give us your tired, huddled mass

Canada Busy Sending Back Bush-dodgers

By Joe Blundo
The Columbus Dispatch

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The re-election of President Bush is prompting the
exodus among leftleaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

''I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. ''He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields.

''Not real effective," he said. ''The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.

''A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. ''I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps
in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.

In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers.

''If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies.

''I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. ''How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close
to Cheney said.

''We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out."

--

Joe Blundo is a columnist for The Columbus Dispatch.

as dancing about architecture

Sunday's Grey Cup game left me with a dull ache in my bones (and a minor one in my head, yes indeed) plus a lumbering cold in my chest. Damn you Argos! Damn you my misfortune!

Hope I'm feeling better tomorrow becuz there's still tix available for the incomparable Neko Case appearing at our beloved Commodore Ballroom. That's the good news....

Check out Ticketbastard's eyeball-popping 33% surcharges... why the general public has not yet boycotted this despised organization and driven them into oblivion, I don't know:

Ticket Price (Base):$19.50
Building Facility Charge: $1.00
Convenience Charge: $5.50
Will Call Service Charge (aka 'Delivery Method'): $3.25
Total: $29.25 CAD

Feck me. Convenience charge? Delivery method? Shouldn't they pay me $8.75, if they're gonna force me to pick-up my ticket at the club? That's the bad news alright. Bastards!

For six meaningful bucks, you can attend this cool gathering of idea-oriented volks at the Contemporary Art Gallery. Talking about music is almost as much fun as listening and dancing to it - right? Right you are. Neko's special guest, Dexter Romweber, hits the stage at approximately 9:30pm.

The Contemporary Art Gallery Presents

Music Appreciation Society

Listening Event & Panel Discussion

Contemporary Art Gallery
555 Nelson Street, Vancouver
Thursday, November 25, 7-9pm

Free admission with society membership: $6 at the door

The ever-changing relationship between contemporary art and popular music, particularly with respect to appreciation, is the impetus for the Music Appreciation Society.

The Music Appreciation Society is a music listening event and panel discussion, featuring Clint Burnham, Rodney Graham, Sydney Hermant, Narduwar The Human Serviette, Kathy Slade and Althea Thauberger, moderated by Brady Cranfield.

Each panelist will introduce and play a song of their choice, and then briefly discuss the reasons for their choice, whether personal, political, intellectual, historical, musicological or somewhere between. While the appreciation of popular music comes easily and almost intuitively, contemporary art more often inspires a complicated and even sometimes guarded response.

However, the recent history of art has been marked by a steadily increasing engagement with popular culture in general and with popular music in particular, complicating this apparent difference. In addition, peoples' everyday relationship to popular music has also changed, through technology and consumption patterns. The Music Appreciation Society seeks to explore this joint transformation.

Clint Burnham is a literary theorist and author. Rodney Graham is an internationally known artist and musician. Sydney Hermant is an artist, musician, and curator at the Or Gallery. Narduwar The Human Serviette is a musician and media personality. Kathy Slade is an artist and curator. Althea Thauberger is an artist. Brady Cranfield is an artist, curator and musician.

The Contemporary Art Gallery is supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, The City of Vancouver, Vancouver Foundation, The Province of British Columbia and the BC Arts Council, its members and volunteers.

For more information, contact:

Contemporary Art Gallery
555 Nelson St
Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6B 6R5
tel: 604.681.2700
email: info@contemporaryartgallery.ca
website: www.contemporaryartgallery.ca

way over yonder in the minor key

I am Canadian. I am also apparently an:

Idealist-Champion (ENFP)

In a world filled with unique individuals, when it comes to personality there are only four different temperaments and 16 types of people. Your temperament is the Idealist (NF).

Idealists are rare, making up no more than 10 to 15 percent of the population. Yet their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers.

Your particular personality type, the Champion (ENFP), is even scarcer. Individuals of your type make up only two to three percent of the total population.

About Your Idealist Temperament

Idealists are spiritual, intuitive people who can enjoy spending a great deal of time and energy working toward a better understanding of who they are. The ultimate hope of this group is to attain true wisdom.

For the most part, Idealists are enthusiastic individuals who can find joy in meaningful relationships as well as the world around them. People of this temperament can pride themselves on being loving, kindhearted, and authentic. Other fine traits include being more giving and trusting than many around them.

An often-passionate temperament that yearns for romance, Idealists can make intense mates, nurturing parents, and inspirational leaders.

