That whole church state thing
South Knox Bubba (SKB) has been blogging about an extremely weird event back in my home state of Tennessee, in which a Baptist church organized an "underground church event" ostensibly designed to simulate Christian persecution elsewhere. (Here's the latest.) One of the youths attending says she was unprepared, got frightened, and was prevented from exiting the event. Her parents are suing the church for beaucoup bucks.

Socially, this is weird and troubling enough: unpersecuted Christians deciding to brainwash themselves and their ostensibly loved ones into a state of paranoia. The organizers and enthusiasts of stuff like this -- there's apparently a whole "Underground Church" thing going on* -- seem like prime candidates to be the next Eric Rudolphs, or at least join the ranks of folks like Rudolph's "Deliverance County" supporters out there in the wilds of North Carolina.

But there's another thing as well: what the hell were county police doing blocking off the event? From the Maryville Daily Times report, via SKB's first item:

According to the suit, the girl "became concerned'' when she saw law enforcement vehicles with their lights and sirens on, the person driving the group let them out and they were told to "sneak the back way" to the church fellowship hall.

A WATE TV news items appears to confirm this (no direct link yet, quoted by SKB from the TV report):

Announcer: Ferguson says parents were invited to attend and many did. And Blount County sheriffs deputies were called in to block the street outside the church, so the teens would be safe during the event.

"So the teens would be safe." From whom? Since that's obviously a crock, let's move on to the real question: since when do county police participate in the staging of church-sponsored events designed to impart a religious message? It's like a mutant variety of the "Scared Straight" program -- but this time it's a message from God. I hope the Tennessee ACLU and/or others in my home state who still give a flip about the Constitution get after the Blount County Sheriff's Department for this.


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* South Knox Bubba provides a Google cache of the organizer's (youthspecialties.com) description, which was pulled off the web. (Look for it here in a few weeks, I suppose.) It should be said that there are of course many real examples of the persecution of Christians around the world. That said, what the youthspecialties.com bozos and the Blount County police turned such real persecutions into leaves a lot to be desired. posted by Thomas Nephew at 10:33:00 PM -- |  

 

US negotiating with Taliban?
And American soldiers held captive in Afghanistan? That's what the Asia Times' Syed Saleem Shahzad is reporting:

United States and Pakistani intelligence officials have met with Taliban leaders in an effort to devise a political solution to prevent the country from being further ripped apart.

According to a Pakistani jihadi leader who played a role in setting up the communication, the meeting took place recently between representatives of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Taliban leaders at the Pakistan Air Force base of Samungli, near Quetta. (Via Jim Henley and Jesse "Pandagon")

Among the conditions the US is reportedly setting for "any sort of reconciliation" are that any US or allied soldiers held captive must be released. Also: Mullah Omar deposed, Pakistani and Saudi fighters out.

I remember noting a late September 2001 German language relay of an Al Jazeera report about US soldiers taken prisoner -- before "Enduring Freedom" was officially underway. I didn't ever develop much faith in Al Jazeera, and nothing seemed to come of it, so I forgot about it. Maybe I shouldn't have.

And yes, this is terrible news, if it's true -- any of it: prisoners, negotiations, Taliban share of power, any of it. posted by Thomas Nephew at 2:00:00 AM -- |  

 

Texasgate: The undestroyed DPS documents; Lieberman queries Rove, Bush
The Austin Chronicle's Michael King provides a nice summary of the story thus far, brings it up to date as of about 20 hours ago, and links to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) web site release of documents it's willing to publish about what King calls "Great Texas House Democratic Legislator Manhunt." Among the interesting tidbits in King's piece:

Two legislators' spouses were apparently followed or watched by non-DPS plainclothes operatives of whom the DPS claims no knowledge. Is there a Sturmabteilung we haven't heard about?

Neither here nor there, except as evidence that the GOP's moral rot is as big as all Texas: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's e-mail to Colonel Tom Davis, chief of the Texas Ranger unit of the DPS, slugged "Sic' em."

The Texas law enforcement officers were under the direct command of Governor Perry and Speaker Craddick, got chewed out for low perfomance or lack of initiative, e.g., not surveilling a lawmaker's wife who had just given birth to premature twins.

