stopping those opposing him.

What? I'm not quite sure I understand yet. Hunter S. Thompson shot himself tonight. This is terrible. Why O why?

• London Independent remembers

• His article on Bush in the run-up to the elections.
• A video with Tim Russert [via crooks and liars].
  

Sen. Leahy said he likes Gonzales and lauded Bush for naming him attorney general. Not so fast, please. Ask him these questions first. [via Nieman Foundation]

Read Zizek's piece in full

Before I go, I've just found out that Nick Kilroy of Zabriskie Point has passed away. Please visit his most amazing photo blog. He will be missed. out, lim.

I got pepper in my eye. Don't ask how...So, I haven't been able to work on the computer. Hopefully I'll be better by tomorrow or Monday. And, yes, it hurts like hell. I know, it's ridiculous. Peace, lim.

Hilarious via memepool.

Shirin Ebadi speaks strongly and speaks well in today's London Independent,

It is hard not to see America's focus on human rights in Iran as a cloak for its larger strategic interests.

David Kirkpatrick reports for the NY Times tomorrow.



Read rest if you care. Bush didn't really have a friend in Wade, did he? What a mean thing to do...that aside, the tapes are public now. And so, it seems to me if any of these scandals (war and occupation in Iraq on false pretences, Robert Novak/Valerie Plame/forged Niger docs affair, condoning torture/Abu Graib, being a prick about almost every topic under the sun on some tapes a "friend" recorded, et al) were happening during a democratic presidency, there would be ultimate consequences for the standing president. For some reason, however, nobody seems to have to be held to account for a single mistake in the Bush administration. When will the bow break? [via Buzzflash]

UPDATE: Hear an excerpt of one of the tapes thanks to Norm at onegoodmove!

This is news. Anne E. Kornblut reports from the NY Times,

Yes, indeed, it does. I watched the season premier of Real Time with Bill Maher last night featuring Senator Joe Biden, Tommy Thompson (outgoing Sec. of Health), and Robin Williams. Transcripts for previous shows can be found here.

Anyhow, GannonGate continued on the show with Senator Biden asking, "Why isn't every major network in the country investigating a security breach?" in reference to "Jeff Gannon" or James Guckart of GOP run Talon News (formerly GOP USA- not a news agency, mind you), hotmilitarystud.com, militaryescorts.com, and conservativeguy.com. He had a fake name and nobody in the press core or White House knew about it. That means security needs overhaul or there was collusion with somebody letting it happen in the WH.

For more information on this disturbing and under-reported scandal check out one of my posts from earlier that has links to videos showing said "Jeff Gannon". Crooks and Liars does the most exhaustive reportage on the matter in videos encoded online.

And quoting Stahl of 60 minutes, "How did he get a Secret Service clearance for his press pass at the White House?"

Maher suggested that "Gannon" or Guckart had a boyfriend in the White House. Funny show.

Of course, what's really bothersome is that "Gannon"/Guckart was essentially revealed as a part of the President's propaganda mill. It seems pretty obvious there was an "inside job" going on here. Karl? His lifestyle choices are his own business. [vid via onegoodmove]

lim.

I remember long ago, when I started blogging, I freaked out about a Frontline that didn't get aired. Well, this just serves to remind me I wasn't in the wrong place when I made such a big deal about it. People are still not getting real information out of Iraq. The message is still being molded to fit whatever needs this ugly administration wishes to serve up to the people. And at this point, it's beyond mind-numbing. It's pure censorship. It is preventing people from seeing the reality of violence and suffering in Iraq. It's criminal. Los Angeles Times: PBS Under Fire for Editing Iraq War Documentary

...the information in this article.

Hear about it here on Democracy Now later today:

U.S. Soldiers to Be Given Ecstasy

Back in this country, the Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for soldiers traumatized by their time in Iraq and Afghanistan to be offered the party drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and recurring nightmares. The soldiers would take the drug as part of an experiment to see if MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, can treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

New advert for the Army shall read:

Join the Army today! So you can get high tomorrow!

Or it will be the converse, an advert for Ecstasy:

Be all that you can be, by taking Ecs-tA-Sy!

Which do you prefer?

update: Guardian article, Treating Agony With Ecstasy

Um, yea...sounds grrrrrreat!

Look how positive and constructive techonology brings great things to humanity.
I can't wait for the age of no accountability.
Who needs the ICC?
Oh, but we're already living that nightmare aren't we?

