posted on February 19, 2004 04:23:48 PM new
Something we take for granted in the USA -- posting to newsgroups, weblogs, and chatboards -- is a coveted opportunity for unfettered communication in other parts of the world where free speech is restricted.
I know none of us has the time to read a zillion different blogs every day, but I'm going to make a proposal to each and every one of you to look in on just one of the blogs listed below once a week, and if anything you read on 'your' blog seems worth repeating, come back here and post about it.
I've limited the list below to blogs in English that originate from either Iraq or Iran, but if you'd like to monitor a North Korean blog or a Russian blog or a Chinese blog, etc., please feel free to do so.
Just as we fill up this chatboard with local news and our own opinions, so do people in every corner of the globe; many of their stories are firsthand accounts of what it's like to live in a war zone, how they feel about upcoming elections, even how much they love America. It's 'living history' that CNN will never feed to us, but we've got the freedom to witness it on our own if we've got the time.
And please note that anything any of you deem worthy of posting/quoting from one of these blogs will not be subjected to contradiction. This is an attempt to gather opinions beyond our own and collate them for the benefit of all who might otherwise never read them. Okay, Linda? Okay, Twelvepole?
Iraqi women representing fifty five women groups and organizations from all over Iraq gathered at Fardus square this morning to sign a petition against Resolution 137, to demand equal rights, and fair unbiased representation (at least 40%) in the future Iraqi Transitional Council, governorate, and municipal councils.
The sit-in was organized by the Supreme Council of Iraqi Women, the Advisory Committee for Women Affairs, and the Iraqi Women Network. Other noted women groups were present such as the Iraqi Contemporary Women Movement, Organization for Women Freedom in Iraq, Iraqi Hope Association (Amal), Independent Women Organization, Womens Union of Kurdistan, Kurdistan Free Women Movement, Iraqi Women Revival Organization, and the Iraqi Students and Youth Union. I think AYS or Omar have a list of the groups.
Several women activists gave speeches. Yanar Mohammad, Zakiyah Khalifah, Maysun Al-Damluji, Hana Edward, and GC member Sungol Chabok also made a late appearance. Planning Minister Dr. Mahdi Al-Hafudh shyly gave a brief word of support and signed the petition.
It got interesting when a woman in a burqa showed up at the gathering with her three kids. Reporters all stormed forward trying to interview her. Her husband was imprisoned for years by the former regime for political reasons only to be executed in the end and for her to pay for the bullets. A very heartrending story. She held his death certificate as you can see in the pictures. She said "We didn't wait all these years without the most basic rights to be denied them now". An Arab reporter asked her if she was Sunni or Shi'ite. "I'm neither!" she snapped at him "I'm an Iraqi citizen first and foremost, and I refuse to be asked such a question".
AYS, and I, skulked around Fardus square and took pictures. Omar joined us later. We signed the petition against Resolution 137 and the woman offered us a rose. If you want to sign it, there is an online petition which you can find at this site, Equality in Iraq. The petitions are to be submitted to Paul Bremer, and Kofi Annan later this week. Bremer has made it known that he will veto any law that will not recognize basic civil freedoms, but Resolution 137 is yet to be vetoed.
Here is the blog list I have assembled so far. I will undoubtedly add to it in the coming days:
Dumb and Dumber...
Ok, I just read this article in the New York Times and I had to share. Actually, someone sent it to me and they seem highly satisfied with it. The title is: Arabs in U.S. Raising Money to Back Bush and it is written by a Leslie Wayne who, apparently, knows very little about geography. I just love when articles like this find their way into the New York Times.
The article basically states that a substantial sum of the money supporting Bush's presidential campaign is coming from affluent Arab-Americans who support the war on Iraq. The fun part about the article is that it goes on and on about "Arab"-Americans- not Muslim-Americans or even Asian-Americans but specifies Arab-Americans giving you the impression that the article is going to be about people who were originally from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon… you know- an Arab country where the national language is Arabic and the people are generally known as Arabs.
The article is dumb, but apparently the author thinks that the readers are even dumber. Of the 5 prominent "Arabs" the author gives as examples in the article (supporters of Bush), two are Iranian and the third is a Pakistani! Now this is highly amusing to an Arab because Pakistanis aren't Arabs and while Iran is our neighbor, Iranians are, generally speaking, not Arabs and I'm sure you can confirm that with Iranian bloggers…
One of the Iranian contributors is a Mr. Mori Hosseini who claims to know all about the region because he was born in Iran and lived there before moving to the US at the tender, prepubescent age of 13. He must be Iran's Chalabi- keep an eye on him. I predict he'll either be given contracts to build homes in Iraq or suddenly have important information on Iranian WMD he has been hiding since the age of 13.
