Carnival of the relatives for the month

First, and as usual, dad:

• Searching.
• Horror story.
• Abu Ghraib again..!!
• Health care under occupation.
• Terrorists.. or..?

Second, the new family blogger, Mama, Aunt Rose's sis and Sunshine's mom:

• Who I am?
• Childhood comparision.
• Started to worry.

Hassan:

• Internet in Iraq.
• Summer training.
• 3 most rediculous ways to die in Iraq.

Me:

• Rambling.
• Not there.
• Iraq suspects suffocate in heat
• Raed in the middle.
• Iraqis march against terror, Iraqis march against occupation.
• Sign the petition.
• A little thingy to brighten your day.
• What's happening?
• Give us our Khalid back.
• Thank you.
• What's happening?

HNK:

• Just talking.
• 3 Minutes and you will finish read this.
• Just talking.
• I don't know what to say.
• Days of my life.

Dalia:

• Test.
• Learn Arabic.
• My trip.

Raghda:
As usual, too hard to collect the posts.. She has new cat photos! and:

• Iraqis are not allowed to go to the UK.

Last but not least at all, Sunshine:

• Soup decoration.
• In our kitchen.
• Please try to imagine.
• Rest in peace grandma.
• Relationships.
• It is a tiny mistake.
• Small achievemnets better than nothing.
• Mobile phone.. What for?
• New type of guests.
• Normal day!..
• Why Oprah?
• Aphorisms.
• To my dear readers.

This will keep anyone busy for the whole month :) Did my job, it's been bothering me the whole month, but I'm just too lazy to do this round (Though I read the posts as soon as they get out).

Peace,
Najma

Emotions..

Alright, a new Iraqi blog from Mosul, written by an Iraqi woman:

I am a 34 years old mom ,I am a mother of 3 children. I am a Dentist. I am organized; I try to make every thing perfect. The life I have, the difficulties I face make me anxious.. I like to have a social life; I cannot resist my feeling of being lonely, but I don’t have good social life, & I am lonely.

The blog is called "Emotions"..
Enjoy..

New today: 1
Total: 149

New blog (irreverent)

Doesn't give a Jeeraydee*'s about politics but manages to blog about it anyway, somehow, by skirting all the issues. He is the;

Iraqi Konfused Kid (Kollege)

"Introspective, shifty, intellectual, a little introvert, sometimes offbeat, likes reading, sunset, darkness, children, piano."

May be looking for companion. Claims to hate Coldplay and U2, quotes Chris Martin without hesitation.

New today: 1
Total: 148

Constitutions - are they worth the paper they are written on?

Matthias rung mailed again. He's posted about the constitution, and finds it suspicious. So do I. Does the constitution protect bloggers from being arrested?

And more importantly - how to hold a constitution accountable. Afterall, the US and UK have constitutions, but their governments still send their own citizens offshore to outsourced interrogation centres, and they still run Abu Ghraib in an uncouth manner unbecoming the nuances of civil aesthetism.

The whole thing sounds like a rush job to me.

Global exchange

If anyone sees my prime minister while he is in Baghdad, could you ask him how the Gulag building is going? Maybe drop in a mention about immigration detention centre progress and industrial relations workplace reform. I hear he's stopped in on whatever it is troops are constructing at Al Muthanna (oil pipelines?) and that he may be leaving via Kuwait.

When he gets back, if I run into him, I'll make a note about Australia's role in interrogating detainees in Iraq.

Tks.

Update ~ from Khalid

He blogs;

will tell you more later inshalla....
me*

No rush, take care of yourself first.

UPDATE on Khalid..

Well, thank you nofrills for the best news EVER!
She told us to check Faiza's blog, but, look what's there??

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Good Evening..
khalid now is free..
he is in the way to Amman..
thanks for God, and all the people who prayed for his release..
faiza

# posted by faiza @ 9:19 PM

KHALID IS FREE PEOPLE.. Thanks Faiza. And welcome back Khalid, you have no idea how much you've made us worry!

AND, Raed is celebrating too I see.. Well, CONGRATULATIONS!

A suggestion

To do with law. From moron99, with amendments. In case a statement was ever needed, you know, a public real life statement, for a real live arrested blogger;

We the undersigned demand public disclosure of the information leading to the arrest and detainment of Khalid Jarrar. We demand that Khalid Jarrar be granted the inalienable rights to justice that all men deserve. We demand that the security forces that have detained Khalid Jarrar either make the charges against him known or immediately release him, and that a full scale investigation be conducted with a full presentation of evidence and subsequent release if no evidence is forthcoming or if the evidence provided is fabricated, or if the evidence provided is unsubstantiated, into how it came to pass that an individual can be held captive for the sole reasoning of expressing their views. It behooves us as world citizens and netizens to demand that Iraq be administered in a fashion that protects individual rights in real life and in our imaginary ones. We demand fairness and we will not fall silent until we are satisfied that evidence, justice, and the rule of law have triumphed. Thank you very very much. Can we have him back now or else.

