I loved this article. I'm not sure I understand all of it and I'm not sure I even agree with all if it, but I find it incredibly honest and refreshing.

Can the Islamic world move, not so much toward Democracy (Egypt votes today - that is democracy), but to a rule of law and justice? This author, Amr Bargisi, a liberal Egyptian activist, says no. Or at least not anytime in the near future.

The fear of many is that the Arab Spring has settled, and is stuck, in the Arab Winter. That part I can understand and agree. What I'm having a problem with is the author's definition of "Islamism". He says that George W. Bush, in talking about "Islamism" was really talking about "Jihadism". Least I think that's what he says. But Bush was very open about the "J word". He talked about Jihad often.

Say what you will about President Bush (i.e. oil and Haliburton), but I do think he had a mind to spread Democracy and the rule of law in repressed countries, namely the Arab world. Bush was either naïve (to give him the benefit of the doubt) or maybe he didn't care (because of oil and Haliburton) to think the Arab world would miraculously change as a result of ousting Sadaam Hussein, but I am convinced the Arab Spring wouldn't have sprung at all without that war. So if you're a fan of Arab democracy, I think President Bush deserves some credit.

I think Bush had a handle on the differences between Jihadism and Islamism. Amr Bargisi seems to think he didn't. I think a better description of "Islamism" by Mr. Bargisi would be helpful.

All eyes are on Egypt as the bastion of Liberalism in the Islamic world and though there is much to be disappointed and frightened about, I am still oddly hopeful. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but it will happen. It has to happen. Can the world wait?

Here's the article:

[Link: www.tabletmag.com...]

Today, some 50 million of my countrymen will begin voting in what will likely be the first free presidential elections in the history of Egypt. I am someone who has identified as a liberal activist for my entire adult life, so this should be my proudest moment. It isn't. In fact, I'm strongly considering putting an end to my political activism.

I haven't come to this decision based on my prediction of the likely outcome of this particular election—though I think it will come down to race between Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, and Ahmed Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister. It was clear to me well before the January 2011 uprising that if Mubarak ever fell, we Egyptians would be faced with two basic choices: Islamist Repression or Repression of Islamism. Nothing else can come out of free and fair elections here—at least for a long time to come.

That's not because Egyptians are by nature anti-liberal and anti-democratic, but because my country currently lacks the necessary foundations of liberal democracy. First and foremost, Egypt needs liberal leadership that is capable of directly confronting Islamism. This requires a deep understanding of what individual liberty means—its philosophical roots and historical development—in addition to a good deal of moral courage. Unfortunately, this leadership does not exist, and no one seems interested in investing in it. You can find various editions of Mein Kampf and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in any modest sidewalk bookstand, but you won't find John Locke's Second Treatise on Government or Plato's Republic in Cairo's biggest bookstores. (And if you do, it will be either in English or an unreadable Arabic translation.) Meantime, Islamist teaching is ubiquitous in schools and mosques, on bumper-stickers and YouTube videos.

Thus voters are left to decide between the Muslim Brotherhood and old Mubarak hands—there's no liberal democrat in sight.

Few people in the West—including close friends and political allies—have fully acknowledged this abject dichotomy that we Egyptians face, despite much evidence to the contrary. Instead, these natural allies of Egyptian liberals are celebrating this election as a triumph of liberal democracy, at best, and at worst, as a necessary step toward that triumph.

Why it so difficult for them to come to terms with our reality? Let's take it group by group.

There are those on the left who look at what's happening in Egypt through the lens of cultural relativism and post-colonial theory. Muslims are entitled, so goes their argument, to institute their own government according to their own rules, which Westerners can neither understand nor judge. For them, chopping off the hand of a person convicted of theft, then immersing the amputated limb in boiling oil to seal the wound, has absolutely nothing to do with the Eighth Amendment since it is outside our cultural jurisdiction.

Then there are the economic liberals who admit Islamism is bad but believe that Islamists will moderate as they undertake the responsibilities of government and feel the pressure of practical, particularly economic, constraints. As New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman put it in a column reflecting on this year's parliamentary elections, Islamists 'want to be true to their Islamic roots, yet they know their supporters elected them to deliver clean government, education and jobs, not mosques.'

This position reflects a deep ignorance of Islamism, and a deep faith in Homo Economicus: the idea that men live by bread alone. Islamism, however, is not Marxism. It promises happiness despite economic hardship. So, what reason is there to believe that it will moderate, even if the unemployment rate remains upwards of 12 percent?