I just wish all those prominent Arabs who supported the war- you know, the ones living in Washington and London who attend State dinners and parties at the White House holding silk handkerchiefs in one hand (to wipe away the tears for the 'homeland') and cocktails in the other hand- would pack their Louis Vuitton bags, and bring all that money they are contributing to that war-hungry imbecile in the White House to Iraq or Iran or wherever they wish the spread of democracy and help 'reconstruct' and 'develop' their own countries. One wonders with that $200,000 how many homes Mr.Hosseini could have rebuilt in Bam, for example… but then again, if they don't bomb Iran into the pre-industrial era, how will Mr.Hosseini get all those huge contracts in the future?
posted on February 19, 2004 05:49:42 PM new
Oh, that's superb, Helen! Especially because the 'Mr. Mori Hosseini' referred to in that blogpost is indeed a 2004 'Ranger'-level contributor to Bush's campaign! He's also a real estate developer (as suggested in the blog) based in Jeb's sun & fun fun funny state of Florida. Oh, kampers, this weblog project could become really entertaining!
Edited to add: Mr. Hosseini's company, Intervest Corporation, was sued by the U.S. Government in 1999. He's a slumlord ( -accepting HUD funds without spending them on repairs/upkeep as required), and such a stinky one that HUD stepped in. But, being well-connected as he is, Hosseini's Intervest Corporation was handed down a summary judgment -- after the court had quietly stripped his company of its government contract -- so he's just another crook who should be in jail but instead is living it up in Florida with Jeb, knowing full well that whatever dirty pies he's got his fingers in right now will be eaten by his buddies, the Bushes.
posted on February 20, 2004 11:44:31 PM new
Don't ask, don't tell; 12 don’t mind anyone, or even America being screwed, so long as nobody tells him.
http://www.almuajaha.com/feature/display/1543
"..current invasion may be a good thing, because there is finally an opportunity for resistance. The arab people may well be liberated by the war in Iraq, because they have the chance to fight for their freedom from US manipulation. The echoes of Iraqi resistance will amplify those from the Palestinian resistance. They could reach deep in Saudi Arabia, and it could shake Jordan and Egypt. When the US flees Iraq with its tail between its legs, we will realise the war on Iraq can be used to the advantage of good people. That the reliance on force to acheive its ends can be shown up as a weakness. When the US receive a bloodied nose because of this, it will be a good thing. It will teach some much needed humility, and bring down the tyrannical Bush regime."
Yes = hmmm.. you baathist pro saddamist bastard .. arrest him
No = OK! Here we have another evidence how much the Iraqi people want us to stay
I remember the days before the war when people from the national-but-corrupted-and-arrogant-government were using the same smart propaganda to justify their loyalty to saddam, “a civil war will start, no one can control this country, even if he isn’t the best person in the world at least he is keeping the situation stable”
The same excuse was given today, by Iraqis demonstrating at Basra.
Americans were supposed to hand over [some] authorities for Iraqis next June, and discussions were about how and where and other details, this was announced after months of playing the [try & screw-up] game. The political hand-over was supposed to happen in the middle of this year, but the thing/government was not going to be elected, it was supposed to be [s-elected], preparing for the general elections in two years.
I have no doubts that Americans want to stay as long as they can in the current status, and I don’t have any doubts “they” will try to use any excuse that can be found.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated at Basra - the new shiaa capital – today. But why?
It was because of the new speech/fatwa of Ayat-Allah Sistani about the form of the next government..
Sistani is one from the key personalities in the “new” Iraq, (in fact he’s one of the few leaders that used to live in Iraq before the war), he really controls millions of shiaa in the south and they really believe in him. Americans treat him as a local god, giving him enormous self confidence and image.
Sistani refuses to accept the “elected government” phase,, he wants to jump to the “general elections” stage without the intermediate one.
Why? Because he doesn’t feel safe! Because he believes Americans are giving him what he wants.
Sistani doesn’t feel very safe having an ethnic-mixture-[american-free] government for the next two years, (not very safe to go through all the discussions and crap of convincing dozens of representatives of different ethnic and religious groups that may domain the political scene in the time that he can control everything by himself and have more respectful position during the presence of Americans or after the general elections will take place).