Being a Champion (ENFP)

Champions often possess both a wide range of emotions and a great passion for novelty. As a result, you likely consider intense emotional experiences as being vital to a full life.

Also, because Champions tend to be the most outgoing of the Idealists, you probably can't wait to tell others about the extraordinary - and even ordinary -- things that you do. In fact, others may know you as a tireless talker. However you're not simply a gossip running off at the mouth or even just a storyteller.

On the contrary, you may tend to speak or write in the hope of either revealing some truth about human experience or motivating others with your convictions. You can also have a strong drive to speak out on issues and events. When you couple these things with your usual enthusiasm and natural talent for language, Champions like you can be the most vivacious and inspiring of all the types.

As a Champion, you can be fiercely individualistic as you strive to reach a level of personal authenticity. This intention always to be yourself can be quite attractive to others. Another unique and special quality is your intuitive power. Being able to read what is going on inside of others and react accordingly can give special significance to your words and actions.

Far more than the other Idealists, you tend to be a keen and probing observer of the people around you. You can also be capable of intense concentration on another individual. This sensitivity and alertness makes sure that you're almost always there when needed, especially in emergencies.

Additionally, because you've constantly scanning your social environment, no intriguing character or silent motive is likely to escape your attention.

Because you can be so good with people, you probably retain a wide range of personal relationships. At times when you show your trademark warmth and energy, you're a very likeable, easygoing person. This is true in professional situations as well as personal ones. Not only do you usually make a good first impression, but you can possess a brand of spontaneity and exuberance that draws people in.

As a result, a wide variety of people may vie for your company. Use your positivity and confidence in the goodness of life as much as you can. Such a nature makes good things happen.

Work and Career

You live in anticipation of an exciting future, one you may see even more vividly than your present. As a result, in your ideal job you would likely be asked to stretch your imagination on a continual basis.

You would also be comfortable taking on a leadership role, so long as it didn't place you in an arbitrary hierarchy. You typically feel rewarded by being asked to share your insights with people who encourage your creativity.

On the flip side, it can feel insulting to you to have your innovations or ideas questioned. More so than for many people, your ideas are alive; they're your "babies." Because of this fact, you can sometimes be offended by the notion that you must justify them.

Like other Idealists, you are wired to pursue personal growth, authenticity, and integrity. You yearn to develop yourself fully as an individual and to facilitate that growth in others. You tend to thrive when you can turn your attention to the personal concerns of your coworkers, clients, and customers - as well as to your own personal growth.

Love and Relationships

Seeing the world anew through another person's eyes and sharing that world with them, the magic of sex, the miracle of raising a family - all of these things can be of paramount importance to you. You can be an incurably passionate and compassionate person.

However, these qualities may not express themselves in traditional ways. In private life, you may never give the kinds of gifts that other types favour -- roses, expensive jewelry, or technical or utilitarian gadgets. Instead, you tend to give gifts that tell stories or symbolize your feelings about your relationship.

Interestingly, when it comes to finding a mate, at times you're apt to be drawn to the very qualities in others that you feel you lack yourself. As a result, types who are more grounded can be very attractive to you.

Chances are, you admire the way this kind of person is able to make their way through life on a realistic and directed path. You probably also appreciate their level of focus. During the early stages of your relationship, these differences between you and your mate are likely to be especially endearing and fun.

What is temperament?

There are two sides to personality: One is temperament and the other is character. Temperament is a set of inclinations we are born with, while character is a set of habits we acquire as we grow and mature. Character is disposition, developed over a lifetime; temperament is predisposition, hardwired in from birth.

Thus, those of the Artisan temperament are predisposed to impulsive action, those of the Guardian temperament to responsible service, those of the Idealist temperament to personal development, and those of the Rational temperament to objective analysis. Each type of person, unless blocked or deflected by an unfavorable environment, will develop the habits of character appropriate to his or her temperament.

Put another way, our brain is a sort of computer that has temperament for its hardware and character for its software. Our hardware is the physical base of our personality, placing on each of us an unmistakable temperament signature, some facets of which can be observed from a very early age.

Our software on the other hand, is made up of our individual experience and social environment -- the forces around us that, with time and occasion, give shape to our individual character.

Thus temperament is the inborn form of human nature and character is the emergent form that develops through the interaction of temperament and environment. Personality, your unique personal style, is a combination of the two.

https://www.advisorteam.com/temperament_sorter/

top 10 reasons to don a kilt

Utilikilts' Top 10 Reasons for Wearing a Kilt

1) Because throughout history, men have worn un-bifurcated garments.

