I’ve recently been reading Fromm, as in Erich Fromm. Here’s a gem: The principle holds that no citizen loses his property or his rights of citizenship and the citizenship right is de facto a right to which (Palestinians in Israel) have much more legitimacy than the Jews…If all nations would suddenly claim territories in which their forefathers lived two thousands years ago, this world would be a madhouse. Jewish Letter, February 9, 1959

And so she is. Some countries are not unlike a bashful debutante. It seems that in the midst of a technological storm that’s bridging people, cultures and countries; some governments are all frets over people discussing, opinionating, debating, and shredding to bits the actions (including follies) of politicians and the like. You could almost hear certain quarters of governments say, “Oh, why would anyone want to speak in a popular and benevolent manner of such matters as rights, freedoms, conspiracies and other such fancies?

Many might have kid about Bahrain’s most popular blog, Mahmood’s Den, being blocked one day. It seems that day will be tomorrow according to a ministerial order. While one can only speculate on the reasons for the block, some have pointed out that it most likely has to do with the Bandargatescandal. Mahmood has been quite outspoken about the issue on his weblog, and has also started the much commended Just Bahrainicampaign.

_Listen to podcast: _ [audio:lfdpc1.mp3] Transcript: While research suggests that people are connected to one another within six degrees of separation worldwide, one of the charms of a small island country like ours is that everyone on it seems to be connected within a degree or two at the most. Such closeness of relation in large cities or countries provides for happy coincedences, perhaps even serendipitous encounters. Yet in Bahrain finding out that for instance a certain stranger in a restaurant happens to be a friend of a friend does not call for celebration.

I’ve always found suicide bombing, no matter what the cause, to be amoral, reprehensible, and futile. While an equally deplorable oppression by Israel leads to Palestinian desperation, there’s no denying that Palestinians stand little chance in strengthening their case by feeding the media more news of “terrorist” activities. Paradise Now(the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Academy Award) delivers the different mindsets surrounding the issue of Palestinian suicide bombers without compromise.

From NPR: The Miami-Dade school board seeks to ban a book on Cuba, saying its portrait of life there is overly positive. A federal judge has ordered Vamos a Cuba back on school library shelves while the district fights a lawsuit aimed at keeping the book available.

Many of us have come across individuals that distance themselves from the truth so much so that it seems quite absurd. I wrote the following after encountering such an individual a few years ago. It was a bit long-winded, so I’ve revised it and cut it short. Read it if you will. As always, comments welcome. A most strange occurrence in societies treading the almost always painful path to freedom and self-determination is the constant presence of the reductionist.

This infamousJapanese to English translation, or Engrish,from an early nineties video game might be synctactally challenged, yet it rings true of the frustration and befuddlement that an aggressor would possess. Unfortunately, a frustrated IDF means 1,000 Lebanese dead, most of whom are civilians. Israel? 157 soldiers and civilians by last count. Lebanon the country might be engaged in what seems like endless turmoil. Lebanon the spirit, the people; however, can never be denied.

Today’s the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Today is when we remember the 3,000 who lost their lives. Today is also the day we remember when politics took a turn for the fictional. Not crackpot conspiracy theories mind you, just the formula story dichotomy of us vs. them, of good vs. evil. Like writers sometimes, Bushseems to have trouble finding that sweet spot to tie in Al-Qaeda to everything else that’s happening in the world.

While Arab, and in particular Islamic countries, face an uncertain future in terms of defining their own presence in the global arena and developing a hegemony of sorts that will help them shape their own destinies, it is worth examining the underlying roots and foundations of Western, and in particular, US hegemony. The Renaissance called for reason, it called for a revival of the human spirit through science, discovery and the arts.