Free Burma!

[The following post is copied in full from ming zhi at MVRWC, originally from here, found via Technorati search for Burma. Please copy to your own blog and spread the word, it's time for the free people of the world to rise up and help our brothers and sisters in arms as they shake free from the oppressive shackles of the military junta in 'Myanmar.']

[Why call it Burma instead of Myanmar? Video blog of Burmese unrest at Hot Air. Japanese journalist apparently assassinated by Burmese military sniper. More on assassinated Japanese journalist at Ace's. Michelle has worldwide condemnation against the Burmese military's clampdown against the peaceful protestors. The Jawa Report has shocking news of French oil companies involvement with the Burma military junta.]

Help the People of Burma — Post this on Your Blog!

Note: This is a new kind of online protest that uses blogs to spread a petition globally. To participate, just add your blog by following the instructions in this blog post.

This not an issue of partisan politics, this is an issue of basic human rights and democracy. Please help to prevent a human tragedy in Burma by adding your blog and asking others to do the same.

By passing this meme on through the blogosphere hopefully we can generate more awareness and avert a serious tragedy. As concerned world-citizens this something we bloggers can do to help.

How to participate:

1. Copy this entire post to your blog, including this special number: 1081081081234

2. After a few days, you can search Google for the number 1081081081234 to find all blogs that are participating in this protest and petition. Note: Google indexes blogs at different rates, so it could take longer for your blog to show up in the results.

THE SITUATION IN BURMA AND WHY IT MATTERS TO ALL OF US

There is no press freedom in Burma and the government has started turning off the Internet and other means of communication, so it is difficult to get news out. Individuals on the ground have been sending their day-by-day reports to the BBC, and they are heartbreaking. I encourage you to read these accounts to see for yourself what is really going on in Burma. Please include this link in your own blog post.

The situation in Burma is increasingly dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed peaceful protesters, including monks and nuns, are risking their lives to march for democracy against an unpopular but well-armed military dictatorship that will stop at nothing to continue its repressive rule. While the generals in power and their families are literally dripping in gold and diamonds, the people of Burma are impoverished, deprived of basic human rights, cut off from the rest of the world, and increasingly under threat of violence.

This week the people of Burma have risen up collectively in the largest public demonstrations against the ruling Junta in decades. It’s an amazing show of bravery, decency, and democracy in action. But although these protests are peaceful, the military rulers are starting to crack down with violence. Already there have been at least several reported deaths, and hundreds of critical injuries from soldiers beating unarmed civilians to the point of death.

The actual fatalities and injuries are probably far worse, but the only news we have is coming from individuals who are sneaking reports past the authorities. Unfortunately it looks like a large-scale blood-bath may ensue — and the victims will be mostly women, children, the elderly and unarmed monks and nuns.

Contrary to what the Burmese, Chinese and Russian governments have stated, this is not merely a local internal political issue, it is an issue of global importance and it affects the global community. As concerned citizens, we cannot allow any government anywhere in the world to use its military to attack and kill peacefully demonstrating, unarmed citizens.

In this modern day and age violence against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and if it is allowed to happen, without serious consequences for the perpetrators, it creates a precedent for it to happen again somewhere else. If we want a more peaceful world, it is up to each of us to make a personal stand on these fundamental issues whenever they arise.

Please join me in calling on the Burmese government to negotiate peacefully with its citizens, and on China to intervene to prevent further violence. And please help to raise awareness of the developing situation in Burma so that hopefully we can avert a large-scale human disaster there.

A New Blog

Cool! Looks like SarahK, IMAO's official T-Shirt babe and hausfrau, has a new blog, Snark Raving Mad!, in which she snarks all the great TV shows. Good stuff, go check it out.

I Am A Genius

So over at Instapundit's today, I saw this article from USA Today. In it was a quiz on American civics. 60 questions, multiple choice:

Overall, [college] freshmen averaged 50.4% on a wide-ranging civic literacy test; [college] seniors averaged 54.2%, both failing scores if translated to grades.

