Feb. 28 - Brig. Gen. David Fraser, Canadian, takes over in southern Afghanistan, but it's a bit more complicated than that.

Read this post at The Torch for good, well-linked information on the structure and nature of the command.

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Feb. 28 - You got to have somethin' if you want support from us! La la la!

(If this musical outburst appears unseemly it's on account of all is right with the world because Jimmy Carter and I are on opposite sides again. Thank goodness. Those brief days of agreement were scary.)

Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, UNHR Commissioner Louise Arbour*, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch support a severely compromised U.N. proposal to create a new human rights council within the U.N. and John Bolton doesn't (U.S. Opposes U.N.'s Planned Rights Panel.)

John Bolton is holding out for a proposal tough enough to exclude nations that abuse human rights from the panel. His line of reasoning seems reasonable: the inclusion of so many countries that did not practice human rights discredited the current U.N. Commission on Human Rights to the point of rendering it absurd, so why repeat the fiasco?

Support for the proposal seems to stem from fatigue and resignation:

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and other supporters of the compromise warned that there is no better deal to be struck and that the U.S. strategy could undermine their efforts to create an improved, though imperfect, human rights body. "I think we should not let the better be the enemy of the good," Annan told reporters Monday in Geneva.

The United States and the United Nations have been pressing for nearly a year to create a strengthened human rights council to replace the 53-member Human Rights Commission. The reputation of the Geneva-based panel, which helped draft the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has recently been tainted by the frequent election of members with dismal human rights records, such as Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Senior U.S. and U.N. officials had sought to prevent countries with poor rights records from joining the new organization by raising the membership standards and requiring a two-thirds vote of the 191-member General Assembly for any nation's admittance. But the proposal met stiff resistance, and the current draft resolution would require members to be elected by an absolute majority -- at least 96 countries.

Annan, who discussed the human rights council Sunday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, appealed Monday for the United States to "join the vast majority of governments who seem ready to accept" Eliasson's proposal. He and other supporters said the proposal constituted a serious improvement on the existing Human Rights Commission.

a) they've seen the light and meekly realize they must respect human rights;

b) they're suicidal;

c) they know it's just a coat of cheap paint over mouldy walls.

They noted that provisions to subject all council members to scrutiny of their human rights record would discourage countries with poor records from joining. They also said that council members suspected of abusive behavior can be suspended by a vote of two-thirds of the U.N. membership present.

The new council would consist of 47 members selected by secret ballot on the basis of "geographical distribution" and committed to "uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights."

*Louise Arbour is a Canadian.

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Feb. 28 - It's staggering to think that, given so much societal focus on "thinking of the children," that more books like these haven't been written. But leave it to the Marines or, in this case, a Marine Wife and Mom Who Pens Books to Help Military Kids Cope:

Angela Sportelli-Rehak, wife of Marine Corps Lt. Col. Dennis Rehak, combined her personal experience with background as a professional counselor and professor to write two children's books about the challenges facing military families.

"When Duty Calls" and "Moving Again Mom" are part of a series called, "Uncle Sam's Kids" that follows a fictitious military family through the ups and downs of military life. The books are written for children in kindergarten through fourth grade and focus on the stresses of deployments and the disruption of being uprooted during permanent-change-of-station moves, Rehak explained. The stories are based largely on the Rehak family's personal experiences, as well as those of other military families, said Rehak, who teaches child psychology and education courses at Ocean County College in Toms River, N.J.

With 13 military moves under her belt, Rehak said she was often frustrated that no books on the market addressed the stresses her three children endured when they left their school, friends, sports teams and neighborhood behind during moves. "So I decided to write one myself," she said.

But as military deployments began stepping up after Sept. 11, 2001, Rehak temporarily put that project aside to write a book for the children of deploying troops. "My husband has been on many, many deployments, and I know there are a lot of stressors that come along with that," she said. "I thought a book about it might help a lot of people."

The third book is also written for children and helps them cope with a different kind of stress: Why Mommy is a Democrat (that's my interpetation and I'm sticking with it.)

I'd love to take my shots at it but Tuning Spork beat me to it and, um, sporks the books delightfully -- and his review is totally SFW.