2) Because if women had an appendage hanging between their legs, we guarantee you they wouldn’t be wearing pants.

3) Freedom, and increased mobility.

4) You only go around once, so why shouldn’t you be as comfortable as possible?

5) All men deserve air conditioning in the summer. You will chafe no more.

6) No more adjustments, right side, left side… Say goodbye to wedgies.

7) A word about the pockets: Unlike pants, the Utilikilt’s pockets are only sewn down on top, so that they move with the garment but not with your leg. No more bulky crap contorting the shape of your leg.

8) The Workman's kilt can carry an entire six pack. You don’t have to wear your cell phone on your belt. With the Workman's kilt, you don’t need a tool belt.

9) Easy access ... ; - )

10) Fringe benefits:

A. Physical: Your virility may increase. You will experience the pleasing sensation of air conditioning.

B. Mental: Wearing a kilt shows a sense of security with yourself, and you will inspire much debate in others.

C. Spiritual: Without physical constrictions, you burden will be lighter, your sense of freedom less impaired, and your sense of yourself, will have room to grow.

life in the wiggy lane

Wow! An entire week slipped by with no posts from yer man. What's the wiggy world coming to?

I've just been too damn busy with work, side projects, pitch 'n' putt, concerts... and -gasp!- exercise to spend much time on the 'puter of late. September and October were a pair of mad mad mad months but November ain't slowing down any.

This afternoon I'm going hiking with fellow CanWestie Steve and his missus Heather. Somewhere - I dunno where. It will be a pleasant surprise, I'm sure. Have you looked out the winda and checked-out the weather today?

Another soggy day in paradise, baby.

When I come back, if I come back, I'll post some pics from a few adventures of late. Promise I'll post some sordid details about life in the fast lane soon too. Yes, I said promise. ; - )

In the meantime, here's some pics from last Saturday at Victor Bonderoff's art opening picture unveiling thingy dinghy. A fine, fine time was had by all - until 5am or thereabouts. Then things got ugly. Real ugly.

If anyone out there is interested in attending a few more gigs this autumn, here's my hit list for the next few weeks:

DE LA SOUL
with guest Butta Verses
Sunday Nov. 14 @ 9:15 pm
Commodore Ballroom

54-40
Vancouver Foodbank Fundraiser
Thursdays Nov 18 @ 9pm & Nov 25 @ 10pm
Media Club (695 Cambie), tix $20

K-OS
Friday Nov 19 @ 9:30 pm
Commodore, tix $19.50

LATINO SOY FESTIVAL
Music/dance from Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile
Sunday Nov 21, doors open at noon
Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial), free

NEKO CASE
with guest Dexter Romweber
Thursday Nov 25 @ 9:30 pm
Commodore, tix $19.50

THE SADIES
with guests the Leather Uppers
Friday Nov 26 @ 9pm
Brickyard, tix $15/12

and of course...

HAWKSLEY WORKMAN
Thursday Dec 09/04
Vogue Theatre @ 7:30pm, tix $22.50

peace before the snow

One of my fave Canucks, Hawksley Workman, 'dropped by' my Inbox this morning to wish me well. I think this fella loves autumn as much as do I. So, in the spirit of the season, I am pleased to share his lovely (and typically wacko) message of love and hope. Enjoy.

November. uncertainty in the air. i don't know if we realize the strangeness of the times we are living in. a funny cluster of people weakened by technology and misguided notions of fortune. is there a pure heart? is there a god with ears to hear prayer? i have been walking again. parked car. funny how the modern symphonies of our lives have become triple 'F' forte with burning, prestissimo tempos... we don't sound like music anymore. the pace of my steps and my heart seem to have reawakened my thirst. my desire and my connection to something larger than i am. funny little chaos. funny little strands. funny little bits of disease. redeemed by our art, by our kindness, and our occasional uncharacteristic moments of selflessness. alas, music. a glorious vibration. as we are too funny little vibrations in the shape of these familiar human vessels. connectivity. vibrations alike to themselves, with music making us one. water of one's sweat... sweat of one's piss... life giving all the while. importance is relative... what is right and wrong seems less so. i get scared for culture. our lovely sovereign voice. it is so much easier to hide from our truths. they are difficult and demanding. food, music, language, art, are all traditions of function and happiness. with these things we are at want for little more. so many reasons for fear these days... why no reasons for faith?? Not the church-going faith... but the faith that is intrinsic in a culture of giving and confidence. in a culture of strength there is no need to fain humility... faith alone is humbling. november. uncertainty in the air. i don't know if we realize the strangeness of the times we are living in. peace before the snow...

h.