So it was with some trepidation that I took the quiz this morning, years since I've been in a classroom. I need not have been fearful, for I am a genius. I only missed 5 out of 60 for a 91.67% score. Take that. So go take the quiz yourself, and leave your score in the comments. Good luck!

Update: Unrelated Ewww.

The End of Ignorance, Part 10 of 10

And so the day comes to a close. For the next couple of days, many around the world will stand in solidarity with America in expressing grief and anger. Some, however, will cheer in the streets at the news of what happened this fateful day. Over time, these feelings will fade. France will return to it's habit of decrying every move that America takes, and the Arab world will return to demonizing America and Israel. For some, the events of today sounded in their souls like a lone clarion bell across an empty plain. They removed the fleece from their eyes and saw the world in a new light. For others, this was just the latest in a long string of attacks, they had been awakened by the attacks on the USS Cole, or perhaps the Khobar Towers, or the African Embassies, or the first WTC bombing. And sadly, for far too many others, today's events will act as nothing more than a catalyst for fevered conspiracy theorizing. The days go by, the dust settles. Planes fly through the air, and everything seems to be like it always was. For some, that will never be the case. We cannot forget the evil perpetrated that day by insane followers of a cult of death. We must remain strong, we must remember. For the day we forget, is the day we invite more peril onto our shores.

Remember

Never Forget

Never Forgive

Note: This post will be updated throughout the day with additional blogospheric remembrances. All links completely safe from language or other content unless otherwise noted. Stay tuned...

Pamela at Atlas Shrugs has pics (mild content warning) of the islamist march around Ground Zero. Unbelievable. (via ROP)

Ann Althouse has pics of the Manhattan skyline from this morning. (via Insty)

A hero departs for the front lines.

Sadly unsurprisingly, Google doesn't remember.

Instapundit, 9/11/01.

Ace recollects that day 6 years ago, and how much has and hasn't changed. (safe link).

Slublog thinks we should get angry, I agree.

At DailyKos, this is how the "American" Left treats 9/11. (via MM)

At the BBC, this is how the European Left views 9/11. (also via MM)

Read Michelle Malkin's post today, as she reminds us not just to remember, but to resist.

Dr. Rusty Shackleford reminds the still willfully-ignorant Left who was actually responsible for those atrocities.

And from Zombie, he/she who bravely treads where others fear to, shows us the freak show that is the "American" Left, the supposed 'center' of the Democratic Party.

Charles Johnson has sadly pathetic news at LGF, they just don't seem to get it I guess.

Rachel Lucas (one f-bomb and two s-bombs warning) informs us that several Salt Lake City schools just want the kids to forget about 9/11 and move on.

Dennis Kucinich, lone wacko. (via Hot Air)

What if the 9/11 attacks were thwarted? It's sad because it's true. (via Hot Air)

A good muslim? One who renounces his 'faith.'

Hollywood's best and brightest, with a movie opening this weekend. (At least two of those people are an Academy Award winning Best Actor/Actress!)

Video: Inside the North Tower.

Bryan's first-hand account of 9/11, and his expression of anger and opinion on the status quo.

Amazing: The Left decides to support the troops after all. (via Insty)

One of the commenters, Tilly, at LGF survived 9/11 by escaping from WTC Tower 2. Her story is here.

And, to heap ridicule on those who would bring harm to us, check out the lol-terrorists at IMAO.

And in closing, remember to celebrate your freedom with bacon! (via Insty)

The End of Ignorance, Part 9 of 10

F-15s circle above New York City and Washington as the nation responds to the terror attacks. CNN reports that a mass evacuation of Washington D.C. and New York has been started, and at 10:43 New York mayor Rudy Giuliani orders an evacuation of lower Manhattan. All bridges and tunnels off the island are closed to vehicles as thousands of New Yorkers began the long trek home on foot. Many of them were covered in ash from the two towers, and walked as if in a daze. Later tonight, President Bush will address the nation and say:

"Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts...Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve...The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts...we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."

