From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2001 #463 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/joni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Friday, October 5 2001 Volume 2001 : Number 463 The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage, created by Wally Breese, can be found at http://www.jonimitchell.com. It contains the latest news, a detailed bio, Original Interviews, essays, lyrics and much much more. The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Today's Articles: October 5 [les@jmdl.com] Re: Wahabism - NJC ["Kakki" ] abuseNJC [colin ] Wayne Shorter in London ["Raffaele Malanga" ] Re: abuseNJC ["Kakki" ] Re: Brushes With Greatness, njc ["Paul Castle" ] NJC - RE: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC ["Ron Greer" ] RE: closest brush with celebrity NJC ["Deb Messling" ] War Dream - NJC ["J. R. Mills" ] Re: Brushes with ???? Greatness???? (NJC) [FMYFL@aol.com] Re: Brushes with ???? Greatness???? (NJC) ["Sharon L. Buffington" ] Re: Afghani women NJC [Yael Harlap ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 03:35:37 -0400 From: les@jmdl.com Subject: Today's Articles: October 5 On October 5 this article was published: 1998: "Taming the Tiger" - People (Review - Album) http://www.jmdl.com/articles/docs/981005p.cfm - ------------------------ The JMDL Article Database has 634 titles. http://www.jmdl.com/articles ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 01:26:36 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: Wahabism - NJC Marian, Thanks so much for the enlightening information. I have been reading about Wahabism and the Saudis in a number of other respected journals the past few days. What a quandry. We have been relying on Saudi oil since the 1930s and depended on it greatly during WWII. I also read in one of the U.K. papers yesterday that the U.S. actually has some kind of official "treaty" with the Saudis made back in the early 1950s where the U.S. promised to always protect and defend Saudi Arabia militarily in exchange for the oil (the largest reserve in the world). There were reports the other day that the Saudi royal family has fled the country. What is so bizarre is why they would want to promote and subsidize something to destroy us and other countries which support them. If and when this mess is ever resolved, I hope the U.S. will make more concerted efforts to obtain oil from other sources (while of course, accelerating the development of alternate energy sources). Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 09:51:29 +0100 From: colin Subject: abuseNJC One of the worst aspects of abuse is that other people often identify with the abuser. The abusee gets scapegoated. At the very least they are made to feel bad, like they are making a fuss over nothing. abuse happens because others let it happen and worse, defend the abuser. I am appalled that people are defending abusive behaviour, making light of it. This abuse did not happen by accident, it was not misinterpreted words, it was deliberate and clear. Very few emails have been in support of those of us who stood aganist the abuse. the abuse is still going on. I cannot mention who got it, but a friend recently got an email from a current lister which started 'you evil bitch'. The feeling of of being disbelieved, of the complaints being dismissed as trivial, as not important, leaves one doubting one's sanity. What has happened here is very like what happens in dysfunctional familes. The victim is scapegoated, the abuser supported and people bend over backwards to ignore what is happening and go to great lengths to escuse, explain, and minimise the abusers behaviour. the list is not a safe place any longer. I unsubbed to deal with my own stuff and read th archives from a safe place where I would not be able to send off a reply easily. The recent mails in defence of abuse, for that is what it is, made me feel I could not keep quiet. One thing has made me feel really angry-the person who recieved this 'you evil bitch'email has kept queit about it on list becasue they are afraid of being scapegaoted and blamed. So instead a lister is allowed to get away with this and have people continue to think they behave well. I am amzed this stae of affairs has come about on this wonderful list. - -- bw colin DAK,BRO GC, 950i 940,860,864, 260, 890,Silver 830 and 270, Passap 6000 Duo80 colin@tantra-apso.com http://www.tantra-apso.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 08:49:54 From: "Raffaele Malanga" Subject: Wayne Shorter in London I just bought tickets for the concert Wayne Shorter will do at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 10 Nov. He'll be playing along with Brian Blade, John Patitucci and Danilo Perez. Now, my feeling/wish/hope is that being November, when Joni should be in London recording her new songs, she might pop on stage for some unexpected guest performance. On the other hand, Shorter and Blade are Joni's current favourite musicians... At least I'm hoping to see her sitting in the first row, in which case I'll put away all my shyness, go to her and give her a big big hug. I'll keep you posted on this. Raf _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 01:57:16 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: abuseNJC Colin, I've wanted to stay out of this and not at all because I have taken sidesone way or the other, but for my own reasons. I will say that I have been there and what you have said here is very pertinent. Kakki >The feeling of of being disbelieved, of the complaints >being dismissed as trivial, as not important, leaves one >doubting one's sanity. