The Muslims I Remember

Via Radley Balko comes this interesting piece on Afghanistan in the 50's and 60's. It's a surprising contrast to the 14th century hellhole it is today. The people of Kabul, all Muslims, were embracing the West, technology, reason and civilised culture. It was a place where women dressed much like their Western counterparts and embraced higher education, in a mixed sexes environment. Industry and infrastructure were growing and they were growing cotton and making textiles instead of exporting opium. The difference between then and now is stark and disturbing and the US bears a chunk of the responsibility for its descent into fundamentalist savagery.
Afghanistan was just one of many casualties in the USSR/USA Great Games of the 20th century. The Soviets wanted what little Afghanistan had and the US couldn't allow communism to expand, so we backed the foreign fighters who eventually morphed into the Taliban (who the US was giving money to right up till 9/11). Caught in the middle of this pissing match were the reasonable, secular Muslims of Kabul and the other cities. Needless to say, many of those folks fled.
These were the first Muslims I remember meeting overseas, when I first started traveling. Secular Muslims. Not the fundamentalists that have spread through many areas of the Middle East and now run Afghanistan, (with US blessings). People like YaYa, a Muslim from Indonesia and Afghan refugees I met stand out in my mind. They and many others never let their religious beliefs get between themselves and a new friend. The many Muslims I met during my years in Egypt were what some label "fundamentalists", but they sure didn't act as they were stereotypically supposed to. They were civil, kind and open people. They embraced the West and, almost to a T loved America and Americans. I was welcomed in their homes and businesses all the time. Shoot, even the members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a "terrorist" organisation that I ran across were nice individuals. Civilised. They hadn't been caught up in the full fury of the Great Games of the superpowers. Just the machinations of their local despotic government.
Our participation in those games, with the now defunct USSR, is having ramifications, decades later and will reverberate for many years to come.
Sadly, we're unlikely to see that old Afghanistan or those Muslims anytime soon in Afghanistan. And that's sad. Education, free trade, industry and freedom were what they had and it was all for naught. I wish I'd had the chance to see that Afghanistan.

Getting To The Root Of Things

Radley Balko has a piece up at the Agitator that shows what some of us have been saying for awhile now. "Libertarian" Wayne Allyn Root, would be head of the Libertarian National Committee, has a few screws loose. He makes a decent puppet for some folks in the party, but when he goes off the reservation he sure goes full bore. Funnily enough I have seen links to this story from some sites run by Libertarians who support Root being memory holed. That's rather sad, especially for folks who value the truth and openess under most circumstances. Root is running to be the face and voice of the National Libertarian Party and his supporters have made a point of haranguing his opponent, Ernest Hancock, for being a 9/11 Truther. Looks like both of them have taken to wearing tin foil hats, no matter how you spin it. George Phillies is looking better and better every day. I do hope that Roots supporters will decry his adherence to this particular insanity. This will reflect poorly on the LP at all levels, national, state and county. And, at a time when libertarians stand to make significant gains in the political arena the last thing they need is something like this. Hopefully his supporters will repudiate his actions, instead of seeking to cover them up.

Saying Goodbye To A Rock Legend

Ronnie James Dio has died in Houston after a long battle with stomach cancer. He's certainly going to be missed around here. I always loved his solo work, but his stint with Black Sabbath was a good one in my eyes and ears. His distinctive voice, ten sizes larger than himself were a welcome addition to Rainbow when he was their lead singer. There was a period when Dio was the go to guy for power groups. That voice was always something else. It brought a raspy power to any heavy ballad or song that no-one else could match. I'm definitely going to miss the man, but his musical legacy will live on with his longtime fans. Bye, Ronnie. You'll be missed.

Goodbye, Frank

Frank Frazetta has passed away at the age of 82. All too soon, in my opinion.
We're all going to miss you more than you anyone will know. Frank's works set my appreciation for fantasy/pulp and science fiction in ways that enhanced what I read. His works are in no small part responsible for my personal perceptions where feminine beauty are concerned. His women became the template against which I compared the female forms I found attractive. Frazetta's Dejah Thoris, Thuvia or Dian The Beautiful were the epitome of the female form, and still are to this day. Sadly, we'll have to be satisfied with the works Frank left us. Nevermore will his phenomenal works grace the covers of the writers out there. Thankfully, I still have plenty of his works to gaze upon in my library. And my kids will get to see those lovely women and brave fighting men as they grow older, too. Thanks, Frank.