In all 300 DPS officers participated in the search.

I'm increasingly curious who exactly made the phone call to Mr. Marvin Miller of Plainview Texas: a real DHS officer, as was represented to Mr. Miller, or someone impersonating such an officer. Either way, I think you have someone in a fair bit of trouble.

Meanwhile, of course, Joe Lieberman has requested written descriptions of President Bush's and Karl Rove's conversations with Tom DeLay about the matter, which took place on May 13. While chief of staff Andrew Card assured Lieberman verbally that

neither Bush nor Rove "contacted any federal agencies about the missing legislators" as a result of a conversation with DeLay.

However, Card doesn't intend to commit to that in writing, leading Lieberman to observe "the public should not be forced to rely on private reassurances."

As ever, see Josh Marshall, who seems to be having a nice time out in his native California. He points to a piece by Paul Krugman about Tom DeLay in particular and a New York Times editorial about Texasgate in general. Some good lines:

Times editorial: The new Department of Homeland Security was called in on the case as if it were the patronage police and the dissenting Democrats were terrorists.

Krugman:Consider the case of Westar Energy, whose chief executive was indicted for fraud. The subsequent investigation turned up e-mail in which executives described being solicited by Republican politicians for donations to groups linked to Mr. DeLay, in return for a legislative "seat at the table." The provision Westar wanted was duly inserted into an energy bill. (Republican leaders deny that there was any quid pro quo.)

There's every reason to believe that the Westar case is unusual only in the fact that the transaction came to light.

Marshall: [DeLay] is transforming not only the government itself but what we consider acceptable in government. He is, to paraphrase the late Pat Moynihan's old phrasing, defining political deviance down.

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EDIT, 6/14: cleaned up misreferences to King's "Great ... Manhunt".

posted by Thomas Nephew at 11:22:00 PM -- |  

 
TGIF: fun stuff

"Modern Humorist" imagines HAL 9000 vs. Dave Bowman -- as written by David Mamet. As Gary Farber suggests, you'll either (1) fall off your chair laughing or (2) realize we've wasted your time again. "Dammit, Dave" is from the Holy Tango of Drama: If Playwrights Wrote Plays Whose Titles Were Anagrams of Their Names, by Francis Heaney.

Maybe you just don't like drama. So try poetry, say Basho, Shakespeare, or Dickinson:

Skinny Domicile
I have a skinny Domicile—
Its Door is very narrow.
'Twill keep—I hope—the Reaper out—
His Scythe—and Bones—and Marrow.

Since Death is not a portly Chap,
The Entrance must be thin—
So—when my Final Moment comes—
He cannot wriggle in.

That's why I don't go out that much—
I can't fit through that Portal.
How dumb—to waste my Social Life
On Plans to be—immortal—

Inspired? Here's an anagram generator, here are a couple of listings of authors and poets.

But it's less effort to just take a peek at Bill Gates Inbox or consider attending ...

...the 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference (via WorldWideKlein)

The dyslexically enabled will appreciate golb kcarswen, and much, much more (thanks again, Herr Klein)

Geeky fun: build your own web page buttons (via Andreas Schaefer)

Important bbspot news item via Arthur D. Hlavaty: Doctors Reveal Bush Using Corked Vice-president

It'll never be over for the Gray Lady: via Praschl, I learn that the Village Voice weighs in with "Make Up Your Own New York Times Story."

On a serious note, many foreign tourists will be visiting the United States this summer, spurred by the declining U.S. dollar and, of course, their curiosity about and reverence for our more advanced civilization. Here are some important tips:

Restaurants that combine food and entertainment are an American specialty. You've probably heard of such famous American establishments as Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Café, where you can enjoy a variety of fried foods underneath Jean-Claude Van Damme's underpants or Neal Schon's guitar. Many large cities have "fifties"-themed diners, where you can be transported back in time to a more innocent era where hamburgers cost nine dollars. [...]