How does that all sound? Bit worried still about the wording around the part where it goes;

We demand that the security forces that have detained Khalid Jarrar either make the charges against him known or immediately release him, and that a full scale investigation be conducted with a full presentation of evidence and subsequent release if no evidence is forthcoming or if the evidence provided is fabricated, or if the evidence provided is unsubstantiated, into how it came to pass that an individual can be held captive for the sole reasoning of expressing their views.

I added in a few bits. Basically, am worried about trumped up charges being laid. The guy is an innocent and everyone knows it - so how can we be sure that "law" is not pulling the wool over anybodies eyes. How can we be sure we get out Khalid! Moron99 suggests that a statement as above, minus added in bits;

We demand that the security forces that have detained Khalid Jarrar either make the charges against him known or immediately release him, and that a full scale investigation be conducted with a full presentation of evidence and subsequent release if no evidence is forthcoming

will make "evidence" look so obviously flimsy that it will make whoever submits the "evidence" look a right prime meany. But I am adverse to "using" innocents to prove such points, which we already know. Basically, I do not think that an innocent arrested blogger should be made into an issue just to prove how bad his captors are.

I just want him out.

And for that, we need a water-tight statement.

Update Jarrar

Raed has a new, very sensible, look.

And he posted about Australia ! Nice to see the global blog village caring about issues all over the world.

He also notes;

We're expecting news from Iraq about my detained brother, our goal is asking the authorities to take him to court...

Last post for the minute

Was about to do an abandoned blog alert but then found out Liminal was back to it again.

His last post shocked me back to reality. How can everyone mend what has been unleashed?

I wish I knew.

A link

to a post this week which you have probably already read. But nevermind. Here it is again;

Three times a week we get a live feed from the meetings of the Iraqi National Assembly on al-Iraqyia television. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. At times this is more like comic relief from the daily car bomb report on others it is an interesting insight into what goes on there.

My jury is still out on whether I think the Iraqi National Assembly is a farce or a serious group of people... guess who it is.

Jury, yes good point. Where are the lawyers when people need them. Oh dear, I seem to have gotten all practical while straying from off the topic.

More reflective moments, while we wait to hear how some things are going

Things that other people have been posting this week ~ Husayn via Fayrouz;

The Horrors of War and Terrorism

I have been away for a very long time, my great and deep apologies to all who read my blog, and to those who have e-mailed me. I have done a great dishonor by not keeping up with e-mails. In my culture, it is looked at very badly if one does not return the warmth that one is given by a stranger, friend, or any other human being. Please do forgive me. read the rest.

And in my culture too.

In between times

Ihath discusses love and war and what is and is not fair, in the interim, while we wait. And she has taken up painting. Very nice.

I agree with point 6, so long as people learn from the by-gones as well (without getting hurt, I just wish there were more sensitive intellectuals online like we are sometimes).

Photobucket is playing up. Made a banner alteration but it sometimes won't display - depending on whim, it would seem. Here it is;



Just, you know, preparing.

Update; mad canuck would probably like another link to the original page it came from.

They all think they are right

Abu Khaleel is in the pit of despair. Am not sure if should commiserate, tell bad but compassionate and understanding joke, or invite him to slit his wrists with me.

What would a responsible blogger do, I ask myself.

Question yourself

May I ask a question. Out loud and in the open. Why, do some people seem to expect me to keep posting stuff here, and rattle certain issues, just so they can complain about it all.

Do you all realise, the only reason this blog is on the waves now, is because you all started visiting it in the first place, and sending stuff to be linked, and emailing and things. A contribution to mending temporal breaches, was never intended to end up a "fixture".

Anyway, all of you (you know who you are) who have been stretching certain bloggers (and perhaps others) to their limits - give it a rest already. The lot of you. What you are doing is wrong, like war. It is manipulative and no better then anything emerging from any other spin machine.

Anybody who doesn't get this post, nevermind - it's not directed at you.

minor update

Streamtime has some unique digital material. Goodness knows how they could of come across it.

Still waiting for certain news.

Meanwhile.

Moron99 wants to play pendantism. Which is a good sign and far preferable to some other recent exchanges.

Moron99 says;

I won't sign this one

We the undersigned demand that the security forces that have detained Khalid Jarrar immediatly release him, and that a full scale investigation be conducted into how it came to pass that an individual can be held captive for the sole reasoning of expressing their views. It behooves us as American citizens whose troops are occupying Iraq to demand that Iraq be adminstered in a fashion that protects individual rights.

I would have been amoung the first to sign this one

We the undersigned demand public disclosure of the information leading to the arrest and detainment of Khalid Jarrar. We demand that Khalid Jarrar be granted the inalienable rights to justice that all men deserve - that there shall be no search, seizure, or imprisonment without due process of law. We demand that Khalid Jarrar shall either be publicly charged with a crime or released. We demand that Khalid Jarrar receives open and fair treatment according to the rules of law. We demand fairness and we will not fall silent until we are satisfied that evidence, justice, and the rule of law have triumphed.