Hawksley Newsfront

· Hawksley has been busy at his Schoolhouse Studio working on his new album, as well as producing a few other exciting projects (including Jeen O'Brien's new album)

· Hawksley's first DVD, "Live in Lille" will be out on Nov. 16

· The DVD contains a 20-song, 2-hour performance that was shot in Lille, France during Hawksley's "lover/fighter" tour. The concert has been mixed in 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. In addition to the concert, the DVD has all 9 of Hawksley's music videos, including a previously unreleased director's cut version of the video for Hawksley's "We Will Still Need A Song". The bonus features section also contains the "The Making Of lover/fighter" EPK as well as a full discography. Total running time is over 2.5 hours. This DVD is authored in the new NTSC ALL format, making it suitable for all regions.

· The DVD is available for pre-order through MapleMusic.com. The first 100 orders will receive a signed copy of the DVD and be entered into an exclusive prize pack which includes Holiday surprises from Hawksley and 2 tickets to a show: Vancouver (December 9), Montreal (December 16) or Toronto (December 17).

"Live in Lille" Track List:

tonight romanticize the automobile, no reason to cry out your eyes (on the highway tonight), even an ugly man, wonderful and sad, anger as beauty, dirty and true, no more named johnny, tarantulove, jealous of your cigarette, striptease, we will still need a song, no beginning no end, smoke baby, autumn's here, safe and sound, your beauty must be rubbing off, don't be crushed, a house or maybe a boat, you me and the weather, cinnamon girl.

Upcoming Tour Dates

Nov 30 Cabaret - Recall Festival
Paris, Fance ***trio show

Dec 9 Vogue Theatre
Vancouver, BC, CA ***trio show

Dec 11 Trinity United Church
Huntsville, ON, CA ***solo show

Dec 15 Empire Theatre
Belleville, ON, CA ***full band with Centennial Secondary School choir and horns

Dec 16 Cabaret Music Hall
Montreal, PQ, CA
Duo show featuring Mr. Lonely

Dec 17 Eastminster United Church
Toronto, ON, CA
Special Duo Show

a material... a material... boy

Now, I'm not a 'material boy' by any stretch of the imagination (I'm a man - hello??) but there's a handful of things resting on this orb that absolutely fascinate me.

One of those 'things' is a kilt.

For eons, I've wanted to own a kilt as a salutary nod to my Celtic heritage. Her Majesty Miranda says she won't weave me a kilt (HRH says she's a knitter; I think she's a slacker!) but I remain undetered in my quest for a wee bit o' skirt.

See, my mom's family tree originates from County Cork (which probably explains allot, I agree) and this, I believe, is where my maternal grandma was born and raised:

http://www.cork-guide.ie/innishannon/index.html

But (and it's a huge Jaylo-size 'but') I don't know what my clan is... does anyone out there have any suggestions as to how/where I might start looking for tartan clues?

33 reasons why not

33 reasons why you should not post your pic online:

hold me closer, tony danza

Ladies and gentlemen, drop your borders!

Now that George W. Bush has been officially elected, single, sexy, American liberals - already a threatened species - will be desperate to escape. These lonely, afraid (did we mention really hot?) progressives will need a safe haven.

You can help. Open your heart, and your home. Marry an American. Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism.

The idea behind Marry An American is simple: You have the power to rescue a progressive American from four more years of George W. Bush, should he be re-elected.

Americans, sick of the political climate of their homeland, have long sought refuge within Canadian borders. And let's face it, when compared to the United States, Canada is a liberal utopia & we have universal healthcare (in two languages!), gay marriage, free marijuana for everyone, and we don't like guns.

Already, our American counterparts are fleeing the U.S. in droves and buying up land along our borders. We envision a movement where everyone wins: Freedom of expression and a politically convenient marriage with love and igloos for all.

Canadian singles, tired of the dating scene, are willing to act for love or just plain pity. Let's drop our border-inhibitions-commitment issues, set a date, pick out our china patterns and wed a sexy American liberal.

Don't be left alone. Sign-up today and do your part to save freedom-democracy!