But why would a person like him give Americans a fashionable excuse for staying for another two years?
Because they built up the scene this way, give him over-doze attention and care, and thretin to go and leave him over a night, he will start begging for them to stay and this is the way Americans want to draw the right image for their existence in Iraq.
People are repeating the same “we don’t want a civil war” advertisement to justify the Sistani new position.
But why?
-Does a person like him have an M.O.U with the Americans? I don’t think so, it’s more sophisticated than that.
-Are Americans happy because of his position? YES, at least till now.
-Are Americans considering this as a favor? NO, I doubt it. They don’t have favors and permanent friends, they have permanent interests :”)
-Do Americans realize they are playing with fire or not? I don’t think they do
-When is the time Sistani gets impatient? Soon .. when he believes the VIP tale
Joke of the day – extremely related to the VIP story
There is this Iraqi guy that went to a coffee shop and found it full, so he decided to come up with a smart idea to find an empty chair. He stood in front of every one and yelled “they are distributing free gasoline outside”! so everyone rushed outside, and he found a place and sat down. Five minutes later .. he thinks “maybe its true” and hurries out running after them.
From an American-practical point of view, Iraq is not ready neither technically nor politically to start a general election battle, we are talking about a country that could not re-build the services billing system until now.
Fun fact: Iraqis didn’t pay a Dinar for (the so-called) electricity, water, telecommunication stuff and other public services for the last 10 months .. not because Americans are trying to build a new communist era, its because of the lack of capabilities of issuing bills!!
I mean .. we are speaking about basics here .. stupid small problems like traffic jams seem to be huge enough to be considered as a challenge for the GC, so what do u expect to get when issues like general elections are discussed?
Otherwise.. and from a political position, let’s suppose this technical problem isn’t that big, americans will not give the chance for the situation to go outside control and repeat the Algerian catastrophe, when the so-called [democratic general elections] will end up creating a new religious monster that might not be western-friendly.
The same way that I was sure americans will not give saddam hussein a free passion_inflaming_channel by starting a public trial show, I can say I’m positive Americans will not give Iraq neither as a shiaa present to Iran or a sunni present to Saudi Arabia, general elections cannot even be discussed before Iraqis finish their cultural and political lessons. Teach them the neo-Islamic theory: Secular Islam(?).
Would it end up causing a mess?
Would the impact cause extremely right winged groups?
Would these “outsiders” putting more and more pressure to change the socio-cultural-religious common beliefs be accepted?
Ok .. I’m trying to be pragmatic and rational without forgetting the national context and sense, I can understand that when Americans come to occupy a country, they will rebuild it in their way, so issues like privatization, capitalism, federalism, open market policy, open telecommunication system come in one package that I don’t see a point even in discussing their presence or not, it’s stupid to feel surprised every time a topic of these pops-up, but its not stupid at all to discuss the methods and ways of reaching to those main goals, sometimes methodologies are more harmful than the goals themselves.
Confusion is the keyword here..
I know the American army is not leaving Iraq in years, and I know American decision makers will not leave in decades, I mean .. just let them announce that!
Do u know that the American embassy in Baghdad will have more than 3000 “diplomats” working?? They ARE the next government .. no doubt ..
Just announce it for god’s sake.. announce that and let’s play a clean game.
Why must we go through all of this Iraq-tearing-up-process? Federalism, Shiaa, Sunnis, Turkmen, Kurds, Assyrians, blab la blaa, picking a weak dependant governing council, with no roots, and threatening to leave after a year .. of course they’ll start whining and begging for the devil to stay.
Why didn’t anyone ask us whether we wanted the war or not? Whether we felt comfortable with the GC or not? Why no one asks if the game of jumping from a plan to another with no vision is amusing or not?
But everyone comes now and ask .. do u want “them” to leave or stay?
There is an Arabic proverb saying: “one hundred wise men are not enough to find the stone that the freak threw in the well”
posted on February 21, 2004 08:32:27 AM newBlogs are becoming the REAL Democracy in Iraq/Iran.
They well may be. But it's ONLY thanks to President Bush that those people are finally able to express their own opinions in Iraq. They're able to do so BECAUSE of this President's actions....removing Saddam. Otherwise, they'd still be experiencing the horrors they did under Saddam's rule. They'd be raped, their tongues would be cut out, etc. for speaking their own minds.