Alright moron99, but I'm not entirely happy with version two either.

Let's see if you would sign this one;

We the undersigned demand public disclosure of the information leading to the arrest and detainment of Khalid Jarrar. We demand that Khalid Jarrar be granted the inalienable rights to justice that all men deserve. We demand that the security forces that have detained Khalid Jarrar immediatly release him, and that a full scale investigation be conducted into how it came to pass that an individual can be held captive for the sole reasoning of expressing their views. It behooves us as world citizens and netizens to demand that Iraq be adminstered in a fashion that protects individual rights in real life and in our imaginary ones. Thank you very very much. Can we have him back now or else.

What do you think?

In any case, no news lately on other things.

KJ petition update

Up to 711 sigs !! Only 289 left to go everybody !! Get this out to your friends.

KJ Update

How could I of forgot the Lebanon bloggers ?! Parts of the Lebanon imediasphere were onto this days ago !!

I dunno, I guess all the worry just got to my head.

What else can we do to help him?

Sidetrack about web censorship

Margo Kingston today;

G'day. Here's a successful legal ploy you can expect more of by people with lots of money to use to close down criticism on the web by people with little money. What do you think? read more.

Boy I sure hope you can view her blog without having to sunscribe to the smh (joke. It is free to subscribe if you haven't already. Then you can read all of what Margo Kingston has to say about certain controls.)

Too subtle?

UPdate; Troll is back. Must of got bored that nobody was paying him any notice on Raed and Khalid's blogs. Also he has now learned how to borrow other people's pictures as well as their user names - everybody, the pretend-emigre is now wearing my profile flower. You can try as hard as you like but you are not nearly a flower-child yet. Still, there is some hope for reformation in this. When some personalities can stop calling other personalities "names". I only can suppose that some elements are trying to shut me up from "getting it out" about Khalid's predicament. It is encouraging to feel one blog on it's own is such a threat to certain regimes.

Look !

Even Dean Esmay posted about it. I gave up reading his blog but here it is;

Note from the Committee To Protect Bloggers:

According to a message we received etc...

I understand that Iraq isn't Philadelphia just yet, and so charges may be forthcoming, but this is disturbing news (Dean).

Even though it took him all the way till 7.16.2005 to find out.

KJ sidetrack

What people are talking about.

Some sporadic commentary still going on at Global Voices. Read it all.

KJ sidetrack

Been reading Raed's comments for something to do. This is not usual. Do detect distinct "toning it down a knotch" from the regular "burn kill slash tie the Jarrars to a stake and stone riverbend" dialectict issuing from certain disfunctional regime centers.

Some cogent analysis going on at Raed's blog for a change, in his comments.

Transcipt;

faisal;

Dear Moron/Michael and the rest,

A brief history about the conflicts in the region would provide an answer to your debate. Things like what idiology the "insurgents" or "resistors" subscribe to. Where is this sectarian tension coming from (etc etc).
20 July, 2005 23:32


anonymous;

>In time large sections of the Shias
>and Kurds will join with Sunnis
>against the occupation.
>Anyone wanna make a bet?

That is probably true.

The Shia are now just all giddy in their perception of having been put on the thrown.

When the talks move to the money and oil revenue ... as they are guaranteed to, the Shia and Sunni will be reunified again.

I am thinking Bush is probably happy with the current events of Sunni and Shia killing each other.

They probably make jokes about their being "far fewer brown people to have to deal with".

And then there is the report of unmarket pistols taken off of U.S. manufacturing lines showing up in the hands of insurgents ... and that raises all new questions.
20 July, 2005 23:48

michael mcgehee;

Faisel,

Thanks for the post.

The US does benefit by making Iraq a battleground rather than a scene of diplomacy and ethnic resolutions. It all goes back to what I said the US is doing: divide and conquer; oust someone and then prop up the victims against the aggressors.

We did it in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. We "liberated" Cuba from Spain and then turned Cuba into an American plantation (see Platt Amendment). And most of us know what happened after that...
20 July, 2005 23:59

michael mcgehee adds on

Faisel,

It benefits the US in the short term, the long term is unpreditable. It will probably blow up in our face like Cuba. But I doubt there will be a Russian sub commander to save us the next time.
21 July, 2005 00:01

moron99;

Michael,

the cold war is over. It is no longer a bipolar world. Bipolar politics are no longer functional - and, coincidentaly, they aren't used simply because they won't work. Join the 21st century.
21 July, 2005 00:10

Well I agree with moron99. For once. Still, I would just as rather listen to sports commentary. It makes about as much sense to me.

Go to Raed's and have a catch up on global events in the interim. While everybody waits.

KJ Update

Petition at 662 sig's. Photo's getting bit more creative, especially since Japan started signing up.

I guess this might be the only kind of draft recruitment appeal I'm ever likely to run. Go to the petition now if you haven't already, and take a picture with you.

Update; going to bed now, see you to-morrow (making every effort to get up early and scour net for certain news).