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Feb. 27 - The cartoon controversy has just taken on a new aspect, according to Ace: Iranian Scholar: Tom And Jerry Cartoons A Jewish Conspiracy.

You just know they're priming the pump before they go after Mickey Mouse and Stuart Little.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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Feb. 26 - In yesterday's Opinion Journal was an interview with Yenny Wahid, Daughter of Islam

The main goal of ideologues like Osama bin Laden is to topple the governments of Muslim countries, including, most famously, the Wahabi royal regime of Saudi Arabia. But the real strategic plum, Ms. Wahid says, would be her native Indonesia and its 220 million citizens--with the largest Muslim population on earth.

"We are the ultimate target," she told me in Washington during a trip to the U.S. earlier this month. "The real battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims is happening in Indonesia, not anywhere else. And that's why the world should focus on Indonesia and help."

The war on terror has many fronts but most of the media scrutiny has been to the east. As to why they overlook the west, it is probably related to the ease with which they also ignore the partnership of Indonesia (as well as Australia) in the war on terror.

The Whalid Foundation noted in the article is an interesting site and well worth exploring.

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Feb. 26 - If you haven't already done so, be sure to read The Cartoon Jihad by John Thompson of The MacKenzie Institute. It is uncompromisingly and blunt:

... After years of seeing freedom of speech being defended by the likes of pedophiles, pornographers and Neo-Nazis, it is a welcome relief to speak up for editorial cartoonists against the two-faced demagogues of the Islamic World.

The seeming outrage is only expressed by a tiny minority within the Islamic world, and could be characterized as the work of rabble-rousers and professional activists from the Jihadist movement. To acknowledge their point and adjust our behavior in any way only rewards this group and invites their next act of carefully coordinated 'spontaneous' outrage. Their concerns neither merit serious consideration nor our respect.

[...]

In most cases, the first protests have been small but intense and few foreign journalists have bothered to ask why so many of the signs are in EnglishÂ…

[...]

As for Laban, he has returned to Denmark to practice the other old tactic of the political front, that of standing to one side while attempting to look sorrowful and reasonable. To understand how this role is played imagine, for example, the outraged survivor of a sexual assault being told by a seeming passer-by (who is related to the rapist), “Oh, if only you hadn't been so provocative”.

(MacKenzie Institute link via Newsbeat1)

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Feb. 26 - A Canadian soldier was slightly wounded after two grenades exploded near a Canadian patrol on the Kandahar road between two Canadian camps. The attack was made at approximately 10:30 p.m. and and, as too often happens, it was a hit-and-run attack and thus no chance to return fire (Canadian patrol under rocket-propelled grenade attack in Afghanistan):

The first round exploded on the road between vehicles. The second projectile struck a rear door.

"It was bang, bang," said Grimshaw. [Maj. Nick Grimshaw, the senior officer on the patrol.]

Capt. Jay Adair was standing through the hatch in the rear the lead LAV-3 and saw the RPG attack firsthand.

"I heard the bangs and I also saw the explosions," Adair said.

"I'm not sure whether I saw the explosions from the weapons being fired or the weapons striking the ground and the vehicle. But certainly a bright flash and two loud bangs."

[...]

The attack was on the main road from the city to Kandahar Airfield, the same road where Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry died in a bomb attack.

Properly funding and equipping the military is going to be a major challenge for the newly installed minority Conservative government. Canadian chief of the defence staff Gen. Rick Hillier lays it out:

"We remain short about three quarters of a billion dollars just to sustain the present Canadian Forces," he said.

"That's everything from married quarters to spare parts, to ammunition, the running of simulators, to gas and oil, to rations and to everything else necessary to march or fly or sail."

Beyond these day-to-day expenses, there's an enormous backlog of repairs and maintenance that has been deferred for years.

"The bow wave of things that we have not done, that we have put off . . . is enormous," he said. "It is going to take us billions of dollars to get out of that hole and I mean billions with a capital B."

Hillier also said that the military has too many buildings, hangars and other infrastructure on its bases that cost money but add nothing to the Forces.

"My estimate is that we have anywhere up to a quarter of our infrastructure that is not operationally required."