And those who supported leaving Saddam, [anti-this-war], in power, can take ABSOLUTELY no credit that this free expression IS going on now. Had it been left up to them....Saddam would still be in power and they wouldn't be enjoying this freedom of speech.
YEAH BUSH!!!
Re-elect President Bush!!
edited to change pride to credit.
[ edited by Linda_K on Feb 21, 2004 08:48 AM ]
posted on February 21, 2004 09:58:34 AM new
Just stating the FACTS.
Had it not been for this President's actions, removing Saddam from power, these bloggers would be in fear of expressing how they think/feel.
Thanks to G.W. Bush....they have this freedom now. They wouldn't have if a democrat was making the decision....Saddam would still be in power, playing games with the UN all the while he and his sons would be killing their own people.
Word of the day: Privatizing
:”)
I remember myself giving a boring lecture about the socio-cultural changes in post-war Iraq, and since I’m such a bossy_ ego_ centric_ freak it didn’t bother me much to see most of the poor sleepy Italian kids moaning and begging for a break.
That was a couple of months ago. Or was it in October?
Whatever..
“I believe war had two main goals” Raed_in_Action “Destroying the political regime, and changing the economical system” go go go “Crushing the political structure is done, and changing the economical one is still in process” everybody say woooow
woooooooooooooooow
Everybody knew how stupid was the idea of inviting me to Italy, they sent me back to Baghdad on the next plain.
The first step in changing the socialist economical system was bombing some of the [public/governmental]-sector companies, and leaving the rest to be looted and burned in the weeks after. The second step of privatizing is happing at the time, started some weeks ago
but who can tell what’s happening?
No one.
Small companies and parts of the public sector are being sold, some governmental companies belonging to the ministry of industry, some furnaces, some warehouses and stores and some other small places that you can read advertisements about in our new daily newspapers.
but what else is being sold?
No one can tell.
Don’t I sound like a member of the conspiracy-theory-club?
NO I DON’T
I mean .. If you don’t give a heck about private and public crap, I’m sure many people here will care; Iraqis lived their life depending on the governmental sector, maybe they didn’t feel that .. mmm .. yet..
QUIZ OF THE DAY? (With multiple choice facilities)
How much money did an Iraqi spend to get each of the following:
1) (Free?) medical treatment, hospitals and pharmacies and drugs..
2) (Free?) food rations, food food food and food
3) (Free?) education, schools, universities including post-graduate studies..
4) (Free?) electricity, water, petrol, gasoline, loly-pops..
(PICK ONE ANSWER)
(A) nothing
(B) nothing
(C) nothing
(D) all mentioned above
ANOTHER QUIZ IN THE SAME DAY (its more a fun fact than a quiz, don’t panic)
How much money do Americanos spend every week when they change the security color code from yellow to orange?
(PICK ONE ANSWER)
(!) one BILLION USD / week
(CONCLUSION)
I don’t want to know how much they’ll spend on pink
Feel good .. real good
posted on February 21, 2004 03:32:14 PM new
Linda, don't pay any attention to that POS, you hit the nail in the head... If it weren't for President Bush and what we did to get rid of Saddam, those blogs wouldn't even be possible... of course the lefties are happy to see us made the bad guys... welp that is freedom of speech...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
http://www.nogaymarriage.com/
"Don't let'em jew you down!"
posted on February 21, 2004 03:44:34 PM new
Twelvepole, it is gratifying to know that, despite yourself and your earlier declarations, you have not been able to put me on Ignore. The fact that you at least scan my posts is a victory you can't even begin to comprehend, because you don't understand the true power of words.
Every time you allow your eyes to feed your mind the words of 'plsmith' you unconsciously chip away at your own stance and beliefs.
This is not a 'made up' theory, Twelvepole; written and spoken words are an eons-old (and proven) method of subtly altering the mindsets of others. You'd really better be careful how much of 'me' you allow yourself to imbibe, because one morning you just might awaken to your own humanity...
posted on February 21, 2004 03:58:14 PM new
Twelvepole, some day you will find and embrace your inner Frenchman. Charm will ooze from you as freely as hatred and bigotry do now, but until then, your prokaryotic perfection is unassailable.
o
You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
[ edited by snowyegret on Feb 21, 2004 03:58 PM ]
posted on February 21, 2004 04:01:08 PM new
Actualy you were on ignore for a week, along with several others, but it got so all I seen was the ignore message, so what the hell, your a board troll POS and gives a good laugh now and then...
posted on February 21, 2004 04:04:24 PM new
Well, Twelvepole, I'll accept that remark as an outright compliment, and offer it as further evidence as to the veracity of my earlier assertion
posted on February 21, 2004 04:29:32 PM new
Twelve, why don't you just be a man and admit that you had none of us on ignore. Yesterday you screwed up over on the Outlook and answered me and then when I called you on it you just got scared that you'd mess up again. You are so transparent.