The moviegoing experience is quite different here than in your country. Americans like their movies LOUD. In fact, in most multiplexes, it's possible to hear the noisier parts of the movie being shown in the adjacent theatre. Don't worry, though, the sound is generally not so loud that it will prevent you from hearing your cell phone ringing or your fellow patrons talking all the way through the film. [...]

Stay with your own kind. Most major American cities have a "touristy" area where locals never go. Whether it's San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, Fells Point in Baltimore or South Street Seaport in New York City, you can be sure the people milling about are tourists — just like you! Stay there and you'll have hours of safe, expensive fun in an area nothing like the deadly city you came to visit.

from One Nation, Extra Cheese: The Foreigner's Guide to America

posted by Thomas Nephew at 6:20:00 PM -- |  

 

Good news for vases everywhere
Via Cronaca, good news from Iraq: the Guardian reports that the Warka vase has been returned to the Baghdad National Museum. The vase was frequently cited as one of the most important missing pieces from the museum.

It really is good news; the title just reflects my bad mood from the prior post. Given how much fretting went on about the museum, including by yours truly, it's a huge relief to see so much was kept safe or returned. As David (Cronaca's author) points out, it's a bit strange this item wasn't kept safe like other cultural treasures were; this was apparently the Venus de Milo of Mesopotamian artifacts, to put it in Homer Simpson terms. You'd think it would have been first in line for the supersafe bank vaults or wherever all the rest of the stuff was hidden.

I suspect National Museum director Donny George in all of this; as closely followed in Cronaca, the guy makes a huge stink about the looting early on, and blames the US. When stuff starts turning up, George denies he ever claimed it was all missing. Then the Guardian does a stink piece on him and the whole story, and a couple of days later -- surprise! -- the Warka vase turns up.

I wonder if the Warka vase theft/disappearance was more of a political heist than a criminal one: some loyalist museum folks were hedging their bets. If Saddam the Great made a big comeback -- surprise! Saddam back, Warka vase back, Iraq Restored In All Its Glory, that kind of thing. Now that the lights are mostly on again in Baghdad, that doesn't seem so likely or attractive anymore, even to some of the diehards: better return the vase. Good decision.

Alternative theory: it was a job security heist. I wonder if a deal has been struck guaranteeing the museum staff would stay on for the next x months or years. Once that was taken care of, lo and behold, "loot" reappears.

The real problem is the looting at archaeological sites throughout Iraq. This might be a way to get some phased in help from Iraqis that the US and UK have had a chance to get to know. The coalition provides light weapons, radios, and backup; the Iraqis provide the manpower, maybe even throw in a junior assistant imam or whatever per important site. A brilliant plan! What's Paul Bremer's phone number? posted by Thomas Nephew at 11:53:00 PM -- |  

 

This is what a suicide bombing really looks like
Gil Shterzer, quoted in full:

This is what a suicide bombing really looks like. Warning, uncensored gruesome hard to watch photos.

No prescriptions or wannabe smart forecasts here -- or balance or "balance." It just makes me understand the fury Israelis must feel, I feel some of it myself. posted by Thomas Nephew at 10:24:00 PM -- |  

 

Jörg Baasch, Andrejas Beljo, Helmi Jimenez-Paradies, Carsten Kühlmorgen
They were German soldiers, with names that seem to tell a story of a changing Germany all by themselves. They died in Afghanistan on Saturday, the victims of a suicide car bomber according to the New York Times. 29 other Germans were wounded; all were on their way out of the country after completing a 6-month peacekeeping/nation-building tour. A memorial service was held by the assembled ISAF (International Security Assistance Force)* personnel yesterday in Kabul (AP).

To their credit, German defense officials are thinking of expanding that work, according to the AP report:

Germany also said Tuesday it will dispatch a fact-finding team to examine whether its soldiers can provide security for reconstruction work beyond the Afghan capital.

"We are not prepared to bow to the will of terrorist groups. We will continue with our contribution to the stabilization of the country -- we owe that to the soldiers who were killed," Struck said.

Germany provides about half of the 4600 peacekeeping troops in the ISAF contingent. (The 11,500 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan conduct combat operations against Al Qaeda and Taliban forces still at large in the country.) Take a moment to re-evaluate what our longstanding alliance and friendship with our European friends is worth, and maybe another to express your sympathies and gratitude for these German soldiers' service and sacrifice.