Hillier has welcomed the Conservative government's proposals for new planes, bases and 13,000 new troops.

[...]

Hillier seemed to be taken aback by a new poll published Friday which suggested almost two-thirds of Canadians oppose Canada's involvement in Afghanistan.

[...]

Hillier also said he wants to build a stronger connection between the Forces and the rest of the country after years in which the military and the civilian community have drifted apart.

"Having been disconnected from the population for many years in my view, disowned by Canadians in this past decade and seen their confidence in us plummet, we have an obligation to ensure that we as Canada's armed forces are seen by our population . . . as exactly that; as their armed forces."

Bloggers do have a way of filling a vacuum, though, and Damian Brooks and Chris Taylor are part of a new enterprise to fill that need: The Torch, a blog focused on the Canadian military and which already has an impressive series of posts including this one which takes on the notion that Canadians are a nation of "peacekeepers." Be sure to bookmark and visit The Torch.

(Yahoo link Neale News; CTV and Milblogs links via Newsbeat 1.)

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Feb. 26 - Munu changes servers (insert mumbled techno-stuff) and I too had difficulty logging on but everything seems to be back to normal.

As weeks go, last week was a sorry example of our ability to differentiate between the war on terror and fear of all things Arab. I am referring, of course, to the sensationalist fear-mongering over the sale of a British company to a company run out of the UAE and both Democrats and Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. I'm just a private citizen and even I know that security at ports is run by federal agencies not private ones, so why don't U.S. Senators? As someone quipped, "We're all racial profilers now."

Crucial to al Qaeda's successful attacks has been the recruitment of and deployment of home-based terrorists. The attacks in New York, Madrid and London were performed by people residing in those countries and, although security in ports remains a gaping question, so does security in chemical factories, electrical plants, subways, and just about everywhere. Fighting the war on terror while also retaining our society as an open one remains the paradox and the challenge.

Has everyone already picked up on the fact that the same company that has raised such alarms in the U.S. already leases a container facility in Vancouver?

Duncan Wilson, spokesman for the Vancouver Port Authority - basically P&O Canada's landlord - said security at the port is the responsibility of the RCMP, the local police and the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, whose agents inspect containers.

[...]

"It's a business arrangement. Our other terminals are also operated by offshore companies."

Isn't it curious that the American news media which, with only a few exceptions, declined to publish the Danish cartoons (although I did see two of them broadcast by Fox News during a clip about the support demonstration in front of the Danish Embassy in D.C.) yet was so willing to misinform the public about the sale of the British company to a Dubai based concern? I guess they figure it's safer to target our allies than to annoy our enemies ...

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Feb. 21 - The third in a series of articles in the Washington Post as to how the internet works - and hinders - freedom in China: Bloggers Who Pursue Change Confront Fear And Mistrust.

The irony in the final paragraph is outstanding.

Also pertinent is the article Free Software Takes Users Around Filters in the same issue.

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Feb. 21 - I promised on Saturday that I would explain why I liked the Tunnel of Tolerance cartoon published by The Strand, a Canadian student newspaper. My reaction to it was immediate but it was hard to pinpoint why it struck me favourably because, although I primarily was struck by the political statement it made, I recognized there was a religious element. I eventually realized that, for me, the religious element was irrevelant because it didn't affect my faith.

Jesus was not a micro-manager. I don't believe that Jesus was a homosexual but then I've never spent any time wondering about that aspect of his life because he himself didn't address it. His message transcends sexual considerations because he taught us to regard one another as brothers and sisters, a message which is as profound and immense in this age as it was in his.

I have no doubt that the cartoon angered a lot of people for a great many reasons, but I also believe that darned word "tolerance" put those who might be inclined to over-react on the defensive. In both military and moral grounds, that gave the cartoonist the high ground if not the win outright. It also outflanked many in the liberal left who didn't want to be accused of homophobia.

The cartoonist outmaneuvered too many interest groups not to be worthy of respect.