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 10:09:44 +0100 From: "Paul Castle" Subject: Re: Brushes With Greatness, njc Whilst I haven't had any notable brushes with Classical musicians of renown, my mother told me a story about a friend of hers. One weekend, world famous oboeist Leon Goosens came to stay with my mother's friend. Her six year old son came into the room with a toy penny whistle and said to Goosens, "Bet you can't get a tune out of this!" He took the penny whistle and proceeded to play a lovely little tune. At the end, the little boy said "Oh, I'm glad it still works - it's been down the toilet all day!!" PaulC ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 11:33:45 +0200 From: "Ron Greer" Subject: NJC - RE: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC hi >>no balls=women=contemptible cowards is a pretty dismal equation. also pretty dismal logic :-) (please accept this as a joke) revised equations: man with no balls <> woman man with no balls = man with no balls = contemptible coward which is still pretty dismal when you consider that there are otherwise perfectly normal men who may have had their dangly bits removed for perfectly valid reasons - cancer, accidents, tight underwear, etc. ron but i disagree that being a woman under the taliban is still better than being a dead woman. bondage can be worse than death. wallyK - -----Original Message----- From: JMDL Digest [mailto:les@jmdl.com] Sent: 05 October 2001 09:01 To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2001 #462 JMDL Digest Friday, October 5 2001 Volume 2001 : Number 462 The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage, created by Wally Breese, can be found at http://www.jonimitchell.com. It contains the latest news, a detailed bio, Original Interviews, essays, lyrics and much much more. The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: - -------- Re: shall we dance? NJC ["Dolphie Bush" ] ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC [Yael Harlap ] Re: brush with Fabio and Tina Louise (NJC) ["Kakki" ] RE: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC ["Wally Kairuz" ] - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 23:58:08 -0500 From: "Dolphie Bush" Subject: Re: shall we dance? NJC does anyone remember the tune U + Me by the undisputed truth. now that was the ultimate dance tune. hot, sweaty, for the longest time . out on the floor, under the lights. lost in the time, the music, wow. mack - - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruyere" To: "Robert Holliston" ; Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 11:28 PM Subject: Re: shall we dance? NJC > How about some Donna Summers tunes? Bad Girls (toot toot hey beep beep) or > Last Dance? > Almost any Motown tune. Jr. Walkers Shotgun, etc. > Maybe Evian can help here with some suggestions for tunes from the > 80's. You gotta admit .... there was some good dance music from the 80's. > > Heather > > At 03:33 AM 10/2/01 -0700, Robert Holliston wrote: > >Folks, > >Ashara has suggested a wonderful new venue for Jonifest 2002. There are so > >many spaces and so much time available that I couldn't help but wonder: > >could we take up some of that space and spend some of that time dancing? > >I guess this is a suggestion for a thread: what would it take to get y'all > >off your butts and onto the dance floor? > >Here are some ideas. > > > >JAMES BROWN: Night Train; Papa's Got a Brand New Bag > >CLYDE McPHATTER and the DRIFTERS: Ruby Baby > >THE BEACH BOYS: I Get Around > >"BIG" JOE TURNER: Shake, Rattle, and Roll; Corrina, Corrina > >DORIS TROY: Just One Look > >SMOKEY ROBINSON and the MIRACLES: I Second That Emotion > >THE SUPREMES: Where Did Our Love Go? > >RAY CHARLES: Lonely Avenue (for slow dancing......;-) > > > >Any other ideas? We could have ourselves some serious fun.... > > > >Roberto > > > >_________________________________________________________________ > >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 13:25:22 -0400 From: Yael Harlap Subject: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC My friend the Lama quipped, about Osama having sex reassignment surgery: >I think he's already half way there, Mags. I mean, anyone who goes out of >his way to kill civilians already has no balls. Now, not to attack personally, I *promise* - I know this was not intended as anything but a quip criticizing Osama... but it really is the kind of statement that our sexist society socializes us into, unjustly. To associate "having no balls" (= being feminine, being female, being a woman) with all things negative - and killing civilians is pretty much as negative as it gets! - well, that is evidence of a societal problem of devaluing all things female. I just wanted to say this to share my thoughts with everyone: that these sorts of associations are unacceptable. And I am sure all sorts of unacceptable associations pass by me every day - I am sure I MAKE them despite my best intentions - and I hope that when they do other people keep pointing them out to me so I can keep learning... And in this spirit I point this out. hugs and respect to all, Yael - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 01:36:08 -0400 From: "jlamadoo, home account" Subject: RE: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC Yes, a quip it was. As you know, I wasn't equating women with terrorism. I guess I agree about the inappropriate stereotype. Can we also agree that "cyber-bully" is a better moniker than "cyber-rapist", especially for one of our own JMDLers? Lama p.s. Yael, don't you think, by extension that the original solution is also insulting to women, implying as it does that living as a woman under the Taliban is a worse fate than execution or living as a man in prison? What's good for the gander is good for the goose, right? > -----Original Message----- > From: Yael Harlap [mailto:yharlap@yahoo.com] > My friend the Lama quipped, about Osama having sex reassignment surgery: > >I think he's already half way there, Mags. I mean, anyone who > > goes out of his way to kill civilians already has no balls. > Now, not to attack personally, I *promise* - I know this was not intended > as anything but a quip criticizing Osama... but it really is the kind of > statement that our