Last evening update; Najma must of managed to get on top of the trolling. Or else they got bored and went away. Good. Maybe some of us can get some peace around here now.

Last last update for today; bed-time prayers

~_~

(secular and other-wise)

One last little thing, is the page loading ok out there? I don't know if it's just my cobbled together set-up here or my no-frills dial-up or what but page-loading seems to be struggling. Almost as if thousands and thousands of people were all getting onto the net to find out what might be happening to a certain brother (figuratively speaking).

Ruminations on war

I'm posting this from Eff because, well, read it and reflect.

Honestly, this is getting on my nerves. Let's see if I can make this clear. War has one validating purpose, winning. Whether war did or did not end some ideological terror imposed on people is beside the point. If one nation defeats another, whether in defense or as the agressor, war has served its purpose. War isn't suppose to solve every consequence before it and thereafter. If you win, your war was validated. The only thing that might invalidate war is illegality and, moreso, non necessity. There'd have to be near countless wars for it to have a large enough effect on society to mold it into a kind of paradise. I hate how people expand war into something that exceeds its purpose.

By Eff

URGENT News !!!

Brain tumour !!! Jameel Saad has one !!! Quick somebody doooo something ! Everybody, get this out there - fast. Post it up on your blogs. We've got to build this people !!!

I am writing with hope that you can help in any way you can by posting this letter on your website/blog and emailing it to your lists, by sending donations or by providing medical expertise.

Jameel Saad was the youngest maqam singer in the world of Arabic-maqam singing. He began performing at the age of 10. He performed in one of Jordan's festivals three years later. He is a highly talented oud player as well. As a child, he lost his 15 year-old sister to a rare case of cancer. She was artistically talented as well. May she rest in peace.

Read the letter in it's entirety.

Sorry to sound overly alarmist, but when you've been trying to contain yourself for 48 hours or more something has to give somewhere. And it is a story worthy of attention, bloggers just cannot sit idly by letting artist's suffer (or anyone else).

This is Jamil Saad's website, which is being maintained by his brother.

The letter was sent to me by email from Wafaa' Al-Natheema, editor of Al-Waafa News.

And while I'm on prisoners

I'm a bit worried about this site. As far as I can tell they haven't posted anything about arrested bloggers and are holding a Librarian captive amoung their own members. You could try popping along and signing up but there's every chance, if they get a whiff of any attempt to subvert their indoctrination of the librarian, that they will ban you.

Just thought I'd mention it. Being a caring and alert citizen.

Or perhaps they are just being cautious, like some of the meta-bloggers are, in watching and waiting. For news. Or a sign. Or any little old thing that might say whether or not it's ok to do anything. Or not.

Warm words of Jarrar support update

Good. It's nearly lunchtime, that means I can now link to all the thoughtful words of un-over-reactive cheer from all well-meaning big-hearted citizens.

People who are posting little not going over the top prayers to Khalid and his family in some way or another;

Reidblog (by J Reid)
Left-talk (by left-talkers)
Quelle 'epoque 'epique ! (by 00h35)
Pudentilla's Perspective (by Pudentilla)
Digressing (by Mohammed)
Weblogsky (by Jon Lebkowsky)
Rocketblog (by Blundstone)
Backword (by Dave)
ritmj (again)
Statesborough Blues (by momichi)
In An Alternate Universe (by Leslie)
Freedom Camp (by teh 14m3)
DoingGovernment (by Bruce Eggum)
Mad Canuck (again)
Hongpong.com (by HongPong)
Obelus (by Obelus)

And many many more, which very sorry can't all do as lunchbreak over.

Prayers to Khalid.

:*)

Interim update

Might 's well read some Hannah Allam while waiting for the rest of the world to pick up on certain things that certain leading people aren't shutting-up about.

Raed update

Very camp Raed. Am not sure if such frivolity is suitable, considering circumstances.

Am still not sure why face censured and not fig-leaf parts.

Anyway, it is reassuring to see Raed branch away from his normal fits of passion and discuss things rationally. With his head. Look at whole thing.

Blog/Diary Count

The Mathius guy on that new site (which also hosts blogs) emailed again. A bunch of new (not verified not endorsed but "advertised" non-theless, gee you can certainly see I'm not in marketing) blogs;

iraq diaries in english
Abbas Baghdadi
Abd al-Muhsin al-Sayyid Salih
Sheymaa
yawmiyaat al-'iraq
Naseer Lazim
Dr. Taysiir al-Alusi
Yasin Aziz
Al-Shumus Media Network
Avin
ihsan / hicestan

plus also;

said's blog
niqash press blog (This one is Matthius's "baby")

Phew, went into automaton linking that lot. What this site needs is a tool "click here to add your blog" etc and then I could go post about greenpeace or something.

Read and investigate them for yourselves. And then go back and visit Raed's blog again.

Grand Total;147

And now I am totalled, going to bed. See you later.

Petition update

Petition is up to 548 sig's.

And looks like someone's started cleaning up the trolls, although still a few recent ones there at the top.