Then there are isolationists, who don't care what happens in Egypt—or anywhere else, for that matter—so long as Western governments maintain a clear technological, economic, and military advantage over everyone else. Some of these isolationists are Western supremacists who take this advantage for granted, smiling dismissively when some suggest that the Egyptians could pull off a functioning totalitarian regime that threatens the world as Nazism or Communism did. In the Egyptian case, this doctrine is also known as 'Israel can defend itself'—in other words, Israel can always bomb Egypt, so who cares who rules over the 80 million people who live there?

Neocons have a much more complicated story. They believe that Islamism is on the rise in places like Egypt because unfree societies are breeding grounds for radicalism. President George W. Bush's freedom agenda posited that if these undemocratic political systems liberalized over time, then Egyptians (and Iraqis and Syrians, for that matter) would turn away from the kind of violent radicalism that caused 9/11. All this is the reason they've had such a weakness for the Arab Spring, even as it turned to winter.

This thinking is the result of mistaking Jihadism for Islamism. Contemporary Jihadism may have emerged as a result of regime repression in places like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but Islamism a far greater historical tsunami.

Islamism will not die out in the face of free voting or economic liberalism or Twitter. It is one of the most formidable ideologies in history, the success of which does not depend on electoral bribes or the ignorance of the average voter. Rather, it stands on thousands of books containing the wisdom of one of the greatest civilizations in history. It comprises serious ideas and ideals that, although they might be diametrically opposed to those of the West, are no less compelling. Most important, Islamism runs on millions of dedicated adherents who are willing to endure imprisonment, exile, unspeakable torture, and even death to uphold what they deem right.

So, what can be done? First, liberals in Egypt and the West need to face up to the poverty of political options for true liberals, even at the risk of becoming depressed about the reality. Second, we should resign ourselves to the fact that for quite some time to come we will have to deal with the least bad of two bad options. Third, we should invest in the creation of a classical liberal movement that could take years to bear fruit. This means building think tanks, translating the founding texts of Western liberalism into accessible Arabic, and providing opportunities at Western institutions to the few young Egyptians who share these values to learn the skills necessary to spread the word.

First, there was his spectacularly failed plan to drug test the poor.

Next, his inability to do anything meaningful to fix Florida's economy.

We have him pissing off Republican lawmakers (you heard that right) when he signed a bill that prohibits governments from contracting with companies that have business ties to Cuba and Syria, which is a good thing, but then immediately turned around and said it was unenforceable because it conflicted with federal law.

There was also that no-bid consulting contract worth $360,000 that he steered to a friend who now leads a task force rooting out state government waste.

He wouldn't even pee in a cup when the Daily Show asked him so nicely.

But the latest on the list of our crook Governor's agenda is a $5.5 million no-bid contract to put the Senate's budget data online. The governor's chief of staff, Steve MacNamara, used his Senate clout to sign a contract for a web-based budget system developed by the business partner of a friend.

TALLAHASSEE -- When the Florida Senate was looking for someone to put its budget data online, it set aside $5.5 million and turned to the business partner of a close friend of the Senate's chief of staff at the time, Steve MacNamara.

The developer of the program, Anna Jo Mattson, owns a software company with Tallahassee lawyer and lobbyist Jim Eaton, MacNamara's long-time friend. She also owns Spider Data Services, the company that developed the software program licensed by the Senate. She said Tuesday the companies are not related.

MacNamara did not respond to requests for comment.

MacNamara negotiated the contract with Mattson in February when he worked for Senate President Mike Haridopolos. He left the Senate to become Gov. Rick Scott's chief of staff in July. To date, Mattson has been paid $5 million for development of the no-bid project. Another $2.5 million has been set aside in the governor's 2012-13 budget to pay for access to her patented program next year.

'What we've got is state of the art in terms of budget transparency programs,'' said Craig Meyer, who succeeded MacNamara as Senate chief of staff.

He said making the state's budget process more openly accessible was Haridopolos' priority after a grand jury accused former House Speaker Ray Sansom of misusing the process. He said the no-bid contract was needed because only Mattson had the patent to her unique program.

'It didn't come together as quick as we hoped so we could roll it out' during Haridopolos' term, he said.

When launched, the program will provide the public and budget analysts the ability to drill down into detailed levels of the budget and pull out employees, contracts and vendors associated with each line item, Meyer said.

The money came from the Senate's $9.2 million Information Technology discretionary budget in 2010-11. That same pot of money allowed MacNamara to hire Abraham Uccello as a consultant for the Senate's web-based technologies.

The two computer projects are not related, Meyer said.