sexist society socializes us into, unjustly. > > To associate "having no balls" (= being feminine, being female, being a > woman) with all things negative - and killing civilians is pretty much as > negative as it gets! - well, that is evidence of a societal problem of > devaluing all things female. > > I just wanted to say this to share my thoughts with everyone: that these > sorts of associations are unacceptable. And I am sure all sorts of > unacceptable associations pass by me every day - I am sure I MAKE them > despite my best intentions - and I hope that when they do other > people keep > pointing them out to me so I can keep learning... And in this spirit I > point this out. > > hugs and respect to all, > Yael - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 02:10:33 EDT From: Murphycopy@aol.com Subject: Re: brush with Fabio and Tina Louise (NJC) In a message dated 10/4/01 11:53:53 PM, sepstein@agmont.com writes: << Fabio!!! hee hee >> Damn that Fabio! Last time I was in LA -- four years ago this coming January - - -- I was there for a month while various coworkers came and went after a spending a few days working on the project we were there to do. Everyone else in my group saw major celebs left and right, but I just kept seeing Fabio over and over again because he owned a restaurant that was right across Sunset Strip from my hotel (The Argyle). I think Fabio's restaurant is a Cajun place, go figure. Finally, on my last day there, after having my hair dyed platinum blond the day before, I was checking out of the hotel when Lawrence Fishburn, who had a few days earlier watched the Super Bowl in the hotel bar with three of my coworkers, walked through the lobby and did a major double take when HE saw ME with my brand new bright blond hair contrasting with my bright pink tavern tan! Robert, one of the people I was with, caught Fishburn's double take and immediately started laughing uncontrollably. And although I am impressed that Wally met Maria Callas, *I* met Tina Louise (Yes, THAT Tina Louise from Gilligan's Island) when I appeared in a never-released film called The Pool with her. (I was an extra, she was the star.) There was one scene in the movie, *my* scene, that called for Miss Louise to angrily fly past the group I was in after an argument with her lover. We were all in black tie around a beautiful pool at a mansion in Massachusetts, and the group I was in was supposed to be chatting very quietly in the background while Miss Louise stormed past. After about the twentieth take, at about four o'clock in the morning, my group had run out of things to murmur in the background, so our conversation went something like this: WILL: Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale. ROSA: A tale of a fateful trip? BOB: That started from this tropic port? CYNTHIA: Aboard this tiny ship? But at the end of the day, Fabio and TIna Louise don't add up to Joni. Congratulations, Stephen. I guess the ruby slippers brought you luck. --Bob - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 14:12:07 -0400 From: Yael Harlap Subject: RE: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC Hi all- Just to clarify- >Yes, a quip it was. As you know, I wasn't equating women with terrorism. I >guess I agree about the inappropriate stereotype. I don't think that it was women being equated with terrorism, as much as the idea that to do something cowardly, whatever it is, is associated with being female. The implication is that it is not "manly" or man-like - and therefore is female-like - to do something cowardly (no matter what it is). >Can we also agree that "cyber-bully" is a better moniker than >"cyber-rapist", especially for one of our own JMDLers? I totally agree. I am bothered by the term "cyber-racist" here for two reasons. One is because of the implications of it for actual rape - not because the emails don't make one feel violated - they can, and words can be abusive - but because when we throw the word around so much it dilutes its meaning in the real world. I can imagine a variety of arguments here, such as "if the words are violating and abusive then it *is* equivalent to the violation of rape." Well, I can't pretend to know how those exchanges with Marcel felt to others who experienced them. I had some nasty exchanges with him myself during the election, which really upset me at the time, and though I am fortunate in that I have never been raped, I can say that based on my experiences in real life, a rape would be much more violating to me. Again, I don't presume to know how Marcel's emails felt to anyone else who was the recipient. The other reason that the use of the word "cyber-rapist" bothered me so is that it felt to me like cruelty. That, and some other comments made about Marcel at that time, really bothered me. Ok, he did some creep-y things (both creepy and behavior-of-a-creep), and I am not talking (in this paragraph) about how I feel about his banishment. But I think that our response to the conflict on the list, rather than simply choosing to support the person making the complaint (or not, as the case may be), was a real attack, fairly vicious, and that felt wrong to me. There were people (Ashara comes to mind) who made a clear point in a way that didn't feel abusive or hurtful. I totally respect that. But other things said felt really wrong, and that still bothers me. I don't know why I'm writing all this. I don't think anyone particularly wants to go back into this topic. But I feel like I should have said it then, so I said it now. :-) >p.s. Yael, don't you think, by extension that the original solution is also >insulting to women, implying as it does that living as a woman under the >Taliban is a worse fate than execution or living as a man in prison? What's >good for the gander is good for the goose, right? Mmm, interesting point. Yes, I didn't like the original "solution" either. It bugged me. Like living as a woman would be the worst possible