Some Positive Signs

It looks as though an opera which Muslims were making a fuss over may just go on.

Germany's conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday led political and arts world uproar at the scrapping of a Mozart opera that features the head of the prophet Mohammed rolling across the stage.

The performances were canceled amid fears the scene could trigger violence among the nation’s Muslim community.

But Mrs Merkel denounced "self-censorship out of fear" as unacceptable, reflecting a mood of national indignation that was not limited to the arts set but cut right across all social lines.

And last night there were hopes that increased government pressure might get the show put back on.

It damned well better. I can't imagine a free society canceling such an event to kowtow to any group, or religion. And in Phoenix, they will meet next month to reconsider some of the inscriptions on a 9/11 monument.

PHOENIX -- A state commission that authorized placement of the Arizona 9-11 Memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza will review controversial laser-cut inscriptions "and see if some of them could be removed," the panel's chairman said Wednesday.

Former state Sen. Tom Smith, chairman of the Legislative Governmental Mall Commission, also said the commission hadn't made it a practice to review the wording of any memorials. "We sure as heck will do it in the future," he told The Associated Press in an interview.

Naturally, the politicians are all scrambling to say it isn't their fault. And this last bit of good news is of the truly good variety, a military report regarding the Teliban being on the run. Three's a lucky number, so with that, time to call it a night. I've very mixed feelings about the coming election season. I always knew it was going to be dirty and tough. But I don't think before I was reminded of what the Dems are capable, I realized just how much.

Time to get some rest ... but the time is coming to start fighting back.

The Taleban are tactically defeated in Helmand, the commander of the UK forces in Afghanistan has said.
Brigadier Ed Butler told the BBC that Nato had inflicted significant casualties on the Taleban who had failed to remove them from the south.

"We have killed a considerable number of their mid-level and high level commanders," he said.

And a secret deal has brought a halt to violence in Musa Qala, a district which had seen intense fighting, he added.

He told the BBC's Alastair Leithead a peace deal had been struck with the elders of Musa Qala - one of the district centres where British soldiers have had to defend intense attacks over the past three months - following a "secret meeting" in the desert.

Comments

[splashtc]

yeah-finally there's some hope.