BTW, plsmith livened up this board. How could anyone ignore someone like that?
posted on February 21, 2004 04:40:44 PM new
Oh, Kiara, such transparent sycophantism shall cost you dearly...
Hahaha, pick a blog, sweetie; think of it as an adult version of The Weekly Reader. (Did you have that, or something similar, in gradeschool in Canada? It was a little four-page newsprint glimpse of the world (heh, probably full of propaganda) that was distributed to American school districts across the country in the 1960s.) Anyway, these 'foreign POS blogs' are fascinating to read, some of 'em, and I can't even begin to read as many as I'd like, so I thought we all might create our own version of The Weekly Reader -- for adults. Sadly, there don't seem to be very many adults here...
posted on February 21, 2004 05:22:25 PM new
Snowy, I suppose you've got reasons of your own for not playing this game? Darn it, it's such a fine game! You might land on some mad chemist's blog, for instance, and tell us all about his/her 'booms'
I'm sorry that Linda and Twelvepole were unwilling to even explore the idea; had they done so, they would've discovered that there are many Iraqis and Iranians who feel just as they do, and it would've been a great way for them to empower their claims.
Why don't those guys ever take advantage of these threads where their opinions can't possibly be wrong, since they're not citing their own opinions? Is it really just a matter of this board being so split along personality/political lines that few ever dare cross them?
Once again, I'll announce to everyone here: Whatever you post from whatever blog you monitor will not be subjected to ridicule. This is not an 'anti-American' exercise, it's an attempt to have a couple dozen people snag some 'living history' from anywhere in the world and post whatever strikes you, as individuals, as the best of it, so that we can all get a glimpse of the PEOPLE beyond our shores. Why is that so difficult for some of you to do?
posted on February 21, 2004 06:18:20 PM new
I don't care what you think Kiara... I think I have made that perfectly clear in the past...
plsmith... If it had come from anyone but you, I may have conesidered it... but considering that I think you are one of the lowest of the low... I will continue to show you nothing but ire.... that's all you're worthy of..
posted on February 21, 2004 06:25:49 PM new
But see, Twelvepole, that's what I mean. Can't you for once cross the personality line and get in on something? You're not going to have to deal with me directly, and just because you despise me doesn't mean you have to ignore what you would otherwise consider a good idea if it came from someone else. In fact, why don't you pretend it did?
I hereby declare this entire thread to be Bear1949's Grand Idea! (He was just too shy to come right out and say so, cuz he's that kind of bear... )
How about it?
Edited to add: Good, Snowy, I'm glad to hear it and looking forward to reading the posts you choose.
(Writing about visiting a shelter several years after it was bombed.)
We walked inside and the place was dark and cold, even for the warm October weather. The only light filtering in came from the gaping hole in the roof of the shelter where the American missiles had fallen. I wanted to hold my breath- expecting to smell something I didn't want to… but you can only do that for so long. The air didn't smell stale at all; it simply smelled sad- like the winds that passed through this place were sorrowful winds. The far corners of the shelter were so dark, it was almost easy to imagine real people crouching in them.
The walls were covered with pictures. Hundreds of pictures of smiling women and children- toothy grins, large, gazelle eyes and the gummy smiles of babies. Face after face after face stared back at us from the dull gray walls and it felt endless and hopeless. I wondered what had happened to their families, or rather their remaining families after the catastrophe. We knew one man who had lost his mind after losing his wife and children inside of the shelter. I wondered how many others had met the same fate… and I wondered how much life was worth after you lost the people most precious to you.
I am concentrating all my efforts on growing a beard these days. I read on a web site somewhere that if I sit in total darkness with little balls made of aluminium foil stuck in my ears it will grow faster. I have been giving it a try for a week now, it is not working. I sit in front of the mirror for hours willing my beard to grow.
"the West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do."
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It's 'living history' that CNN will never feed to us, but we've got the freedom to witness it on our own if we've got the time.