Neither of the projects, however, were put out for bid and both were given to people closely associated with MacNamara.

(continued)

Here are two links. One from the ADL:

[Link: accessadl.blogspot.com...]

And another from the Miami Herald:

[Link: www.miamiherald.com...]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Seven people with ties to what Florida law enforcement officials called a white supremacist and known domestic terrorist organization were arrested this past weekend on felony conspiracy and hate crime charges in a FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force operation.

Authorities arrested 39-year-old Marcus Faella, and wife 36-year-old Patricia Faella, on Friday, along with 29-year-old Mark McGowan and his wife 25-year-old Jennifer McGowan. Others arrested and taken to Osceola County Jail were 28-year-old Diane Stevens, 25-year-old Paul Jackson and 22-year-old Kent McLellan.

Each was charged with paramilitary training, attempt to shoot into an occupied dwelling and evidence of prejudices while committing offense, a first-degree felony.

It is a felony in Florida to participate in paramilitary training for use "in furtherance of, a civil disorder within the United States." The "prejudices" charge falls under Florida's hate crimes law.

The ADL has a page on "American Front", founded in 1987 in California, but has moved around the U.S. since. It's one of the oldest, active racist groups in America.

Sometimes I think I'll start screaming and never stop.

[Link: www.addictinginfo.org...]

On Monday, the Republican dominated Tennessee Senate passed an anti-evolution bill by a vote of 24-8. The bill, known as HB 368, is sponsored by Republican Senator Bo Watson and 'provides guidelines for teachers answering students' questions about evolution, global warming and other scientific subjects,' according to Knox News, 'The measure also guarantees that teachers will not be subject to discipline for engaging students in discussion of questions they raise, though Watson said the idea is to provide guidelines so that teachers will bring the discussion back to the subjects authorized for teaching in the curriculum approved by the state Board of Education.' The bill basically encourages teachers to present scientific weaknesses of 'controversial' topics. In the case of evolution and climate change, both have been scientifically proven and the only weaknesses that have been presented by the right-wing are based on unscientific biblical verses. In other words, Republicans want teachers to use religion to destroy accepted science.

This bill is yet another attempt by Republicans to inject creationism pseudo-science into science classrooms. It gives students the ability to interrupt the teaching of real evidence based science with religious nonsense that belongs in church. So basically, as long as students bring up creationist theories, teachers can discuss them. This opens up the classroom to conflict between students of different religions or none at all, who all have different doctrines and points of view. Such conflict only serves to bury actual science under religious myth and superstition and is a distraction to learning real facts.

According to the National Center for Science Education,

'Among those expressing opposition to the bill are the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the American Institute for Biological Sciences, the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Nashville Tennessean, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the National Earth Science Teachers Association, and the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, whose president Becky Ashe described the legislation as 'unnecessary, anti-scientific, and very likely unconstitutional.'

The bill now heads to the House, which just passed a Ten Commandments bill, so we should expect them to pass this bill as well as part of the GOP war against freedom of religion and separation of church and state.

This isn't a recent story, only I just first heard about it. It happened in the spring of 2008 to a pretty cool guitar picker, Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell.

A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for Youtube exposing their lack of cooperation. The Manager responded, "Good luck with that one, pal."

So he posted a retaliatory video on Youtube. The video has since received over 11 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was, "Good luck with that one, pal."

Taylor Guitars sent the musician two new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has led to a sharp increase in orders.

Well, Dave actually made three songs. Each is catchy and the videos are really cool.

If you like country/blue grass, it's a real treat. And even if you don't!

United Breaks Guitars (The Original)

United Breaks Guitars, Song 2

"United We Stand" on the Right Side of Right

Dave Carroll's website

I've been reading criticisms by Africans on the viral video "Kony 2012" and I'm sympathetic to some of their points.

The civil wars in Africa have existed in various parts of the continent for decades, oftentimes financed by "blood diamonds." From Idi Amin to Charles Taylor to Mugabe to Kony and beyond. This is not a new story. What is new is social networking. And more than that, when the West reaches into the far corners of the world, the far corners reach back and they don't need a slick documentary behind them to do it. Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, blogging. A connection and/or a cell phone camera is all you need.

However, the Kony 2012 video bothered me and looking on the net, I found many folks where also bothered with Invisible Children (IC). Many are Africans themselves. The problem isn't with the intention. I think everyone appreciates the intentions. It's the approach and strategies on finding solutions which is bringing criticisms.