(Check the pictures, as you can see, bloggers are a harmless bunch of giorgione sylphs and handsome geeks who can barely spare the time to take a flattering picture of themselves let alone orchestrate any kind of major global impact. Post more pictures boys, Khalid is still more handsome then all of you together).

Committee to Protect Bloggers

Committee to Protect Bloggers sticks to sensible postings with lots of "accordings". And that is as it should be. Nobody would want to run around in wild abandon, would they.

Note to committee - this is not exactly my blog, I just happen to be on it at the moment, as have other people in the past. When they were free. *Sigh*.

Change of topic. Getting back to normal

A return to the "spirit of conscious thought stream style" (tribute to Khalid). Not that I'm being overly optimistic. Khalid is still in the clinker afterall.

Well everybody has certainly been all very polite and well-behaved, And that's highly commendable, for a change.

So.

Just to get back to usual brave blog dissing patter. Because I don't have anything else (sorry) to post in tribute to Khalid right now. Technorati seems to be "unusually busy" and I can't see who's linking who or not. If you have anything you want linked, email someone in the list over there --> or drop a comment (also have trackback, if prefer. Although can't guarantee anyone will be checking it).

Where was. Oh yes. Back to normal. Blog-dissing.

Firstly. You Iraki's think you all are so hard done by. Well you try being an Australian online. Everyone thinks I didn't get past "grade-school" (or whatever it is that they call it) and that Rupert Murdoch is all my fault (pauses to google "rupert murdoch". OMG !).

For anyone who doesn't know, Australia is just a big desert. Bit like Saudi Arabia but with less camels and more immigration detention centers. And we have the world's largest supply of Uranium (28 per cent of known recoverable resources) apparently, instead of oil.

Which brings me to the next matter. Ever since this whole "war" thing and this damn blog my phone line has been echoing like, like (searching for word most of audience will understand) like "grand canyon". Basically, what I am trying to say, is that anyone arresting Khalid Jarrar might as well arrest me. All bloggers do is tell jokes to each other while the rest of the world goes slowly insane. Can we stop our leaders from blowing us all to bits? No it seems we can't - but we can lighten each other's day with off-colour references and innocently lewd approproations and cleverly hand-crafted mispellings (bit like wearing gran's old knitted sweater with all the dropped stitches). If a nuclear holocaust broke out tomorrow at least I could die smiling "I giggled with Khalid Jarrar" or "Hah, Anonymous said I was a whore. What a pr*ck".

The guy is guiltless. You'd be better of arresting me anyway - nobody would even notice and I wouldn't mind being endlessly questioned about my blog. Frankly, it's the only interest it's ever likely to get and a blogger doesn't really care who the audience is.

:*))

Raed minor update

It's amazing Raed's blog is even still standing, with all the traffic it must be getting. All I can say is, blogger provides a very robust comment service to withstand all that usage.

Updating minor Raed update; my local radio (89.70 FM Eastside Radio Sydney Australia) is selecting most excellent songs. So far in last half hour;

The Police "I can't stand loosing you"
(I can't , I can't, I can't stand loosing...)

A message to you Rudin
"Stop you're fooling around...
You better think now...
A message to you Rudin...
You better think of your future...
Oooh, it's a message to you Rudin..."

And something else old I can't remember the name of;
"Just be-cause, you're no-one...
It doesn't mean, you're no-good...
You're gon-na make it all-ri-ight...

Just be-cause, there's a rea-son...
It doesn't mean it's under-stood...
You're gonn-ah make it all-rii-ight...

Just because, you're black...
Just because, you're white...
It doesn't mean you got to hate...
It doesn't mean you got to fight....

You're gonna make it all right..."

I don't know, do those guys have a website? I can't find anything. I think they must just be cheapskate shoe-string budget DJ's who like reggae.

Minor theme tune Update; here they are. Playing mellow waiting type music.

It's a bit of a decision really, knowing how cheesy one ought to be, or whether or not one might "shut-up". Which would be a very odd thing for bloggers to do.

Oh goodness, cavalry music now.

Interim update

Accidentally walked into a bookshop today, and walked out with Mary Shelley's Frank N Stein, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Virginia Woolf Between The Acts, Gigi and The Cat (Colette) and a copy of Irina Ratushinskaya's "Grey Is The Colour Of Hope".

Here is from Irina dust jacket (publishing endorsements).