punishment. You are right about that. It didn't quite inspire me to write in about it because women in Afghanistan, from all I can tell, really do live pretty crappy lives. Though I am sure that for a lot of them, that is simply their life, they have good days and bad days, and there is more to those women than their status as victims (as the documentaries, i'm sure, express, though i haven't seen them). But anyhow, back to my point - because we all sort of have this understanding that life as a woman in Afghanistan is crappy, "punishing" bin Laden by subjecting him to the restricted lifestyle that his allies helped create seems like a statement of "just desserts" (though I don't hold with such thinking). More than a statement of "it is worse to be a woman than to be dead." But that was just my first interpretation. What bothered me more about the original joke email is something I am having a harder time pinning down, but something about the joking nature of referring to sexual reassignment surgery - as if undergoing that (becoming a woman) makes one less of a person, somehow. I don't know. When I try to explain it here it doesn't come off much different than what I stated in the previous paragraph. But somehow, the fact that sexual assignment surgery - which is rare and done in cases where people's external trappings do not coincide with their deepest feelings about who they are - is so lightly used as a "punishment"... Yeah. Maybe someone else can explain this better. Anyone? I hope no one minds these off topic, sensitive-issue ramblings. OK I am going to bed. I am on digest, so if anyone responds to this and doesn't cc me, my responses will be delayed. hugs, Yael - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 22:56:54 -0700 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: Subject: Re: Brushes With Greatness(njc) Sharon, I really think you win hands down. How can anyone top Walt at Disneyland? ******************************************** Kate Bennett www.katebennett.com sponsored by Polysonics www.polysonics.com Discover the Indies at Taylor Guitars: http://www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/bennett.html ******************************************** - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 03:21:50 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: Tina Louise (NJC) who IS tina louise? did she sing any operas? wallyK, who thinks maria callas beats walt disney, no matter what kate says. - - -----Mensaje original----- De: owner-joni@jmdl.com [mailto:owner-joni@jmdl.com]En nombre de Murphycopy@aol.com Enviado el: Viernes, 05 de Octubre de 2001 03:11 a.m. Para: sepstein@agmont.com; joni@smoe.org Asunto: Re: brush with Fabio and Tina Louise (NJC) And although I am impressed that Wally met Maria Callas, *I* met Tina Louise (Yes, THAT Tina Louise from Gilligan's Island) when I appeared in a never-released film called The Pool with her. - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 23:28:01 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: brush with Fabio and Tina Louise (NJC) > But at the end of the day, Fabio and TIna Louise don't >add up to Joni. Congratulations, Stephen. I guess the >ruby slippers brought you luck. This is pretty funny and what a coinky-dink - a certain someone I know also told me a personal encounter with Fabio story recently (and no, it wasn't Joni!) Kakki - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 23:43:17 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC Hi Yael, >It didn't quite inspire me to write in about it because >women in Afghanistan, from all I can tell, really do live >pretty crappy lives. Though I am sure that for a lot of >them, that is simply their life, they have good days and >bad days, and there is more to those women than their > status as victims (as the documentaries, i'm sure, >express, though i haven't seen them). I hope you will read up on the situation of the women in Afghanistan - you don't have to see the documentaries. It is horrific beyond all imagination what they are, and have been, subjected to under the Taliban. Much information has been out there for a number of years now - this didn't just start as an issue yesterday to somehow discredit the Taliban. They have no good days. Kakki - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 02:44:50 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: RE: hello! congratulations alison, it does seem like you landed on your feet. fantastic! new york misses you though, at least i do. please come back and visit soon... patrick > > >hi guys, >i just wanted to send a quick note to let you all know >that i have a new job! yeeee-hawwww! - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 03:52:40 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RE: ooh, low blow not to osama but to women! NJC yes, i agree with yael: no balls=women=contemptible cowards is a pretty dismal equation. but i disagree that being a woman under the taliban is still better than being a dead woman. bondage can be worse than death. wallyK - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 09:03:20 +0100 From: "Marian" Subject: Wahabism - NJC The Spectator, London September 22 2001 Header: Stephen Schwartz on the extreme Islamic sect that inspires Osama bin Laden as well as all Muslim suicide bombers - and is subsidised by Saudi Arabia The first thing to do when trying to understand 'Islamic suicide bombers' is to forget the cliches about the Muslim taste for martyrdom. It does exist, of course, but the desire for paradise is not a safe guide to what motivated the appalling suicide attacks on New York and Washington last week. Throughout history, political extremists of all faiths have willingly given up their lives simply in the belief that by doing so, whether in bombings or in other forms of terror, they would change the course of history, or at least win an advantage for their cause. Tamils are not Muslims, but they blow