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July 2007 Stats for The Big Picture.
Today a demonstration against terrorism was held outside the Simon Wiesenthal Center, near the remains of bus 19, which was blown up by terrorists in Israel on January 29th, 2004.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, spoke, and called for a U.N. resolution declaring that terrorist killings of civilians are a crime against humanity.
L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn spoke in support of Rabbi Hier’s demand to the U.N.
Nonie Darwish of Arabs for Israel spoke powerfully. She’s a firecracker. She was born in Egypt, raised until the age of 8 in Gazaa, and until the age of 30 lived in the culture that she now speaks out against.
Terrorism is a symptom of a very sick society where tyrants and despots hide behind terrorists from the age-old yearning of people for freedom.
...Shame on the people who call them freedom fighters!
...The epidemic of terrorism will not end until change comes within the Islamic Community.
We Americans of Islamic descent have the duty to speak up and call for change.
She gave a powerful, moving speech. I asked her afterwards for the text of it, and she said it may appear on her web site later this week. I’ll keep an eye out for it and link to it if I find it. In the meantime you can find articles she’s written published by FrontPage, here and here.
Now, take a look at this bus. This is what it looked like as we walked up to it:
And here’s a shot showing the interior:
There were people in there when that happened. 11 died; 50 more were injured. This is a crime against humanity.
Update 1-30-05: Instalanche. Thanks, Glenn, and welcome, Instapundit readers!
Photos of the event (7 in all) are available in an image gallery.
Quotes from the Arab World on the Iraqi Election:
“The irony is the Arab regimes, who criticize the gaps in the (Iraqi) elections and demand they be honest and transparent leading to full democracy for all Iraqis, are themselves banning such elections for their own peoples,” Lebanon’s Al-Anwar newspaper political analyst Rafik Khoury.
“As you can see, we broke a barrier of fear,” electoral commission official Mijm Towirish.
“Iraqis are walking over body parts of a bomber to vote,” Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn, who was making his seventh trip to Iraq. “Clearly more people are voting in this election than vote in our own elections.”
“This is a chance for you as Iraqis to assure your and your children’s future,” Gov. Hamad Hmoud Shagti, of the mostly Sunni province of Salaheddin.
“This is democracy. This is the first day I feel freedom,” Fathiya Mohammed, an elderly woman who voted in the small town of Askan south of Baghdad.
Soros Says Kerry’s Failings Undermined Campaign Against Bush:
Jan. 30 (Bloomberg)—Billionaire investor George Soros, the biggest financial contributor to the failed effort to defeat President George W. Bush in November’s election, said Democratic challenger John Kerry was a flawed candidate.
Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management LLC, spent $26 million in last year’s campaign that he said was undermined by the candidate he supported.
``Kerry did not, actually, offer a credible and coherent alternative,’’ Soros, 74, said yesterday in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. ``That had a lot to do with Bush being re-elected.’’
...``I don’t feel it’s an investment that’s gone bad, because when you stand up for principles you have to do it whether you win or lose,’’ Soros said. ``I’m distressed that Bush was re-elected, but I don’t feel that I wasted my money.’’
So Soros admits Kerry offered neither credibility nor coherency —and that’s the guy Soros wanted running this country—in wartime. It seems that in matters of politics Soros hiimself is neither credible nor coherent.
The spoof version: “Gee, I’m really sorry my incoherent candidate lost the election and isn’t running the most powerful country in the world and responsible for protecting us from getting nuked.”
Arabs in other nations are fascinated with today’s successful elections in Iraq:
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A young man smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee in a Saudi cafe worries that Iraq’s elections could lead to civil war. On the banks of the Nile, a student strolling with his girlfriend dismisses the polls as a sham meant to place a pro-American government in Iraq. Yemenis, chewing their mildly stimulating khat leaves, express hope the United States will pressure other tyrannical regimes to change.