'In March 1983, on her 29th birthday, the Soviet poet Irina Ratushinkaya received a seven year prison sentence for expressing "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda" in her verse. This remarkable prose text is a memoir... etc etc'

The New York Times Book Review

'(Irina's) work is not to be treated as a pawn in a Cold War game. It is a story of fortitude, conviction and extraordinary mutual support'

Blake Morrision in The Observer

'To hide a poet behind bars is like breaking a watch, it is a falsification of time...Ratushinskaya is a remarkably genuine poet with faultless pitch... a full-fledged poet, natural, with a voice of her own, piercing, but devoid of hysteria'

Joseph Brodsky

'The tone and mood of the book are not grim but exuberant. Her book is a victory celebration'

Richard Heller in the Mail on Sunday

'Piercing beautiful, gripping with it's amazing stories of cruelty and survival... a strong distinctive voice in the swelling chorus of Soviet gulag literature... Ratushinkaya writes like an angel trapped in hell'

Publishers Weekly

Goodness me. How approproate. And coincidental. Fancy something like that jumping of the bookshelf at me. It's amazing what people will read into odd things they stumble across. Unfortunately, bookshop didn't have any Townsend-Warner (totally unrelated self-indulgent reference).

Update Khalid !

No he is not back yet. He is still all locked up, even though some bored lame troll has been going around posting comments from him on other people's blogs.

Well, that is just what people will do when they miss one of their own, they just go about pretending like he is still around, to lift everybody's hopes up. Isn't that sweet :*)

:))))))))))

A Raed post

Another post from Raed, he is fantasising about his child-hood days, and how he hoped for Saddam's fall. He does not seem especially afraid. About much.

I was surprised yesterday while reading this news about Saddam's trial: After more than 19 months in U.S. custody, Saddam Hussein now faces trial for the first time, in a case centering on the killing of 150 people from Dujail, scene of a 1982 assassination attempt against him.

I used to daydream during my high school years in Baghdad about the day that Saddam will fall; it was one of my fantasies. I wanted to know all the secrets behind his irresponsible and aggressive decisions since he came to power in the early eighties.

Read whole thing, all the way to the bottom.

I know a lot of the heavy-weight mega-blogs are sitting on their fingers about this, and rightly so, nobody wants to do anything "rash". with all that power.

Still, as a smaller fish, a quite tiny fish actually, I'm taking my cues from Khalid's friends. And while they're still posting it, I'm still linking it.

Besides, Khalid used to post here. I could hardly sit idly by twiddling my thumbs. Could I now.

Update; also, if anybody is near by Raed could you tell him his template is squished up and looks bit funny. I've heard about reading between the lines before, but half the text is disappearing into the margin. Sorry to be finnikity.

Khalid banner update

A more strident picture, on Mad Canuck's blog.

Canuck, you need to hold yourself in reserve. This is serious.

Picture Khalid update

A blog header from mad canuck. Which might be quite a good thing to go with a certain blog, if a certain blogger could log into it's template.

Update Najma; "Give us our Khalid back (this post stays on top till Khalid comes back).

More Khalid links

Oh damn, now the japanese are in on it too. I was just going to go to bed.

Here are some more blogs posting their very dear (and priceless) virtual prayers to Khalid.

ritmj says;

???????Khalid?????????? :*)

teanotwar says;

Khalid Jarrarがムハバラトに拘束されました。

blog.goo says;

午後１１時３１分 ＃ラエドの兄の救出サイトは以下のとおりー署名欄にご協力 http://giveusourkhalidback.blogspot.com/

And lim must still be asleep, Lim, did you wake up yet and get that email I sent about the invite link to giveusourkhalidback not working and how I accidentally... oh nevermind, just check your email when you get a moment.

More Khalid links

Najma is posting (here and there)

Even mad canuck is posting.

"I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write."

-- Voltaire (letter to M. le Riche, Feb 6, 1770)


For the Iraqi authorities to jail Khalid Jarrar simply for his blogging activity is morally repugnant, and an affront to democracy. I hope the Iraqi authorities come to their senses soon and release him.

more mad canuck

(read the whole thing, nice to see a "right-winger" putting his rabid tendencies to good purpose).

Also, can everyone keep posting sensibly and without great commotion, because whenever everybody gets all excitable and all the rest of the world wants to get in on it too, my dial-up starts dropping out.

Thank you from a poor under-nourished impoverished blogger in the boon-docks.

Count interlude (sort of)

Like nothing else has been distracting me from it.

Here's a new site, it looks pretty swish if you ask me.

niqash is a space for Iraqi citizens to interact with each other, to exchange views on the current political process, to debate the processes that are shaping their society. Its main focus is on issues relevant to the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution. Its main goal is to facilitate a public and popular debate on the current political process in Iraq, thus fostering and strengthening Iraqi civil society... etc etc read more about niqash.

the site also facilitates blog creation.

Personal web-diaries ("?blogs"?) can be created and managed. Visitors can register for the "?niqash"?-newsletter, and even sign up for and use "?niqash mail"? - our very own e-mail service provider. niqash is produced by an Arab-German-Kurdish team in Berlin & Amman. It is published in English, Arabic, and Kurdish. The project is funded by the German Foreign Ministry and supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.

And woo-hooo, oh forget it. You'll just have to have a puddle around the site yourself to find out who's posting again. All secretively and unannounced.

Also, some valuable info here (guidelines for the constitution).

Khalid update - just another day

The petition link is still working, and is up to 301 signatures.

Spam is still being cleaned.

