Alisa In Wonderland

2003-05-30T18:14:00.000-04:00

Has moved!

Alisa can now be found at -

http://alisainwonderland.silentrunning.tv

You should be re-directed there shortly...

2003-05-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

My birthday is more than a month from now, but Wind Rider already gave me a present. Go take a look.

2003-05-16T11:04:00.000-04:00

I don't usually read blogs that are mostly filled with linkage, and I am trying to do my best to keep my blog from becoming one of those. One Instapundit is enough, and there will be no other any time soon, because he does his job very well indeed. Unfortunately, the reason that I don't check him out as often as I should is that I simply don't have the time to follow all the interesting links he provides. But sometimes I read something that just makes me go: "Did you see this?!!!", and this is all I can say. This is what happened when I read this. I am just going to add that for the last few years, while I was either busy with my life, or was sleeping (not nearly enough of that), the world has gone mad. Oh, and thanks to Steve for this post, and yes, for the link.

2003-05-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

It has finally happened. Today, as I often do when running errands in the morning, I was listening to the Diane Rehm show on NPR. Steve Roberts was sitting in, and the discussion was on the Saudi-American relations, following the latest attack in Riyadh. I was listening to the usual drivel by the usual suspects: some Arab apologists and their American supporters. I can almost always predict who is going to say what next on one of these shows, and unfortunately it includes the callers as well. I can also time fairly accurately when the word Israel gets thrown into the discussion: several minutes after the words "Arab anger" are uttered. I have long ago given up on trying to get on the air on one of those shows, but I am always hoping for some other sane person to succeed. It never happened, until today. The guy just let them have it, short and to the point. The apologists were audibly taken aback. A forced laughter, and some condescending lecturing followed. I have reached the parking lot, and got out of the car. My day had a good beggining.

2003-05-14T16:15:00.000-04:00

It has finally happened. Today, as i often do when running errands in the morning, listening to the Diane Rehm show on NPR. Steve Roberts was sitting in, and the discussion was on the Saudi-American relations, following the latest attack in Ryad. I was listening to the usual drivel by the usual suspects: some Arab apologists and their American supporters. I can almost always predict who is going to say what next on one of these shows, and unfortunately it includes the callers as well. I can also time fairly accurately when the word Israel gets thrown into the discussion: several minutes after the words "Arab anger" are uttered. I have long ago given up on trying to get on the air on one of those shows, but I am always hoping for some other sane person to succeed. It never happened, until today. The guy just let them have it, short and to the point. The apologists wer audibly taken aback. A forced laughter followed. I have reached the parking lot, and got out of the car. There is justice in the world.

2003-05-14T16:04:00.000-04:00

Something funny happened to me today: I went to Wal-Mart to get some things, among them a paint thinner. I ran into a clerk at the paint section, and told him that I need a thinner. "Excuse me?" "A thinner." "What?" It happens all the time: my accent. The really funny part was when the clerk who stood a couple of feet behind the first guy waved at me, saying: "I know what you are saying - it's over there". The guy was from India, accent and all. Both of us had a good laugh.

2003-05-13T12:18:00.000-04:00

Well, what do you know: just when I decided to put the transfer idea aside for a while, some people seem to be warming up to it. That's good, not because I am so certain the idea itself is good, but because I like it to be on the table and part of the public debate. I agree with Diana that it is not practical at this point, though. But the "Road Map" is not, either. So, are we going to have to kill all of them, after all? Or is there a way to weed out the suicidal ones? Stay tuned.

Also, check out this post by Allison, including the comments. If I am going to rant on her blog, I might as well send her whatever little traffic I can - she deserves it.

And, BTW, in case you have not noticed after you read that last link: I am pissed.

2003-05-12T15:48:00.000-04:00

With regard to this post: I really don't have a problem with the fact that Sadat's reasons for making peace with Israel were pragmatic, practical or even selfish. In fact, I wish there was much more pragmatism and practicality in the Arab world - all of us would have been much better off. There is enough selfishness going around there, but it has the most primitive form, one that for the most part is not based on long-term considerations.

Arab leaders are often held as examples of such self-defeating selfishness. It seems that even those in the West who recognize that there is a problem with the Arab culture, still tend to blame these leaders for that culture's failures. The thinking goes that most Arabs live under oppressive tyrants, who only care about their own well-being, and not at all about that of their own people. It is true, of course, but it misses the point.

We in the West mostly realize that there are at least some selfish motives to people's desire for leadership. But our system ensures that in the long term our leaders are better off when the country as a whole is better off. In the Arab world, there is no such system in place, so there is no incentive for leaders to strive for the improvement of their countrymen’s condition. That is quite obvious to many in the West, and that is why it is thought that establishing democracy in these countries will help solve the problem.

The problem with that is the underlying assumption that it is natural for people to strive for the improvement of their condition. Or, rather, that this is the top priority of all people everywhere. I am not so sure that is the case in the Arab world. Not that I think that Arabs don’t want a better life for themselves and their families, but I am afraid they have other priorities that are more important. In fact, some times those priorities may be even more important than one’s own life, not to mention the lives of others.

2003-05-11T12:05:00.000-04:00

The house is up for sale, and there is a lot of work to do putting it in a presentable shape. It is kind of hard to do with two dogs and two kids (one is 56) around. I painted the baseboards last night, only to find out this morning that they were not completely dry yet, and had bunches of dog hair sticking to them. You really needed to know that, right?

My son has finally discovered the ultimate argument: "It is my room, and I don't care if it's dirty." Are they supposed to come up with this stuff before they are teenagers?
And the way he kept asking grandpa "Why are you looking at me?" is kind of a teenage style, I thought. Speaking of grandpa, he is back home safely. He enjoyed Pashosh very much. However he kept wondering why am I yelling so much at such a well behaved child. Yes, sure, his mother yelled at him. Heck, she even beat him up. "Were you well behaved, grandpa?" "Sure I was." Grandpa did not get to spend a lot of time with his own children because of work, so I am guessing this makes his frame of reference somewhat unreliable. What is more interesting is that my husband shares his father's wonderment at my yelling. But that's a whole other post that you don't want to read.

Where was I? Oh, yes: busy. Last night I have figured out the basics of Citydesk, and am still trying to figure it out beyond the basics. I hope to move off of Blogspot after we move. I am also occasionally reading a book on HTML. It's kind of neat. Maybe by the time I'm old I will become a geek.