The May 26 Spanish peacekeeper airplane crash was attributed more to bad weather (fog) than to concerns with the Ukrainian air service involved. Still, it seems a bit of a coincidence that both incidents came at the end of peacekeeping tours of duty. Are security or safety procedures perhaps unconsciously relaxed as peacekeepers prepare to depart? Is this aspect of ISAF's operations underfunded?


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* I got this ISAF information as well as the names of the 4 German soldiers via Tobias Schwarz, a German in Mainz who writes an excellent blog -- in English. This particular information comes via a not-individually-linkable "Links of the Minute" sidebar item, dated June 10, 2003. posted by Thomas Nephew at 5:01:00 PM -- |  

 

Rocky Top Brigade
Thanks to South Knox Bubba for accepting me into the Rocky Top Brigade!

I appreciate the welcomes from Barry, SayUncle, Andrew, BigDaddy and everyone else. Welcome also to fellow Oak Ridge blogger "Secret City Sister." posted by Thomas Nephew at 2:37:00 AM -- |  

 

Texasgate update
If you haven't followed the Texasgate story before, see some of my recent posts (05/28/03, 05/27/03, or 05/24/03), or better yet go visit Josh Marshall. The investigation of abuse of federal law enforcement authority to pursue Texas state legislators took several new turns while I was on vacation:

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that a Corpus Christi FBI agent, David Troutman, tried to help his Texas police friends on May 12 and 13 (not weekend work) with the work of tracking down the Texas Democrats. According to an FBI spokesman, this was not done on anyone's request -- meaning FBI agents in Corpus Christi seem to get to make their own rules about what to do and who to help.

The same article makes the FAA part of the story a little murkier:

The U.S. Department of Transportation and DeLay have confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration gave DeLay's staff information about the past movements of Laney's plane. Officials have said the information was available to the public, but according to two industry experts, the only data the public can get concerns the location of planes in mid-flight.

The only public information I could ever find was about the place of registration of a private plane, not its flight plan or immediate location, so I wonder if the Post got this wrong, or if they could at least suggest where exactly you'd get such information.

The really interesting piece of news reported by the Post's R. Jeffrey Smith* is that the Homeland Security agency (Air and Marine Interdiction Coordination Center, or AMICC) contacted about the exact position of the plane may have been aware that there was no question of the plane having had an accident:

"There was never any inference that the plane might be down, or something like that," said Marvin Miller, an airport official in Plainview, Tex. -- near Laney's home -- who said he was contacted by an "air interdiction" official on the evening of May 12. "There was never any safety concern, or indication that it was missing or overdue," Miller said. "The guy said at the end, 'This is just somebody looking for politicians they can't find.' "

Given the rest of this sorry story, it's just possible some Texas trooper bozo impersonated an AMICC officer. Alternatively -- and much, much worse, if so -- AMICC was well aware they were helping play political games instead of sticking to their day job.

Also on Friday, the Houston Chronicle reported that Texas Congressional delegates have lost patience with what they see as DHS stonewalling, and have invoked a little used "seven member rule" to compel Tom Ridge to provide information about AMICC's involvement by June 18.

The Chronicle's report also suggests the alleged Texas DPS document destruction -- after being ordered not to -- may be hard to prove. The DPS legislative liaison, Michael Kelley, confirms that he spoke to a legislative staffer who forwarded information to Texas Representative Lon Burnam, furnishing Burnam with the basis of his lawsuit. This appears to be Burnam's only source; as Josh Marshall acknowledged, that leaves Burnam with a single source for his allegations so far, not the "multiple sources" he claimed in a phone interview. At any rate, Kelley denies the DPS destroyed any documents after being ordered not to.

Finally, a June 7 Houston Chronicle article reported that it's likely Governor Perry will go ahead and call a special redistricting session -- estimated cost, $1 million -- later this month. So the "Killer D's" flight to Ardmore, Oklahoma may go for naught.


