They Love Us, They (May) Really Love Us…

I’m thrilled to hear that Winds has been nominated and is a finalist for ‘Best Centrist Blog’ over at Wizbang’s place.

I’m happy both that the work here is being recognized and secretly really pleased that we’re being recognized as centrists and not the bloodthirsty right-wing warmongers that we secretly are behind closed doors.

Go over there Thursday and vote early and often. I’m reviewing the source code for the Diebold machines, and I’ll see what I can do to help things out…

17 thoughts on “They Love Us, They (May) Really Love Us…”

  1. November 28, 2006

    I cannot sleep. My seething anger keeps my eyes wide open.

    But you are sleeping safely in your home, holding your partner or your child and you know in all probability that you will awake tomorrow. And tomorrow, you will open your eyes, step into your bathroom and you will find running water. You will fix yourself a coffee and you will find electricity, you will open your kitchen cupboard and you will find food.

    Then you will get dresse , and you have clothes for winter and if you catch the flu, you can always call up your doctor or run to a hospital. Hey, you can even take flowers to your beloved ones if they happen to fall il,or just check to make sure that the surgery of Uncle Tom was successful. Oh yes, you can afford to do so.

    Then you will get into your car, drive merrily or maybe not so merrily to your work place , or go shopping worrying about what to cook for your sweet family, or meet with your friends for a morning cup and rant neurotically about how miserable your life is.

    Your day is probably filled with things to do. Most likely you have a job and you know you have an income at the end of the month. And you can give yourself the luxury of planning for your future.

    You plan everything don’t you? What you will be getting for your kids at Christmas, how many parties you have booked on your agenda , your next vacation trip, your one year plan, your five year plan , when your goverment will be invading another country. You are in fact a great planner.

    If you have kids , then you know they are getting an education . You can buy them pads, pencils, drawing books , toys and even take them for a stroll in a park free from Depleted Uranium and you can fly kites and raise your eyes to the sky and not see fire jets hovering above your little head . You can do that. I know you can.

    And if you are walking about, you know that no bomb or bullet is going to blow you or blow your loved ones away. You will neither be kidnapped nor abducted never to be seen again.

    You feel queasy at the sight of blood . Yes I know that. Even the blood you watch on your TV screen when you get back home safely in the evenings is censored so as not to disturb your sensitivities. You don’t see limbs , bowels, and brains blown away, you are really cared for and so protected . And if per chance you come across such scenes, you conveniently zap or ask your kids to run upstairs. You don’t want them traumatized . Yes violence is bad for you .
    It disturbs your peace of mind . I really sympathize.

    And when Saturday or Sunday comes, you go to your worship place, and praise the Lord for being born in the greatest country ever. Yes I know you enjoy your rights and freedoms.

    During weekends, you can take time for your leisure, tend your garden , go to a gym, invite your friends, barbecue, go dancing , party. You can have fun . But of course, it is natural, it is written in your constitution “the pursuit of happiness” is just for you, and only for you. I don’t need to remind you . You already know it by heart.

    And when you are with your friends you can be so very interesting . You can tell them how fucked up the world is , how people can’t get along . You will point your finger in our direction and hold us as an example . Oh yes, you know so much . Your press told you all about it.

    And when you are done with all of the above, you will go back to sleep in your cozy bed, switch the lights off and snore in total oblivion. All the way to that state you are so familiar with, all the way back into your usual comatose indifferent self.

    And we are still here,counting the minutes, the seconds and hoping we will taste life again. A life we had before you and your ilk took it all away.

    Iraqi Artist Rafa Nasiri.

  2. I thought that was known as “An Ode to the Salad Days of Saddam”.

    _”Rafa Al-Nasiri_
    _Born Tikrit, Iraq, 1940_”

    _” Al-Nasiri studied painting at the Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad, 1956-9, And printmaking at he Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China, 1959-63. He later obtained a scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation, at Gravura Lisbon, Portugal, 1967-9. He worked in several printmaking studios in Europe and the Middle East and taught in Baghdad, where he founded and became head of the Department of Graphics at the Institute of Fine Arts. Between 1969 and 1972 he was a member of the ‘New Vision’ group.1969-72, which included Dia al-Azzawi, Mohammed Muhriddin, Ismail Fattah, Hachem al-Samarchi and Saleh al-Jumaie. Recently his work was included in touring exhibitions Strokes of Genius: Contemporary Iraqi Art, opened in London 2000, and Dafatir: Contemporary Iraqi Book Art, opened University of North Texas, USA, October-November 2005 Al- Nasiri now lives and works in Amman, Jordan.”_

    I guess its not just rich college educated artists in America that feel the unique self-entitlement to speak for the poor and downtrodden from their nice studios hundreds of miles away. I dont suppose i need point out he was born in Tikrit…

  3. I should apologize to Mr Nasiri. Our friend hamad incorrectly credited his little poem. It rightly belongs to a blogger who goes by “Layla Anwar”:http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2006/11/uncensored-anger-manifesto-part-i.html

    Layla Anwar doesnt provide any biographical information, but does have this little nugget regarding her perspective on Hussein’s trial:

    _”I see Saddam Hussein in a cage , like a trapped animal guarding whatever is left of his dignity._
    _And amidst all of that , I wonder who should really be on Trial today and what the final verdict should be ?”_

    Delightful. I guess baathist apologists stick together.