So there. Now you know why posting might be light again. Don't go away, though: we will be back sometime.

2003-05-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

Two articles in the New Yorker, describing the situation in Baghdad about a month ago (including incidents of looting and civilian casualties) without an apparent bias.

Another one, from the Weekly Standard (by a NY Post embed), cannot not be called "unbiased", but provides a welcome balance to the leftist media's reports of the Iraqis' reaction to the war and the allied troops. Even if the truth is somewhere in the middle, it is still not too bad.

(Thanks to John Anderson for the links.)

2003-05-10T00:25:00.000-04:00

Jennifer had me laughing again. (Permalinks don't work - need to republish your archives, dear...):

You're never gonna believe this...

apparently Israel has managed, through genetic engineering and a rigorous high-protein diet or something like that, to produce it's own race of GIANT SOLDIERS.... no shit....it's right in the JPost headline: "Palestinians: Large IDF Troops enter Tulkarem Refugee Camp".

Now I know why my husband is on this stupid protein diet. And, mind you, the guy does not even like meat all that much...

Come to think of it, I'd like to know where were some of the PETA members on 4/17, what were they doing, and did anyone see them there doing it?

2003-05-10T00:02:00.000-04:00

Aziz quotes Haggai, who earlier quoted this:

In 1953, when a rumor that Hitler might still be alive circulated around the world, an Arab newspaper asked some public figures what they would say to Hitler if they could contact him. As quoted in Bernard Lewis' book "Semites and Anti-Semites," this Arab officer responded: "I congratulate you with all my heart, because, though you appear to have been defeated, you were the real victor." [...] 24 years later, in 1977, the Nazi collaborator and author of that passage--Anwar Sadat--became the first Arab leader to visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

Now, this logic supposedly should be applied to abu-Mazen. I am not going to dwell on the several reasons why the two cases are different. I am just going to poiint out two important facts. One is that Sadat is dead (not a natural death, mind you). The other is that the real reason Egypt has not been at war with Israel since 1973 has little to do with the fact that Sadat visited Jerusalem (although this is the reason why he is dead). The real reason for this non-war status is the fact that Egypt was badly beaten in 1973. Another is that there is no longer a Soviet Union to support Egypt financially and militarily. On the other hand, there is the American financial support, that is clearly conditioned on Egypt's nonbelligerency. Just folow the money, and things clear up.

2003-05-09T23:36:00.000-04:00

A very cool new ad by Honda". (Flash6 is required, and thanks to Blue Goldfish Café for the link). A note to whomever on that site that though I am like him/her and wondering how can tires roll uphill: I am not. And you must be kidding. My tires, and everyone else's tires roll uphill every day (well, mine don't, but they could if I lived in Beverly Hills...). They had force applied to them, see? And see what I mean when I talk about our schools?

2003-05-09T23:05:00.000-04:00

Go Read This. This is what I am talking about (among other things) when I say that I hate my son's school. Mrs. du Toit describes her experience in a high school 30 years ago. I am curious what did elementary and middle schools look like then. I don't know about the rest of the world, but both in USSR and in Israel we had a recess every 50 minutes. A real recess. We jus poured out of the classroom, and went where we wanted, and did what we wanted. I hope Israeli educators don't get any stupid ideas into their stupid heads and "americanize" this as well. My son deserves a childhood.

2003-05-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

A very good post by Aziz. I have to absolutely agree that most observations of positive (from the American perspective) influence of the war in Iraq on other Arab countries', and Iran's, policies, is wishful thinking at this point. I have not been reading his blog often, but my impression is that he was, and still is, less than supportive of the war in Iraq. Thus, I am more optimistic about this war than he is. I merely think that it is way too early to see any such positive influence. We need to be patient, as well as focused and persistent.

As to the looting of the nuclear material, it is very worrisome, obviously. I don't have the necessary information on the looting itself to form an opinion, but two things are clear to me: one is that it is silly to tie the looting to the forces that have been assigned to guard the oil fields. These are two absolutely separate issues. It may well be that we have royally screwed up with regard to that looting. Does it mean that we should not have guarded the oil fields? Nonsense.

The other thing that is clear to me, is that WMDs getting into terrorists' hands is not the only reason we had to go to war in Iraq, Bush's assertions notwithstanding (This is one other thing Aziz and I seem to have in common: I am still having a hard time warming up to Bush). There are at least a few other places in the world where such weapons/materials may be present, and where terrorists could get their hands on them (Russia, for example). A more important reason was that in Iraq we had a dictator who was actively working towards producing a nuclear weapon. One of the things the war has clearly accomplished, was diffusing the danger of Iraq becoming a North Korea. The looting, however serious, did not diminish this accomplishment in any way.

2003-05-08T17:44:00.000-04:00

The Interfaith Zionist Leadership Summit

Saturday, May 17-18, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

The objectives:

* to assure Israel's survival in the face of Palestinian terrorism and the Quartet's Road Map for imposing an irredentist Arab state in the "West Bank" and Gaza.

* to educate the public on the threat of Palestinian statehood to America's true and enduring national interests.

* to document the responsibility of Palestinian leadership and society - aided and abetted by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, other terrorist states - for originating and sustaining jihad/intifada violence.

* to expose media ignorance and bias in Middle East coverage and virulent Anti-Israel/Anti-Semitic agitation on campus.

* to solidify and chart future strategy for the emerging alliance of Jewish and Christian Zionists.

Speakers will include, Daniel Pipes, Joseph Farah, Michael Ledeen, Frank Gaffney and presenters from CAMERA and JINSA.

More information here.

2003-05-08T15:58:00.000-04:00

Oh, and by the way, for those of you who have been wondering whatever happened to our "repatriation" plans: if you are looking for a nice house, I have one to sell.

2003-05-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

Well, what do you know. I was so busy yesterday annoying everyone who is unfortunate enough to be on my e-mail list with the announcement of SR new headquaters, that not did only I forget to post it on my own blog, but I also forgot to change the link on my own blogroll. Anyway, go say "hi", change your bookmarks and permalinks, and hopefully one of us will get to some real posting real soon...really.
Update: yes, there is a link now...