themselves up in their war on the government of Sri Lanka; Japanese kamikaze pilots in the second world war were not Muslims, but they flew their fighters into US aircraft carriers. The Islamofascist ideology of Osama bin Laden and those closest to him, such as the Egyptian and Algerian 'Islamic Groups', is no more intrinsically linked to Islam or Islamic civilisation than Pearl Harbor was to Buddhism, or Ulster terrorists - whatever they may profess - are to Christianity. Serious Christians don't go around killing and maiming the innocent; devout Muslims do not prepare for paradise by hanging out in strip bars and getting drunk, as one of last week's terrorist pilots was reported to have done. The attacks of 11 September are simply not compatible with orthodox Muslim theology, which cautions soldiers 'in the way of Allah' to fight their enemies face-to-face, without harming non-combatants, women or children. Most Muslims, not only in America and Britain, but in the world, are clearly law-abiding citizens of their countries - a point stressed by President Bush and other American leaders, much to their credit. Nobody on this side of the water wants a repeat of the lamented 1941 internment of Japanese Americans. Still, the numerical preponderance of Muslims as perpetrators of these ghastly incidents is no coincidence. So we have to ask ourselves what has made these men into the monsters they are? What has so galvanised violent tendencies in the world's second-largest religion (and, in America, the fastest growing faith)? Can it really flow from a quarrel over a bit of land in the Middle East? For Westerners, it seems natural to look for answers in the distant past, beginning with the Crusades. But if you ask educated, pious, traditional but forward-looking Muslims what has driven their umma, or global community, in this direction, many of them will answer you with one word: Wahhabism. This is a strain of Islam that emerged not at the time of the Crusades, nor even at the time of the anti-Turkish wars of the 17th century, but less than two centuries ago. It is violent, it is intolerant, and it is fanatical beyond measure. It originated in Arabia, and it is the official theology of the Gulf states. Wahhabism is the most extreme form of Islamic fundamentalism, and its followers are called Wahhabis. Not all Muslims are suicide bombers, but all Muslim suicide bombers are Wahhabis - except, perhaps, for some disciples of atheist leftists posing as Muslims in the interests of personal power, such as Yasser Arafat or Saddam Hussein. Wahhabism is the Islamic equivalent of the most extreme Protestant sectarianism. It is puritan, demanding punishment for those who enjoy any form of music except the drum, and severe punishment up to death for drinking or sexual transgressions. It condemns as unbelievers those who do not pray, a view that never previously existed in mainstream Islam. It is stripped-down Islam, calling for simple, short prayers, undecorated mosques, and the uprooting of gravestones (since decorated mosques and graveyards lend themselves to veneration, which is idolatry in the Wahhabi mind). Wahhabis do not even permit the name of the Prophet Mohammed to be inscribed in mosques, nor do they allow his birthday to be celebrated. Above all, they hate ostentatious spirituality, much as Protestants detest the veneration of miracles and saints in the Roman Church. Ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703-92), the founder of this totalitarian Islamism, was born in Uyaynah, in the part of Arabia known as Nejd, where Riyadh is today, and which the Prophet himself notably warned would be a source of corruption and confusion. (Anti-Wahhabi Muslims refer to Wahhabism as fitna an Najdiyyah or 'the trouble out of Nejd'.) From the beginning of Wahhab's dispensation, in the late 18th century, his cult was associated with the mass murder of all who opposed it. For example, the Wahhabis fell upon the city of Qarbala in 1801 and killed 2,000 ordinary citizens in the streets and markets. In the 19th century, Wahhabism took the form of Arab nationalism v. the Turks. The founder of the Saudi kingdom, Ibn Saud, established Wahhabism as its official creed. Much has been made of the role of the US in 'creating' Osama bin Laden through subsidies to the Afghan mujahedin, but as much or more could be said in reproach of Britain which, three generations before, supported the Wahhabi Arabs in their revolt against the Ottomans. Arab hatred of the Turks fused with Wahhabi ranting against the 'decadence' of Ottoman Islam. The truth is that the Ottoman khalifa reigned over a multinational Islamic umma in which vast differences in local culture and tradition were tolerated. No such tolerance exists in Wahhabism, which is why the concept of US troops on Saudi soil so inflames bin Laden. Bin Laden is a Wahhabi. So are the suicide bombers in Israel. So are his Egyptian allies, who exulted as they stabbed foreign tourists to death at Luxor not many years ago, bathing in blood up to their elbows and emitting blasphemous cries of ecstasy. So are the Algerian Islamist terrorists whose contribution to the purification of the world consisted of murdering people for such sins as running a movie projector or reading secular newspapers. So are the Taleban-style guerrillas in Kashmir who murder Hindus. The Iranians are not Wahhabis, which partially explains their slow but undeniable movement towards moderation and normality after a period of utopian and puritan revivalism. But the Taleban practise a variant of Wahhabism. In the Wahhabi fashion they employ ancient punishments - such as execution for moral offences - and they have a primitive and fearful view of women. The same is true of Saudi Arabia's rulers. None of this extremism has been inspired by American fumblings in the world, and it has little to do with the tragedies that have beset Israelis and Palestinians. But the Wahhabis have two weaknesses of which