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* The Post notes that "Staff researcher Alice Crites contributed to this report."
EDIT, 6/10: The Washington Post story came out on Saturday, not Friday as I originally wrote. I assumed the URL gave the right date.

posted by Thomas Nephew at 1:24:00 AM -- |  

 

Annals of Democracy
His transgression: seeking elected public office. The penalty: fired from his job as a public school teacher, return of a year's wages demanded.

Here's a link to send a protest message. I seem to be a bit heavy on long shot e-mail action items these days, but what else can you do for helpless disenfranchised peoples groaning under the heel of tyranny? We can't really even invade this place. posted by Thomas Nephew at 5:50:00 PM -- |  

 

I am getting younger, and I still can punch
Last weekend I wrote about the showdown in Zimbabwe between Robert Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The BBC provides a grim but inspiring online diary of last week's protests, compiled by an MDC student activist. Excerpts:

Monday, 2 June: 0800: Students begin toyi-toying (militaristic jogging on the spot while chanting) and singing anti-Mugabe songs. [...]
1100-1200: Students march and are blocked by police who start firing tear gas canisters, blank shots, stun grenades and live ammunition into the air. Students manage to overcome the police, who call for reinforcements. [...]
1300 until evening: Police fire tear gas canisters straight into halls of residences to flush out students and then beat them up.
1800: Student union leaders inform us that more than 40 students have been admitted at Parirenyatwa hospital. One is in the intensive care unit, activists report that three students are feared dead. Police, hospital officials and university authorities deny any knowledge about that. [...]
Wednesday 4 June: The police, CIO and military intelligence officials have been interrogating students about a list of hunted activists. [...]
Friday 6 June: 1215: We have just heard that two students were taken by the army on Monday, beaten up and dumped at Harare International Airport. They were told to get the next plane to Britain or the USA. One of the students had his hand fractured and it is now in plaster, the other one has a malfunctioning ear and has back injuries due to continued stamping of boots on his back. *

CNN reports that Mugabe's show of force stifled or broke up most demonstrations around the country, although a successful work stoppage took place in the capital city of Harare. A statement released by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to the MDC web site takes a different view:

It is a matter of public record that Zimbabweans from all walks of life overwhelmingly responded to the first stage of our final phase of democratic resistance. [...]

Special tribute goes to the men and women who braved the brutality of the Mugabe regime. Some were killed. Others were injured. Scores were arrested.

For the past five days, therefore, the people of Zimbabwe reclaimed their sovereignty. They were in charge. This was a major installment, indeed a landmark towards a permanent recovery of their freedom.

The other main development, unfortunately, was the June 6 jailing of Morgan Tsvangirai on additional treason charges (Tsvangirai is already accused of plotting to assassinate Mugabe... but was apparently free on bail.) The BBC reports that the second treason charge, related to last week's protests and work stoppages, will be added on Monday.

The MDC pledges to continue the fight against Mugabe. Vice President Gibson Sibanda says for the Mugabe regime to "brace itself for a long winter of intense but peaceful mass action." Meanwhile, Mugabe either reveals unsuspected powers in an interview with the South African Press Association, or simply confirms he's a nasty, deluded old man:

I am for a fight, I am getting younger as I told you, and I still can punch.

What to do, if you like
You can use the e-mail and other contact links I provided last week to directly protest Tsvangirai's arrest, or torture accounts like these (again, via the BBC, published in late March of this year)**, to the Zimbabwean government.

I'm aware that e-mails are considered less effective than regular mail or telephone calls (although I'm not sure the "effort" involved is appreciably less). That's why I've provided links to web pages with regular postal addresses and phone numbers. A government like Zimbabwe's may well be completely unimpressed by such campaigns anyway, at least in the short run; I don't know. If there are better ways to register concern about Zimbabwe, I'm willing to learn and share what I've learned.

Meanwhile, thanks very much to Kevin Drum, Gary Farber, and Joe Katzman for mentioning my earlier post and the Zimbabwe contact links -- and of course to those of you who took the time to contact the Zimbabwean government.


