BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis

June 27, 2003

'I tried not to think of the impossibilities'
: Blue Bird Escape -- the wonderful weblog by the teen girl visiting her homeland, Iran -- gives us another simply eloquent entry in the diary of her trip:

Shiraz is very different from Tehran. It is much quieter and has less traffic. Though it is very hot.
It is now 9:50 P.M. We just came back from Hafezieh -- the grave stone of the great Iranian poet. It was a beautiful spot to pray and think. Although it gives a sad feeling, it is very quiet and pleasant. We stayed there for a while and said our prayers. I thanked God for giving me the best and I wished for my family safety and happiness. I wished the people of Iran lots of luck.
The wind was blowing a bit, a nice cool wind through the hot air. I was happy.descargar cd data rescue 2.0
People of Shiraz seem to be happy in their own way of life. Whenever we go out they look at us constantly. I guess they know we are not from Shiraz.descargar cd data rescue 2.0
Today is Thursday, our last day in Shiraz. Tomorrow we will leave around noon. Right now I'm sitting in a restaurant. I have just finished my kabob. There is live music here. They are singing old Iranian songs. My mom would have liked this place.
As the days end and my journey comes to an end I feel sad, but I remind myself that everything ends. I have been very lucky to have this wonderful visit to my country.descargar cd data rescue 2.0
We are in a beautiful garden. It is very beautiful. There is an old palace here. My sister and I are falling in love with this palace; the big dining room, living room, and all its other parts. As a joke I told her I will have my wedding there. It is a perfect place for a wedding.
We sat on a bench under the trees and thought of our dreams. descargar cd data rescue 2.0
"Unfortunately we live in this country,"is what my sister said when we were eating pizza for dinner. In Iran no matter what you talk about it always leads to politics and ends with anger and disappointment. If I ask someone what's new in Iran, they will say there is nothing to tell, tell us about America.
I hate being only an individual and not having the ability to do something.
At Hafezieh we touched his gravestone and said a few prayers. At night some people were sitting on steps, heads down, in their own thoughts. I became sad, I tried not to think of the impossibilities.

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Inflammatory lies from the BBC
: BBC Foreign Editor John Simpson has gone over the edge of credibility and decency as he essentially accuses the U.S. military of targeting and murdering non-embedded journalists.

BBC world affairs editor John Simpson has called on the US government to investigate why more journalists were killed by American soldiers than by any other means during the Iraq war.
Simpson blamed the deaths of many of the journalists - what he called "the ultimate act of censorship" - on the system of embedding, which meant that journalists operating independently of US and British troops became "potential targets".

I was about to start screaming about taking away Simpson's journalism stripes and drumming him out of the corps.
But then I came to a buried paragraph in the Guardian report:

American soldiers did not kill journalists on purpose, said Simpson, but out of "a mixture of blind panic, inadequate street training, and complete and utter ignorance".

I'd say the Guardian is just as at fault for this bit of inflammatory accusation as Simpson, for that last bit should have been at least alluded to in the first three paragraphs. Altogether, it's a festival of anti-Americanism and it's shoddy journalism. [via IWantMedia]descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Al-Queda No. 2 nabbed
: I see this at the German site Focus and not yet on any of the English-language news sites: The right hand of Osama bin Laden is in captivity, according to an Arab TV report. Aiman el Sawahiri (German spelling) and other al-Queda members were reportedly in Iran.
: Drudge has it now too. Don't know why it's taking so long to spread. This is big news. descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Do not call. Do not email. Do not write. Does not work.
: Joe Territo discovers that the new Do Not Call service doesn't work. As if they couldn't anticipate a flood of traffic to this?descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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That says it all
: Kucinich came in second?descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Morality
: Justice Scalia's logic in his defense of the Texas sodomy law has been rolling around inside me like a botulistic oyster. He argues that by overturning this law, all laws based on morality are up for grabs. He quotes the Bowers decision: "...if all laws representing essentially moral choices are to be invalidated under the Due Process Clause, the courts will be very busy indeed." OK, let's carry that to its logical end. Laws on murder, rape, theft, assault, hate are all based on morality -- all based on society's shared view that these things are wrong, that they are immoral and should be illegal. Thus, Scalia is putting homosexuality and sodomy in the same moral bucket with murder, rape, theft, assault, and hate. He says that if you don't forbid homosexuality, all other moral decisions are baseless. In what universe? In what church? In what nation? That is patently offensive and downright stupid.descargar cd data rescue 2.0

: Atrios says:

I have to admit I´m rather annoyed at the limited view the media seems to be taking with the Lawrence decision. It isn´t a victory for gay civil rights - it´s a victory for civil rights period. And, an incredibly sweeping one.

Right. On this, liberals, libertarians, and compassionate conservatives should all agree. Only bigots and fundamentalist fanatics will not.descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Free!
: Thanks to Anil, I just ordered an Amazon goodie box.descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Leading by example
: Micah Halpern at Jewsweek suggests that as they set up their new nation and government, the Palestinians should follow the example of... Israel:

Palestinians have very few examples after which to model themselves when it comes to creating a state. The notion of a modern state is very new to them. Ironically, one of their best examples is a country they will be loathe to emulate -- Israel.
The countries in the region, with the lone exception of Israel, are all Muslim states. With the exceptions of Turkey and Lebanon they are all dictatorships, powerfully ruled by monarchs and totalitarians.
Leadership and hegemony have a long history in the Arab world. But most of it is family based and tribal based, certainly a far cry from a Western system of national government....
The present leadership in the Palestinian Authority is different. Unlike Palestinian President Arafat and unlike most of the rest of the Arab world, Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen does not want to create a dictatorship. Like them, he has an underlying distrust of anything Western and hatred towards Israel. But Abu Mazen understands that that's not the way to build a country or to build a future.

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Another Iraqi blogger
: Salam Pax trumpets the arrival of a woman Iraqi blogger. I'll say that I'm glad to have another blogger, another voice, a woman's voice. Now that I've said that, let me quickly add that her first post is utterly full of camel crap. Her first words:

I know that one day there will be agreat revolution against the Americans and now we have the first seeds of that revolution... Did you know that at the beginning of the invasion everybody said it’s a bless getting rid of Saddam Hussien but it turns to be an ever lasting curse,haw could they just go leaving the biggest oil reservoir in the region, they have planned to stay, accept it or not ,the staunting thing is what the people want naw (the return of Saddam the tyrant)!!! . When you think thoroughly about it you find it logical & reasonable ,during the past regime there were safety &work chances(money) BUT, THERE IS NO FREEDOM, naw there is freedom without safety or public services with very very mini work opportunities , so normally they prefer the past time of saddam....

No, let's not be coy and clean; let's call that what it is: shit. Yes, let's return to the mass-murdering tyrant. Yes, it's easy to set up an administration in no time (and why is that entirely the Americans' responsibility; do the Iraqis bear no responsibility for their disorder?). Sounds like Baathist nostalgia to me. descargar cd data rescue 2.0

: UPDATE: Former (unfortunately) blogger Diana Moon has been working hard to get more bloggers -- particularly women bloggers -- online in Iraq and she deserves credit for this step. Doesn't matter whether I agree or disagree with the blogger (clearly, it's the latter for me) or even like the blog. The point is: The more voices, the better. So Diana added a voice and Shanti is ready to play host to the choir. Good for them. descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Lazy Americans
: Reynolds and Layne and Quick are taking vacations. The nerve.descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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Iranian hostages
: Harry Hatchet reports that, according to Kurdish media in London, Iranian authorities have occupied a university in Sanandaj. More here. descargar cd data rescue 2.0

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