2003-05-07T10:10:00.000-04:00

More news (not all good):

Iran's reformist MPs warn Islamic republic's hardliners to allow reforms, call for normalised foreign relations. (ME Online).

India not satisfied with Pakistani offer. 9 Die in Kashmir Ahead of U.S. Subcontinent Visit (Reuters).

NY Times: U.S. troops in Iraq searching for ancient Talmud find intelligence papers, maps pertaining to Israel (Haaretz). Update: the NYT story (thanks to USF).

Diplomat says U.S. will let inspectors from UN`s nuclear watchdog agency return to Iraq (Haaretz.)

PFLP says ready to close offices to ease pressure on Syria (Haaretz.)

Lebanese officials: Suspects detained for bomb attacks on Western targets tried to kill U.S. ambassador Lebanon (Haaretz.)

2003-05-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

In the Good News department: Qatar Appoints First Woman Minister.

2003-05-07T08:46:00.000-04:00

Writing about Wolf yesterday reminded me again of my high school years in Israel. We went to a boarding school, that was - and still is - primarily intended for children of olim (new immigrants). Those probably were best 5 years of my life. I miss the place terribly, and I miss the people even more.

3 years ago, when I took Pashosh to Israel, my friend Anna and I also took him for a visit at the school. The place is as beautiful as it was then, probably even more, with all the oak trees grown older. I think Pashosh did not know what to make of it: it does not at all look like a school as he knows it. It really looks and feels like a village.

I had not visited their web site for a while, so today I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have added an Eglish site. I wish they had larger pictures of the place - it would be something to look at. Go take a look anyway.
Speaking of pictures: that picture of Wolf is not a very good one, obviously. I don't have any pictures of him, because we did not have cameras then - most of us could not afford one.

2003-05-06T22:19:00.000-04:00

Amitai Etzioni"s blog has become one of my daily must-reads. I really like both the content and the style.

2003-05-06T21:52:00.000-04:00

Piracy seems to be having a modern day comeback in the Pacific. Thanks to Oskar van Rijswijk at CP for the link.

2003-05-06T16:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence Day.

2003-05-06T16:32:00.000-04:00

Wolf Platonov, 2/1/1961 (Gagarin, USSR) - 8/1/1982 (Beirut, Lebanon)

I only now managed to find Wolf's page on this Heberw site, to which Imshin linked. There is not much I can say here about Wolf, except that he was one of my best friends, and one of the most interesting and unusual people I have ever met. I cannot say much, because the things I would have said would sound mundane, or silly, or insignificant. They are not to me, though. They are some of my happiest memories. And I know there are many other people who feel the same way about him.

Yehi zichro baruch.

2003-05-05T21:14:00.000-04:00

Some more news (not all are good):

From SKY News: The Union flag is flying again over the British embassy in Baghdad as diplomats returned for the first time since the Gulf War 12 years ago.

Federal, state, local authorities in U.S. to hold joint drills next week to test response to terror attack with WMD (Haaretz.)

Hezbollah fires anti-aircraft shells over eastern sector of Israeli-Lebanese border, no injuries (Haaretz.)

Israeli killed, 2 seriously hurt in West Bank shooting attack (Haaretz.)

UK probes ties between British bombers and Libya, Algeria (Haaretz.)

2003-05-05T20:39:00.000-04:00

It looks like there are some good news coming out of Pakistan and India.

2003-05-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars
and Israel Independence Day

6-7 May 2003 - 4-5 Iyar 5763

Thanks to Imshin for the link.

2003-05-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

Bwahaaaaaaa! (No permalinks - the top one...)Ha-ha-ha-ha! Ik...

2003-05-04T20:09:00.000-04:00

My friend Sarah called me last week. "How are you, Alisa?" she asked.
"Fine, how are you?"
"So, what do you think?"
"About what?" I laughed. I knew very well what Sarah was talking about. She always calls me when something significant happens in the ME.
"The war! What do you think?" Needless to say, we have discussed this before.
"What do I think? I am not surprised, I can tell you that. Everything went more or less as I expected. What do you think?"
"I hate it! It is disgusting!"
I proceed calmly. I ask her what is so disgusting. "The war! I hate war, it is wrong! It is only good for Bush, because he gets the oil."
"OK, but who is it bad for?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said it is good for Bush. Is there anyone it is bad for?"
"Well, how would you feel if someone from your family was killed in battle there?"
I point out that the US military is composed of volunteers, and that they were not forced to go and fight there. “What about the Iraqi people, and all the terrible things we now know they had to endure under Saddam? Is it bad for them?"
"Well, maybe it is good for them, but..."
"Maybe?"
"I don't want to talk about it any more...Let's talk about something else."
"Whatever you say, Sarah. You know I love you, no matter what your views are!"
"Yes, I love you, too, but..."

- - -

I first met Sarah when I was pregnant with Pashosh. Sarah is an artist. She has been painting pictures for as long as she can remember. She still has a painting of her late mother in her little studio, as well as of some other members of her family - most long gone.

Sarah was born and grew up in Palestine, sometime during the first decade of the last century. Hers was a prominent Sepharadic family. All of the children went to Alliance, and everyone spoke French at home. When Sarah was 18, she left for Paris to study art. There she met Paul, her future husband. Paul took Sarah to his little hometown, and introduced her to anyone he could. He also told anyone who would listen that his wife is Jewish. (He was young and idealistic, and naturally and fashionably cosmopolitan). He regretted that when the Germans came and started rounding up the Jews. They had to leave. They started moving south, until finally reaching the Marseilles area.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s brother, who also came to France to study, and who married a Jewish girl from Russia and had a baby girl with her, had joined the resistance, was caught by the Germans and killed. Soon thereafter the baby’s mother fell ill and died. Sarah and Paul adopted the baby, and Paul adopted his wife’s and his late brother’s in-law last name, so as to avoid embarrassment for his adopted daughter when she grew up.

It was clear to them that they were not going to stay in Europe after the war. Paul’s best friend has left and settled in the US, and was trying to arrange a job here for Paul, who was a biologist. They corresponded for a while, then the friend stopped writing. Years later when they finally found each other in the US, it turned out that the guy’s wife disapproved of that correspondence, and started hiding/destroying the letters. By the time they found each other, though, he was divorced, and remarried, to a woman who turned out to be Sarah’s best friend from Palestine.