The Arab world is anything but indifferent to Sunday’s polling in Iraq, which has dual implications for the restive region. It will almost certainly bring to power Iraq’s long-suppressed Shiite Muslims, boosting the sect’s influence in this Sunni Muslim-dominated area. It also will mean Washington has succeeded in bringing democracy to Iraq by force at least for the moment a precedent that could shake up the autocratic Arab world.
“Arab governments may not say it, but they don’t want Iraq’s democratic experiment to succeed,” said Turki al-Hamad, a prominent Saudi columnist and former political science professor. “Such a success would embarrass them and present them with the dilemma of either changing or being changed.”
...Interest was high among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, who have long complained of discrimination.
“People are glued to their TV screens” in al-Qatif and Ihsaa, Shiite-dominated towns in the oil-rich Eastern Province, said Muhammad Mahfouz, a Shiite editor of a cultural magazine.
Clergymen used special services Saturday for Ghadeer Day, which marked the Prophet Muhammad’s nomination of his son-in-law Ali as his successor, to pray for smooth and safe elections, he said.
...Writing in Beirut’s Al-Anwar newspaper, political analyst Rafik Khoury said Arab governments who have criticized shortcomings of Iraq’s elections, demanding that they be “honest and transparent … themselves ban such elections for their own peoples.”
“If the future promised by the elections appears confusing, are the Iraqis supposed to bet on the future that the executioners promise them?” he said, refering to insurgents.
Early reports are that there’s violence, but it isn’t halting a large voter turnout:
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 30 – Iraqis began casting ballots Sunday morning in the country’s first free elections in more than 50 years, and scattered insurgent attacks began soon after, including a car bombing that killed at least one police officer in western Baghdad.
[The Associated Press and Reuters reported that a suicide bomber strapped with explosives blew himself up at a polling place in western Baghdad, killing at least four people and wounding others. There were mortar attacks around the capital, including one in the southern part of the city that killed at least two people. Mortar attacks were reported in other cities, including Baquba, Basra, Hilla and Mosul.]
...Several explosions broke out across Baghdad on Sunday morning, especially in the southwestern section of the city. American attack helicopters circled over the city center, and the roar of fighter jets could be heard from high above.
Still, two hours after polls opened, voters appeared to be turning out in large numbers in the capital.
At the Arabiya school in the Karada district of central Baghdad, plastic ballot boxes already had scores of large, folded ballots stacked inside just an hour after voting began.
Qasim Muhammad Saleh, 45, walking with his two sons, Sajad, 5, and Jowid, 12, had just come from voting at Lebanon High School. The boys were carrying Iraqi flags, and Mr. Saleh’s right index finger carried the ink marks showing he had cast his ballot.
“We now have our freedom,” he said. “After 35 years, we finally got rid of Saddam and now we can vote for whoever we want.
“After casting my ballots, I’m hoping that the situation will improve.”
Nearby, at the Nawfal primary school in Karada, there was a steady stream of people lining up to go through the barbed wire checkpoint in order to vote. Inside, people were shrugging off the sounds of explosions, and the mood was upbeat, even enthusiastic, as they went through the voting process.
Voters appeared to be turning out in large numbers in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq, especially in Sulaimaniya, where attacks have been muted, news services reported.
GWB on tomorrow’s elections in Iraq:
WASHINGTON – The elections in Iraq will set an example of democracy for the rest of the Middle East, President Bush said Friday.
“This history is changing the world,” Bush said, speaking of Sunday’s parliamentary elections. He spoke at the ceremonial swearing-in of his new secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice (news – web sites).
“The advent of democracy in Iraq will serve as a powerful example to reformers throughout the entire Middle East,” Bush said.
Redsix reports his soldiers are finding tremendous anticipation and excitement among the Iraqi people:
The soldiers of 2-63 AR BN are out there hardening the election sites and working around the clock to provide security for the Iraqis. I’m pretty excited about being out there for something historical. Not all my soldiers can be out there but I have guys begging to be taken out in sector. Seeing how bad these locals want the elections to happen has been pretty inspiring for us. I will be posting photos of the guys laying wire and dropping barriers when I have more time, probably after elections are over.