the West is largely unaware; an Achilles' heel on each foot, so to speak. The first is that the vast majority of Muslims in the world are peaceful people who would prefer the installation of Western democracy in their own countries. They loathe Wahhabism for the same reason any patriarchal culture rejects a violent break with tradition. And that is the point that must be understood: bin Laden and other Wahhabis are not defending Islamic tradition; they represent an ultra-radical break in the direction of a sectarian utopia. Thus, they are best described as Islamofascists, although they have much in common with Bolsheviks. The Bengali Sufi writer Zeeshan Ali has described the situation touchingly: 'Muslims from Bangladesh in the US, just like any other place in the world, uphold the traditional beliefs of Islam but, due to lack of instruction, keep quiet when their beliefs are attacked by Wahhabis in the US who all of a sudden become "better" Muslims than others. These Wahhabis go even further and accuse their own fathers of heresy, sin and unbelief. And the young children of the immigrants, when they grow up in this country, get exposed only to this one-sided version of Islam and are led to think that this is the only Islam. Naturally a big gap is being created every day that silence is only widening.' The young, divided between tradition and the call of the new, opt for 'Islamic revolution' and commit themselves to their self-destruction, combined with mass murder. The same influences are brought to bear throughout the ten-million-strong Muslim community in America, as well as those in Europe. In the US, 80 per cent of mosques are estimated by the Sufi Hisham al-Kabbani, born in Lebanon and now living in the US, to be under the control of Wahhabi imams, who preach extremism, and this leads to the other point of vulnerability: Wahhabism is subsidised by Saudi Arabia, even though bin Laden has sworn to destroy the Saudi royal family. The Saudis have played a double game for years, more or less as Stalin did with the West during the second world war. They pretended to be allies in a common struggle against Saddam Hussein while they spread Wahhabi ideology everywhere Muslims are to be found, just as Stalin promoted an 'antifascist' coalition with the US while carrying out espionage and subversion on American territory. The motive was the same: the belief that the West was or is decadent and doomed. One major question is never asked in American discussions of Arab terrorism: what is the role of Saudi Arabia? The question cannot be asked because American companies depend too much on the continued flow of Saudi oil, while American politicians have become too cozy with the Saudi rulers. Another reason it is not asked is that to expose the extent of Saudi and Wahhabi influence on American Muslims would deeply compromise many Islamic clerics in the US. But it is the most significant question Americans should be asking themselves today. If we get rid of bin Laden, who do we then have to deal with? The answer was eloquently put by Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr, professor of political science at the University of California at San Diego, and author of an authoritative volume on Islamic extremism in Pakistan, when he said: 'If the US wants to do something about radical Islam, it has to deal with Saudi Arabia. The "rogue states" [Iraq, Libya, etc.] are less important in the radicalisation of Islam than Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the single most important cause and supporter of radicalisation, ideologisation, and the general fanaticisation of Islam.' From what we now know, it appears not a single one of the suicide pilots in New York and Washington was Palestinian. They all seem to have been Saudis, citizens of the Gulf states, Egyptian or Algerian. Two are reported to have been the sons of the former second secretary of the Saudi embassy in Washington. They were planted in America long before the outbreak of the latest Palestinian intifada; in fact, they seem to have begun their conspiracy while the Middle East peace process was in full, if short, bloom. marian@jmdl.com http://www.jmdl.com/guitar/marian/guitar.htm - ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2001 #462 ***************************** - ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe - ------- Siquomb, isn't she? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 11:01:46 +0100 From: colin Subject: celebritieNJC I have met several. I knew Andrew Sachs(Manuel in Fawlty towers) well back in the 70's. A very nice and gentle man. I had lunch with Anthony Hopkins(not just me) back in 80. I had a crush on him at the time. We walked down the street and he put his arm on my shoulder. I felt very embarasses. Another very nice man. Lorraine Chase after her performance in Pigmalian(sp?). Heather Chasen(well known English actress and radio person, round The Horn I think) Knew Ken Russell's son intimately at one point. Nothing like his dad to look at. - -- bw colin DAK,BRO GC, 950i 940,860,864, 260, 890,Silver 830 and 270, Passap 6000 Duo80 colin@tantra-apso.com http://www.tantra-apso.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 05:56:32 -0400 From: "Deb Messling" Subject: RE: closest brush with celebrity NJC I have met Bruce Cockburn several times. There's a picture of us together on my web site. I saw Jackie Onassis in a little antique store in Oldwick, NJ. I was buying a blown glass Christmas ornament that I still refer to as my "Jackie O ornament." On another occasion, my dad sold Jackie a truckload of hay. I went to high school with Rod Serling's daughter and Roy Lichtenstein's son (who went on to become an actor, appearing in several movies and -- more importantly? -- several Law & Order episodes). This may be family legend, but it is said that Tennessee Williams was in the audience when I appeared as a no-neck monster in a summer stock version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. - ----------------------------------- Deb Messling =^..