The Pentagon is spending £70 billion [$130 billion] on a programme to build heavily-armed robots for the battlefield in the hope that future wars will be fought without the loss of its soldiers' lives.

The scheme, known as Future Combat Systems, is the largest military contract in American history and will help to drive the defence budget up by almost 20 per cent to just over £265 billion [$500 billion] in five years' time.

[via OMEGAPROJEKTET, via The Telegraph]

Norm offers up this fresh morsel.

This coming via Angry Arab.



It's a great post if you have the time to read, go for it. I forgot the dear doctor is perhaps the most famous Lebanese blogger! Doh! I will add him promptly. He gives a rich review of events...and it would behoove us all to go read his commentary. Go Angry Arab GO!

This is a very frightening appointment. Negroponte, Dr. Death Squad himself, will be the Director of National Intelligence. It's some guy with no intelligence experience. He's somebody that Dubya can control, which is the most important thing to this administration. Rumsfeld is the real intelligence czar, and everybody knows that now. He's got 80% of the budget under his thumb. So, appointing Mr. Green Zone to this post proves the post means nothing. That's my interpretation. Negroponte VS Rumsfeld ? Well, I don't see the point really. When you've got two yes men battling for power, it doesn't really matter does it?

update: Daily Kos' Armando and Billmon give some further context.

The time to act in solidarity is upon us. We shall not allow our dear Lebanon fall into the abyss of violence as it once did. Let it remain a memory for some fresher than others. Let us unite and reject any form of violence as we continue to live in peace in our beloved Lebanon. So, I dedicate this blog to great Lebanon and all the beautiful Lebanese living throughout all the world in great numbers. Our fate is peace. Wouldn't you agree?





Hello! How is everybody doing? I hope better and better. It's been an emotional time.

Here is Lebanese Blogger Forum. I will start out by listing as many Lebanese blogs I can find...a la Emigre and all my fabulous brothers and sisters at Iraq Blog Count. I would like to invite all Lebanese out there that are interested in blogging to help me. Please write me an email if you'd like to participate in spreading some Lebanese Love through this blog. Also, I urge you to send me an email [ liminalsymbol[at]hotmail[dot]com ] if you have a recommendation or want me to post a picture and/or tell a story. Of course, I hope that it's all Lebanon-related. I don't know how much time I can devote to LBF, but I hope to stimulate more interest in reading Lebanese blogs. As with the situation in Iraq, it is sometimes better to get the information directly from people from the place and culture. All expats and 1st gen'rs are absolutely welcome and needed. Right on, Lebanon.

So, without further adieu, get your Lebanon-On through the voice of its people!

I hope you enjoy and join me.

Peace ;)

Liminal

Laura Rozen provides an interesting linkhere that shows Hariri had been meeting with Nasrallah on a weekly basis. Hm...I'm sure the plot will thicken even more.

First, there is no way you could convince me that this horrific bombing was carried out by some rag-tag fundamentalist Islamic group.



I saw these terrifying images because of a comment Highlander made. And they're shocking. I tend to avoid such images. My imagination is good enough, believe me. ...similar is the fact that I cannot possibly even begin to think about seeing one of those terrible beheading videos from Iraq. No thank you. I'm not interested. I know most of what I say is against all of that...I'm just not willing to lose my lunch over such matters, you know?

So, there's no word yet from the friend that was injured in the explosion. I'll try to ask my sister about him soon. I hope he is fine, though. Otherwise...jury is still out about who did it. I came strong with an opinion when it first happened. And yea, I still hold to it, but I have more doubt. One reason is I think, "WHY would Syria do such a thing?" Besides obviously wanting to maintain economic control of Lebanon...Another thing is many people could have predicted the intense anti-Syria reaction to such an event. So, it could have been done as a political ploy by many different parties. I'm going to hold off a bit more and try to chill-out about conclusions for a bit longer. I'll come back with a more refined opinion soon. Peace, LIM

Ok...I've decided to create a blog dedicated to Lebanon. Something good must come from this terrible event. If I cannot see something good at the moment, there's no reason to not make something. Right? Here and here are some blogs from Lebanon to begin with that I found on globe of blogs and blogwise.

There are not too many Lebanese blogs out there. Lets try to change that somehow.