From Iraq the Model:
Less than 48 hours left before the people of Iraq experience free decision making for the first time in their country’s modern history.
It’s a moment of pure freedom but still surrounded by lots of dangers just like any beautiful rose surrounded by spikes.
There is fear from the enemies of freedom who have their weapons already prepared to intimidate us and stop us from choosing our future.
But at the same time we’re full of hope as we know that we’ve put our feet on the right track and even if we make a bad choice once, we know that we will have the chance to reevaluate the situation again.
No more tyrants ruling the country for decades.
We’re standing before a historic moment and I won’t be exaggerating if I said that it’s an important moment for the whole world; we’re standing before a crossroads and everyone should watch and learn from the rebirth of Iraq.
...Saddam had tried all tools of oppression, killing and torture he could find against our people (including WMD’s) but he failed to make the people believe in his hateful regime. And that’s why the people abandoned him and now, he and his regime are just a bad old tale from the past.
On Sunday, the sun will rise on the land of Mesopotamia. I can’t wait, the dream is becoming true and I will stand in front of the box to put my heart in it.
From Hammorabi:
New Iraq on its way!
The Iraqi election is not only important for Iraq but for the whole world including the USA, the UK, the EU, the Middle East, the UN and the other countries. This is not because Iraq is a superpower but because it is representing a turning point in the history of the region.
The first election in the region was in Iraq in 1921! Now Iraq is the Model for freedom and democracy. Our success to achieve this is a victory against the enemies of freedom who are the terrorists. So as this victory is not only for us but for all the freedom loving and civilized nations.
The turning point will be so important for every one in the region. This is why so many regimes and groups pushed their weight against the new Iraq. The intensification of terrorists’ attacks is wrongly seen as between Zarqawi groups alone. It represents all of those who feel threatened by these changes including the dictators.
The other affected groups are the thousands of years dominating doctrine which oppressed and intimidated the others. One of the best examples is the Wahabi/Salafi groups. Shia who were oppressed for thousands of years in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and other countries are for the first time seeing a light and a candle to be free and able to express their thoughts and wishes without fear.
It is wrong to assume that the terrorists’ attacks are resistance. The real occupiers of Iraq are the mentally retarded terrorists who tried to impose their dull and tyrant role over every one.
And yet there are still people who would oppose all this, who would stand in the way of freedom, who would abandon Iraq to terrorists and tyrants. Ted Kennedy:
The U.S. military presence has become part of the problem, not part of the solution,” Kennedy said in remarks prepared for delivery at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. “We need a new plan that sets fair and realistic goals for self-government in Iraq, and works with the Iraqi government on a specific timetable for the honorable homecoming of our forces.
In comparison to the heroism of the Iraqi people, Kennedy is pathetic. He and his followers who argue for paralysis, inaction and retreat will never achieve the great things the Iraqi people, assisted by the power and courage of U.S. troops, and the vision of GWB, are aiming for.
Look at how the mideast is governed today:
With Israel as the main exception, political power in the Middle East is centered in family dynasties, monarchies or single political parties. The 21 Arab countries are promising changes, but none has a freely elected government. Many rulers inherit the post and most stay in power for life, either through absolute authority or questionable elections. Only Lebanon has a functioning parliamentary democracy, but Syria, with 16,000 troops in the country, remains the dominant power.
A few countries, like Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, have active parliaments, although their monarchs can veto legislative action.
It’s kings and dictators. The rest of the world threw out their kings and dictators long ago. The direction of history couldn’t be more evident. There is no way tyrannical government is going to endure. It served its purpose of providing some order in the early history of mankind, but now its time is done. It’s a band-aid that has to be ripped off the face of the earth. It’s going to be painful, but the right way to do it is to do it fast. You do it slow and it will just hurt worse.
I'd almost swear my cat is smiling in this picture. Do cats smile? I'd appreciate hearing reader's opinions on this.