^= - ----------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 05:03:54 -0700 From: "J. R. Mills" Subject: War Dream - NJC I've just woken up in a cold sweat from a war dream, the type of which I've been afflicted by since the September 11th attack. In this one I was a spy who had somehow infiltrated the Al Qaeda organization and had befriended Osama bin Laden and gained his confidence to garner intelligence for the U.S. and the Allies. In the dream I was hunkered down with his personal guard somewhere in the Afghanistan mountains and was desperate to get the hell out of that terrorist camp to report back his location to my superiors in time for the war effort. I was also living in fear that I would be discovered and brutally killed, as I had observed the Al Qaeda and Taliban murder so many Afghanistan youth who had refused to join their militia since I had infiltrated the army. At one point there was a fire fight, like I had seen video of during the Iraq war. It was pitch dark, but ordinance lit up the black of night. I took that opportunity to beat a hasty retreat on horseback in the confusion. At that point in the dream, as I was riding like the wind, all I could hear was the heavy, rhythmic breathing of my trusty steed and the clop, clop of his hooves against hard ground as he ran in full gallop for my dear life. That and my own pounding heartbeat. I turned around to look, and sure enough, the Al Qaeda was hot on my trail with Soviet made AK-47 rifles poised to fire. I could see the breath of their horses in the evening chill and could hear the angry Arabic shouts of "Get the infidel! Get him! Kill him!" Good thing it was dream, 'cause just as they were closing in on me the horse took flight like Pegasus...like it was a Steven Spielberg movie or something. But I wasn't out of the woods yet...the Taliban soldiers chasing me had some damn "stinger" missiles that the U.S. had supplied them with years ago to fight the Soviet invasion. I looked back in flight and could see the tracers of one headed right for us. Horse and I dodged for all we were worth, but it was a heat-seeker and we were hit hard. We dropped out of the sky like a rock, like you fall in dreams when you realize "hey, I'm flying." We fell to Earth somewhere in a thicket, but not far from the pursuing mob. I looked down and my left leg had been blown off, leaving a bloody stump. The horse was near death, bleeding from the neck. I just hugged him, thanking him when he looked at me with a rolled back eye and drew his last breath, exhaling visibly. I thought I was done for, but just then a woman gallops up on horseback, her dark tresses flying in the wild wind. There was a tattered American flag draped over the hind quarters of her horse. She reached down and with one hand pulls me onto her horse, saying "Quit your crying! This mission isn't over yet!." Her horse reared back on it's hind quarters and whinnied loudly as the rider whispered something in her ear and we took off in a dusty haze, riding fast, like we were on the horse in the Frances ford Coppola movie "Black Stallion." I held on tight around her waist lest I fall off. I was biting my lip hard trying to fight back the worsening pain of my leg wound. That's when I woke up. I'm still shaking. I guess that's what I get for falling asleep with CNN on the telly. - -Julius ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 08:52:30 EDT From: FMYFL@aol.com Subject: Re: Brushes with ???? Greatness???? (NJC) When I was 8 years old, I sat on the lap of Jimmy Dean (the sausage king and singer)........................no comments Mr. Muller :~) Jimmy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 08:23:39 -0500 From: "Sharon L. Buffington" Subject: Re: Brushes with ???? Greatness???? (NJC) SEE!! Who knew? FMYFL@aol.com wrote: > > When I was 8 years old, I sat on the lap of Jimmy Dean (the sausage king and > singer)........................no comments Mr. Muller :~) > > Jimmy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 09:19:18 -0400 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: desert island follow up, NJC Steve Dulson wrote: > Gillian Welch (along with her partner David Rawlings) has written > some amazingly old-timey sounding songs. She is dialled in to > rural, depression, dust bowl, WWII and fifties America like no > one else. They will knock your socks off live. Was introduced to Gillian through the concert movie Down From the Mountain. She and David Rawlings are a treasure. All her cd's are fabulous, but her new Time (The Revelator) is spectacular. Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 08:50:25 -0500 From: "Sharon L. Buffington" Subject: Re: abuseNJC Dear Colin: I am so happy to see you and pleased that you are explaining why you took a respite from the list. In regards to abuse and ignoring it, I sometimes find that when someone reports being abused, other people will come forward with stories that the alleged abuser was kind or nice to them. I believe this happens because sometimes a person is shocked to hear "X" has been abusive when their experience with "X" person has been so different. Of course to the one being and/or feeling abused...this response appears to be unsupportive. There are other people who WILL actually be discounting by reporting their positive experiences with "X". Implicit or explicit in their message lies "so you must have done something nasty in order to receive such a response from "X". And then of course there are those people who believe they are being abused when the alleged 'abuser' never meant to 'abuse' them. You know the old saying "You can dish it out but you can't take it"? What to do? I do not know the answers...but good old Rodney King after being beaten by the LA cops said "Hey, why can't we all just get along?" Of course he had a million dollar lawsuit going as well... Seeing your name come