Sarah, Paul and their adopted daughter lived in several places, including Mexico, and a few years in Israel in the 80ies. They eventually ended up retiring in a small house in a nice college town in Missouri, not far from their daughter and her family. Paul died some 10 years ago, and so Sarah moved to a retirement home. She was still driving until about a year ago, and my husband once caught her trying to pull a fast one on a policeman at a scene of an accident. She is still painting, though – her favorite method is encaustic. She uses a torch to heat the wax. She never worked outside the home, but she always painted.

- - -

At the end of our rather short conversation Sarah informed me that she was so upset about the war, that she got into a wheelchair with an umbrella in hand (it was raining), and went out to join a protest demonstration. “Good for you!”, I said. I meant it, too.

2003-05-03T13:02:00.000-04:00

Saw "Identity" last night. An interesting movie. Not great, amazing or anything like that, but, as thrillers go, has an unusual premise, and is quite well executed. Two warnings, if you are planning to see it. First, it has some scenes that are quite gruesome. If I was to compare it's level of gruesomeness, I'd probably think of "Se7en". I'd place these two movies in the same category, the one usually called "Psychological Thriller". What is good about "Identity" is that it is not nearly as pretentious as "Se7en" was.

Which brings me to another warning. Well, not so much a warning, more of an observation. The movie has a somber, realistic look and feel to it. But it also has some elements that feel unfittingly cheesy. For example, watch for a scene where John Cusack is telling his story (while taking pictures). What is interesting is that after the movie ended, all this "cheesiness" became, in my view, consistent with the premise. I am very curious about other's take on this. If you cannot comment without revealing the premise, send me an e-mail.

Update: I just read these reviews from the NYT and the LAT. The former mentiones cheese...

2003-05-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

I never knew that G. W. Bush served in the military, and even was a pilot (or maybe I just did not pay too much attention to the fact during the election campaign). So I was pleasantly surprised last night. Sure, it was a PR stunt, and not a bad one, either. But coolness aside, I think it is a plus to have a president who has some idea about how military operates, especially in times of war. It is not for nothing that so many Israeli PM's have been former generals.

While thinking about W's background, and how much (or little?) I was able to learn about it during his election campaign, I remembered the time just before the elections, as I very often have been since 9/11. Just a couple of days before the vote I had a conversation with a neighbor, who told me she was going to vote for Bush. As one of the major reasons for this she gave the need to support the military, which has been severely undermined under Clinton. Despite the fact that I voted for Gore, this actually seemed like a pretty good reason, although at the time it still did not sound important enough for me to change my mind. Then she mentioned something that stuck in my mind, and that was the bombing of the USS Cole. It did not make much sense to me at the time, and we did not get a chance to elaborate on the issue, but I kept thinking about it repeatedly. I don't think I was even fully aware of the existence of al-Qaida and bin-Laden at that time, and that bombing seemed just like an isolated incident. It was in the ME, after all...

Of course, after 9/11 everything became so much clearer. I don't know much about my neighbor’s and her family's background, and if they are connected to the military, or some information sources in any way (which could have explained her being better aware of the imminent danger than other ordinary people). What I am curious about is how many people who were in a position to know, actually knew, and how much hell did they, or did they not try to raise over the issue during the Clinton years. I am especially curious how many of those people were Republicans. Like, say, members of various classified committees of Congress. I am also wondering why was it that the Republicans tried to topple Clinton not over security and defense concerns, but over Monica Lewinski issue.

2003-05-01T08:55:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy. Hope to resume posting tonight.

2003-04-30T11:52:00.000-04:00

I think this would be my last public service announcement for today: we at SR have absolutely had it with Blogger. Consequently, we are trying to raise some, um - what do you call it...oh, yeah, money. We are trying to raise some money which would enable us to switch to MT, by covering the hosting, domain name and whatever other geeky expenses may come up in the process. The tip jar is at the top of the front page - you cannot miss it. And thank you.

2003-04-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

A new group blog, Free Speech, is looking for contributors. If you are interested, go and send Del an e-mail.

2003-04-30T09:19:00.000-04:00

Allison has written an overview of Israeli English blogs, and she is lucky enough to have been able to do it as part of her day job. Go check it out. Hopefully, next such overview will include your's truly.

2003-04-28T16:10:00.000-04:00

Alex posted some of the following in Russian. I googled for an English version, and found it here:

Yossel Rakover's Appeal To G-d

In the ruins of the Ghetto of Warsaw, among heaps of charred rubbish, there was found, packed tightly into a small bottle, a testament, written during the ghetto's last hours by a Jew named Yossel Rakover. Some extracts are written below:

"I am proud that I am a Jew not in spite of the world's treatment of us, but precisely because of this treatment. I should be ashamed to belong to the people who spawned and raised the criminals who are responsible for the deeds that have been perpetrated against us or to any people who tolerated these deeds.

I believe that to be a Jew means to be a fighter, an everlasting swimmer against the turbulent human current. The Jew is a hero, a martyr, a saint. You, our evil enemies, declare that we are bad. I believe that we are better and finer than you, but even if we were worse, I should like to see how you would look in our place!

I die peacefully, but not complacently; persecuted but not enslaved; embittered, but not cynical; a believer, but not a supplicant; a lover of G-d, but no blind amen-sayer of His.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our G-d the Lord is One. Into your hands, O Lord, I consign my soul."

Tonight, and tomorrow is Yom Hashoa - The Holocaust Day.

Update: I would like to thank Michal Cahlon for alerting me to the possibility that the piece is most likely a literary fiction. I find it very powerful nonetheless.

2003-04-28T10:37:00.000-04:00

USA Today: Aziz says Saddam survived airstrikes mounted to kill him

2003-04-27T18:02:00.000-04:00

I was born in Russia in 1960. It was only 15 years after WWII ended, but to a child 15 or 20 years is like eternity, so it always seemed to me like a very distant past. On the other hand, “The Great War for Motherland”, as it was called, was ever present in my childhood, and in the Soviet culture in general. Numerous books, songs and movies dealt with that war. In the city where I grew up there were still signs left on some streets reminding people to walk on the shaded side of the street. I don’t know the real explanation for this, but I recall that it had to do with the constant bombings by the Germans. Every family was in some way affected by war. My grandmother told me the same stories again and again. She got stuck in the city under blockade. There was very little food that was rationed, mostly dark Russian bread, that, as time progressed, had less and less flour in it. My grandmother learned how to drive a truck, and took up a job as a bread-truck driver. On most days she had to stop and run for cover when the sirens went off. She also had to stop and get someone to help her move some dead bodies out of the way. But she always had enough bread.