How stupid do you have to be to vote for Bush... a second time?? This 'report' might aid in the crucial decision-making process re: marrying the Yank of your dreams.

http://chrisevans3d.com/files/iq.htm

on the beat in baghdad

From: Peter Diekmeyer
To: Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ listserv)
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2004 11:10:16 -0500
Subject: WSJ reporter Fassihi's e-mail to friends 9/29/2004

I came across this E-mail on Poynter, which WSJ Bagdad reporter apparently sent to a few of her friends. I'd be interested to hear some comments, if there is anyone on the list who has been in the Green Zone recently.

Peter Diekmeyer
Monreal Gazette/ Freelance

--

WSJ reporter Fassihi's e-mail to friends

From: Farnaz Fassihi [Wall Street Journal reporter]
Subject: From Baghdad
Sent: 9/29/2004 2:58:10 PM

Being a foreign correspondent in Baghdad these days is like being under virtual house arrest. Forget about the reasons that lured me to this job: a chance to see the world, explore the exotic, meet new people in far away lands, discover their ways and tell stories that could make a difference.

Little by little, day-by-day, being based in Iraq has defied all those reasons. I am house bound. I leave when I have a very good reason to and a scheduled interview. I avoid going to people's homes and never walk in the streets. I can't go grocery shopping any more, can't eat in restaurants, can't strike a conversation with strangers, can't look for stories, can't drive in any thing but a full armored car, can't go to scenes of breaking news stories, can't be stuck in traffic, can't speak English outside, can't take a road trip, can't say I'm an American, can't linger at checkpoints, can't be curious about what people are saying, doing, feeling. And can't and can't.

There has been one too many close calls, including a car bomb so near our house that it blew out all the windows. So now my most pressing concern every day is not to write a kick-ass story but to stay alive and make sure our Iraqi employees stay alive. In Baghdad I am a security personnel first, a reporter second.

It's hard to pinpoint when the 'turning point' exactly began. Was it April when the Fallujah fell out of the grasp of the Americans? Was it when Moqtada and Jish Mahdi declared war on the U.S. military? Was it when Sadr City, home to ten percent of Iraq's population, became a nightly battlefield for the Americans? Or was it when the insurgency began spreading from isolated pockets in the Sunni triangle to include most of Iraq? Despite President Bush's rosy assessments, Iraq remains a disaster. If under Saddam it was a 'potential' threat, under the Americans it has been transformed to 'imminent and active threat,' a foreign policy failure bound to haunt the United States for decades to come.

Iraqis like to call this mess 'the situation.' When asked 'how are thing?' they reply: 'the situation is very bad."

What they mean by situation is this: the Iraqi government doesn't control most Iraqi cities, there are several car bombs going off each day around the country killing and injuring scores of innocent people, the country's roads are becoming impassable and littered by hundreds of landmines and explosive devices aimed to kill American soldiers, there are assassinations, kidnappings and beheadings.

The situation, basically, means a raging barbaric guerilla war. In four days, 110 people died and over 300 got injured in Baghdad alone. The numbers are so shocking that the ministry of health -- which was attempting an exercise of public transparency by releasing the numbers -- has now stopped disclosing them.

Insurgents now attack Americans 87 times a day.

A friend drove thru the Shiite slum of Sadr City yesterday. He said young men were openly placing improvised explosive devices into the ground. They melt a shallow hole into the asphalt, dig the explosive, cover it with dirt and put an old tire or plastic can over it to signal to the locals this is booby-trapped. He said on the main roads of Sadr City, there were a dozen landmines per every ten yards. His car snaked and swirled to avoid driving over them. Behind the walls sits an angry Iraqi ready to detonate them as soon as an American convoy gets near. This is in Shiite land, the population that was supposed to love America for liberating Iraq.

For journalists the significant turning point came with the wave of abduction and kidnappings. Only two weeks ago we felt safe around Baghdad because foreigners were being abducted on the roads and highways between towns. Then came a frantic phone call from a journalist female friend at 11 p.m. telling me two Italian women had been abducted from their homes in broad daylight. Then the two Americans, who got beheaded this week and the Brit, were abducted from their homes in a residential neighborhood. They were supplying the entire block with round the clock electricity from their generator to win friends. The abductors grabbed one of them at 6 a.m. when he came out to switch on the generator; his beheaded body was thrown back near the neighborhoods.

The insurgency, we are told, is rampant with no signs of calming down. If any thing, it is growing stronger, organized and more sophisticated every day. The various elements within it-baathists, criminals, nationalists and Al Qaeda-are cooperating and coordinating.