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* Unlike what is shown here, the BBC presented the MDC student's account in blog-like reverse chronological order: most recent on top, oldest on bottom
** At least one submitted account in this compilation claims the MDC is guilty of similar intimidation. posted by Thomas Nephew at 1:54:00 AM -- |  

 

German economic reform package passes SPD muster
Last week German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder got his party, the socialist SPD, to agree to an economic reform package, "Agenda 2010." The key points according to "Die Welt":

Unemployment compensation limited to 12 months.

Those over 55 draw unemployment compensation for an additional 6 months (down from 32 months, the rule since 1987). A two-year phase-in is planned.

Unemployment and social welfare funds are gathered into a single "Unemployment Fund II". The level of benefits should "as a rule" correspond to the level of social welfare. Recipients can earn supplemental income. Employed recipients must carry sick pay and benefits (Krankengeld) themselves after 6 weeks of continued payment of wages (Lohnfortzahlung), and must insure themselves additionally for this.

If the economy doesn't have enough jobs by the end of September, workplaces without apprentices will pay a fee. 100,000 young social welfare recipients will be offered acceptable (zumutbare) employment.

The rules governing the manual trades (Handwerksordnung) will be modernized. The master craftsman requirement will be dropped for most branches.* [bulleting added]

Next up for the reform package: the Greens need to approve it in mid June. Angela Merkel of the CDU has announced her CDU/CSU party coalition will not oppose the reforms if they come to a vote in the Bundestag (links via Die Welt). Elements of the package may be voted on as early as the 2d week in July. So the real hurdle was probably the SPD party conference last week.

By German standards, this all sounds pretty draconian. The bright spot may be that last item: the repeal of the master's license requirement for many kinds of trades -- or small businesses, in American parlance. I'm no labor economist, but the fairly rigid, guild-like systems that have spread to businesses like auto repair or home contracting in Germany have always seemed like an unforced error to me. German small business should benefit, I would think; hopefully the direct employment gains and indirect ripple effects will offset the possible losses in craftsmanship.

In the big picture, this seems to be a kind of "Nixon to China" effort only an SPD chancellor might pull off without huge labor unrest and a divisive election campaign. On the other hand, a lot of SPD supporters hold just that against Schroeder. If Germany's economy rebounds, Schroeder will deserve some of the credit. Regardless, Schroeder's brand of economic leadership looks pretty good compared to the voodoo economics of some Western leaders I can think of.


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*This is a case where there are lots of possibilities for translation error, so I invite German readers to correct me mercilessly. posted by Thomas Nephew at 12:17:00 AM -- |  

 

Moellemann dies in parachute jump
This caught my eye while checking over the German blogs: Juergen Moellemann, the renegade FDP personality who made waves with his anti-Israeli comments in Germany's election campaign last year, died in a parachute jump (BBC report) on June 5.

His death seems to be a suicide: the former airborne division officer and parachuting enthusiast may have intentionally shed his parachute and prevented a emergency parachute from deploying. Moellemann had just lost congressional immunity from an investigation of alleged fraud and campaign finance irregularities.

Lest anyone get too teary-eyed, here's Moellemann on Israel, Palestine, and Germany in an April 4, 2002 issue of "TAZ":

What would one do if Germany was occupied? I would defend myself, with force. I'm an officer of the airborne reserve. It would be my duty to defend myself. And I wouldn't just do that in my country, but also in that of the aggressor. The more clearly we Europeans work for a just Middle East peace, the less people will make us the theater of conflict because of our one-sidedness.

Perhaps thanks to Moellemann, the FDP - a small, centrist party -- had a terrible election in 2002. (Story and quote link via Praschl.)


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UPDATE, 6/9: Nice to see all great cultures think alike: Moellemann memorabilia auction on eBay Deutschland. Top bid so far for a Moellemann-only item: 30.50 Euro for an autographed book. Via Jens Scholz, whose comments probably won't make the eulogy: "...he was the prime example of a slick-as-an-eel politician who would climb over corpses to win a few more votes". Jens links to a number of posts of his over the past year about Moellemann (in German of course), before returning to his ongoing celebration of summer photo series (not in German). posted by Thomas Nephew at 10:49:00 PM -- |