Sunday, March 16, 2003

Interesting notes from a citizen and weblogger in Iraq: Rant about war from Salam in Baghdad. Good rant from Salam, a blogger in Baghdad about the war. Salam What is bringing on this rant is the question that has been bugging for days now: how could "support democracy in Iraq" become to mean "bomb the hell out of Iraq"? why did it end up that democracy won't happen unless we go thru war? Nobody minded an un-democratic Iraq for a very long time, now people have decided to bomb us to democracy? Well, thank you! how thoughtful. I hope my efforts get support for democracy in Japan doesn't mean that we want someone to bomb us. Someone joked with me yesterday that the US should bomb Japan to democracy since Japan seems to be re-arming and we have a rogue regime. (Once again, this is only a joke...) Salam The entities that call themselves "the international community" should have assumed their responsibilities a long time ago, should have thought about what the sanctions they have imposed really meant, should have looked at reports about weapons and human rights abuses a long time before having them thrown in their faces as excuses for war five minutes before midnight. [...] To end this rant, a word about Islamic fundis/wahabisim/qaeda and all that. Do you know when the sight of women veiled from top to bottom became common in cities in Iraq? Do you know when the question of segregation between boys and girls became red hot? When tribal law replaced THE LAW? When Wahabi became part of our vocabulary? It only happened after the Gulf War. I think it was Cheney or Albright who said they will bomb Iraq back to the stone age, well you did. Iraqis have never accepted religious extremism in their lives. They still don't. Wahabis in their short dishdasha are still looked upon as sheep who have strayed from the herd. But they are spreading. The combination of poverty/no work/low self esteem and the bitterness of seeing people who rose to riches and power without any real merit but having the right family name or connection shook the whole social fabric. Situations which would have been unacceptable in the past are being tolerated today. Salam also thinks the human shields should go home. [Joi Ito's Web] 6:33:33 PM

Marisa Ventura, acrylic: 3:51:26 PM

Marisa Ventura, a friend from Portugal sent a copy of her first painting with the use of acrylics. Excellent work. I expect more good things. Other pieces can be seen at her website. Speaking of Portugal, President Bush should be returning soon from his summit off the coast. Marisa tells me the Portugese economy is in pretty bad shape and the vast majority of the public hates the idea of war against Iraq. She expects large protests in that country will continue. It seems Mr. Bush has given the world nothing but problems. 3:11:45 PM

Telly. I'm pretty sure, someone must have blogged this before, but what the hell. Here's TV History in all its glory. [The Cartoonist] 1:54:46 PM

America Heading the Wrong Way. It's hard to be optimistic (though I still tend to be for long run) when policy runs so seriously awry,... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 1:50:21 PM