As a result of all this I felt very personal about that war in general and Germans in particular. In a way, living under blockade did not seem anywhere as scary as living under direct German occupation, and was the case in Ukraine and Belarus, for example. I strongly identified with some young partisan heroes in books and movies, and imagined with terror being caught and tortured by the Germans.

There was a radio show that I remember, in which people were looking for other people from whom they got separated because of the war: relatives, friends, high school sweethearts, fellow soldiers. There is a similar show on the Israeli radio that is still running after 58 years. It is about 15 minutes long, and is aired every weekday.
I first learned about the Holocaust in Israel. Before that I knew that many Jews were killed. I also knew about the concentration camps, but I did not know that they were mostly designed for and occupied by Jews. I did not know there was a grand plan to kill all Jews wherever they were. After I learned that, it all became even more personal. I was no longer a young partisan hiding in the woods with my friends. Now I was getting off a cattle car, huddled with hundreds of others, waiting to be directed: to the right or to the left?

I don’t particularly like reading about the Holocaust, because I feel that I know all I need to know about it. I know very little, I am sure, but I am always afraid that I might just learn something that will make it impossible to even think about it any more. I can hardly handle the idea as it is. I cannot talk about it without crying. I tell my son about it sometimes in little bits, not because I think he cannot handle it, but because I know I can’t. Maybe that is the reason every time I hear someone trying to deny that it happened, I have this strange glimmer of hope: maybe it did not happen after all? Maybe it was all one huge mistake? What a relief it would be.

2003-04-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

OK, I am back to my normal moderate self. I still think that Arabs are Arabs, but I am no longer mad about the fact that they don't put it in quite these terms on TV. Besides, I realised that morning and day time is a bad time to watch any of the news channels. I guess the news during that time is geared towards dumb houswives like yours truly. They don't want to upset us too much by some serious stuff, lest we burn the onions, or the husband's shirt. I'll have them know that I actually burn the onions when there is nothing interesting on TV, so I keep sneaking away to the computer, and forget to check the stove.

Some housekeeping (again?) stuff: like everyone else, I am tired of chasing Blogger for my archives. I looked into MT, but - just as I expected - Adelphia does not support CGI scripts (whatever they are). I also looked into Citydesk, but it seems too techie for me. If anyone has any advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

2003-04-23T21:26:00.000-04:00

It's not just the stupid smiles on the talking heads' faces that made me mad about TV today. When I see those Shiites gushing their heads and calling for US to get out, I am not thinking: "The recently liberated Iraqis use their newly gained freedom to protest the US occupation". I am thinking: "The f...ing Arabs are being f...ing Arabs". And I was going to post a rant about it that would most probably end my non-existent blogging career. I was already prepared to take my comments down. And my Sitemeter too. To be fair to myself, I was going to mention the fact that my almost new blender keeps leaking (I stress "almost new", because I no longer have the receipt that would enable me to take it to WalMart and throw it in their face). And that Brandon has finally forced me to roll up the beautiful Persian rugs he kept on chewing (yes, Persian rugs -you have a problem with that?). And the dog hair all over the house. And the lousy school that is "the best school around". And...you get the idea. As you can see, I was in a mood.

But it's mostly over now. I went to see if Steve had his nightly post up yet, and he sure did. And he actually managed to convince me that Arabs might one day become, well, different, if only Americans put their mind to it. Americans have quite a checkered record in that department, but they did do it in the past, so I think there is hope they might do it again. Stranger things had happened. Really. I am feeling a little bit better now - thank you for asking.

2003-04-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I am getting tired of that FOX TV's cheerful patriotism. I kind of enjoyed it when there was fighting going on, but I have my limits. It is probably just me (reminds me of the Old Country too much, I guess), but I just cannot help it. Tried to switch to MSNBC - not as patriotic, but still dumb. And forget CNN. Besides, when "American Idol" becomes a news item, something tells me I am not about to miss much by turning the tube off. OK, so I'll miss something. So I won't be the first to post it on CP. But I just cannot take this crap any more. I guess it is back to NPR. Damn.

2003-04-22T16:37:00.000-04:00

I cannot take the f...ing school any more. They don't teach them how to think. They feed everything with a spoon to them, and when you ask them to think for themselves, they freak out. Damn. I am tried of it.

P.S. Jennifer mentioned private/religious schools. It reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a woman I know who's son goes to a Jewish school in our area. I was telling her how Pashosh often tells me about a movie they watched at school (while not necessarily going out for a reccess on that day). Her reply was: "At least you don't pay for them to watch a movie - I do".

2003-04-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

Kurd leader says Bush proposed a federation for Iraq. Reuters: "President Bush has proposed a very good proposal for Iraq, a federation, and that we support," Talabani told Garner before lunch.

2003-04-22T09:53:00.000-04:00

Love me love me love me
Say you do
Let me fly away
with you
For my love is like
the wind
And wild is the wind

Give me more
than one caress
Satisfy this
hungriness
Let the wind
blow through your heart
For wild is the wind

You...
touch me...
I hear the sound
of mandolins
You...
kiss me...
With your kiss
my life begins
You're spring to me
All things
to me

Don't you know you're
life itself
Like a leaf clings
to a tree
Oh my darling,
cling to me
For we're creatures
of the wind
And wild is the wind
So wild is the wind

Wild is the wind
Wild is the wind

(1957) Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington

Nina Simon died yesterday at the age of 70.

2003-04-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

Dubai`s Al Arabiya TV: warheads with what appears to be biological material have been found in Baghdad.(Haaretz).

Walla: the warheads carry a "Do not touch" sign, they are painted white, with tips painted red. They are said to have been found in a residential building in the center of the city. The area is said to have been occupied by Iraqi senior officials. In an adjacent room a drone was found. Residents in the area said that the items were brought into the building by members of the Iraqi army's corps of engineering[?] a few days before the war started.