  4. First off, Wizbang is a poor judge of what the Center is, being so right wing itself.

    Secondly, in regard to the first comment, Buehner, smearing the messenger doesn’t invalidate the message.

    That’s a dodge, really – if you want to want your comments to have integrity, deal with the message.

    Still, with all that, wish this blog the best – hey, you guys don’t censor my comments, and that’s worth a lot, in my own view. I’ve said before, I’m sometimes surprised I haven’t been banned, here, and I appreciate that.

    So, in the finest liberal tradition, “Happy Holidays” to all, and in that well-wishing, in response to all, I offer a Buddhist prayer:”http://www.beliefnet.com/prayeroftheday/prayer_one.asp?pid=1820

    Prayer for Freedom From Suffering

    May all beings everywhere plagued
    with sufferings of body and mind
    quickly be freed from their illnesses.
    May those frightened cease to be afraid,
    and may those bound be free.
    May the powerless find power,
    and may people think of befriending
    one another.
    May those who find themselves in trackless,
    fearful wilderness–
    the children, the aged, the unprotected–
    be guarded by beneficent celestials,
    and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

    – The Buddha

  5. Good catch Mark. I guess it didn’t sink in when I was looking at the artist’s website that there was nothing directly political on it.

  6. _”Secondly, in regard to the first comment, Buehner, smearing the messenger doesn’t invalidate the message.

    That’s a dodge, really – if you want to want your comments to have integrity, deal with the message.”_

    Here’s my message- i dont trust ex-Baathists and Saddam apologists to depict the attitudes of the average Iraqi.
    I wouldnt even if it happened to coincide with my personal political agenda. Take that for what its worth.

  7. Just one favor I ask of you, please don’t let that centrist thing get to your head. Please continue sticking to the right. Not right of center, but right.

  8. Actually Saddam Hussein did an effective job of wiping out the “New Vision” art movement to which al-Nasiri belonged. Most of its members are dead or in exile. The artwork which Layla Anwar used to decorate her little meltdown is not a painting, but a detail of a folded poetry book of hand-made paper.

    But back to business.

    Hamad, you putz. If you’re going cut-and-paste other people’s brain clutter, at least take the time to attribute it correctly. I’d abuse you at length for this, but I have a Christmas party to go to and you probably have a few honor killings to carry out before the weekend.

  9. I hate to pile on Hamad, but geesh! How pathetic is it to not be able to put your thoughts well enough together to make your own points? Sure — quote somebody if they did it more eloquently, or with more verve. But if your thinking isn’t more evolved than the last book or phrase of poetry you’ve read, perhaps you should be reading more blogs and commenting on them less. Just a suggestion, Hamad.

    Good luck WoC! We’re all voting for ya. Remember — just like in Chicago, vote early, vote often.

  10. #9 from right not center: “Just one favor I ask of you, please don’t let that centrist thing get to your head. Please continue sticking to the right. Not right of center, but right.”

    I think Winds of Change is most valuable when it is neither right nor left nor in some center between them but doing its own things.

  11. As long as the conversations aren’t insulting I’ll keep reading, debating and learning. Keep up the good work.

  12. hypocrisyrules writes:
    “First off, Wizbang is a poor judge of what the Center is, being so right wing itself.

    Secondly, in regard to the first comment, Buehner, smearing the messenger doesn’t invalidate the message.”

    … and evidently missed the irony. But the rest of us won’t.

  13. To Winds Of Change regarding #12 David Blue’s comment:
    David means well and I understand what he’s saying….but please listen to me anyway and stick to the right of the right….we need it…..boy do we need it….especially in this liberal media dominated country…..please……take my advice, there’s enough centrists out there….we need rightists…..we do…..yes, we do…..Oh, and by the way chalk yourself up another vote….from a rightist…

  14. Hi. Just wanted to swing in and tell you I’m glad I found y’all via the Weblog Awards, and wish you the best of luck. You’re already kicking our asses badly, but that’s okay. You have a fantastic blog here, I’m adding you to our blogroll, and honored to be an “honorable mention” with you guys. We are not worthy – for REAL 🙂

    Blog ON…

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