Earlier this month I quoted William Safire on how mainstream media will coexist with weblogs.
But one thing Safire said struck me as missing the power of the blogosphere:
On the challenge from bloggers: The platform print, TV, Internet, telepathy, whatever will change, but the public hunger for reliable information will grow. Blogs will compete with op-ed columns for views you can use, and the best will morph out of the pajama game to deliver serious analysis and fresh information, someday prospering with ads and subscriptions. The prospect of profit will bring bloggers in from the meanstream to the mainstream center of comment and local news coverage.
Safire seems to consider bloggers wanna-be journalists. I felt he was missing the big picture, and started looking for a way to specify just what he was overlooking.
A recent conversation with my friend Elliot McGucken provided the key info. Elliot is a Professor of physics and programming at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as the proprietor of the Jolly Roger websites, which host discussions of great books and philosophy.
In conversation on an unrelated subject, Elliot mentioned Metcalf’s Law, a mathemetical principal used to describe the power of a network. In layman’s terms, as described by Marc Andreeson:
A network in general behaves in such a way that the more nodes that are added to it, the whole thing gets more valuable for everyone on it because all of a sudden there’s all this new stuff that wasn’t there before. You saw it with the phone system. The more phones that are on the network, the more valuable it is to everyone because then you can call these people. Federal Express, in order to grow their business, would add a node in Topeka and business in New York would spike. You see it on the Internet all the time. Every new node, every new server, every new user expands the possibilities for everyone else who’s already there.
So with everyone in the blogosphere reading other blogs, and using input from them, as well as from those who post comments, to provide additional valuable reporting and analysis, the power of the blogosphere increases with every new blogger and reader who joins it.
Mainstream media doesn’t network—they’re secretive. They have to get their scoops. Reporters compete instead of talking to each other. And they take a high and mighty approach to their own readers, as if they’re in competition with the public. They try to be the high priests of information, using the power of the press to build their own stature while withholding that power from others—and those days are coming to a close.
Conclusion: the power of cooperation and networking, as described by Metcalf’s Law, differentiates the blogosphere from mainstream media.
For the mathematically inclined, Metcalf’s law is ((Number of Nodes) times (Number of Nodes minus 1)).
Some of the best warblogging from our brave soldiers on the front lines is from Redsix, at Armor Gedden.
This is far better than snippets of video footage seen on news shows—this is as close to being right in the middle of it as you can get without being shot at.
MEMRI transcribes an interview with a captured Saudi terrorist:
Interviewer: You witnessed a number of operations in Iraq. What do you think about these operations?
Basem Saleh Jamil Kassar: I don’t accept this. How can an infidel American soldier hurt a Muslim sister?
Interviewer: I didn’t ask you about that. I know what you feel about this, that you are unhappy about this, and that’s why you came to fight. But I am asking you about the car bombings in Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, in the north, in the churches, in Mosul, and…
Basem Saleh Jamil Kassar: By Allah, I do not support them at all. Not at all.
Interviewer: Why don’t you support them?
Basem Saleh Jamil Kassar: This is what damaged our reputation. The Jihad fighter is now perceived as a man who wants to blow up and kill innocent people.
I wonder if there could be any more terrorists who are finding that killing civilians is ‘damaging their reputation.’
The National Review gives us a fascinating look at what happened in Iraq’s first televised presidential debate:
The participants represented six major tickets (essentially, coalitions of parties). Iraq’s future assembly will have 275 seats. More than 4,000 candidates have assembled in “coalition lists,” or blocs representing ethnic, ideological, and political interests. The participants in the televised debate represented the leading blocs. In their opening remarks they proclaimed their often differing “main principles of action.”
Jawad al Maliki, representing the Iraqi United Coalition (al I’tilaf al Iraqi al Muwahad) emphasized the necessity of elections: “Those who called for it are larger in numbers. Those who wanted to postpone them feared the terrorists, and those who wanted to cancel them, are the terrorists,” he said. It’s worth noting that al Maliki represents an Islamist Shia party. He concluded that elections are the beginning of the solution, not the end of it.