The kids are back from school, and wonder just what is going on today. For the younger ones, it will be a while before they understand just what occurred on this fateful day. All they can do is ask Mommy "why isn't Daddy home yet?" Their young minds know he must surely be fine, as he is a strong and brave fire fighter or policeman...

The End of Ignorance, Part 8 of 10

In the remaining North Tower of the WTC, workers clung to the edges of windows, hundreds of feet in the air, praying for a miracle. They surely knew that brave men and women below were doing everything they could to rescue them, but they also certainly knew that the odds were against them. They had seen the first tower collapse. Perhaps slipping on debris, or pushed by accident, between 100 and 250 people had a truly unimaginable fate. Maybe some chose their fate, trying to escape the searing flames, the suffocating smoke, and the agonized wails and tears of their co-workers. Perhaps, knowing that this was it, they decided to go out on their own terms. A few seconds of silence, blowing wind, and perhaps, peace. At 10:28 AM the North Tower collapses...

The End of Ignorance, Part 7 of 10

The world was now certain that terrible terrorist attacks had occurred in America, that shining beacon of liberty and hope. Chaos reigned in Lower Manhattan as the brave men and women of the FDNY and NYPD gave their all, and for some, their lives, to try to save as many of their kindred souls as they could. Somewhere above Pennsylvania, the knowledge made it's way to those aboard United Flight 93. By air-phone and cell phone they learned of what had happened in New York and Washington. They had already been hi-jacked and diverted. They knew what lay in store for them, but they also knew the terror that would occur if they allowed the terrorists to continue their mission. So, shortly before 10:03 AM, after what they knew would be their last conversations with those on the ground, they girded themselves and heroically did what they knew must be done. "Let's roll."

The End of Ignorance, Part 6 of 10

President Bush leaves Sarasota Florida aboard Air Force One. CNN confirms that it was a plane crash at the Pentagon. The AP reports that American Airlines Flight 11 was high-jacked after departure from Boston. The NSA intercepts a call between Afghanistan and the Republic of Georgia announcing "good news." And at 9:59 AM, the South Tower falls...

The End of Ignorance, Part 5 of 10

Confusion continues to reign as the nation's air traffic controllers attempt to determine the status of thousands of planes still in the air. Conflicting reports, erroneous radar readings, and miscommunication continue to plague the effort. The nation, and the entire world, sit glued to their t.v.'s or computer screens as the events unfold. Smoke continues to pour out of the WTC towers, frightening and disturbing, but not nearly as terrible as the inexorable doom that awaits them. Reports start to come in about an event at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. At 9:37, American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the side of the Pentagon, killing the 64 passengers instantly. It becomes quickly apparent that this was yet another airliner attack, and the Capitol and White House are evacuated. The FAA grounds all flights, no commercial flight is allowed to continue and must divert to the nearest airport immediately. All inbound international flights are diverted to Canada, which also closes it's commercial airspace. It is now 9:45 AM EST, Tuesday, September the 11th, 2001.

The End of Ignorance, Part 4 of 10

By now it is apparent to all viewers that something unprecedented has happened. Both towers of the World Trade Center are belching smoke. At 9:05 AM, Chief of Staff Andrew Card utters those fateful words to President Bush, "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." In the coming moments, confusion and dismay will be the rule, rather than the exception, for those in the air traffic control system who are trying to figure out just what is going on. The hijackers had turned off the transponders, the radio beacons that transmit the planes location and status. Some of the downed planes were still believed to be in the air, and sadly, some of the planes in the air were about to meet a fiery fate. For the first time in this nation's history, the FAA halts all commercial takeoffs in the United States. However, for a while at least, those flights still in the air will be allowed to continue to their destinations, and international flights will still be allowed to come to the US. Air Traffic Controllers, used to a hectic job of tracking thousands and thousands of flights across the nation stare with wonder, awe, and fear as their radar displays slowly go dark. It is now 9:26 AM.

