Armies of Liberation

BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) is continuing to spread at epidemic rate through the US media. The Syndrome is characterized by blindness to anything other than US transgressions, paranoia regarding the US government, delusions of conspiracy, and a feverish hostility toward President Bush.

Like the common cold, the famous and powerful are not immune. Dan Rather was stricken and succumbed to the lure of forged documents. Walter Cronkite was recorded babbling that Karl Rove “set up” Usama’s last tape. Now Eason Jordan, CNN’s chief news executive, is displaying symptoms.

Eason-gate (or Eason-a-Quiddick depending on your inclination) is also touted as the newest benchmark in the developing relationship between the media and their new watchdogs, the bloggers. (Read on …)

I thought this was kind of freaky but then the tounges started moving and I just closed the page.

This is still the funniest: “And I told them I needed the money for bandwith! Bandwith!”

via the ever erudite and tasteful Bad Hair Blog

Freedom House article, subsequently discredited. OK?

which is in India

from the Daily Star:

Three Bangladeshi cattle traders were lynched by a mob after an Indian national was shot dead by miscreants on Tuesday night at village Nekuadah in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India, according to a report received here across the border.

The dead Bangladeshi traders are Rabiul Islam Gazi, 30, Deldar Rahman, 25, and Abdul Malek, 26, of Satkhira sadar upazila. The Indian national was identified as Birendra Nath Sardar of Nekuadah village in North 24 Parganas. Another Bangladeshi cow trader, Nayan, 18, was injured in the mob beating. He is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bashirhat, West Bengal.

The perpetrators are described as villagers.

I really appreciate the following analysis of Bangldesh from Zub over at the Belmont Club. Its much more heartening that much of what I’ve read in their media lately and confirms my impression of the underlying strength of the Bangldeshi people while this craziness is whirling around. Its also very detailed and corrects several facts I had wrong.

Zub:
“1) The Awami League used to be secular+socialist until a few years ago. These days, they are only secular, as they dropped the “socialist” label in the mid 90s and officially signed up with the free-marketeers. At any rate, in a country like BD, concepts like free-market and socialism really don’t make too much sense. What reigns, what has always reigned, is a mix of crony capitalism and corrupt statism. The practical difference between the “free-market” BNP and the “socialist” AL is one of administrative competence, not of economic ideology. BNP marginally edges out AL in that direction – both parties have taken turns at ruling, yet the growth rate has stayed at a steady annual average of 5% for the last 15 yrs. (Read on …)

What is an example of an extremely polarized multi-party political system that became more consensual? (Read on …)

From Transition Trends, converting to Catholicsm in order to excape Turkmenistan:

IWPR: “In my opinion, Turkmenistan has the harshest policies of all post-Soviet nations towards religious freedoms,” he said. “Apart from the official Muslim Council and the Russian Orthodox Church, it is very hard for any other religion to operate legally….

However, the authorities flatly deny that Turkmenistan has a Catholic community to oppress.

One Ashgabat official stated openly that there was no point in granting registration to the community or make provision for Catholic education facilities as “there is not a single Catholic in Turkmenistan”.

A commenter called WMD at the wonderful INDC suggests we change the lexicon of the blogsphere and stop attaching the suffix “-gate” to reference a scandal, that instead we use the suffix

“a-QUIDDICK”

Thus Eason-gate becomes Eason-a-quiddick.

I like it.

Update: This article is up on Middle East Transparent where I now have my own authors page. It was published by the Arab Times in Kuwait and The Daily Times in Pakistan.

With the stunning election in Iraq, and the accompanying rise of expectations for greater participatory democracy throughout the Middle East, the call has gone out: Democracy is much more than elections. And it is so true.

The courageous Iraqis have led the way by dramatically demonstrating their commitment to universal emancipation and self-representation. Let up hope they can establish another precedent for the region: minority protection.

In a democracy, there are no second class citizens, minority rights are respected, religious expression permitted, discrimination is prohibited, and civil rights are upheld by an independent judiciary and enforced by the police. These goals for a democracy are often difficult to attain. (Read on …)

Shiites and Kurdish minorities are suppressed throughout the Middle East, HOPEFULLY THEIR ASSENTION TO POWER IN IRAQ WILL ENCOURAGE TOLERENCE OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

YOSAADA – Security has been beefed up in Saada to prevent celebrations of Eid Al-Ghadeer, a Shiite Muslim ceremony observing the death of the Prophet Mohammed’s cousin Ali bin Abi Taleb.

The ceremony has been deemed controversial by authorities in Sana’a, Alsahwa.net reported. Security sources confirmed to Almotamar.net, website of the General People’s Congress, the arrival and deployment of 500 riot police and 60 military vehicles in the northern city of Saada in order to prevent the Ghadeer procession.

On Ghadeer Day in Zaidi Shiite areas of Yemen, people shoot barrages of gunfire in the air, a tradition that often results in accidental causalities.

Following a bloody rebellion in the Saada region last year, Zaidis there have been more reserved about observing the traditional ceremony.
An unidentified official source meanwhile told 26 September that the “Ghadeer feast does not meet with the teachings of Islam.”

The official also said that the feast aims to spread misguided thoughts and stir up strife in the country.