I've been reading through a number of people's blogs and tweets and first I'll start with Solome Lemma. She makes the following points which I'll very briefly summarize, but you should read the whole thing:

1. Lack of context and nuance. Kony is not the only problem. Even if they were to kill him, it would just be the end of one of many problems. There are other context problems, like Kony hasn't been in Northern Uganda for years so the film shows outdated footage. And why subtitles when people are talking plain English?

2. Invisible to whom? African dictators and the people they've harmed have existed for over 25 years. We know and they know.

3. The dis-empowering and reductive narrative. This one is the most troubling. Africans, while they can use help, should never be reduced to hapless, helpless victims at the mercy of the white world. They don't take kindly to the thought of us starting wars in their countries either. Which takes us to #4.

4. Revival of the White savior. See #3 above. There's a religious narrative in the video that is offensive. That is the idea that Africans need to be saved and civilized.

5. Privilege of giving. The wealthy have money to make movies from their point of view which may or may not necessarily express reality, but which have a farther reach than a local, African production (done more accurately) would.

6. Lack of Africans in leadership. I think the ills of 3, 4 and 5 could be largely cured if this would change. Oftentimes the very people who are being helped appear no where in the management or creation of these charities.

Next is a project called "Hope North".

More media here.

[Link: www.hopenorth.org...]

Here is a Twitter Group list called "Kony 2012 - African Writers". I encourage you to look through this lists at what these folks are posting.

Find more at Boing Boing. Check often. That link is being updated.

I'll close with a story about Jill Rich, a Tucson woman (and a friend of my mom) whose dream was to help others. She and her husband have spent over 20 years helping African refugees and managed to bring 54 "Lost Boys of the Sudan" from Ethiopia to Tucson. She gave them a home, comfort and love. Her foundation "Sudanese Promise Fund" raised money to send them to college. She also helped them return to Africa to find and help their surviving families and friends.

Jill was also presented with a Point of Light by President Bush in 1991 for her dedication to humanity.

Here is Jill and her husband with some of her extended family. Yes, one person can unselfishly make a difference in the lives of others.

[Link: www.tucsonweekly.com...]

Daniela Pelaez was born in Columbia. She came here at age 4. Now, at 18 she is facing deportation from the only country she's ever known. Additionally, she has been an exceptional student all these years, becoming Valedictorian of North Miami High School.

Last Friday, almost the entire student body came out to rally behind her. She has the support of her principal, local and state politicians, as well.

The problem with ICE is that they have quotas to fill so they are indiscriminately detaining and deporting people who are otherwise making positive contributions to society like Daniela. Or who simply are not criminals. This must change.

[Link: miami.cbslocal.com...]

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency released this statement: 'ICE will not take any action … while [she] pursues additional legal options. Upon conclusion of [the] appeal, ICE will review this matter to determine whether an exercise of discretion is warranted.'

Daniela met with Congressman David Rivera Friday afternoon. He sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano supporting Daniela.

'We have invested so much in Daniela already, the taxpayers in terms of her education, and we can receive so much back from her,' said Rivera. 'She wants to be a heart surgeon.. I'd much rather have Daniela be a heart surgeon here at Jackson Memorial Hospital instead of be a heart surgeon in some other part of the world.'

Rivera has proposed legislation that would assist undocumented immigrants who served in the military but not students going to college. When asked how Daniela's case fits with his legislation he responded, 'I hope we can find some sort of immigration reform in the future that will provide for military service and also provide for students to pursue educational opportunities as well. I think right now that's a difficult prospect in this congress.'

US Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a supporter of The Dream Act which would give students like Palaez the legal right to pursue education in the US, sent a letter to U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) asking the federal agency to intervene and request a deferred action and a stay of deportation, even though the teen does not currently face deportation and has received permission to leave the US voluntarily.

Senator Bill Nelson also asked federal immigration officers to obey a prior ICE memo 'that urged broader discretion to prioritize case and defer deportation when it doesn't reflect ICE's chief missions. In my opinion, an honors student and valedictorian should not be a prime target.'

Senator Marco Rubio also threw his support behind Palaez, saying in a statement; 'I have always said that our country needs to figure out a way to accommodate high academic achievers brought here at a very young age by their parents but who now find themselves undocumented through no fault of their own. From what I've read in press accounts, the story of Daniela Pelaez is exactly the kind of case I have been talking about. It's the kind of real life example I've discussed with many of my colleagues who agree that we should find a way to help talented kids like this. We will be reaching out to her attorney to learn more about this case. And I will continue working to find a bipartisan solution for young students who find themselves in this predicament.'