Who wants to help?

lim.

romano prodi prods gently beneath the flap of jack-et
as sweden's minister of prime stands just behind
little bush with a kind smile and wishes to smack it

Yea, turn your speakers up and check it out. Speak French? Un Regard Moderne - Edition du mardi 15 fevrier 2005

London Independent: US Accused of Plan to Muzzle al-Jazeera through Privatisation - I think this headline speaks for itself.

America and its key ally Saudi Arabia are being accused of quietly seeking to muzzle al-Jazeera, the Arab satellite news station that has often incurred Washington's ire for its coverage of Iraq and President George Bush's "war on terror".

And in related stories:


Media Held Guilty of Deception, by Dahr Jamail

How to get straight to the people, control the message, stage the event, Cox News Service

This is Bene Diction Blogs On. As far as I can tell it's a topic blog...and that topic as you can probably guess is Religion/Christianity. The first link is to a post addressing the accountability issue with regard to the church recruiting. I believe it will be a blog to go back to for more information.

Just a quick note: I am getting some complaints about Pop-Up windows on this site. If you are getting them, let me know. I will solve the problem if so. I would just ask you to leave a comment about it below.

Thank you,
lim.

It appears as though this is a significant development. Why did Google do it?

Fables of the reconstruction: The End of Blogging? Google Pulls The Plug

Please read this entry from Bartholomew's notes on religion. It explains how Porter Memorial went for missionary work in Iraq in 2003. It's thorough and sourced...and it provides more disturbing feelings about the entire matter.

Especially since what happened in Beirut yesterday, I have zero tolerance for comments directed against me personally. If you do not put an email address, your comment can be erased. I don't want to have to require registration, but I will if I feel it will contribute to my mental well-being. The last thing I need right now is somebody coming in here anonymously, claiming to be somebody, and directing personal attacks against me. I will put up my policy with regards to comments in the sidebar so everybody knows.

Peace,
Lim.

And I also just read Robert Fisk's other article. It's again a perfect transfusion of my thoughts. And, yes, I felt something was coming as well.

We knew something was coming. I had met an old journalist colleague for coffee on Saturday and we both said we felt there was a new, menacing atmosphere about Beirut. We didn't mean the sky-high prices and the usual corruption stories, but the incendiary language in which Lebanese politics was now being conducted.

...

Forthcoming elections - and an attempt to change electoral boundaries that might have deprived anti-Syrian factions of parliamentary seats - contrived to heat up the controversy already begun by UN Security Council resolution 1559, principally supported by the Americans and French, which demands the withdrawal of all Syrian troops from Lebanon.

...

The Lebanese have no more appetite for war. The conflict which ended in 1990 destroyed their families and their homes and drained their lives of meaning. A new generation has returned from overseas educations, ambitious, irritated by the continuing sectarianism of official life as much as Syria’s much reduced military presence. But the Syrian intelligence service remains - its headquarters are in the eastern town of Aanjar - and its pursuit of Israeli spies and treachery has become an obsession.

Into this darkening scenario, Mr Hariri cast a wistful eye, seeing no evil and claiming to hear no evil. So what was his real role in the opposition? Was he merely a disinterested onlooker, gazing down from his palace walls at the small men of Lebanese politics as they bickered about gerrymandered political boundaries? Or did he have other ambitions? Yesterday proved that someone believed he did.

Again, Fisk captures everything so perfectly. He describes the situation very well. If you're curious, read the rest.

Israeli spies, Syrian obsession and a peace that had to break - Robert Fisk: 15 February 2005

My gosh, Robert Fisk captures to-the-T exactly how I feel about former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. You must read it. While I did not particularly like the guy, I did respect him . And I cannot say so much for the President Emile Lahoud when I think about it. Yes, Hariri was a person to be respected. It is both a shame and a tragedy that he and many others close to him had to die in this manner.

Lebanon is built on institutions that enshrine sectarianism as a creed, in which the president must always be a Christian Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim - like Hariri - and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim. Anyone setting out to murder Hariri would know how this could re-open all the fissures of the civil war from 1975 to 1990.

Thousands of weeping followers of Hariri gathered outside his palace at Koreitem last night, demanding to know who had killed their leader. Hariri men toured the streets, ordering shopkeepers to pull down their shutters. Were the ghosts of the civil war to be reawoken from their 15 years of slumber? I do not know the answer. But that black cloud that drifted for more than an hour over Beirut yesterday afternoon darkened the people beneath with more than its shadow.