Note to cautious visitors; there is an option on the petition to not display your name, so you can sign it with your name and then click "Display in public list as Anonymous" if you don't want the rest of the web knowing who/where you are. I signed as emigre, but wimped out on the photo. A lot of people are not choosing Anonymous - perhaps in salutation to Khalid, who never posted anonymously.

The petition notes a photo gives your signature more impact. I suppose I could have posted a flower. Oh well.

Not meaning to sound overly casual, just making an effort to remain calm and collected.

Sign the petition, it's not endangering anyone - it's just a bit like tying a rag to the wailing wall. Or sending up a virtual prayer.

Update - haven't even posted this yet, and the petition is up to 305 signatures.

Khalid update - non-sensational

Playing it "normal" but keeping an eye on things;

This post over at Daily Kos;

This is what Juan Cole had to say (unverified) about jailed Iraqi blogger Khalid Jarrar:

"Iraqi Blogger Jailed

Iraqi blogger Khalid has been..." etc etc read whole thing including comments.

Apparently Juan Cole has taken down the original and is sitting on his hands about it at the moment. Because this is what great bloggers do best, let everybody know about stuff without over-reacting.

The point; everybody knows Khalid and cares about him. Nobody is ruffled, everybody is watching, some people are worried, and other people are cogently protecting other bloggers by not rushing full scale into "Mandela" mode.

Aren't bloggers great.

Khalid Update

Raed;

It seems that the new Iraqi courts don't guarantee the right to lawyers: prisoners are neither offered the help of a public defender nor can they bring their own lawyers. News about my sibling is so confusing, but we're expecting to know more tomorrow.

read whole thing.

The petition link is working, and someone is cleaning up spam.

Sign the petition

"The time is always right to do what is right" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/820522461?ltl=1121603411

Khalid appraisal

Khalid spends his sixth night in jail, despite rumors being posted by an anonymous commenter/s to the effect that he has "been released".

Faiza sounds worried sick. Raed takes it all in his stride (fresh post) and does not sound at all afraid.

The great thing about blogging, is that you get used to sleep deprivation so hopefully if Khalid's bed is a bit un-comfy he'll be immune to insomnia.

If anyone wants to kick me off the Khalid vigil and do a post - be my guest. I have to go and do my laundry soon.

Mind the trolls.

Another Khalid endorsement

Olive branch outraged/concerned;

"We believe it may have to do with him being a blogger."

Whole post here.

More Khalid endorsements

Fayrouz;

"Khalid Jarrar is NOT a Terrorist"

Read whole thing;

More Khalid update

CMPT (Committee to Protect Bloggers) are also watching, and waiting.

UPDATED update; Committee to protect bloggers have removed post. An anonymous commenter spreading misinformation had told them Khalid had been released. Khalid still in jail. Most definitely, still behind bars.

A disappearing post, ho'kay. A whole disappearing blogger, not ok.

Khalid update

In no particular order ~

Lim has blog plan.

AnaRi13 and Cecile have posted.

Riverbend posts;

We're all praying he'll be alright and that Allah/God gives his family the strength to make it through this.

Nid3eelek bil salameh wil rijoo3 ila il a7ibeh wil ahal wil 7'irooj min hathihi il mi7neh bi 7'air ya Khalid...

And there are 634 comment's on Raed's last post.

Khalid, we are thinking of you.

Please give us our Khalid back

I'm going to go ahead and go public with this blog in order to possibly get a few more people to send emails, letters...and to make phone calls on behalf of Khalid. You may go here to get your specific congressional representative's number and address. Just enter your zipcode on the front page and you'll be able to find the information. You will also be able to find your senator's information there, too.

Here's the Iraqi government's consular information. The email is bouncing back, but keep trying and send hard copy letters to the following address. Thanks to Juan Cole for posting this information. I made this blog earlier, thought better of going out with it, but then thought if I could get even a few people to help Khalid and send some letters and emails to their representative, then it was worth taking all the possible trolling. Anyway, it's just the right thing to do in this moment of time.

Please give us our Khalid back.

1801 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 483-7500

Embassy hours: Monday-Friday 9:30 AM - 5 PM
Consular Section hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10 AM - 3 PM

Please note: iraqia.washington@netzero.com will continue to operate. However, the new general e-mail address is admin@iraqiembassy.org.

Ambassador's Office
Fax: (202) 462-5066

Faiz Al-Gailani
Counselor / Deputy Chief of Mission
Fax: (202) 462-0564 '

Unafraid blogger offers self in exchange for Iraqi Prisoner

It's amazing isn't it. Hundreds and hundreds of blogs. Perhaps millions and millions of blogs. Certainly thousands and thousands of blogs. A lot of bloggers anyway, all sitting on their hands, waiting nervously, quietly, to hear news from certain places.

I only can guess the silence surrounding Khalid's arrest may stem from fear of association. It is not much different from days of old really is it. Somebody disappears and nobody else wants to know.

What kind of democracy is it when people behave exactly as they might under a dictatorship.