Angry or not, I doubt Christians will hurl molotov cocktails into the newspaper offices and demand that the editors be beheaded and the cartoonist's hands be cut off. It's all about how faith is rooted in free will. My faith is freely given so is not shaken by "harmful" influences. If indeed any cartoon is sufficient to shake my faith then the question must be asked: is my faith based on sand or on rock? (That's a religious metaphor, not a topographical one.) If one really takes the riots over the cartoons as expressions of religious outrage then it is hard not to wonder how insecure many of the participants - and those who incited them - are in their faith.

But of course the controversy over the Danish cartoons was not about the cartoons and the riots were incited to intimidate Western publications and governments. They posed the question as to what extent a religion - any religion - is allowed to influence secular institutions but too many journalists failed to accept their responsibilities as members of the secular press and were complicit in subjecting themselves to religious censorship either through fear or an innate failure to recognize their own bias.

However much I might regret that the latest battle lines have been drawn over cartoons I still march under that banner which reveres freedom of expression. The principle must be emphasized: if you don't like what you see or read then turn the page, cancel your subscription, and write a scathing letter. The reality is that Christians can respect Muslims without believing in the sanctity of Mohammed and a Pope can kiss the Koran but Mohammed remains, to many of us, a false prophet and pictures depicting him are not blasphemous. We've tried to be polite about it but that's the way it is.

The cartoon may offend many but it's how we respond to such provocation that affirms our ability to co-exist. The Tunnel of Tolerance is aptly named because the capacity for tolerance is what is being tempered in this age of globalization. Fire and ice, people. Fire and ice.

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Feb. 20 - Another outstanding piece in the Washington Post about attempts by the Chinese government to limit access to the internet. Today's article is about the attempt to control information, including the banning of reference sites like Wikipedia, and the inherent paradox of censorship in todays world:

The party appears at once determined not to be left behind by the global information revolution and fearful of being swept away by it.

Besides, can you think of a more appropriate way to celebrate the legacy of George Washington two days before on his birthday?

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Feb. 20 - A bit of vindication for Ezra Levant and the Western Standard: according to a recent Compass poll, about 6 in 10 Canadian journalists say Publish cartoons.

Interesting breakdown of options:

According to Monday's report, about 17 per cent of those polled felt all major Canadian media should have reprinted the images. Another 18 per cent said most media should have carried the cartoons and 25 per cent said at least some of Canada's biggest outlets should have used the caricatures.

By contrast, about 31 per cent of respondents said major media were correct in the decision not to use the material.

Of those who supported non-publication, most cited respect as the reason.

The bulk of those who said the cartoons should have been carried said fear was the primary motivator for not publishing.

Still, the majority of Canadian journalists also said they had at least some concern that not publishing the cartoons increased the power of extremist groups at the expense of Shia Muslims who include portraits in their every day lives and pluralist Muslims who want the Islamic world to accept diversity of opinion.

Journalists were asked to score how strongly they agree with that argument on a scale of one to five, with five being the strongest point of agreement. A total of 62 per cent scored three or more on the scale.

(Via Neale News.)

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Feb. 20 -

"You must be the change that you want to see in the world."

The creation of the Guardian Angels up here has sparked a lot of controversy. The stated concerns are that the Guardian Angels might operate as vigilantes. I believe that there is an underlying issue, though: citizen-based groups like the Angels threaten a mentality that would have us be passive victims and wait patiently for the government to "do something" -- inevitably after things have gone wrong due to government policies.

The Guardian Angels, in fact, are like preventive medicine, and they have the potential to stop trouble before it starts simply by their presence. What's not to like and admire?

It comes down to this: should citizens step up and take responsibility for themselves and their neighbourhoods? Or, to put it another way, if we don't take responsibility then who will?

People who live in rural areas are likely smiling at all this. After all, they have a robust history of belonging to fire and police auxiliaries and all the twitter over the Guardian Angels must seem insane. Communities are stronger, not weaker, when citizens take responsibility for themselves and their city. It's just, you know, common sense.

The creation of the Guardian Angels was a major first step for the people of New York to take back their city. I earnestly hope that the sight of red berets will restore a sense of pride and dignity -- and safety -- in Parkdale.

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Feb. 19 - Victor Davis Hanson addresses the question behind the issues raised by the Cartoon Controversy: are we finally seeing A European Awakening Against Islamic Fascism?