The killing of 'Mr Lebanon': Rafik Hariri assassinated in Beirut bomb blast - Robert Fisk: 15 February 2005

And in the first sentence of the report from the NY Times: "The Bush administration, condemning the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, in Lebanon, suggested Monday that Syria was to blame and moved to get a new condemnation of Syria's domination of Lebanon at the United Nations Security Council."

This is the sign, I think. Whether or not it will lead to an invasion of Syria...well, it could. I think it could. Now, some may be surprised at my position about Lebanon. Because of my family and I's experience there it is nuanced. And because I have family from practically all angles of the conflict, it is confusing for me. One thing is clear to me, though. My family has bled and suffered for Lebanon. And we wish for Lebanese independence from Syria...for a Lebanon without Syrian influence. So, you see how difficult it is for me??? I am for Palestinian self-determination, yet...YES...I think Syria needs to remove it's troops from all Lebanese lands. (Those of you who know the situation well will understand how schizophrenic this may sound...but) GET OUT, please. Of course I know this will not happen without some either careful diplomacy or all-out war. I certainly don't want another war to break out. I have tons of family in Lebanon and we're sick from war. It's a society psychically damaged from the insanity that took place during the fighting. And the sort of fighting that went on and could go on again in Lebanon is a different breed of violence. One where a brother (and I speak literally here) kills his brother.

We must avoid such a situation at ALL COSTS. THIS IS DEAD SERIOUS MY FRIENDS. I CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW FREAKED OUT I AM RIGHT NOW. DID I ever expect it to happen like this? NO, I didn't. But here we are...

You think I had a severe case of cognitive dissonance before...oh, just wait.

OUT,
LIMINAL

These opinions are from The Daily Star story, Beirut bombing draws sorrow, fear and anger from the people

"What do all those civilians who died have to do with it? The country is collapsing for sure; those in charge in this government just want to rip each other's heads off." --Linda, 24 year old housewife

I second Linda's exact words. This is a horrific tragedy that will have serious ramifications for Lebanon. I shudder to think what will happen next.

Here are some more voices:

"This is a complete shock to me and to all of Lebanon."--Mohammed Hout, local merchant

"All of Lebanon died with Hariri." --Abdullah Shaar, 52, Palestinian/Lebanese

"It is an obvious Israeli blow to Lebanon. [The assassination] hit two birds with one stone, killing tourism in Lebanon by scaring away the tourists, and at the same time creating a political loss to the country by assassinating an elite politician like Hariri."--Issam Suleiman, 50, hairdresser

"At first I thought it was the Israelis bombing Lebanon, but after I heard of Hariri's assassination, it came to me directly that it was the Syrians. All the media has been talking about it." --Ali, medical student

"I really don't feel like talking. This is utterly disgusting. I don't care who did it, it's just disgusting. This country is definitely going into a dark tunnel.--Mohammed, 20

"They wanted to reduce his achievements, now he is reduced to nothing. They put him in a box, but he will always be alive. He will never die; we will always be faithful to his memory and his beliefs." --Mohammed Eter, doctor

"This is a total disaster for the country. He was a man of justice; a man of peace. He was the country's defense wall. Now the wall is broken, and the country's lost.--Mohammed Gholayel, local resident

"He is a Sunni and they killed him. Why are you doing this to us? What will we do now? Why don't they want us?" --Jinan Ahmad

Incompetence in the Wild West Why Allawi, the CPA, and the IGC before failed to do anything good for Iraq.

Another thing about watching the Jazeera earlier today...



We were all pleasantly surprised with Adam Ereli. We've seen this deputy spokesman from the Department of State come on many times before, but never has he spoke Arabic. This time he did. I wrote a poem about it, but I have it scribbled on a piece of paper somewhere. I'll put it up once I find it. I think it's called "An Ode to State Department Deputies that Speak Arabic."

He spoke kind of broken and simple Arabic, but it was proper and almost completely understandable. Ereli really impressed us, though, with his knowledge of Egyptian, Jordanian, and even Iraqi Arabic.

Good job DoS. Next time put somebody else. Disarm us with your sweet words. Speak to impress and there'll be peace in the Near East.

oUt,
lim

Earlier today when we were watching al Jazeerah we saw a ticker-tape saying Ahmad Chalabi said that people told him that they're giving him their support to be prime minister of Iraq. Everybody bursted out laughing. That's it. It sums up Chalabi for us all.