In any case, being a fearless blogger I have a proposition to make. Guessing my exact location is probably known by now. By whoever possesses Khalid's hard-drive. Or ought I publish my home address, just to verify, and a pick-up time? It would really be no trouble and I don't mind being deported. My ancestors were used to keeping a bag packed "just in case" and, having inherited the habit, I'm all ready.

I offer myself, in exchange, publicly, for Khalid Jarrar.

Yours in chivalry,

emigre.

Ferid is Okay

I was trying to find out if he was okay for the last 3 days.. Today, I finally made the last move, which was hard to do, as it was a little embarrassing, at least for me.

I e-mailed all of his friends who has signed his guest book on his website.. And I got a reply!!
So, Ferid is Okay.. A little lazy and busy, but okay. His friend assured me that he'll tell him that there are people who want him back and are waiting for his posts.

So, problem one was no problem at all.. What about problem two, what about Khalid?

WHAT??

Raed in the Middle: "My mom called me today at 7 in the morning, shouting with happiness: 'Khalid is okay!'. Niki and I were the last members of the family to know the 'happy news'. Khalid called my dad from the Iraqi mokhabarat's jail to inform us he was alive; he said he was abducted by the mukhabarat men from his university. My dad called my mom and Majed, and they informed us then."

I'm worried, too worried... God, just let him bsck to us, safely, and soon..

Cold hard blog facts

Writing under censorship always fascinated me. It seemed so courageous, somehow, and so clever - veiling all those secret references and sneaking all those inane injokes past the state censors. But now that so many people, everywhere, are writing up such a haze, such elaborate and flimsy smoke-screens, I feel compelled to speak plainly. I feel compelled, to slice through the haze.

There is something all visitors to this blog must know - there are two distinct types of fabrication. One is cast in paid laboratories, and supplemented by trusting happenstance individuals. The other is composed by systematic (predictable in it's chaos) anarchy, and supplemented by trusting happenstance individuals. Please, Phoebus, may anyone visiting this site have the wisdom to know the difference and the courage to call both on their bluff.

I suppose it's just one of those quantum ironies that while Truth is smeared almost beyond recognition by war, the ugly truth buried within humanities psyche is also exposed by war. How can anyone deny that blood and flesh are real. No less when it is your own. And so, the wounded pile up all around, in body, in spirit, in mind, broken, the world over. Questioning profit and motive without moving a lip. Filling makeshift graves with impromptu and unplanned retrospective, mutely oblivious to the fantasies "time" will twine together in tomorrow's headlines. For the news hungry, truth dolled out by dieticians. The world wide web's gut rumbles, undernourished. There is no substance in deceit.

And so some of us, find comfort in these things. In the ugly, the burnt out, the misspelled and the real cold hard pinch as we sting ourselves back to conscience with brutal imagery and the courage to face our dead. The Frey to publish, least I be haunted by saccharine memory and half soaked oily columns justifying war.

Where is he?

I know I'm not the only one who gets concerned when a blogger disappears, even if for a short period.. Especially Iraqi bloggers.

Am I the only one who noticed Mustang's disappearance a year ago.. He was a contractor in Iraq, active in commenting, and had a blog too.. I remembered him today, I searched for his profile, his blog has disappeared, and when I e-mail him, I get an error message.

This is not comforting, or is it?

Recently, a fellow Iraqi blogger disappeared too. Ferid, from Iraqi4Ever. We know he's finished his exams. He's disappeared and I haven't heard from him since the 29th of May.

Has anyone heard of him? E-mailed and got a reply?

We should find a way to connect.. Even when there are obstacles in the way. Does anyone have ideas?

May God protect Iraq and the Iraqis..

Short update

Iraq Body Count as at 4:45pm today; somewhere between 22787 and 25814 civilians have been reported killed by military intervention in Iraq.

Ps, Khalid has posted again.

I thought

I thought
the web
was a type of haram
and some of us were haram-keepers
not to be confused
with harem-keepers

The wikipedia;

"Haram means (is Arabic for) "inviolate zones", an important aspect of urban planning in Muslim civilization.They were sanctuaries, or places where contending parties could settle disputes peacefully. Towns were usually built near a river which provided drinking and domestic water (upstream) and carried away waste and sewage (downstream, usually underground).

I thought
the web
was a type of ghetto
and anonymous was it's
golem
not to be confused with gollum

Biederman:

"Golem; a mythical symbolic figure of a robot-like being consisting of matter artificially brought to life and capable of threatening its creator. Whereas Frankenstein's monster (in Mary Shelley's novel of 1818) is supposedly put toget her from parts of human bodies, the golem of Jewish myth is the product of a legendary act of creation through language. 'Golem' literally means something like 'unformed material', like Adam before his soul was breathed into him. [The legendary golem which inspired fear in the heart of his master] can be understood as a warning against the unthinking use of magical powers, which become too much for us, making us lose controll."

I almost thought
the web might be
a church archive
where births and deaths are kept
but I could not reconcile myself with the deaths
so paused the analogy there.