(Via Newsbeat1, who has a terrific line-up of solid reading. Just start at the top and keep scrolling.)

[Aside: Canada trails Finland 2-0 in men's hockey. This seems like a really good time to get out of the living room and grab some sleep.]

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Feb. 19 - It may be underfunded and underequipped, but the Canadian military in Afghanistan does this country proud and doesn't back down when it comes under fire from insurgents:

Military officials told The Canadian Press that attackers fired three rocket-propelled grenades at a platoon from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry taking shelter in a compound in Gumbad, about 60 kilometres northeast of Kandahar.

No Canadians were reportedly injured in the attack, which occurred at about 7:30 p.m. local time. The rockets fell into fields surrounding the camp, just south of the small village.

Military officials said a patrol was sent out to investigate the enemy firing positions, but found no sign of insurgents.

It's the first minor skirmish reported since a new rotation of Canadian soldiers began arriving in the country for Task Force Afghanistan during the past month. The number of soldiers is expected to reach 2,200 by next month.

(N.B.: The headline reads the troops "exchanged fire" with insurgents although nothing in the story indicates there was actually an exchange of fire. I can't account for the discrepancy. Nevertheless, the fact that a patrol was sent out implies the willingness to shoot back.)

Update: The CTV account has been expanded and it appears there was indeed a firefight:

The soldiers returned fire using rifles and their new 155-millimetre M777 howitzer, a towed artillery piece. Military officials said a patrol was sent out to investigate the enemy firing positions, but found no sign of insurgents.

"There were no locals, there was no enemy traces found," Lt.-Col. Ian Hope, the head of the PPCLI battle group, told CP. "But that's quite normal too because normally they shoot and they run.''

The troops did, however, find a series of trenches and tunnels which were likely used as an escape route.

"According to our American counterparts, it is a well-known area that the Taliban have used for fortifications in the past," said Hope.

"They've conducted several ambushes there. They've actually killed some (Afghan National Army soldiers) from those positions, so it was no surprise ... that that was an area that they were firing from."

(Via Neale News.)

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Feb. 19 - A demonstration yesterday in front of the Danish Embassy in D.C. had an unusual component:

The demonstrators were met by 20 counter-protesters from the conservative Free Republic group, who stood in front of the embassy on Whitehaven Street NW waving Danish and U.S. flags and holding large letters reading "Human Shields."

The defense of Denmark no longer has anything to do with the cartoons because, as the following post illustrates, defending freedom of the press and refusing to allow governments to censor the news has deeper implications than hurt feelings.

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Feb. 19 - Wonderful account in today's Washington Post concerning The Click That Broke a Government's Grip (free registration may be required.) The story illustrates the futility of locking the barn door after the horse has bolted - or censoring something after it has already been posted on a computer system, copied and sent through text messaging and email, and posted on bulletin boards.

An attempt to intimidate writers of the newspaper China Youth Daily by docking their pay if their articles upset party officials was leaked by Li Datong, senior editor of the paper, who had posted a letter on the newspaper's computer system which exposed and attacked the move. The capability of the internet to spread information quickly fully earned its nickname "information highway" as attempts to censor the letter could not catch up to its distribution.

It's no secret that China has, with damnable complicity from Google, Yahoo, et al.,

a censorship system that includes a blacklist of foreign sites blocked in China and filters that can stop e-mail and make Web pages inaccessible if they contain certain keywords. Several agencies, most notably the police and propaganda authorities, assign personnel to monitor the Web.

The system is far from airtight. Software can help evade filters and provide access to blacklisted sites, and Internet companies often test the censors' limits in order to attract readers and boost profits. If an item isn't stopped by the filters and hasn't been covered in the Friday meetings, the government can be caught off guard.

That is what happened with Li Datong's letter. Minutes after he posted it, people in the newsroom began copying it and sending it to friends via e-mail and the instant messaging programs used by more than 81 million Chinese.

It was midafternoon before someone in the party bureaucracy decided Li Datong's letter should be removed from Chinese cyberspace and government officials began calling executives at the major Web sites.

Some said they were contacted by the Beijing Municipal Information Office, others by its national-level counterpart, the State Council Information Office. None reported receiving a formal notice or any legal justification for the decision. As usual, they were just told to delete the offending material.