I went to an emergency meeting for foreign correspondents with the military and embassy to discuss the kidnappings. We were somberly told our fate would largely depend on where we were in the kidnapping chain once it was determined we were missing. Here is how it goes: criminal gangs grab you and sell you up to Baathists in Fallujah, who will in turn sell you to Al Qaeda. In turn, cash and weapons flow the other way from Al Qaeda to the Baathisst to the criminals. My friend Georges, the French journalist snatched on the road to Najaf, has been missing for a month with no word on release or whether he is still alive.

America's last hope for a quick exit? The Iraqi police and National Guard units we are spending billions of dollars to train. The cops are being murdered by the dozens every day-over 700 to date -- and the insurgents are infiltrating their ranks. The problem is so serious that the U.S. military has allocated $6 million dollars to buy out 30,000 cops they just trained to get rid of them quietly.

As for reconstruction: firstly it's so unsafe for foreigners to operate that almost all projects have come to a halt. After two years, of the $18 billion Congress appropriated for Iraq reconstruction only about $1 billion or so has been spent and a chuck has now been reallocated for improving security, a sign of just how bad things are going here.

Oil dreams? Insurgents disrupt oil flow routinely as a result of sabotage and oil prices have hit record high of $49 a barrel. Who did this war exactly benefit? Was it worth it? Are we safer because Saddam is holed up and Al Qaeda is running around in Iraq?

Iraqis say that thanks to America they got freedom in exchange for insecurity. Guess what? They say they'd take security over freedom any day, even if it means having a dictator ruler.

I heard an educated Iraqi say today that if Saddam Hussein were allowed to run for elections he would get the majority of the vote. This is truly sad.

Then I went to see an Iraqi scholar this week to talk to him about elections here. He has been trying to educate the public on the importance of voting. He said, "President Bush wanted to turn Iraq into a democracy that would be an example for the Middle East. Forget about democracy, forget about being a model for the region, we have to salvage Iraq before all is lost."

One could argue that Iraq is already lost beyond salvation. For those of us on the ground it's hard to imagine what if any thing could salvage it from its violent downward spiral. The genie of terrorism, chaos and mayhem has been unleashed onto this country as a result of American mistakes and it can't be put back into a bottle.

The Iraqi government is talking about having elections in three months while half of the country remains a 'no go zone'-out of the hands of the government and the Americans and out of reach of journalists. In the other half, the disenchanted population is too terrified to show up at polling stations. The Sunnis have already said they'd boycott elections, leaving the stage open for polarized government of Kurds and Shiites that will not be deemed as legitimate and will most certainly lead to civil war.

I asked a 28-year-old engineer if he and his family would participate in the Iraqi elections since it was the first time Iraqis could to some degree elect a leadership. His response summed it all: "Go and vote and risk being blown into pieces or followed by the insurgents and murdered for cooperating with the Americans? For what? To practice democracy? Are you joking?"

- Farnaz

From: Tom Popyk
To: Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ listserv)
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2004 15:29:27 -0500
Subject: Re: WSJ reporter Fassihi ...

Fassihi is taking a 'break' at the moment -- the email caused quite a stir with the chattering classes.

The commentary pretty much nails the current situation. It has gotten worse since I was last here in May.

The Green zone is locked down. For journos, getting anywhere in the GZ (except the press centre) requires reams of triplicate approval, passes, and an armed escort.

Foreign journalists do go out -- we still have to do our job -- but the risk is obvious.

Insurgents are known to keep surveillance on all locations where foreigners are living -- hotel, compounds, green zone. The last two journos I heard kidnapped were snatched from their cars just blocks from their hotels -- within view of Iraqi police who do not intervene.

So, no routines are kept. All meetings are made at the every last moment. You only tell your driver where you're going once you get in the car. I asked one experienced corro if he trusts anyone here now -- he looked at me like I was crazy.

Trust no one.

Then there's the bang-bang: today, I heard at least a dozen mortar / rocket / bomb explosions in central Baghdad -- they're not even reported anymore. There are regular warnings of credible threats of larger car bombs, etc. on foreign targets.

The risk also works both ways.

Many Iraqis refuse to meet westerns anywhere but "western" or "secure" locations, because of the risk of being seen with a foreigner. Going to an interview subject's house means you're putting them at risk of attack -- putting their kids at risk of kidnapping. (The kidnappers tell the victims to get the ransom cash from their rich western friends.)

The Iraqi interim government is now refusing to release casualty or kidnap figures.

The war corro vets here say this is a whole different kind of conflict to cover.

But hey: at least the phones work.

Tom Popyk
Baghdad