2003-04-21T12:49:00.000-04:00

This Jennifer girl who reports from Baghdad for Fox, is just adorable. I hate that word, but she really is.

2003-04-20T10:50:00.000-04:00

Not only CNN: From "BBC Reporters' log: Final thoughts":

Baghdad :: Paul Wood

We were living and reporting from a Stalinist state. We were constantly being monitored by the Iraqis.
At one point they did actually preview a tape, but mainly it was a case of the press centre officials listening to broadcasts.
The head of the press centre had the BBC, CNN and al-Jazeera on three televisions in his room all the time. They listened intensively to the BBC Arabic Service.
As tanks rolled into Baghdad, Iraqi media minders vanished
The difficult thing was to go as far as you could and not get yourself thrown out, or worse, but not to mislead the viewers and listeners. And I think we have a pretty sophisticated audience on the BBC. We were able to give certain hints...

...But I'm very glad that nobody was misled by him because one felt a terrible weight of responsibility. You had to report what the Iraqis were saying, yet a lot of it was clearly bare-faced lies.

2003-04-19T23:39:00.000-04:00

Pakistani helicopter downed, 3 Americans and 4 Pakistanis injured. Walla (citing Reuters): the helicopter belongs to the Pakistany military, and was shot in the South of Pakistan. The helicopter is thought to be part of the American patrols of the Pakistani gas fields.

2003-04-19T13:31:00.000-04:00

OK, the news have been quite slow for the last several days, but my war-induced adrenalin rush (it's all that endless build-up that is to blame: we've been waiting for a year for a 3 week long war) has not tapered off enough for any serious blogging. That's too bad, because now is a good time to sit down, and take a look at some of the issues that are sure to be influenced by the outcome of the war. (Road Map anyone?). On the other hand, it may be just a bit too early for that. So I decided that I might just as well catch up on some ironing, and maybe get out of the house for a change, before it gets too hot. I'll still try to keep up with the news, as much as I can, and post anything I find interesting. And if, by some miracle, I happen to have any "deep thoughts" about anything, I promise to share them with you. You have hereby been warned.

2003-04-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

A member of the Russian Duma, known for his opposition to some of Putin's policies, including the war in Chechnya, has been assassinated.

2003-04-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

During the year or so since I have discovered the blogosphere I have made more friends than I have during any similar period of my life. Even though I have never met any of them, I feel like I actually have. I can talk to them whenever I have something on my mind, or if I just have a question, or need an advice. Or we can just tell each other the latest jokes. Or just not talk at all for a while. I know how some of them look, but for most I have this "picture" that is not really visual. It's more like the kind of a mental image one forms in one's mind for characters in an engaging novel. Come to think of it, this whole experience has been like a good long book, with two big differences: the book is being written as the events happen, and I am part of the story, helping to write it.

Yes, I do have real life(?) friends. Most of them are in Israel, some are in Missouri. Some are in Russia, and I have lost touch with them some 30 years ago. Some are no longer alive. All of them are with me, most of the time. (Luckily for me, one of my real life friends is reading my blog regularly, a fact that serves as my anchor to Mother Earth).

Anyway, all I wanted to do is to let you know that my good friend Jennifer has just started a blog of her own, and look where that had taken me! Knowing Jennifer, I am looking forward to reading it. I am also sure it will be weird enough to make the guys at SR proud, which tells you something. Enjoy!

2003-04-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

The marines are human! Not only that, they are exceptionally decent humans as well! And wait for this one: they are (gasp) as good human beings as Arabs. Allah and his miracles be praised.This is the grounbreaking discovery Barbara Ferguson of the Arab News made, while embedded with the Marines. Next week: "Jews don't have horns!" Stay tuned.

2003-04-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to point out that what I have been posting here since the war started should not be considered blogging, at least not in the sense that I intended it to be when I started this blog. Due to circumstances beyond my control, this is the maximum I am capable of right now. Dima calls it "being a link monkey". He is right, to some degree: this is obviously much easier than what I am usually trying to do here. So every time I post on CP, I copy and paste here - I figured it's better than nothing. After Grandpa goes home, and after I figure a way to get Brandon (no picture yet: waiting for his ears to stand up) warn me before he starts chewing on a rug, I should be able to concentrate again, and find out what is it that I think about all that is going on.

OK, at least now I know you all will be able to sleep better.

2003-04-15T17:11:00.000-04:00

Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri has announced the resignation of his government. Says IBA radio, quoting Radio Monte-Carlo. I have no idea how significant it is, but I have no doubt that like everything in Lebanese politics, it has at least something to do with Syria.

2003-04-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

The Hindu: The Russian military sees the U.S.-led war in Iraq as a potential threat to Russian security, pointing to growing U.S. military presence in former Soviet republics and resumed flights of American U-2 spy planes along Russia's borders. The Air Force Commander, Alexander Mikhailov, went as far as to warn the Americans that Russia would shoot down any spy plane that intruded "as little as one kilometre'' inside the Russian air space.

2003-04-15T17:07:00.000-04:00

GN: Jordan's dealings with the Iraqi Embassy in Amman are continuing because the Iraqi ambassador still represents his country, and the regime change in Baghdad does not signify an end to the diplomats' careers abroad, Jordanian official sources said yesterday.

"For Jordan, it is an embassy representing a country - our brotherly Iraq," an official source told Gulf News yesterday...

...Iraqi Embassy employees have denied earlier press reports that Ambassador Sabah Yassin has asked for political asylum in Jordan, and dismissed these reports as "fabrication".

2003-04-15T17:06:00.000-04:00

GN: According to the Baztab agency, 13 days after the start of the war, Saddam and Russian intelligence allegedly pledged to hand over Baghdad with minimal resistance to allied forces provided they spared the lives of Saddam and a hundred of his close relatives.

2003-04-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

Danish PM said today that the US asked Denmark to lead the multinational force that will keep law and order in post-war Iraq, and help in the counry's rehabilitation. He said that the US requested additional security personnel, almost twice as many as the 400 Danemark has initially offered. "This request is in recognition of our experience in leading a peace-keeping force in the Balkans", said the PM.

He also said that his country will examine the financial ramifications of the request, and which countries will be contributing to the 3000 force, including 360[?] Danes. He intends to consult his EU colleagues, during the EU summit in Athens secheduled for Thursday. (Walla, Haaretz).