Hajim Husseini, representing Iraqiyun (“Iraqis”) said most Sunni Arabs are not boycotting voluntarily. Instead, they are under terrorist threat. He added that after elections Sunnis will be integrated into the national government.
Adnan Pashaji, a Sunni leader from the dimucratoyeen al mustaqileen, or the “Gathering of Independent Democrats,” did admit to having political reasons for calling for the postponement of the elections. He hoped he would convince more of his community to participate.
Ibrahim Salih of the Tahaluf al kurdistani, or “Kurdistani Alliance,” reminded the viewers that elections are not happening in an ideal situation. “We are facing international terrorism and the former regime’s forces. The main Iraqi leadership decided to go for elections to move forward, but there will be mechanisms to absorb those who won’t be able to join us, including a referendum next November.”
Qassim Daoud of the al Qaima al Iraqiya , or “Iraqi ticket,” said elections are needed to establish a national authority.
Hamid Majid Musa, representing Ittihad al Shaab, or “People’s Union,” strongly supported the holding of elections. Expressing the aspirations of most leftist and liberal forces in Iraq, he said elections now are better than no elections.
The debate covered several subjects, the most pertinent being:
1: Sunni participation and civil war: All candidates agreed on absorbing Sunnis after the elections with a strong consensus that civil war won’t be allowed.
There’s more. Read the whole thing. I’ll include one more quote:
7. Women: In an amazing volley of statements all six politicians lent support to “an increasing role for women.” It’s simple: Iraq’s female population is the single largest voting bloc across ethnicities.
Bingo—democracy gives power to the disenfranchised.
Judging from Evan Coyne Maloney’s latest documentary video, there’s a line of thinking on the Left that says they should overthrow our government by force. I’m curious whether they really mean it, or whether they’re just saying these things for shock value.
Evidently it’s not exclusively the extremists on the Left saying this stuff. Just recently a friend of mine—an actual friend of mine—said the same thing. To me.
Let’s call this friend of mine Logan. I have lots of great friends who are Liberals. For some reason they like to talk politics with me. I enjoy talking politics of course, so that’s fine with me. Occasionally I get a surprise out of their arguments. A week or so ago I saw House of Flying Daggers with Logan. The protagonists in the film were people who were trying to overthrow a corrupt government by force. Afterwards Logan said, you know, we should have that here. All tyrants and despots should be overthrown. We should overthrow our government by force. I said, you’re just kidding, you’re just trying to get my goat. But he kept saying it. So after a while I said, “You don’t believe in democracy, do you?” He said, “Yes I do.” I said, “You want to overthrow a democratically elected government, that just got elected, in this country, by force. You’re the tyrant. You’re the despot.” I dunno, I think maybe I got through to him a little bit.
Say Anything is back online.
From an understandably anonymous poster from the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran, writing on FrontPage:
Reports from across Iran are stating about the massive welcoming of President George W. Bush’s inaugural speech and his promise of helping to bring down the last outposts of tyranny.
Millions of Iranians have been reported as having stayed home, on Thursday night which is their usual Weekend and outgoing night, in order to see or hear the Presidential speech and the comments made by the Los Angeles based Iranian satellite TV and radio networks, such as, NITV or KRSI.
The speech and its package of hope have been, since late yesterday night and this morning, the main topics of most Iranians’ conversations during their familial and friendly gatherings, in the collective taxis and buses, as well as, among groups of young Iranians who gather outside the cities on the Fridays.
Many were seen showing the ” V ” sign or their raised fists. Talks were focused on steps that need to be taken in order to use the first time ever favorable International condition.
...What had always been missing in order to create a wide scale Iranian democratic revolution, such as what happened in Georgia, was till now a firm and noticeable World pressure on the Islamic regime and a trustable Opposition Council with a correct agenda.
Say Anything is down for the moment. In the meantime, Rob is posting at Ace of Spades.