up on my computer brightened my morning...which is about to get even better with a freshly brewed cup of coffee with half and half along with some LEMON BREAD warm from the oven. Love and Peace.......Sharon colin wrote: > > One of the worst aspects of abuse is that other people often identify > with the abuser. The abusee gets scapegoated. At the very least they are > made to feel bad, like they are making a fuss over nothing. abuse > happens because others let it happen and worse, defend the abuser. > I am appalled that people are defending abusive behaviour, making light > of it. This abuse did not happen by accident, it was not misinterpreted > words, it was deliberate and clear. Very few emails have been in support > of those of us who stood aganist the abuse. > the abuse is still going on. I cannot mention who got it, but a friend > recently got an email from a current lister which started 'you evil > bitch'. > The feeling of of being disbelieved, of the complaints being dismissed > as trivial, as not important, leaves one doubting one's sanity. > What has happened here is very like what happens in dysfunctional > familes. The victim is scapegoated, the abuser supported and people bend > over backwards to ignore what is happening and go to great lengths to > escuse, explain, and minimise the abusers behaviour. > the list is not a safe place any longer. > I unsubbed to deal with my own stuff and read th archives from a safe > place where I would not be able to send off a reply easily. The recent > mails in defence of abuse, for that is what it is, made me feel I could > not keep quiet. > One thing has made me feel really angry-the person who recieved this > 'you evil bitch'email has kept queit about it on list becasue they are > afraid of being scapegaoted and blamed. So instead a lister is allowed > to get away with this and have people continue to think they behave > well. I am amzed this stae of affairs has come about on this wonderful > list. > > -- > bw > colin > DAK,BRO GC, 950i 940,860,864, 260, 890,Silver 830 and 270, Passap 6000 > Duo80 > colin@tantra-apso.com > http://www.tantra-apso.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 21:49:57 -0400 From: Yael Harlap Subject: Re: Afghani women NJC Kakki said: >I hope you will read up on the situation of the women in Afghanistan - you >don't have to see the documentaries. It is horrific beyond all imagination >what they are, and have been, subjected to under the Taliban. Much >information has been out there for a number of years now - this didn't just >start as an issue yesterday to somehow discredit the Taliban. They have no >good days. Oh, I totally do not doubt that the situation for women under the Taliban is horrible. I am aware of that. That wasn't what I meant. But I disagree with the statement "They have no good days." And where I am coming from is the following: For years I was impassioned by the whole Reviving Ophelia, girls-lose-their-self-esteem-when-they-get-to-middle-school stuff. I really really cared about all the girls who were such victims of unjust society, unequal treatment at school, eating disorders, depression, etc. I still care about middle school girls. A lot. And I agree that they face an unjust world. I don't mean to be flippant about them. But I have shifted my stance. While it is important to recognize that people are caught in unfortunate and unjust circumstances *that*are*not*their*fault* (ie: poverty, racism, sexism etc are systemic problems that need to be addressed at a systemic level; abuse and neglect are also important problems that aren't their fault), I also think it is vitally important that we recognize young people as active, thoughtful agents in creating their own worlds. Young people can create community change. Young people are not all either victims or perpetrators. Young people are not druggies, video-game-watching-bloodthirsty-killers, irresponsible teen moms, loiterers. They are not dangerous. Definitely not any more than adults. In fact, all of these things (crime, drugs, pregnancy out of wedlock, all the things typically touted as youth "problems") are things done way more by adults than youth. They might be things we choose to define as societal problems (or not), but they aren't really youth problems. I sort of veered off topic there. What I meant was, young people, despite the fact that they live under severe restrictions (a lot of towns have curfews, many malls don't allow youth to be together without adults, etc), have their lives highly scheduled, etc, can have good days. Even poor children living in squalor can have good days and actively engage with community. They have hopes for the future. They have fears but they also have ideas, and some of those ideas they can act on, even despite their circumstances. I'm not saying that we ignore the structural and community problems (poverty, abuse, etc) - definitely not! Those are things that we need to work on, and work on passionately. I'm just saying that when we define youth only in terms of their victimhood, everyone loses out. We lose out on what they have to offer. I don't want to deny that to Afghani women. I don't like the way they are forced to live. I think it is horrid. They definitely are victims of their unjust society, in a serious way. But they are also active agents in their worlds and day-to-day lives. I'm sure they have their good days. And actually, the fact that there is a group of Afghani women organized to create change, publicizing their plight to the outside world, etc, makes my point. The fact that an Afghani woman created a documentary makes my point too. Their situation needs to change. But I do not think we need to strip them of their humanity and their agency to make that point. That's all I meant by that. :-) hugs, Yael, getting all impassioned and also late for work. ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2001 #463 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she?