2003-04-15T12:59:00.000-04:00

Iraqi information minister hang himself? IBA radio quotes Iranian paper (in Arabic language) Wipak[?]. The paper cites Iraqi refugees on the Iranian border. IBA radio says there is no confirmation from other sources.

2003-04-14T23:14:00.000-04:00

From Time: In a 1990 letter, Uday reveals that his father plans to create a greater Iraq that includes Kuwait, Palestine and Arabstan, a region of Iran historically controlled by Baghdad. The note says Saddam is beginning with the easiest—Kuwait.

2003-04-14T09:40:00.000-04:00

Saudi Arabia started supplying oil to Jordan, replacing the Iraqi oil. Says this Russian site, citing Jordanian news agency Petra.

2003-04-14T09:39:00.000-04:00

Some Saudis are crossing the Iraqi border - both ways. Same Russian site cites a Saudi paper, saying that at least 3 Saudi volunteers were killed in Iraq. Also, about 130 Saudi citizens returned home from Iraq, and 270 more are expected to return. Those are mostly Saudis who married Iraqi women and stayed in Iraq, or just came to visit family before the war started. Saudi minister for iternal affairs Naif-ben-Abdul-Aziz said that the status of the Iraqi wives will be determined following a case by case review, while the children will be granted a Saudi citizenship very soon.

2003-04-14T09:37:00.000-04:00

Iraqi commentator cites an eye witness, saying to al-Jazeera that Saddam is dead. So says this Russian site. The commantator is named Amer Haffah. The alleged eye witness is said to have been guarding the meeting in al-Mansur in which Saddam was taking part just before the bombing by the US. The site cites ITAR-TASS corr. Victor Lebedev. Got that?

2003-04-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

From Haaretz: Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says that border with Iraq is officially closed

2003-04-13T21:13:00.000-04:00

Update on Roland missiles: Newsweek reports that some of the missiles, as well as other equipment made by French and German companies, were stamped "2002", suggesting that they were made last year.

2003-04-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

From IRNA: Iranian and Syrian FMs discuss Iraq crisis over phone: SANA. And: Iran declares its readiness to accept possible Iraqi refugees

2003-04-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

From BBC reporter's log:

Kirkuk's Arabs are being threatened with eviction. Returning Kurdish families are demanding their old homes back.

They've told Arab families to move out or be kicked out. The Arabs are not originally from here, but were brought in by Saddam Hussein to change the ethnic mix of the region.

Now they've been here for more than a decade and say they've nowhere else to go. So far the situation's remained calm.

The Arabs have not threatened to fight back. But it's certainly raising ethnic tensions in a city where the security situation is still fragile.

2003-04-13T21:09:00.000-04:00

Al-Qaida studied the war in Iraq, and published conclusions. From MEMRI:

Al-Qa'ida on the Fall of Baghdad, Guerilla Warfare: 'Is the Most Powerful Weapon Muslims Have, and It Is the Best Method to Continue the Conflict with the Crusader Enemy'

2003-04-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

Advice from France:

In Beirut, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Sunday the time was not right for the United States to raise pressure on Syria by accusing it of aiding Saddam's collapsed regime.

Villepin said after meeting Lebanese leaders the international community should focus instead on rebuilding Iraq and reviving Middle East peace efforts.

"The time is for consultation, for dialogue, and we should be very careful in putting all our energies to try to find solutions because we do have enough problems," he said before heading for Saudi Arabia, his last stop on a Middle East tour.

(Haaretz).

2003-04-13T21:07:00.000-04:00

Fox TV said on Friday that electronic communications between Iraqi officials, containing information about Saddam's death, have been picked up by the US. US say this may be disinformation.

2003-04-13T21:06:00.000-04:00

Haaretz: Hezbollah fires anti-aircraft shells along Israel-Lebanon border near Kiryat Shmona for third time Sun.; no injuries.

2003-04-11T21:55:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, (or not, as the case may be), I am alive. Barely. Mr. Alisa is back, and he brought Grandpa with him - 83 years young. We are all very happy to have him with us, but it is quite a bit of extra work. He will be here for another 2 weeks, and we want to make his stay as pleasant as we can. So blogging will be taking a back seat for a while. I am just really tired - have been going to bed very late for a week or so. (This shopuld be evident from some of the comments I have left lately on SR. Lucky for me, there are people there who are at least as weird as I am). Hope to be back to some kind of sane routine after Passover. Let me know if they find Saddam. I'll settle for OBL, too.

2003-04-09T16:14:00.000-04:00

Go look at this.

2003-04-09T16:03:00.000-04:00

Imshin is celebrating, and this is your chance to see her dancing! (No permalink - scroll down).

2003-04-08T16:11:00.000-04:00

So, how about that information minister? A funny guy, isn't he? One of the talking heads on MSNBC today was absolutely baffled by him, and was trying to get an explanation to this strange (to a Western observer) behavior. And he was not the only one. Obviously, spending time in the ME is not a prerequisite for becoming a talking head on American cable channel. Lucky people. On the other hand, some people from the ME who spent some time in the West, and are taking a fresh look at their culture, are offering some explanations. All this reminds me of this story my dear husband uses as an explanation for the uninitiated:

Juha, (who is the proverbial hero of the Arabic folklore), was taking an afternoon nap. It was a warm day, and so his window was opened to let the breeze in. Some neighborhood kids were playing under Juha's window, and were becoming noisier by the minute. After yelling at the kids a couple of times to no avail, our hero thought he might trick them. "Hey, kids, I just remembered: they are giving away oranges for free at the market today!" Some of the kids bought the story and started running towards the market, yelling to others the good news. People on the street stopped to ask what all the commotion was about, were told the good news, and ran to the market.

Meanwhile, our hero Juha still could not sleep, as the street got noisier and noisier. He looked out, and saw the street full with people all running in one direction, screaming at the top of their lungs, and others joining them along the way. "What's going on?" asked Juha a man who was just passing under his window. "They are giving away free oranges at the market!" was the answer. "Hey", said Juha to himself, "I better run, too, before there will be no oranges left for me...".

Update: I was just told that the BBC called the Minister of Information "The public face of Iraqi resistance".