The End of Ignorance, Part 3 of 10

For many, the events of this day are yet unknown, their status quo unchanged. Maybe they're at work surfing the internet, or still at home watching CNN or Fox News. If they have friends or family in New York, they may have already gotten a phone call. That ignorance of the day's events was about to drastically end. Shortly after flight attendant Amy Sweeney's final call from American Airlines Flight 11, the plane slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Passerby on the street looked up in astonishment and confusion. The first reports were limited and disjointed. CNN broke into their morning commercials with "a very disturbing live shot," reporting that just minutes before a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Was it an accident? Was it really just a fire? Was it a just a little Cessna? The world began to watch in wonder, as before their very eyes the peace and tranquility they had always thought enveloped them like a warm and fuzzy blanket was snatched from them. By now, millions of people were looking at smoke billowing from the North Tower, anchors were reporting that a large commercial jetliner had 'crashed' into it. As they watch, United Flight 175 arcs like a silver spear from the side of the screen. At 590 mph, it is only a fraction of a second until an enormous fireball erupts through the South Tower. It is 9:03 AM, eastern time.

The End of Ignorance, Part 2 of 10

In Manhattan, office workers crush out of subways and make their way to work, perhaps grabbing a bagel or pretzel from one of the ubiquitous street vendors. Another flight from Boston to LA, United 175, takes off from Logan airport at 8:14, maybe they're going to Disneyland. Perhaps they are going to visit their grandparents, or to close a big record deal. Aboard American Airlines flight 11 comes the first sign for the outside world that everything is about to change. Flight attendant Betty Ong calls American Airlines on an air-phone and reports stabbings, the smell of mace, and the possible high-jacking of the flight. At 8:20, from Washington Dulles airport, American Airlines Flight 77 soars into the crystal blue sky, also bound for LA. The last plane, United 93, takes off from Newark International Airport en route to San Francisco at 8:42. Thousands of office workers make their way to the World Trade Center complex, many flooding into the two iconic towers. The last report from American Airlines Flight 11 is from flight attendant Amy Sweeney to American Airlines Flight Services Office. The call ends with "We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low...Oh my God." Static.

The End of Ignorance, Part 1 of 10

The sun rose this morning on a beautiful clear Tuesday on the Northeastern seaboard of the United States. It is that magical time of year as summer slowly gives up it's warm embrace and the mornings begin to have a slight bite to them. School kids race down the street, the year's new school clothes as yet unscuffed and untorn. Like any workday morning on the East Coast, commuters are rushing to catch their train, or perhaps driving through traffic on their way to the rat race. Baristas crank out tasty caffeinated treats for the harried workers as the Sun continues it's slow slide up the Eastern skyline. It's 7:59 AM eastern time, and American Airlines flight 11 has just departed Boston's Logan airport en route to Los Angeles.

Well Alrighty Then!

So, can I question the Loony Liberal Left's patriotism now? How about now? Is this a good time? Surely this is a good time to question their patriotism? I mean, I understand they have a meme to push, but seriously? I think this is getting just a little out of hand. Between craven cover-your-ass politicking, over-emotional responses to undesired decisions made by the will of the people, and just pure bat-shit insanity (sorry), I get a little cheesed-off to say the least. One thing I really hate, is the wholesale reinterpretation of recent history when Dems get exposed for the fools they are, pathetic. Sadly, there is really only one man who could fix this, but I don't think he's available. Perhaps mighty Teh Fred! will be able to kick a little butt and take names and clean this place up. One can only hope. A commenter sums it up rather nicely here.

Of course, for a different viewpoint you could always read what this guy has to say, if you think he has the intelligence and honesty to speak his mind.