There are at least 694,000 Web sites in China, according to official statistics, and the party didn't try to contact them all. They called the most popular sites in Beijing first. Hours passed before some smaller bulletin board sites were notified. Forums with national audiences in other cities received calls only at the end of the day.

[...]

Even as Li's memo began disappearing from some Web sites, it went up on others the authorities had not contacted. Shortly before 10 p.m., it was posted on the popular Tianya forum. At 11 p.m., it became a featured item on Bokee, China's top blog and portal site.

[...]

The next morning, officials continued calling Web sites, but readers started posting the memo on sites that had already removed it. Some Web site managers said they tried to drag their feet or leave copies on less prominent pages. One said the memo was viewed 30,000 times before he took it down.

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Feb. 19 - The capability of the U.S. military to respond quickly to civilian emergencies and the willingness of our government to render aid to those in need is incredible. Be it a tsunami, earthquake or a mudslide, the U.S. is there long before the U.N. has held its first meeting to address the catastrophe (with an energetic nod to our Australian friends, who have much the same attitude to active response.)

The recent Phillipine mudslide is only the most recent example and, as soon as the request went through the necessary protocols, we were on our way to aid and assist (Amphibious Ready Group Responds to Philippines Landslide.)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2006 – Sailors and Marines from the Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group and elements of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade were called upon yesterday to help the victims of a mudslide on southern Leyte Island in the Philippines, U.S. 7th Fleet officials reported.

USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and elements of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade immediately left port Subic Bay en route to the disaster zone area.

"Our primary mission is to provide as much assistance as possible to the victims of this tragic event," said Capt. Mark E. Donahue, commodore, Amphibious Squadron 11, the task group commander of the Forward Deployed ARG. "We are here to prevent the further loss of life and to mitigate any further suffering."

[...]

The Philippine Red Cross has asked the United States for helicopter support to assist with rescue and relief operations in the area.

Just as in Operation Unified Assistance, a multi-nation effort to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the ships of the Forward Deployed ARG will use various ship-to-shore assets to get landslide victims the assistance they need in the form of food, water and medical supplies, officials said. During the tsunami operation, USS Essex and USS Fort McHenry delivered about 6 million pounds of relief supplies.

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Feb. 18 - The University of Toronto's student newspaper, The Strand, has published a cartoon depicting Mohammed and Jesus kissing.

The cartoon, "Tunnel of Tolerance," and editorial, "To print or not to print," can be viewed here (registration may be required.)

Unsurprisingly it has caused a bit of an uproard , but the U of T student newspaper refuses to apologize for publishing the Muhammad and Jesus cartoon.

I am in the usual evening rush (wake up, gulp down coffee, dash out) and don't have the time at this moment to properly formulate and present my thoughts, but my immediate reaction is that I like this response to the Cartoon Controversy. I'll try to put words to my thoughts tomorrow.

One sees what one wants to see. I don't see this as a gay statement but as a kiss of peace -- a symbol of acceptance and tolerance between two of the world's largest religions.

Bottom line: the war of terror is not a war on Muslims.

[As I noted, I'm in a horrible rush and thus reserve the right to edit this for the sake of clarity.]

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Feb. 17 - Canada has won the gold and silver medals in the men's skeleton events! Great news, but ... um, what is a skeleton event? I didn't know and Mark didn't know so I did a quick google and came up with one answer by by Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press in an extremely humorous article Why skeleton is a dumb sport.

A brief primer: Skeleton is exactly like luge, except that instead of flying down the track on your butt, you fly down the track on your stomach. Skeleton athletes (that's what they call themselves, which is title inflation of the worst kind) say skeleton requires a totally different skill set than luge. Let's just take their word for it. Otherwise, they might explain.

I know: It sounds like a ridiculous, inane, stupid, non-sport kind of sport. But that's what people said when luge first became an Olympic sport in 1964, and now, 42 years later, many of those same people are dead. So maybe we shouldn't question it.

Mark and I can't quite figure out how a hair restorative can be considered a performance enhancing drug (in sports, for crying out loud. Sheesh.)

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