2003-04-06T21:33:00.000-04:00

On "60 Minutes: Mike Wallace asked Richard Armitage if the Bush administartion would not stand in the way of Chirac if he offered French money and troops for the reconstruction effort in Iraq. Answer: "I think we would welcome his money".

2003-04-06T20:01:00.000-04:00

BBC:

The US military says it has captured and killed a number of foreign fighters during clashes in Iraq, and that it destroyed a camp at Salman Pak believed to have been used by the Iraqi regime to train foreign volunteers in terrorist tactics.

US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz says it will take more than six months for an Iraqi government to be created to run the country after the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Senior US military commander says the Iraqi army defending Baghdad is now struggling to assemble 1,000 soldiers for each battle.

2003-04-06T19:58:00.000-04:00

Fedayeen say they earn £50 bonus for every soldier killed

2003-04-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

Saudi-French venture turns down contract to supply US forces in Iraq

2003-04-06T19:57:00.000-04:00

USWAR/Karroubi accuses US of waging atomic warfare against Iraqi people

2003-04-06T19:56:00.000-04:00

Americans shot at Russian diplomats. (Russian) This is the headline. The report itself says that the pepetrators could have been American Special OPs, and that Americans denied the report, saying that the incident happened in an area under Iraqi control.

Note: the site has an English version, with content different from the Russian one.

2003-04-06T19:55:00.000-04:00

French missiles were found at ~~Saddam~~ Baghdad Int. Airport. Walla quotes AP as saying that those were anti-tank missiles, and were supllied to Iraq within the last 5 years. This kind of missiles was banned under the UN sanctions on Iarq.

Update: Wind Rider sends this. Troops of the 101st fortified their position at the sprawling airport Sunday, digging trenches and bulldozing sand berms. Two weapons caches -- including one with 12 crates of shoulder-fired missiles -- were found just outside the airport grounds. Troops also found 35 French-made Roland surface-to-air missiles in the airport complex. Also, apparently Walla got it wrong: the missiles are not anti-tank.

2003-04-06T13:26:00.000-04:00

This Iranian news site makes quite a big deal out of the Iranian FM current visit to Turkey. I find the visit and it's coverage interesting in itself. Most (not all) of the statements by the FM and his host are not as interesting, although this one is somewhat humorous: Kharrazi said adding that Iraqi people should determine their own destiny instead of resorting to middle ages methods, war and bloodshed.

2003-04-06T12:49:00.000-04:00

Walla: a 55kg bomb was found in a car near McDonalds in Beirut, where just shortly before a small bomb went off, injuring 5.

2003-04-06T12:45:00.000-04:00

The only democracy in the ME, also known as "our (former?) ally".

2003-04-06T12:11:00.000-04:00

US spots missile launcher in W. Iraq. Says Middle East News. (Via Back In Iraq 2.0, via Warblogs:cc)

2003-04-06T12:10:00.000-04:00

BBC: Leading cleric blames Saddam. The chief Islamic cleric in Egypt has criticised the Iraqi president for not going into exile and sparing his country the trauma of invasion

2003-04-06T12:09:00.000-04:00

Russia says it's ambassador is leaving Iraq in view of "security situation in Baghdad", following the beginning of the capture of the city by the coalition forces. (IBA radio)

2003-04-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

Reuters qouting al-Jazeera: The Arab television news channel al-Jazeera quoted an unnamed Iraqi official in Basra as saying the remains were those of Iraqi soldiers killed in the 1980-88 war with Iran and recently repatriated by Tehran.

2003-04-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

I was driving Pashosh to his soccer game this morning, and they had accounts on the Public Radio by two people who survived the WTC attack. This past Monday, Cantor Fitzgerald vice president Harry Waizer and Port Authority police officer David Lim told their stories of survival at the first public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. At some point I started crying listening to their stories. Pashosh said: "Mom, if it makes you sad, why don't you turn it off?". I answered that I wanted to listen.

2003-04-04T23:58:00.000-05:00

Kuwait complains about war coverage by Saudi-owned TV

Iraqi VP tells Saudi FM ''go to hell''

2003-04-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

USWAR/"No plans" to target Iran after Iraq, says Blair

Also: Powell assured Turkey US will not attack Iran and Syria

IDF radio says that Syria and Iran closed their borders with Iraq, bowing to American pressure.

2003-04-04T23:55:00.000-05:00

Greg Kelly (with the army), Ollie North (with the Marines) are inside Baghdad, Fox TV says. Also, 6-8 US tanks are inside the city.

2003-04-04T23:53:00.000-05:00

8 Taliban fighters killed near Kandahar, Walla reports, citing Reuters. The report says that Ameican and Afghan forces attacked a Taliban camp near Kandahar. The attack began with Americans dropping 16 tons of bombs on the area. 15 Taliban members were arrested.

2003-04-04T23:52:00.000-05:00

Haaretz:
Amendment to Belgian war crimes law delayed....Aside from Sharon, cases are also pending under the Belgian law against U.S. President George Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Palestinian Authority Chair Yasser Arafat, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Cuban President Fidel Castro.

2003-04-04T23:51:00.000-05:00

IDF radio: ayatollah Sistani denies calling on the Shiites in Najaf not to resist the allied forces. (It looks like they are quoting al-Jazeera).

2003-04-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

Those pesky numbers - yet again. First the number of victims of the Holocaust was "revised", now the number of American soldiers killed in WWII get the same treatment. And what about those innocent German civilians that the Allies bombed just for the fun of it? I smell more work for the ICC.

2003-04-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

Following a discussion on SR (permalink broken - scroll down to the cemetery picture): I think it is still important to find out whether those were French or Arabs that did that. Granted, even if they were Arabs, the absense of vocal condemnation from the French public and government speaks volumes of the French attitude, but part of it would be the fact that the French are scared as hell of their Arabs. However, if those were French that did it, I say let the Arabs take over that lousy country anyway.

On second thought, when France becomes the next Islamic Republic, and starts growing and training bin-Ladens of its own, we'll have no choice but to come and liberate them. Oh, how wonderful it will be to see French women showing their faces in public again!

What is it I hear you saying? We will not liberate them? Carpet bomb them? Nuke them? Women and children? Come on, it must be that beer talking again

2003-03-31T17:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Middle East.